66 of 67 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
I'm a pleased beginner., January 27, 2004
This review is from: The Little Black Book of Cocktails: The Essential Guide to New & Old Classics (Little Black Books (Peter Pauper Hardcover)) (Spiral-bound)
I picked up this book because it's small and it's spiral bound and lays flat when open. What is actually in the book I found to be very useful.
This book covers essential barware, glassware (with drawings), mixers/garnishes, and techniques (including how to flame a drink & how to properly layer drinks). The drink recipes are broken down into these categories: Cocktails Classique, The Martini, Urban Chic, Punch Up That Party, From the Tropics, Naughty Drinks, and Finishing Touches. The drinks I have tried so far have been very good, and have a good jumping board for alcohol to mixer ratio in each recipe.
There is also a glossary with some brief descriptions of the liquors, types of cocktails (ie Sling, Rickey), and various other terms associated with mixing.
Perhaps the most helpful part of this book is the index. This lists all the drinks first by name, then by primary alcohol, and finally by color/flavoring. Very handy when you have only one particular liquor on hand. Overall, it's perhaps the only book needed for a casual at home mixing experience.
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22 of 25 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Stired, not shaken, May 20, 2004
This review is from: The Little Black Book of Cocktails: The Essential Guide to New & Old Classics (Little Black Books (Peter Pauper Hardcover)) (Spiral-bound)
I was really impressed with this little book. It wasn't just a cookbook for drinks. Rather, it emphasizes the elegance of mixing drinks. Some people might think this book is a little pretentious, but then again, mixing cocktails is sort of a pretentious thing to do. The book does a good job of making the art of mixing cocktails seem very grown-up and swanky.
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8 of 8 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Beautifully crafted book covers the subject well, January 8, 2011
This review is from: The Little Black Book of Cocktails: The Essential Guide to New & Old Classics (Little Black Books (Peter Pauper Hardcover)) (Spiral-bound)
I ordered this book soon after embarking on a project to photograph a beverage a day for 365 days. Among my growing collection of bar books, this is one I will continue to refer to.
It is useful if for a novice if not ideal, covering what mixers, garnishes and equipment are needed to stock a bar. Each recipe tells what kind of glass and garnishes to use, but I had to ask a friend what "cracked ice" is. He said whack it with a spoon.
The three indexes are especially helpful. They cover "Drinks by Name," "Drinks by Primary Alcoholic Ingredient," and "Drinks by Color/Flavoring." Today I have freshly squeezed orange juice. The third index offers 6 orange juice choices, though surprisingly not Tequila Sunrise, which does appear in the first two indexes. Still, the book is small enough for browsing.
As a genuine novice (who else doesn't know what cracked ice is?), I need more help with the presentation of beverages than I get from this book. The well-worded instructions are no match for a good photo. Even though there is 4-color process printing on every page, there are no photos. The 9 drawings of glassware in the first chapter are crude but adequate.
As a career printer with a special interest in binding, I was intrigued by this beautifully crafted book. A slight swatch of the striped end papers is reproduced on the edge of every page and is carried through on the cover as well. The concealed wire-o binding, rounded corners and built-in elastic bookmark are all signs of a small publisher who loves the business of designing and crafting a book. The result is a small volume that is a delight to hold and an ideal gift.
I visited the website of the publisher, Peter Pauper Press, and it turns out they have dozens of different books in this format. I can't address the content of the others, but this one is well worth the purchase price.
Four stars instead of five, because of the cracked ice, orange juice and photo concerns mentioned above. Which is to say, this may not be the only bar book you'll ever need. Close but not quite.
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