Customer Reviews

Mr. Boston Platinum Edition: 1,500 Recipes, Tools, and Techniques for the Master Mixologist

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I was originally looking for a "regular" Mr. Boston book to arm myself with drink recipes for the occasional entertaining my wife and I do at our home. The book had been recommended to me by several friends as being the best bar guide available so I came to Amazon to begin my search. It was here I discovered Mr. Boston Platinum Edition. I ordered the book, it arrived quickly and I'm very impressed.
The book contains a lot more information than just drink recipes. It is an intersesting read and I was surprised to see a history of the origin of a lot of popular drinks. I love a good Manhattan and now I know the city, the "inventor" and the bar where this drink was developed. I also know the difference in the ingredients, what makes whiskey bourbon, rye, etc.
Many of the drinks in Mr. Boston have variations and they are listed with the reasons for the differences. I even know why a drink should be either shaken or stirred.
What I really like besides all the recipes is the section on essential home bar equipment. I have already looked at the web sites suggested in the book and started to order the equipment I need to outfit our new home bar.
The recipes have been contributed by many professional "mixologists" and it is evident that they take pride in their profession.
The book itself is very nice looking and well constructed. The ringed binder is sturdy and the book lay flat so I can read it while my hands are full of bottles and strainers.
This is the perfect book for me, being a beginner, and I highly recommend it for the home bar owner or for professional bartenter who is interested in the right way or a new way to mix a drink and arming himself with many interesting facts to relate to his customers.

Which edition is more recent and more complete? I thought it would be the Platinum Edition. I ordered it and am happy with it. Turns out I was wrong. This was published in 2006. The "Official Guide" edition in 2008 is of course more recent. All the photos are by a different photographer. The lead editor is the same. The later edition is slightly expanded and completely redesigned. I'm left wondering what imrpovements I am missing. The wire-o bound Platinum edition costs more and lies flat. I am assuming the other edition is not wire-o bound. As a beverage and food photographer, I am almost inclined to purchase the other edition so I can compare the photos (and the contents). If you don't care about the book lying flat, order the later edition. Save a little money and get the tweaks and slightly expanded content.

Excellent to have on hand if you're a pro or have a wet bar at home or just love to entertain!

My boyfriend loves to make mixed drinks and this was a nice gift to give him. It is spiral bound on the inside of the thick cover, which is actually a good thing because it means that the book will stay open when you put it down flat on a table. Highly recommended, fun book especially for the $$

World-famous cocktailian Robert Hess was a "behind the scene" contributor to this book. He wrote the "Classic Cocktails" section. Other contributors include Jeffery Lindenmuth, David Wondrich, Audrey Saunders, Julie Reiner, Gary Regan, Dale DeGroff, and William Grimes.

Update your library now with this substantially improved new edition.

Mr. Boston is the way to go. The classic origin of the book allows the bartender to get a good grasp on why drinks are made the are. Bravo!