Master the Art of the Toast

A new book gives readers a look at how people raise their glasses around the world.

By Florence Fabricant

Say you’re invited to a wedding where the groom is from Indonesia or the bride is Romanian, and you’d like to toast them in their native languages. A new book, “Cheers! Around the World in 80 Toasts,” will tell you that “Bersulang!” or “Noroc!” are what you need to say as you raise your glass. This global lexicon, written with a light touch, is a scholarly treatise on toasts in scores of languages and takes a deep dive into linguistics, history and traditions. The author, a writer and teacher, is proficient in five languages. He has organized the book by region, with the countries in each listed in alphabetical order for easy reference. You’ll discover what to say, what libation should fill the glass and how it all came about. Read it with a clear head; there’s much to learn.

“Cheers! Around the World in 80 Toasts” by Brandon Cook (Red Lightning Books, $29).

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