Customer Reviews

The World's Best Bartenders' Guide

5 star:		(8)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

This book has everything you need to properly tend bar at home. More than just recipies, it contains explinations of terms and what makes Bourbon different from Southern Comfort and Scotch from Irish Whiskey. It tells you what liquers you need to stock, and which ones you might want to try. The whole book is writen with a sense of humor, but it never losses sight of what is important. I highly recomend it!

Anything with the pluck to call itself "the best" has to stir up your suspicions, right? Well . . . "The World's Best Bartenders' Guide" is exactly that - the best. The premise is simple. If you want to know how to mix the best drinks, ask the world's best bartenders. That is exactly the objective authors Joseph Scott and Donald Bain set for themselves and the result is nothing short of . . . well the world's best bartenders' guide. Along with identifying what their exhaustive research has determined to be the world's 50 greatest bars and their keepers, Scott and Bain share their secrets of what and how. I mean this book doesn't just tell you how to mix the classic martini. It tells you that the secret to making a martini a la the bartender at Morton's in Manhattan is to pour out the brine from the olive jar and replace it with vermouth. Variations on the Manhattan? The book offers more than a half-dozen, and a tip from the bar manager at Jardines Jazz Club in Kansas City - pour in the vermouth first, then it's easy to adjust the whiskey to taste. Want to know how to stock your home bar? It's there, compliments of the experts. Want to know the secret to mixing any cocktail? "Make and serve every drink with love," says the most popular barman in the Dominican Republic. Want to know all there is to know about cognac? See Salvatore Calabrese in the Library Bar at the Lanesborough Hotel in London. Want to try a centuries-old cognac? Salvatore will oblige - if your pocketbook can take it. From Cuba to China, Mexico to Paris, all points in the U.S., all weigh in here. I knew I was tired of the same old fare when my wife and I went out, or even entertained at home. What to do, however, was the problem. Until now. "The World's Greatest Bartenders' Guide." Kudos Messers Scott and Bain.

An excellent book.

This book is a great read, and has a great format. For the drink recipes, it introduces the cocktail, describes its history, nuances about its construction, or interesting stories related to how it is made, then it provides a variety of different recipes and variations on how to make it.

It is refreshing to see such a creative, and informational book on mixology. I've grown bored of the cocktail books that simply list recipes, without any background or even details about how to add that special "Quality" to the drink that makes them stand out.

-Robert

This guide takes the sensible approach of instructing aspiring house bartenders in a variety of ways of mixing the most common drinks in America. In addition to lengthy and entertaining histories of each drink, celebrity favorites, anecdotes from experienced bartenders, and, of course, multiple recipes for each drink, this guide imparts a sense of respect for liquor and for the art of making delicious beverages.

All the bartenders in this book, as well as the editors, forcefully condemn drinking to get drunk, instead treating alcohol as an incomparable treat to be used sparingly and only in the most delicious recipes possible. Thus, Long Island Iced Teas are denigrated for being immensely alcoholic with no particularly interesting flavor of their own.

My complaint regarding this work is personal: that the editors only treat snazzy, modern drinks is sensible from the perspective that such drinks are what the public is interested in learning about, but it leaves people with more exotic tastes or an interest in the popular drinks of bygone days left without much information. Still, I have found this guide otherwise brilliant.

As a professional bartender I have to say this book does not deserve its title. It has some good anecdotes and stories along with the authors opinion of good bars in various cities. It has a smattering of drinks and some history. An okay book if you just want to set up a home bar but if you want to work as a bartender its just too lightweight. I would only recommend buying this if you were going to buy a book such as Seagrams Bartending Guide as well. In fact, buy the Seagrams book first and if you still want more maybe then you should try this book. I'll be sending my copy back for sure.

Ever had a sidecar? Me either, until I got this book. I've got a couple of other bartender's guides. With the unappealing page after page of sterile mixology between their covers, they gave me absolutely no incentive to try anything new. This book is different - it provides history and anectodes on drinks in a conversational tone and offers recipe variants on some from bartenders on its 'best bartenders' list. Because bartending is a personable act, and not just chemistry, its nice to see the bartenders notes accompanying many of the recipes (muddle this... substitutions of Triple Sec vs. Cointreau... shaken and not stirred etc). All in all, a pleasurable read and great guide - get it and try the Higgin's Sidecar.... mmmmmm.

Great anecdotes, solid drink recipes, even a qaint bit of history here and there, this book of much warmer and friendlier than those 600-page paperback 'list every known drink' tomes. Deserves a place in any barkeep's bookshelf, or in the home of anyone who enjoys spirits.

Of all the bar books I own, this is the one that I return to again and again - and the only one I actually sit down to enjoy reading. It is informative, well written, and interesting. If I have any criticism at all it is that it might have had a more attractive cover.

This book was a thoroughly enjoyable read. Not just another recipe book, this guide actually contain history for classic drinks and advice and humor from bartenders from around the world. The authors covers some very classic drinks like the martinis, margaritas, highballs, and shooters as well as variations on them and wild crazy drinks. I just finished bartending class and used this book extensively to get me started. It's a great book for beginners and seasoned bartenders.

I thoroughly enjoyed most of the content in this bartending guide. It was a lot better than most of the other books on the subject, in that it includes much more than just "how to make every drink known to man."

But, there were a couple things that bothered me. One was the sometimes, somewhat snobby attitude of the authors (they focus on a lot of fancy-schmancy bars and clubs, and do a lot of name-dropping). Another was the totally INCORRECT insistance that beer glasses and mugs be served frosted, and that all beer be served as cold as possible. They should stick to advice for serving cocktails and mixed drinks -- most craft/microbrewed beer lovers would cringe at frosted mugs and near frozen brews.

If you don't mind (what I consider to be) minor short-comings, then this book would be a fine reference for the aspiring bartender.