The fine art of mixing drinks (Paperback)

by David Augustus Embury (Author)

Editorial Reviews

Product Description
New introductions by Audrey Saunders and Robert Hess --This text refers to the Hardcover edition.

Product Details

• Paperback: 400 pages
• Publisher: Dolphin Books (1961)
• ASIN: B0007ETBIQ
• Average Customer Review: 4.2 out of 5 stars See all reviews (13 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #2,751,239 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Master Bartender Approves, November 9, 2003

By	Casey C. Taylor (Luling, Texas) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

This review is from: The Fine Art of Mixing Drinks (Paperback)

As a certified Master Bartender and (purist), I am honored to recommend Mr. Embury's book, and recommend it indeed on several levels. The details and attitude are all there. This is basic and pure mixology. I have used this book as text to train over forty bartenders, some I'm sure have served you well. I have three copies and will probably buy what more I can find, only to give them away and share in the invaluable knowledge therein.
Read this book, and may you never more suffer an intolorable, insipid cocktail again.

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Five stars for the content of this book-- minus one for numerous typos , December 28, 2008

By	K. Whisler (CHICAGO, IL USA) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

This review is from: The Fine Art of Mixing Drinks (Hardcover)

The overall content of this book is excellent and is beautifully written. Even though one might not agree with the author on every point it is a very enjoyable read. Rather than just write a cocktail recipe book, Embury lays out his theories on the underlying principles of mixing a good drink and divides them into general categories. It is somewhat similar Gary Regan's excellent "Joy of Mixology" in that sense, but is in some ways more readable and is written from the standpoint of a passionate and gifted amateur rather than of a professional bartender, and I think more encouraging of personal experimentation. I already had Regan's book in my collection when I acquired this one, but I don't feel that one is a replacement for the other.

The book is also fun for the historical perspective it offers. Not only are Embury's observations on Prohibition interesting (he lived through it) some of his recommendations on how to do things are informative in comparison to how they are done today. For example, he suggests getting large cocktail glasses--"no less than 3 ounces"! A typical cocktail glass today is over twice that size, though some cocktail enthusiasts now recommend using smaller glasses for classic styles of cocktails.

As good as this book is, shame on the publisher of this edition for allowing it to go to press with so many typos! Some reviewers charitably suggest that the typos also appeared in the earlier editions. I doubt this; they are the sort of typos one gets from OCR and relying on a word processor to clean up the OCR output, and then not doing a final page proof before going to press. (E.g. missing punctuation, "sued" for "used," page references to page XXX.) But even if they were in earlier editions, this is not a facsimile reprint and the errors should have been corrected in this edition. Fortunately, none of the typos are of the sort that prevents the reader from understanding what the author is trying to impart. If the publisher does a second printing of this edition, I hope that the typos will be corrected.

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A Mixologist's Friend, February 2, 2000

By A Customer

This review is from: The Fine Art of Mixing Drinks (Paperback)

Anyone who has the slightest interest in becoming a serious mixologist should have this book as a reference source. Besides the usual recipes for drinks and cocktails, Mr. Embury inserts his strong opinions on how the drinks should be made, how they taste, and why they are mixed in the manner suggested. The explanations of how the different alcohols are made is interesting and the glassware chapter is helpful if you want to throw a classy party. The section on liquers is especially handy and excellent. My Dad gave me this book years ago. He was a well known mixologist and I think he used this book as a text. I know I do. This book is highly recommended.