Customer Reviews

Beachbum Berry's Grog Log

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Aloha! I am the editor of this fine publication (and the owner of more than one completely stained, well worn copy) and wanted to throw in a quick pitch about the Grog Log's place amidst the bevy of "Trendy Tiki Drink Books of Questionable Quality".
If you are a Tiki Freak / Cocktail Enthusiast who legitimately wants to experience these classic recipes in their original, robust forms, the Grog Log is the only way to go. I sought out Jeff Berry after seeing his original self-published Grog Log five or six years ago. I was intensely facinated by these old restaurants and all of the amazingly complex creations they served. No matter how many modern (or vintage) drink books I came across none captured the true nature of these original (mostly) rum drinks (with the possible exception of some of the classics in Trader Vic's own line or the Hawaii Kai Cookbook). Jeff's self-published, xeroxed zine was the only authentic source.
We decided to team up to do an expanded mass produced version of the book to make it available to a wider (although niche) audience. Since that time (1998) the Tiki craze has exploded and more Tiki-focused drink books have been released. Don't get me wrong ... I own each of them myself ... for the most part the art, design, and production make them interesting ... but for actual recipe content they are sadly lacking. If you really want to dial up the way back machine and sip with the Masters (Trader Vic, Donn Beach, etc.) the Grog Log is for you.
NEWSFLASH: Jeff and I are just about done with a sequel to the Grog Log titled "Intoxica!" to be released in the Summer of '02. Check back often to Amazon.com as they'll be selling it once it's available. Mahalo!

This book is great fun! My copy is already stained with the Blue Curacao, and sticky with Marachino Cherry juice. Lots of great recipes- some easy to make and others an adventure to find all the ingredients, but all of them are tasty and impressive. Wonderful graphics to check out while your blender is running. There is even a guide to how potent your potion will be and what type of glass to serve it in. Really a great book--

Alright, I'm going to keep it short and to the point. I'm a Tiki geek, I've got every book related to the subject and, along with The Book of Tiki, this book and it's sequal Intoxica are the Holy Trinity of the Tiki Religion. There is no better book on Tropical Drinks anywhere, ever. Buy it. Now.

You finally found it -- the ultimate cocktail recipe book. Click that "buy now" button and begin your exciting journey into a land of exotic tastes and potent potions. I've had a blast hunting down the ingredients and whipping up drinks for my friends. I own many cocktail recipe books, but this is the one I always use.

Most highly recommended!

I essentially have the same review for both this book and Berry's follow-up book, Intoxica: Jeff (Beachbum) Berry is, without question, the most learnéd authority on "tiki" beverages alive today. The cheap production characteristics of the book in no way detract from that fact, and it will be evident to both drink historians and harkeners after the tiki experience alike. Well-considered recipes, delicious and examined minutely=buy this book.

Joe Bob Briggs from UPI called this "the best bartender's guide for tropical and rum drinks ever published". That, my friends, is an understatement. Forget those fancy and useless trendy tiki books that have to be gussied up with Shag illustrations and glossy printing, if you've already bought those: use 'em as coasters for the wonderfully entertaining and informative "Grog Log". From a pair who can navigate the tikiphyte through the Singapore Slings and arrows of the sugary crap that give tropical drinks a bad name. Easily worth 5 times the cover price, "The Grog Log" and the follow-up "Intoxica!" are the only Tiki drink books you'll ever need or want.

You finally found it -- the ultimate cocktail recipe book. Click that "buy now" button and begin your exciting journey into a land of exotic tastes and potent potions. I've had a blast hunting down the ingredients and whipping up drinks for my friends. I own many cocktail recipe books, but this is the one I always use.

Most highly recommended!

Looking at all the other reviews for the Grog Log, I see nothing but five stars awarded to this nifty little book, and I am not going to break with precedent.

For the uninitiated, "tropical", "exotic" or "tiki" drinks are part of a subgenre that the more snobby elements of the cocktail world would refer to as kitsch. A succesful mainstream cocktail book presents itself as emmaculately as a James Bond tuxedo (see Dale DeGroff). A successful tiki drink book on the other hand presents itself as a hawaiian shirt. The hook however, is that a good tiki drink is no less sophisticated as a mainstream cocktail...and truth be told...it is usually more complex.

Unlike some of the other tropical drink recipe books, Grog Log is no frothy collection of colorful cocktail photos with some syrup-heavy recipes thrown in. Instead, like good tiki bartenders, Jeff Berry along with Annene Kaye have created a sophisticated concoction. Grog Log is equal parts (1) overview of the tiki drink movement, (2) reproduction of the uniquely crude, tacky, and delightful visual style of the classic tiki bar era, and (3) substantive recipes of the drinks themselves. This last element sets this book apart from others as "THE" authority on tiki drinks (along with its companion volume "Intoxica").

For the most part, to fully appreciate these recipes, you need to have a taste for rum and preferably a liking (or love) of citrus fruits. Fear not, because after sampling an authentic Mai Tai, it is hard not to meet both requirements.

Finally, at the time I write this, the book appears to be out of print and is fetching some high prices in the used market. Again fear not: as an FYI, Beachbum Berry states on his website that: "Our publisher plans to reprint the Grog Log [and Taboo Table] this summer."

I am a cocktail snob and emmersed in tiki culture and the Atomic Age. Get this fantastic tome, a bottle of Falernum and Orgeat and your bar stuff, plus my Grogalizer found on my Swank Pad site and you are making the best cocktails on earth. No one should be without this book!

if you're lookin' for the best in tropical drinks then look no farther. this book is sure to get the party jumpin'. with so many recipes how could one go wrong? and if you're an up and coming bartender then this book could be your stairway to heaven.