Cosmopolitan is a memoir of the bartending life structured as a day in the life of Passerby, the bar owned and run by Toby Cecchini. It is, as well, a rich study of human nature—of the outlandish behavior of the human animal under the influence of alcohol, of lust, and of the sheer desire to bust loose and party. As the typical day progresses, Cecchini muses over a life spent in the service industry and the fascinating particulars of his chosen profession. He is by turns witty, acute, mordant, and lyrical in dealing with the realities of his profession, shedding plenty of light on the hidden corners of what people do when they go out at night.
Cosmopolitan: Bartender's Life
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Editorial Reviews
Review
“Marvelous. Toby Cecchini is no part-time, blender-drink-slinging woo-woo pouring dilettante. He's a professional. A hard, wise, funny, sad and unflinching look at the world from the other side of the bar. Beautifully written, as fascinating for its backstairs account of hip restaurant/bar/lounge hijinks as it is for its unique perspective on human behavior. New York night life in all its true, hilarious, horrific, poignant and pinheaded glory.”
-Anthony Bourdain, author of Kitchen Confidential
“Toby Cecchini is something of an expert in creating hospitable environments: for drinkers with his bar, and for readers with this book. He writes with a quiet, lucid style about a profession that is generally loud and chaotic, and he makes almost every aspect of his bartending vocation, including, and perhaps especially, the bad behavior of some of his patrons, totally engaging. He has also captured an essence of New York life in the way that Midwesterners are, for some reason, uniquely able to capture it. Finally, though this book’s title is an overt reference to a particular mixed drink, what it embodies and anatomizes so well is an outlook on the world, in this case from behind a bar.”
-Tom Beller, author of Seduction Theory and The Sleepover Artist
From the Hardcover edition.
-Anthony Bourdain, author of Kitchen Confidential
“Toby Cecchini is something of an expert in creating hospitable environments: for drinkers with his bar, and for readers with this book. He writes with a quiet, lucid style about a profession that is generally loud and chaotic, and he makes almost every aspect of his bartending vocation, including, and perhaps especially, the bad behavior of some of his patrons, totally engaging. He has also captured an essence of New York life in the way that Midwesterners are, for some reason, uniquely able to capture it. Finally, though this book’s title is an overt reference to a particular mixed drink, what it embodies and anatomizes so well is an outlook on the world, in this case from behind a bar.”
-Tom Beller, author of Seduction Theory and The Sleepover Artist
From the Hardcover edition.
From the Inside Flap
Cosmopolitan is a memoir of the bartending life structured as a day in the life of Passerby, the bar owned and run by Toby Cecchini. It is, as well, a rich study of human nature—of the outlandish behavior of the human animal under the influence of alcohol, of lust, and of the sheer desire to bust loose and party. As the typical day progresses, Cecchini muses over a life spent in the service industry and the fascinating particulars of his chosen profession. He is by turns witty, acute, mordant, and lyrical in dealing with the realities of his profession, shedding plenty of light on the hidden corners of what people do when they go out at night.
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Customer Reviews
Most Helpful Customer Reviews
13 of 14 people found the following review helpful
By buddyhead
Format:Paperback
Toby Cecchini's lavish and loving descriptions of alcohol really make you want to have a drink; in fact, I'm a beer-only guy, and found myself hankering for a martini or Manhattan while I read Cosmopolitan. Not with the author, though, who maintains the effete and disdainful tone of a French snob throughout. There isn't a single instance in this book's 238 pages where a $10,000 word and/or a French turn of phrase wasn't substituted for the $10 version, regardless of the fit. This was as goofy as it was distracting, and I can't imagine it endears the smarmy author to anyone who reads this.
Case in point: "I always marveled at the élan with which he pulled off that simple action; my efforts at duplicating this maneuver always end with me bludgeoning the recalcitrant glacier mercilessly as chips fly helter skelter." Um, call me crazy, but isn't that a mite highfalutin to describe watching someone chip ice? And while describing the staff at a restaurant where he used to work: "Even now, at the remove of more than a decade, it is easy to conjure, but difficult to summarize, the atmosphere of that floor, its peculiar combination of superfluous terror and incestuous, striving kinesis." Pal, the only reason it might be "difficult to summarize" a bunch of the interaction between a bunch of waiters, cooks, and bartenders, is because you're trying too hard. The last time I saw this much use of the word "lovely" was when I brought our daughter to my grandmother's senior center,
It gets worse. There is an obnoxious Europhilic tone throughout Cosmopolitan, as if all Americans are yokels undeserving of the drinks he pours (sorry, "the gustatory libations he decants")- Cecchini fantasizes of his dream bar, which among other things, only accepts Euros; he refuses to serve a Cosmopolitan to a customer who asks for a "Cosmo"; he sizes up customers approaching his bar, and thinks through some gift of human insight he knows everything about them from just their walk or drink order; he describes a wine argument with a friend, during which Cecchini referred to a Pomerol as a Pommard- the friend gloated about it for two years (anyone call for an Ambiguously Gay Duo?). There are many instances when Cecchini describes standing behind the bar and observing his customers from a pompous distance, having a laugh or a shake of his head at the human condition, as if he's so above their depredations because of the two foot wall of oak between them.
On the plus side, this guy clearly loves his craft, and brings enough experience and perspective to the table to keep his audience interested. I wouldn't have thought there were this many aspects to discuss about bartending, and was pleasantly surprised by the wealth of topics: the adulation met by workers at a city hot spot; the difficulties of entering the NYC restaurant business (this book is a cautionary tale against getting in the New York food game); the process of stocking the bar's alcohol in a way to ensure only those crowds you want; the art of being a good listener without getting too involved; crowd control; interesting and unpredictable barflies; and the chemistry necessary between two bartenders working the same shift.
Cacchini almost redeems himself with a couple of uncharacteristically humble stories at the end: the first describes his morbid curiosity and horror at hosting a raunchy bachelor party at his bar, and his struggles to get closer to observe the action, while at the same time maintaining professionalism. The second involves a trip to Europe, stumbling into a family-run bar and getting swept up in a week of unconditional hospitality. These two anecdotes aren't enough, though, to bring this snob back to Earth.
Case in point: "I always marveled at the élan with which he pulled off that simple action; my efforts at duplicating this maneuver always end with me bludgeoning the recalcitrant glacier mercilessly as chips fly helter skelter." Um, call me crazy, but isn't that a mite highfalutin to describe watching someone chip ice? And while describing the staff at a restaurant where he used to work: "Even now, at the remove of more than a decade, it is easy to conjure, but difficult to summarize, the atmosphere of that floor, its peculiar combination of superfluous terror and incestuous, striving kinesis." Pal, the only reason it might be "difficult to summarize" a bunch of the interaction between a bunch of waiters, cooks, and bartenders, is because you're trying too hard. The last time I saw this much use of the word "lovely" was when I brought our daughter to my grandmother's senior center,
It gets worse. There is an obnoxious Europhilic tone throughout Cosmopolitan, as if all Americans are yokels undeserving of the drinks he pours (sorry, "the gustatory libations he decants")- Cecchini fantasizes of his dream bar, which among other things, only accepts Euros; he refuses to serve a Cosmopolitan to a customer who asks for a "Cosmo"; he sizes up customers approaching his bar, and thinks through some gift of human insight he knows everything about them from just their walk or drink order; he describes a wine argument with a friend, during which Cecchini referred to a Pomerol as a Pommard- the friend gloated about it for two years (anyone call for an Ambiguously Gay Duo?). There are many instances when Cecchini describes standing behind the bar and observing his customers from a pompous distance, having a laugh or a shake of his head at the human condition, as if he's so above their depredations because of the two foot wall of oak between them.
On the plus side, this guy clearly loves his craft, and brings enough experience and perspective to the table to keep his audience interested. I wouldn't have thought there were this many aspects to discuss about bartending, and was pleasantly surprised by the wealth of topics: the adulation met by workers at a city hot spot; the difficulties of entering the NYC restaurant business (this book is a cautionary tale against getting in the New York food game); the process of stocking the bar's alcohol in a way to ensure only those crowds you want; the art of being a good listener without getting too involved; crowd control; interesting and unpredictable barflies; and the chemistry necessary between two bartenders working the same shift.
Cacchini almost redeems himself with a couple of uncharacteristically humble stories at the end: the first describes his morbid curiosity and horror at hosting a raunchy bachelor party at his bar, and his struggles to get closer to observe the action, while at the same time maintaining professionalism. The second involves a trip to Europe, stumbling into a family-run bar and getting swept up in a week of unconditional hospitality. These two anecdotes aren't enough, though, to bring this snob back to Earth.
9 of 10 people found the following review helpful
By A Customer
Format:Hardcover
Cecchini should have gotten out of the business years before writing this book. Yes, he has a knack for using big words in hopes of bringing this book to a more literary level, but he should have stuck to finding better stories instead. As a regular at two bars in Los Angeles, I have personally seen funnier and more interesting moments than Cecchini. He's so hard-boiled and tired that he barely seems interested in his own anecdotes. I don't mind bitterness, in fact the more the better, but without a sense of humor in telling the story, he doesn't make this a fun read. My fantasies of bartending are shattered forever. Fun as a concept, not so fun (or interesting) to read.
6 of 7 people found the following review helpful
By Sara Bentley
Format:Hardcover
This book was a huge disappointment for me. I found his macho take on bar culture non-observant, but too critical. Anthony Bourdain wrote a rave about a book that discourages smoking in bars??? The guy is never shown without a Marlboro hanging out of his lips. I found this book pretentious and at times monotonous. The cover is fun, but it is not representational of the work.
Most Recent Customer Reviews
4.0 out of 5 stars
Gotta work it to know it
An immensely entertaining read. To be fair, most of what Cecchini writes, and how he writes it, is going to be tough for anyone who does not work in the business to understand. Read more
Published 10 months ago by Adam K
5.0 out of 5 stars
FOR COCKTAIL LOVERS
As someone who is still quite new to the hospitality industry, I found the book to be extremely entertaining and in hindsight, very eye-opening as to what exactly occurs in the... Read more
Published 12 months ago by VeggieBartender
5.0 out of 5 stars
Great Read
This book is a sneak peek into the world of bartending as told my a man who has lived a life behind the bar for years. Read more
Published 12 months ago by Erick
2.0 out of 5 stars
series of anecdotes
There were some amusing anecdotes and observations of some of the crazy nightlife in Manhattan. It was misogynistic at times, particularly with using "pickled clam" as an... Read more
Published on November 9, 2010 by Lafou
3.0 out of 5 stars
A day in the life...
I also read this book because of the rave reviews it received and like many of the other reviewers but I finished the book somewhat mixed. Read more
Published on April 4, 2010 by Joseph Biskup
3.0 out of 5 stars
An Accomplished/Snobbish Owner's Take on the Industry
Cosmopolitan is every bartender's dream and nightmare. When I first picked up the book, two days ago while waiting to start my first guest bartending gig, I thought it would be a... Read more
Published on November 27, 2008 by Eugene
5.0 out of 5 stars
the real deal
As a professional bartender (31 years behind the stick), I can attest to Cecchini's authenticity. With style, sardonic humor (aside from the Boston shaker, the bartender's most... Read more
Published on December 3, 2007 by Carmine Russo
3.0 out of 5 stars
some good material in an overwritten overlong book
His perspectives on the mechanics of making drinks, setting up a work space, and in particular on several recipes are very interesting and valuable. Read more
Published on December 29, 2006 by AlchemistGeorge
4.0 out of 5 stars
Little Story with Lots of Heart
Toby exposes a warm and caring person, trying to provide the sort of neighborhood gathering place to yuppies that don't realize that's what they want. Read more
Published on September 27, 2006 by Thomas D. Bostick
5.0 out of 5 stars
This was a great read -- don't trust the naysayers.
I can tell you first hand that tending a bar only LOOKS like it might be fun. Cecchini brilliantly articulates why I hated bartending in a poignant page and a half. Read more
Published on June 15, 2005 by Opinion_Sharer
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