1001 Mixed Drinks and Everything You Need to Know to Set Up Your Bar

I was not impresed with this book. While everything is sorted it is still kind of piled together(small print and crapping newprint paper with no space between anything). I looked up some of my favorite and the recipes were messed up.

This is a decent reference manual with only some minor flaws. The chapters are broken down by spirit type, which makes it interesting if you buy a bottle of booze and want to try out all the different cocktails that pertain to said booze. There are a few paragraphs at the beginning of each chapter that explain the origin and production methods of making such spirit. The beginning of the book goes over basic equipment, and has illustrations of different glasses, spoons, etc. There is an appendix, so one can easily look up any cocktail or drink. The structure of the chapters is a little confusing, however. It starts with Bourbon, then Brandy, Gin, Rum...Wine and Beer are the 13th and 14th Chapters. It would make sense to put beer and wine first, since whiskey and brandy are basically distilled beer and wine. Go through the fermentation process before the distillation process. The Chapter on Tequila does have some issues - it does not list "Reposado" as a type of tequila; and this is mildly offensive to me, since it is my favorite type! ;) It also states that "Tequila is a superior form of mezcal." While this is true, it also leaves out the fact that tequila is steamed, while mezcal is roasted. This roasting process gives the mezcal a more smoky, leathery taste than tequila. Other than these issues, I find this book a handy reference manual!

This edition is useful not only for its recipes, but for its information, as well. The introduction has a similar feel to the early chapters of The Joy of Cooking in that it offers instruction on the essentials for stocking a home bar as well as comprehensive lists of equipment and glassware -- complete with illustrations. The recipes are thorough in detailing method, which is much more useful than some Internet collections and other books I've seen which only list the ingredients (and sometimes measures) for a given drink. There is also a bit of fun and education to be found here. Each chapter and most of the hallmark drinks have write-ups about their history or fun anecdotes.

I felt the need to write this review after reading another for the same title in which the reviewer aired grievance about the book not including an alphabetical list of the drinks by name. That is what the index in the back of the book is for. Maybe he just never got that far. I have several books on cocktail recipes, and this one is definitely my go-to. Having only 1001 recipes, it is incomplete, but it's the most useful one on my shelf.

Whenever we have parties and celebrations at our house we have a variety of people, some who drink and some who don't. This bartenders guide helps me know what ingredients go into each type of drink and than I can adjust them by people's preferences. I can make virgin types with no alcohol but still great tastes. This is a good guide to have on hand and I also use some of the recipes in my various types of BBQ sauces.

This book lists drinks only by their main alcohol ingredient ONLY. Not very helpful if you don't know the drink's main alcohol ingredient. What kind of bartender bible doesn't have a recipe for a cosmopolitan? Is an alphabetical list of all the dinks in the book too much to ask? Every time I use this book I get pissed off.

This is a decent reference manual with only some minor flaws. The chapters are broken down by spirit type, which makes it interesting if you buy a bottle of booze and want to try out all the different cocktails that pertain to said booze. There are a few paragraphs at the beginning of each chapter that explain the origin and production methods of making such spirit. The beginning of the book goes over basic equipment, and has illustrations of different glasses, spoons, etc. There is an appendix, so one can easily look up any cocktail or drink. The structure of the chapters is a little confusing, however. It starts with Bourbon, then Brandy, Gin, Rum...Wine and Beer are the 13th and 14th Chapters. It would make sense to put beer and wine first, since whiskey and brandy are basically distilled beer and wine. Go through the fermentation process before the distillation process. The Chapter on Tequila does have some issues - it does not list "Reposado" as a type of tequila; and this is mildly offensive to me, since it is my favorite type! ;) It also states that "Tequila is a superior form of mezcal." While this is true, it also leaves out the fact that tequila is steamed, while mezcal is roasted. This roasting process gives the mezcal a more smoky, leathery taste than tequila. Other than these issues, I find this book a handy reference manual!

This edition is useful not only for its recipes, but for its information, as well. The introduction has a similar feel to the early chapters of The Joy of Cooking in that it offers instruction on the essentials for stocking a home bar as well as comprehensive lists of equipment and glassware -- complete with illustrations. The recipes are thorough in detailing method, which is much more useful than some Internet collections and other books I've seen which only list the ingredients (and sometimes measures) for a given drink. There is also a bit of fun and education to be found here. Each chapter and most of the hallmark drinks have write-ups about their history or fun anecdotes.

I felt the need to write this review after reading another for the same title in which the reviewer aired grievance about the book not including an alphabetical list of the drinks by name. That is what the index in the back of the book is for. Maybe he just never got that far. I have several books on cocktail recipes, and this one is definitely my go-to. Having only 1001 recipes, it is incomplete, but it's the most useful one on my shelf.

Whenever we have parties and celebrations at our house we have a variety of people, some who drink and some who don't. This bartenders guide helps me know what ingredients go into each type of drink and than I can adjust them by people's preferences. I can make virgin types with no alcohol but still great tastes. This is a good guide to have on hand and I also use some of the recipes in my various types of BBQ sauces.

The Bartender's Bible has a couple things going for it, but also has a downside which is pretty annoying. First off, the book is very stylishly put together and has a professional feel. The professional feel is further seen in the well done explaination on how to stock your bar, and how to mix good drinks. The final great thing about this book is the massive amount of drinks that it contains. The one poor thing about the Bartender's Bible is that the drinks are organized by main ingredient, instead of alphabetical, this causes a slower time when looking up drinks. All in all, this is a pretty good drink mixing guide, but I'm sure you can find better.

Pretty much I agree with Brian Tomkiel's review. Complaints about looking things up confuse me, since there is an alphabetical index. There are drinks missing. But every single bartending guide I've looked at is missing one drink or another. In practice, I've never had problems with this book. Besides, most people who are asking for "popular" drinks like the Cosmopolitan and Hurricane know how they're made...it doesn't kill you to ask someone rather than looking in the book.
In the end, sure, maybe it's not perfect for bar use. Then again, I don't see the negative reviews suggesting what IS perfect for professional bar use. For home bar use, however, this book is the best of the many I have and have used.

This is a dandy book, great mainly for its advice on setting up your home bar. It's got all the real classics -- the Gibson, the Manhattan, the Negroni, the Gimlet, the Sazerac... but most of its trendy modern mixed drinks are clearly English (the names are often the give-away). An interesting picture of what they're drinking in England, but I was surprised at what I /didn't/ find (the above-mentioned Hurricane, for example).

The only thing this bartender's guide has going for it is its hard, oversized cover. Otherwise its only conceivable use is to feed a waning fire. I have been a bartender for over seven years, and I have read a dozen or so reference books. The Bartenders Bible is my least favorite of all. Its organizational system is ponderous and ultimately useless to a bartender in a pinch. It is polluted with obscurely named concoctions that make an experienced bartender wonder if the editors didn't just make them up to fill space. On top of that it is sloppy. If anyone can tell the difference between the "cosmos" pg96 and a daiquiri pg97, be my guest.
I don't know what Mr. Regan was thinking with this book? I have also read his "New Classic Cocktails" and found it to be a much better read. Whatever the cause, beware of this book. Just because it called a "Bible" doesn't mean it's a Good Book.

This book lists drinks only by their main alcohol ingredient ONLY. Not very helpful if you don't know the drink's main alcohol ingredient. What kind of bartender bible doesn't have a recipe for a cosmopolitan? Is an alphabetical list of all the dinks in the book too much to ask? Every time I use this book I get pissed off.