Customer Reviews

Bartending For Dummies (Miniature Editions for Dummies (Running Press))

5 star:		(14)
4 star:		(10)
3 star:		(7)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(5)

 

 

A while ago I decided to take up bartending as a hobby. I got a drink guide, but that's all it was: a drink guide. Bartending for Dummies does what all the other For Dummies books do: it takes you by the hand, and assumes nothing. This book first teaches you about the tools of the trade, teaching you things like how to properly open champagne and wine, what glass to use, etc. Then it gives you info and history on all the popular drinks (whisky, beer, rum etc.) It gives you mixing tips, and then a whole lot of drink reccipes. It has a chapter with tables telling you what kind of liquer and mixers you'll need for a party with X amount of people, along with a list of what your humble but equipt home bar should have. It also has a great chapter on mixing layered drinks. As a bartender, I am far from pro, but now I have a little skill I can use when friends come over. The book is informative, precise, and very very helpful.

Many books out there can help you mix a drink, but Bartending For Dummies not only shows you how to make drinks, but how to stock your bar, what glasses to use and even a little trivia about some drinks. The contents are laid out in an easy to use format, and any "technical" bartending speak is explained to you. Dont get this book if you are expecting tons and tons of drink mixes, it just isnt there but it makes up for it by giving you all the practical information you need to get going!

Hey, I bought this book when I first became a bartender. Now, when I became a bartender, I lied in order to get the job. I said that I had over 5 years experience behind the bar. Hell, I hadn't even had 5 minutes experience, let alone 5 years! I didn't even know what glasses were for what. So, I needed a book on bartending, and I needed a good one. And I am here to tell you, this is one of the best bartending reference books ever! At first, I wanted to look like a pro, but with the help of this book, I am a pro!

When I was put on the spot to start bartending at a club I had been waitressing at in New Orleans, the first thing I did was read this book cover to cover. It saved my life! I was able to take the knowledge I gained from this book and get straight to work. People could not believe I had never bartended before. A couple of years later, I consider myself a professional bartender and work in a private fine dining establishment as their only bartender. Needless to say, I consider this an excellent book!

When I built my home bar, and stocked it the brim with liquor, mixers, and various essential glassware, I knew I needed a little bit more advice and expertise to tighten up the collection and get it ready for a party. I was always a fan of the dummies books, and while they may be looked upon as lowbrow material for the martini connoisseur, or bar expert, I was neither, and I believe that for people like me, most do-it-yourselfers, the book suffices quite nicely.

When I throw a party, and our college parties are usually big with 65 or more people, we go all out and things get hectic behind the bar with dozens of people all clamoring for something different. Bartending for Dummies really comes in handy time after time, with many of the most popular drink recipes available at a moment's glace, in logical, alphabetized order. The look-up is fast and quick, and the instructions are quite easy to follow. This is especially useful for when you have dozens of people throughout the night who, when asked what they want, simply reply with, "I don't know," or, "Make me something that tastes good." While these responses are aggravating, and totally unproductive, this book serves as a great reference of on-the-fly drinks to make for these indecisive individuals.

For pre-party preparations, the front of the book is filled with information on everything from cutting limes the proper way to buying enough rum, or vodka for a predetermined number of guests. The numbers, math, and money tabulations I have found to be accurate enough to swear by, and often helpful in a myriad of party-planning adventures. The book also has a number of charts depicting types of alcoholic volumes, what some of the terminology means, and even an informative list of calories per kind of alcoholic beverage.

The book has a couple drawbacks, as almost everything does. For one thing, the author tends to use a few lower-quality alcohols in certain popular drinks that should never be used. Using these lower qualities, and sub-par products detract from the eminence of an otherwise first-rate beverage. A second criticism is that some of the drink recipes are not what the vast majority of the world believes them to be. Slight variations in amount, sequence of mixing, and kinds of alcohol used within these drinks I find suspect.

However, the information on the main categories of alcohols, their history, production methods, place of origin, and most popular nomenclature I found to be quite fascinating. The research seemed impeccable, with well-documented and respectable sources. The chapter on kinds of glassware and their uses provided a layman with tons of useful facts to help them make informed decisions on what kinds of glasses to stock your bar with and serve different drinks within.

While Bartending for Dummies may be considered light reading, inconsequential, and contrived to experts in the field, this demographic is hardly this book's intended audience. I, a nonprofessional and do-it-myselfer, have found the book to be a boon time and again, at party after party. Its setup is easy to follow, coherent and consistent, with humor at times, and an all-round indispensable tool for any home-bartender.

This book is by no means a definitive work on bartending. However, it is a good mix of information, in a well-packaged format. There are tips on everything from setting up a home bar to types of glasses to, of course, an extensive recipe list of cocktails. There are a number of suggestions on saving money, because no home bar is going to have everything - the author points out the most common spirits and liquors you're likely to need for entertaining an average group of people, arranged by cost and numbers of guests.

The recipes are the heart of the book, with over 1000 different drinks. About half are shot recipes. There are also numerous variations on classics such as the margarita and the martini. These recipes include serving suggestions; for example, mint juleps should be served in metal glasses and proper preparation of a glass for a Bloody Caesar/Mary (rimmed with celery salt and lemon juice). The recipes are listed alphabetically by name, and there is an extensive index in the back by liquor type that is very helpful. Unfortunately, it is not cross-listed, so you'll find yourself flipping back and forth between the index and detailed recipes when looking for new drinks to try, for which you have all the ingredients. There are also some recipes that are well-known to me that are missing from the book (most notably the Freight Train - Grand Marnier and Jack Daniels - or is this a Canadian drink that is uncommon in the U.S.?).

Finally, a word on what is not included in the book. While there are little blurbs on Scotch, wines, etc. (how they are made, some suggested common brands, etc.), there is very little on these types of alcohol, except where they are also used in a mixed drink. Of course, wines and Scotches are such big areas in their own right that they have their own "Dummies" books.

The actual Bartending for Dummies is a great book, but this is the mini book version, although Amazon does not say so. It doesn't have as many recipes or information. That's why it's so inexpensive.

If you're a home bartender, this is the book for you! It has has everything for people who want to impress friends or just enjoy the craft of mixology. Has a large recipe section.

I am a bartender and it was recommended to me from a friend and I am dissapointed. Having been a bartender for a while, I already knew most of the information included in this book and actually disagreed with a thing or two. But, like all things in life, take it for what it is. If you are a home bartender or a commercial one starting out this is for you! Carefully explains everything from different types of glassware to different types f liquor and mixes. LEARN WHAT SOUR MIX REALLY IS! It will help you greatly. For experienced bartenders, I would recommend instead the Joy of Mixology (attacks the subject from a history-evolution standpoint) and the Bartender's Black book (great recipe book) instead.

The book fails to discuss typical bar lingo that the author himself uses! For example "neat" , he doesnt even tell the want to be bartender what an "up" drink means! The book is 90% recepies , go to Walgreens and buy the "Black Book" it has awesome recepies. I was really expecting a book that dealt with lingo, do and dont's, tip and tricks but all the book really consists of is recpies.

I was a bartender for two years and learned more from on-the-job training than this book. I realize not everyone can become a bartender and learn the tools, skills, drinks, and techiques that way. So buying this book may help you out, but may not.
Half of the book has bar recipes, but you can easily find those on the internet. On the other hand, they are all conglomerately there and easy to flip through. Foley does spend some time on the history of the "well liquors" and that's kind of neat to know about that.
My recommedation: buy it if you're starting your own bar, but wait until the price drops. Don't if you've worked in or around a bar. Take it from an expert...