Customer Reviews

The Ultimate A-to-Z Bar Guide

5 star:		(15)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

I bought 4 drink books over the holidays, because it seemed each had its strong points (Mr. Boston, Poister's New American Bartender's Guide, another one, and this one). This one I read the most by far. As far as this book goes, it is well-laid out, and entertaining just to flip through and read. Every other page has some kind of interesting drink-related quote or joke on it. The overall manner of this book is very friendly and informative, as opposed to certain other drink books. The type is large enough to read comfortably and the book is printed on high quality paper. An excellent choice if you're just buying one book. Has recipes for pretty much all the standard drinks you can think of. Doesn't have the number of different/crazy drinks like Poister's "New American...", but I find this book less snooty and more fun. Buy that one if you want more unusual drink variety. Mr. Boston is nice because it's hardbound & thorough as well, but they shamelessly self-promote their own liquor and liquor products, which annoys me. Buy this book if you're only going to buy one drink book, you probably won't be disappointed.

After searching the shelves for a bar guide, my husband and I finally decided to get The Ultimate A-To-Z Bar Guide because it was fun and interesting to read. Its content is comprehensive--everything one would ever want to make is in this book. And the layout/format is simple: look up drinks based on ingredients, alphabetically, or even by type. And the prose is entertaining as well! The introduction packs a lot of useful information for the beginning entertainer, like what glasses to use and basic liquor knowledge. We're glad we picked this one.

being a bartender at a casino on the mississippi gulf coast,we sometimes have to knock out twenty on up drink,orders in minutes. the ultimate A-to-Z bar guide is by far the most user friendly bible on the market today ! i've recomended it to everyone i know ,that wants to be the best .

Well, I'm a professional bartender and was getting ready to order some more of "Ultimate A-to-Z Bar Guides" for some of my bartender friends when I noticed the "pulpfoto" review and just felt I had to respond. I disagree with everything he said, and wonder if we have different books!

First of all, I haven't looked for a classic recipe I couldn't find in this book. And what's with the "Caesar" cocktail reference? First of all, Seagrams Bartending Guide doesn't even have a Caesar cocktail in it (and, by the way, no one's ever ordered a Caesar in this bar, and I've been here for 10 years). And the Seagrams book is no where near as user-friendly as this book because it lists the drinks by liquor-the "Ultimate A-to-Z Bar Guide" lists them alphabetically, which means when a customer asks for a drink I'm not familiar with, I can flip it open and have the recipe at my fingertips in an instant. And, though I don't use it anymore, the Seagrams book doesn't sit on the bar at any better than this book. (I'm wondering if the "pulpfoto" guy wrote the Seagrams book and was trying to knock the ratings on this book down).

Bottom line: the "Ultimate A-to-Z Bar Guide" delivers in a major way . . . from the classics to the newer cocktails. Plus lots of information on everything from ice to garnishes. It has everything you'll ever need to know on cocktails, whether you are a home bartender, or a beginning bartender, or one who's been in the biz for a decade, like me. In short, this book's a winner!

If you are looking for a recipe book for alcoholic drinks, this is definately the book for you! This book would be great for bartenders to have as a reference or anyone who just wants to know more about what is in drinks and how to make them. You need not have any experiece with mixing drinks to be able to follow the directions, and the best feature is the indices that allow you to quickly and easily look up the drinks you want to find.

THIS BOOK LEAVES NO QUESTIONS UNANSWERED ABOUT BARTENDING.I HAVE BEEN A BARTENDER FOR 10 YEARS NOW AND THIS IS THE BEST GUIDE I HAVE EVER SEEN.I RECOMMEND THIS BOOK TO EVERYONE WITH A HOME BAR OR BUSINESS,OR ANYONE THINKING OF SETTING UP A BAR.IT TELLS YOU EVERYTHING YOU YOU WILL NEED TO PROPERLY STOCK A BAR LARGE OR SMALL.

I'm not a drinker and I'm learning to tend bar. This book not only supplies instructions for the various concoctions, but a little history of ingredients and a few famous quotes on the subject matter. Recommended by experienced bartender.

I can't stand it. The Ultimate A-to-Z Bar guide is a great book and I'm confused by the "pulpfoto" review below-I think it is misleading. I've looked through the Seagram's Bartending Guide including the index for the last 15 minutes and I cannot find "Caesar." So if the review is based on this, then where is it? My version of the Seagram's book is 1995 (which seems old but it's the one where pupfoto's full review of the guide is listed. Also see the review of the Seagram's Guide where pulpfoto says "The Ultimate A-Z Bar Guide has a weird index where you need to know the main liquor involved before you can look up the drink!! What if you dont know?" Well, duh! As the name, the Ultimate A-to-Z Bar Guide, says it's A to Z so you look in the main body of the book. If you're looking for "Bushwhacker" look under the Bs, if you're looking for a "Knickerbocker Cocktail" look under the Ks. I think the four indexes are terrific and I have not seen another book like this where you can look up by 1-drinks by alcohol type, 2- drinks by primary non-alcoholic ingredient, 3-drinks by classic categories or 4-drinks by special category. The other reviewers have got it right.

This is far and away the best all-around bartending guide I've seen. The authors go way beyond drink recipies and discuss history, glassware, bar equipment, and drink making technique. It's easy to read and understand. Highly recommended.

This book includes every drink I'd ever think to make, it's so nice because you can come home from the a restaurant and replicate that excellent drink you had for pennies on the dollar! I definitly recommend this book!