Bartending 101: The Basics of Mixology, 4th Edition [Paperback]

Harvard Student Agencies Inc. (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: October 20, 2005

The Essential Bartending Crash Course

Do you know how to set up a full bar for that party you're having? How much vermouth to use when your first guest requests a "dry martini on the rocks?" How to measure out a shot of alcohol using the three-count method?

You'll find the answers to all of these questions and much more in this indispensable guide. Rather than teaching you recipes for drinks you've never heard of and will never have to make, the authors focus on the fundamentals of bartending--using the tools, learning the terminology and drink mnemonics, and setting up for a cocktail party. This book will transform the most ignorant imbiber into a sauce-slinger extraordinaire, ready to go out and bartend recreationally or professionally.

This guide includes:

-Basic bar setups, tools, and helpful techniques
-Hundreds of recipes for the most popular drinks and punches, from chocolate martinis to salty dogs
-New chapters featuring everything a bartender needs to know about beer and wine
-A new and improved guide to throwing a fabulous cocktail party
-Hints on finding a bartending job
-Diagrams, illustrations, and many useful tips throughout.

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

The Harvard Student Agencies Bartending course has certified more than forty thousand individuals in the art of drink mixing since its inception in 1972.

Product Details

• Paperback: 272 pages
• Publisher: St. Martin's Griffin; 4th edition (October 20, 2005)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0312349068
• ISBN-13: 978-0312349066
• Product Dimensions: 8.2 x 5.5 x 0.7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 8.8 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.2 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (4 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #397,277 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Good for getting some basic knowledge on bartending, November 6, 2007

By 

Cameron M. Dziurgot "Cameron MD" (Guilford, CT USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Bartending 101: The Basics of Mixology, 4th Edition (Paperback)

I read this book all the way through in about two days and found it to be very informative on how to act, how to get into, and what to expect when aspiring to become a bartender. It has an entire chapter on what to do to get started in the field of work and how to work your way up to the top.

That being said though, I found that the drink section is outdated and inaccurate. Most books on bar tending become outdated after a year anyway, but I have just started working as a bar back and I noticed that some of the drinks were not right (I had to double check a few online). It did give several helpful websites though for up to date drinks and what is popular now.

Also, they push their bar tending kit that they sell in the back of the book in almost every chapter. I found that kind of annoying. Other then that though, the book is a good way to find out how to act and what to expect when bar tending, and did have good information on pouring and making many drinks.

If you read this book before starting a bar back job or going to a bar tending school, I would say it would be a good way to get a head start and get ahead in the field before you start.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Basics Yes, but offers a little more, October 18, 2011

By 

EverythingEnthusiast - See all my reviews

This review is from: Bartending 101: The Basics of Mixology, 4th Edition (Paperback)

I have several books on Bartending and they all have pros and their cons. I think this is really a great beginners book. One review said that drinks were outdated, and that is to be expected, hopefully you don't buy this book for a lot of drink recepies, because that's not what it's really for. There are a few things about this book that I really loved and haven't seen in others that I bought:

1: List of Liqueurs, you can make liqueurs out of almost any flavor and this book breaks them down into category and what flavor they represent: Nutty Flavors-like Amaretto (almond) and frangelico (hazelnut); Coffee- Kahlua, tia maria; Berries- Black Haus (blackberry), boggs (cranberry), Chambord (black raspberry; Fruits of the Vine- Cocribe (coconut), Cointreau (orange); Herbs, Spices and other such vices- Brambuie (honey), Aquavit (caraway) so on and so on. The other bartending books list alcohols in alphabetical order so they aren't put into groups like this. I really like it because it lists the more common ones about 8-12 in each section.

2. It shows you a basic bar set up, lists the drinks and mixers you need to make 70% if the most common drinks people will order and how to set them up in your home.

3. It gives you ideas on where you can look for jobs and where are good places to start and work your way up, and I really like how it stresses speed and experience and who to talk to when looking for a job.

Some cons though:
No pronunciation! Grant it they don't use super fancy words but some of the alcohol listed I know doesn't sound like it's spelled and a little help would be nice-especially for a beginners book.

Some illustrations for "show bottles" aren't needed and are somewhat confusing.

But overall I'm glad I got this book and it is helpful to a beginner.

2.0 out of 5 stars Lackluster, September 26, 2009

By 

Beth-razuul - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Bartending 101: The Basics of Mixology, 4th Edition (Paperback)

Just not impressed by it, granted it wasn't what I was really looking for, it's so lightweight, I suppose it does what it says on the cover. Doesn't do anything great except give this very vague overview of "if you wanna...then do this" mentality. Simply not worth your time, there are plenty of other books out there with better depth/understanding on the subject. The cartoon pictures didn't help.