The Ultimate Bar Book: The Comprehensive Guide to Over 1,000 Cocktails (Hardcover)

~ (Author) "AH, THE COCKTAIL! Epitomized by the languorous promise of a shimmering Martini, surrounded by glamour and ritual, cocktails are back in style, riding a wave..." (more)
Key Phrases: chilled cocktail glass, rim with sugar, preferred flavor intensity, Dash of Angostura, Grand Marnier, Southern Comfort (more...)

Editorial Reviews

Product Description

Ultimate Bar Book is the first and only guide to classic and new drink recipes. Loaded with essential-to-know topics such as barware, tools, and mixing tips, this book has it all. As a mistress of mixology, the author has the classics down to a T -- the Martini, the Bloody Mary, plus the many variations (the Dirty Martini, the Virgin Mary). And then there are all the creative new elixirs the author brings to the table, like the Tasmanian Twister Cocktail or the Citron Sparkler. Illustrations show precisely what type of glass should be used for each drink. With dozens of recipes for garnishes, rims, infusions, and syrups; punches, gelatin shooters, hot drinks, and non-alcoholic beverages; and -- let's not forget -- an essential selection of hangover remedies, Ultimate Bar Book is nothing short of top-shelf.

About the Author

Mittie Hellmich is a photographer and former columnist for the Oregonian. Her photographs have appeared in Highballs, High Heels (0-8118-3017-9) and Atomic Cocktails (0-8118-1926-4). She is the author of Sangria (0-8118-4290-8), Paradise on Ice (0-8118-3302-X), and Party Shots (0-8118-3950-8), all from Chronicle Books. She lives in Portland, Oregon.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 476 pages
• Publisher: Chronicle Books (June 23, 2006)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0811843513
• ISBN-13: 978-0811843515
• Product Dimensions: 6.6 x 5.3 x 1.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.4 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (20 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #8,553 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

12 of 12 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Written especially for beginners and teaches the basics and techniques of the mixed drink, assuming no prior knowledge, May 25, 2006

By	Midwest Book Review (Oregon, WI USA) - See all my reviews

If it's only one big book you want covering all the cocktail recipes, leaving the glitz of color photos for the depth of practical coverage, make it ULTIMATE BAR BOOK: THE COMPREHENSIVE GUIDE TO OVER 1,000 COCKTAILS. Here are all the classics plus new cocktails such as Bali Highball. Here also are recommendations for home bars, coverage of utensils and mixers, sections on non-alcoholic drinks, and tips for entertaining with cocktails. Novices shouldn't be put off by the volume, either: it's written especially for beginners and teaches the basics and techniques of the mixed drink, assuming no prior knowledge.

Diane C. Donovan, Editor
California Bookwatch

9 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Every person, bar and country should own one., May 31, 2006

By	Jean A. Ufford "book haven" (wv) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

This book surpasses any other book on drinks. It runs the gamut of drinks from alcohol to non-alcoholic. There's a section in the back for punches, and to boot, a section for hangover remedies. I'm sixty years old and this is the best bar book I've every ecountered.

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Expansive Mixology Guide, April 14, 2007

By	NDB (Santa Rosa, CA) - See all my reviews

The Ultimate Bar Book, at 450 pages, is as comprehensive as you are likely ever to need. It provides recipes to the classics and all of their variants, newly fashionable drinks, and provides rational commentary on the ingredients--whether to use the pricey ones or not, and what equivalents you might use. It even provides a guide to the barware for each drink.

The book is well constructed and attractive. Its enjoyable just to thumb through it, and to see what is in so many drinks. The mixing trends come out after a brief review of the many drinks--you can easily expand your cocktail repertoire without the fuss of mixing and failing several times.

I recommend the book as a basic bar staple. If you enjoy the art of "mixology," this is a fun sourcebook.