Customer Reviews

Mix Shake Stir: Recipes from Danny Meyer's Acclaimed New York City Restaurants

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My father once ate --- by mistake --- a bourbon ball and nearly passed out.

My mother has a glass of Manischewitz Cream Red Concord --- "a sweet but balanced wine with a velvety mouth feel" --- once every decade or so.

Me? Two drinks and I get giddy, then sleepy. There is no cheaper date.

But every once in a while someone makes an exotic drink that hides the taste of the key ingredient, and I suddenly see how I could develop a serious liking for darkened bars and delicious libations.

Do not, if you have a problem with alcohol, open this book --- the pictures alone will have you in the gutter. Really, these beverages are as shiny as jewels. From the glassware to the ice cubes, everything is spectacular. A rim of salt is so even you'd suspect a surgeon applied it. Fruit isn't cut, it's carved. Open this book to any page and you'll find yourself thinking, "Well, it's 5 PM somewhere."

Which is more or less what you'd expect from Danny Meyer, whose New York restaurants include Union Square Cafe, Gramercy Tavern, 11 Park Madison, Table, Blue Smoke, The Modern and the Shake Shack --- every one a winner. This man knows how to please his customers, and if you think that's foodie hype, just dip into his memoir, 'Setting the Table'.

Not that you can go to your liquor cabinet and whip up most of these 100 drinks.

There's a slight trick to these potions: uncommon ingredients. Freshly made ice cubes are the least of it --- we're talking flavored vodkas, obscure syrups, herbs like Thai basil. And then it's just a matter of nicely tweaked recipes. Like a mojito made with champagne and rose water. Or Blue Smoke's Dirty Pete, a martini that calls for olive brine and hot-pepper sauce instead of vermouth.

The proof's in the tasting. From modest experience: I'll have another, bartender.

We can't think of the last time two wine lovers like us got this excited about a cocktail book -- but then again, most everything Danny Meyer and his team touch seems to turn to gold. MIX SHAKE STIR is a (professional *or* amateur) mixologist's delight, showcasing through gorgeous four-color photos and mouthwatering recipes both classic and cutting-edge flavor combinations -- like cucumber + cilantro, peach + Prosecco, rhubarb + ginger -- in cocktails that look as great as they sound. Ever the thoughtful host, Meyer even includes recipes for accompanying bar snacks -- from Gramercy Tavern Bar Nuts to the betcha-can't-eat-just-one Hot Garlic Potato Chips we ourselves can't get enough of at his Union Square Cafe. After a respectful nod to classic cocktails, the book documents some of Meyer's renowned restaurants' most popular contemporary cocktails -- which surely include a future classic or two.

I bought this book as a gift, but I had it sent to me first, I was going to give it in person. It is a beautiful book, and I looked through it to see what I was giving away. Wonderful. The most unusual drinks and the person I gave the book to loves to entertain. I know she will be able to find the perfect drink for every guest. I think this book is a winner!!

This book mix shake stir is old ingredients with a new name.
If you have never made any drinks then this book is okay for his restaurant but not all restaurants
But not all bars and restaurants have the same ingredients only standard drinks do
Some of the old standard drinks like Moscow mule have been changed
Also remember that the same drink on the east and west coast may have a different base (highballs for example)
The book does not say when to use an alcohol same taste but different color or different taste different color
(white mint or green mint/light rum or dark rum) I would ask the customer if he or she was a new drinker
Amazon purchased, price good Not a bad book but not great. For his restaurant its a great book!

I must admit, I purchased this book for $5.00 at Marshall's. When I got home, I spent about and hour "ooh"-ing and "ahh"-ing over the creative yet accessible cocktail combinations for--literally--ANY time of year and ANY kind of crowd! A few of my favorite recipes include the Heirloom Bloody Mary and the Cucumber Caipirosk. The book is organized in the following categories:

-favorite classics
-new classics
-inspired flavors
-elegant sips
-casual libations
-bar fare
-recipes and references

A few things in this book stood out: unlike some cocktail books, this one had detailed close-up photos of nearly all the drinks. A lot of recipes incorporated herbs and edible flowers, yet did not use so many different kinds as to overwhelm or bankrupt the at-home mixologist. The same goes for liquor--a standard at-home bar would have the basics, save maybe the elderflower liquor (which I bought and adored). The bar fare recipes turned this text from a recipe book to a true entertaining manual with the recipes for black truffled popcorn and red snapper ceviche. For those that want to further expand their palette and culinary skills, a very helpful and inventive reference section tells you how to make infused simple syrups, salts and sugar rims, fruit purees and garnishes.

Unlike most books out there, this one is accessible to those new to mixed drinks, those that want to try something new, and will delightfully surprise the know-it-all!

Amazing piece of work from Danny Meyer.
All cocktail recipes are easy to implement. Photographs supplied are so colorful that its' hard to resist to cook all cocktails presented at book.
Some of cocktails are supplied with brief stories that make it much more exciting to cook and drink them.
Many thanks to Danny Meyer for it.

I love this book! Since last year it has become my cocktail bible. A little history, a little tourism, and a whole lot of good ideas! Whether it's for a holiday party (when it really gets used at my house) or for a table for two, this book has some terrific cocktails for special celebrations. Packaged with a few essential mixers, it makes an excellent gift.

This book is definitely oriented towards the experienced mixologist. There are conventional recipes in the first section, but the majority of the book contains custom formulations requiring considerable preparation ahead of mixing time. Most of the homemade liquors are prepped by the bottle, which suggests that one would have to be wealthy to afford expending a bottle in their preparation or else have a very robust constitution to take full advantage of these offerings in a timely manner. Additionally, many of the components are rather exotic and not found in a typical liquor cabinet.

A bonus in the book which I did not expect was a fairly extensive section on bar snacks, also far above the level of the standard bar fare and also requiring extensive preparation.

Beautifully photographed and arranged, it's really more of a coffee table book than a reference text to which one would turn routinely. After reading the book, I'd be more inclined to make a pilgrimage to Danny Meyer's bars to sample these drinks than trying to prepare any myself. I would not expect this to be one of the first five or even ten books in one's mixology library...it's unquestionably for the hardcore devotee of modern cocktails instead.

This book is a great source for current "it" drinks and gives you plenty of inspiration to experiment with the ingredients for yourself. I highly recommend the 'Velvet Underground', the liqueur Velvet Falernum is YUMMY! The only negative I would have is that to buy all the ingredients, some of them not the usual suspects, would cost a small mint. That is why I'd say draw inspiration from and be creative on your own.

I'm not much of a drinker, but when we had neighbors in the other day, I thought it would be fun to make some kind of drink that everyone could enjoy. We pulled out Mix Shake Stir, a beautiful book full of cocktail recipes with a few appetizer recipes thrown in for fun. This book contains recipes from Danny Meyer's Union Square Hospitality Group which includes some of New York's most well known restaurants. With 130 recipes and beautiful illustrations, this book is sure to have something for everyone.

The recipes are grouped by type - favorite classics, new classics, inspired flavors, elegant sips, casual libations, and bar fare (appetizers). There's a section in the front that includes tips on ice, garnishes, bar tools and glassware and a reference section in the back that covers simple syrups, salt and sugar rims, etc.

Since it was the last weekend of the summer, we decided we'd have Summer Sangria and Carl found the recipe easy to follow. This drink was a big hit with everyone who came!