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Reddit mentions of The Craft of the Cocktail: Everything You Need to Know to Be a Master Bartender, with 500 Recipes
Sentiment score: 10
Reddit mentions: 17
We found 17 Reddit mentions of The Craft of the Cocktail: Everything You Need to Know to Be a Master Bartender, with 500 Recipes. Here are the top ones.
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Features:
Specs:
Color | Black |
Height | 10.3 Inches |
Length | 7.8 Inches |
Number of items | 1 |
Release date | October 2002 |
Size | 2.12 |
Weight | 2.1 Pounds |
Width | 0.78 Inches |
Dude, that's fantastic news. This comment immediately got me subscribed for updates.
Some other source recommendations off the top of my head...
Tiki drinks:
General cocktails:
...that's... not a bad list to get started. Good luck! I'll be interested to follow along with development.
Do yourself a favor and buy these books, they've got some very good basic stuff.
The Craft of the Cocktail - Dale Degroff
The Joy of Mixology - Gary Reagan
Vintage Spirits and Forgotten Cocktails - Ted Haigh
The Dale Degroff book isn't huge but it has some super solid information (and Degroff is just about the most down to earth but still crazy knowledgeable dudes that's around.)
The Gary Reagan book has a great section that breaks down a ton of different drinks by drink families and can really help you understand why things are constructed the way they are. IE - A sidecar and a margarita are both daisies, except a sidecar is cognac and lemon juice whereas a margarita uses tequila and lime. Or, basically how using the base of a spirit, a sweet, and a sour gives you a ton of different cocktails (Rum, lime, simple - Daiquiri. Whiskey, lemon, simple - whiskey sour. Gin, lime, simple - gimlet. Switch out the lime for lemon, put it in a tall glass and add soda water, and you get at tom collins. etc...) Basically its all super useful information and once you understand the whys and hows of construction it can allow you to either make shit on the fly, or more easily remember common proportions.
The Ted Haigh book is just kind of neat to have and has some weirder, not-so-standardized cocktails that some people may sometimes ask for. Think Singapore Sling, Blood and Sand, Vieux Carre, Fogcutter, French 75, etc. There's also a heap of neat old cocktails that NO ONE asks for anymore, and a couple of the recipes are out of date (The Aviation recipe is an old one, there was a period where creme de violette wasn't available and this book was published before it became available again BUT I DIGRESS that's more than you're probably looking for anyway.)
I could post some more if you really get down into nitty gritty neat stuff, but I'm a nerd for using historical knowledge to round out my skills, so I could actually go on for pages with recommendations.
Edit: All that said, if you just get one, get the Joy of Mixology. Its got a chart, it'll tell you what you need if anything weird comes up, but honestly, if its a pub you're probably not going to have that many issues.
When I was learning (in a similar environment that OP described), I had a mentor teach me. I believe that is by far the best way to learn in any industry whether it be in the kitchen, behind the bar, on a construction site, etc.
In lieu of a mentor, there are several books worth picking up to bring up your knowledge, with the combination of internet research:
-Craft of the Cocktail
-Death & Co.
-Vintage Spirits and Forgotten Cocktails
-Bar Book: Elements of Cocktail Technique
-Imbibe!
-The Drunken Botanist
-The Curious Bartender
-The Joy of Mixology
Some helpful links:
-Kindred Cocktails
-The Spirits Business
-Good Spirit News
-Jeffrey Morgenthaler's Blog
-Jamie Boudreau's Blog: not updated but still has good info.
The best thing to do is to set a standard and then communicate with the guest if they want something different. 90% of customers say "up" (shaken and strained into a cocktail shell) when they mean "neat" (no ice) and are then confused when I followed their directions. Older customers who were drinking in the dark days of the 1980's are really tough to understand because they picked up weird ordering habits because everything was terrible.
For a serious beginner I recommend The Craft of the Cocktail.
Congrats! I'm guessing since the restaurant is "fine dinning" your going to be doing a lot of cocktails. You should read a good book that covers technique as well as recipes more in depth than a basic recipe site. I'll recommend "The Craft of the Cocktail" by Dale DeGroff, unless someone here has a recommendation that they think is more practical since cocktails are only a hobby for me, work is all wine.
There's a lot of really classic books that will be mentioned, but my No.1 go to for all things has always been Dale Degroff: The Craft of The Cocktail. Recipes are up to date and accessible, and he discusses technique and ingredients at length.
http://www.amazon.ca/dp/0609608754
Here are the ones I really like and recommend (in order of importance to me):
Absolute must buy (this is my go-to for most occasions): PDT
Great for groups of cocktail enthusists and people who just want something delicious: Craft Cocktail Party
Foundational book from the man, the myth, the legend (Dale Degroff): Craft of the Cocktail
Great summer drinking with bitter aperitifs as the base: Spirtz
If is just a hobby, get a recipe book like the PDT or The Craft of the Cocktail. They are both pretty easy to read.
Also chech out /r/cocktails. They are a bit tough with the newbies but be patient, if you ask politely they (we) will help you.
Mmm, a good old-fashioned is a wonderful thing indeed...
I would also recommend Dale Degroff's book: The Craft of the Cocktail ( http://www.amazon.com/Craft-Cocktail-Everything-Bartender-Recipes/dp/0609608754 ). You learn everything from the glass and ice selection to recipes and their histories.
First step, get some books!
The Craft of the Cocktail
This is a great beginning book. It's got the right advice, and all of the recipes are spot on. This book will keep you busy for a very long time, as well as teach you the proper way to make each drink.
If you start to get really serious about drink-making, check out:
Imbibe! by David Wondrich. It is remarkable in its authenticity and attention to detail. As interesting as it is, it is more of a history book than a recipe book, so it may be hard to swallow for those less passionate about where the classics really came from.
Aside from that, things to keep in mind:
And, if nothing else, try this.
Put it all into a shaking tin, and shake without ice. Add ice, shake, and strain into whatever. A mason jar is preferred. A lot of people get turned off by the egg white thing, but it will change your life.
continued
Homemade Soda by Andrew Schloss
Mix Shake Stir: Recipes from Danny Meyer's Acclaimed New York City Restaurants compiled by Danny Meyer
Jim Murray's Whisky Bible 2010 by Jim Murray
And a Bottle of Rum: A History of the New World in Ten Cocktails by Wayne Curtis
Trader Vic's Bartender's Guide, Revised by Victor "Trader Vic" Bergeron
Great Beer Guide: 500 Classic Brews by Michael Jackson
Old Mr. Boston DeLuxe Official Bartender's Guide 4th Edition
The Seasonal Cocktail Companion: 100 Recipes and Projects for Four Seasons of Drinking by Maggie Savarino
The Essential Cocktail: The Art of Mixing Perfect Drinks by Dale Degroff
Iconic Spirits: An Intoxicating History by Mark Spivak
Bottom Row:
The Wine Bible by Karen MacNeil
Absinthe, Sip of Seduction: A Contemporary Guide by Betina Wittels & Robert Hermesch
The Complete Bartender: Art of Mixing Plain and Fancy Drinks by Albert Barnes (Espresso Book Machine Reprint)
Michael Jackson's Beer Companion by Michael Jackson
The Drunken Botanist: The Plants that Create the World's Great Drinks by Amy Stewart
Food & Wine Cocktails 2013 edited by Jim Meehan
Food & Wine Cocktails 2012 edited by Jim Meehan
Food & Wine Cocktails 2011 edited by Jim Meehan
The Craft of the Cocktail: Everything You Need to Know to be a Master Bartender, with 500 Recipes by Dale DeGroff
Cocktail Techniques by Kazuo Uyeda
Shake, Stir, Pour: Fresh Homegrown Cocktails by Katie Loeb
Everyday Drinking: The Distilled Kingsley Amis by Kingsley Amis
Tequila: A Traditional Art of Mexico edited by Alberto Ruy Sanchez & Magarita de Orellana
The New York Times Book of Wine: More than 30 Years of Vintage Writing edited by Howard G. Goldberg (pre-release copy)
The Northern California Craft Beer Guide by Ken Weaver
A Field Guide to Hendrick's Gin
The Oxford Companion to Beer edited by Garrett Oliver
The Book of Gin: A Spirited World History from Alchemists' Stills and Colonial Outposts to Gin Palaces, Bathtub Gin, and Artisanal Cocktails by Richard Barnett (pre-release copy)
Modern American Drinks: How to Mix and Serve All Kinds of Cups, Cocktails, and Fancy Mixed Drinks by George J. Kappeler (Espresso Book Machine Printing)
Edible Cocktails: From Garden to Glass - Seasonal Cocktails with a Fresh Twist by Natalie Bovis
Straight Up or On the Rocks: The Story of the American Cocktail by William Grimes
Brewed Awakening: Behind the Beers and Brewers Leading the World's Craft Brewing Revolution by Joshua M. Bernstein
The Savoy Cocktail Book by Harry Craddock
Extreme Brewing: An Enthusiast's Guide to Brewing Craft Beer at Home by Sam Calagione
Wine for Dummies by Ed McCarthy & Mary Ewing-Mulligan
Radical Brewing: Recipes, Tales and World-Altering Meditations in a Glass by Randy Mosher
Not Pictured:
On Food and Cooking: The Science and Lore of the Kitchen by Harold McGee
Craft Cocktails at Home: Offbeat Techniques, Contemporary Crowd-Pleasers, and Classics Hacked with Science by Kevin Liu
Beachbum Berry Remixed by Jeff Berry
How's Your Drink?: Cocktails, Culture, and the Art of Drinking Well by Eric Felten
Let me know if you have any questions about any of the books.
They teach you the "easy way", and by easy way I mean using sour mix and taking shortcuts like that. There are plenty of good resources online and amazing cocktail books you can buy that have the original recipes for classic cocktails, as well as the proper way to do things behind the bar.
Learn from reputable sources and from good bartenders. If you're interested here's a couple good reads:
As far as knowledge goes, you can learn a lot from reading and studying. For me personally, I love this kind of stuff and I'm constantly trying to learn as much as I can so I could hardly say it feels like actual studying. As for technical skills, learn from people better than you. No matter how good you get, there is always someone out there you can learn from. A lot of how I work I've picked up from watching great bartenders, everything from small stuff like the way I carry a bottle to the way I move behind the bar has come from watching, learning and implementing it into how I bartend.
What's the rush? Do you have a job lined up already? You could memorize a bunch of recipes but every bar has a recipe book and existing bartenders to teach drinks (unless you're looking to open a place). Additionally, different countries/regions have different names or variations of drinks.
What you'll lack in knowledge about beer, wine, terms and techniques, liquor compatibility and food pairing as well as working restaurant knowledge will make you a poor bartender.
If you're actually interested in tending, follow u/belowthisisalie's advice about skipping the recipes and just get to know your target bar's menu and how it the bar functions. Pick up a few books on cocktails (Dale DeGroff would be a good start) as you progress so you can start branching out and getting creative.
I own a copy of The Craft of the Cocktail and it is thoroughly amazing. I also have Bartending for Dummies and it is pretty good as well.
You've probably seen or heard of all of these before, but these are my latest purchases, ready to be right at home in the new home bar I'm building...
Death & Co. - modern classic cocktails
The Dead Rabbit drinks manual
The Craft of the cocktail
The flavour bible
Imbibe!
I recently picked up The Craft of the Cocktail which is fantastic, it's got 500 recipes, all well thought out and organized.
I see a lot of novice advice and advice from 'professional' bartenders. I haven't really seen a good tip in the bunch if you want to know how to correctly prepare basic cocktails. There's dozens of books on the subject.
here's a very good, detailed book by Dale Degroff called The Craft of the Cocktail: Everything You Need to Know to Be a Master Bartender
And here's a link to the web archive of a scanned version of what is widely considered the very first book on the subject of bartending. How to Mix Drinks: Or, The Bon-vivant's Companion. By Jerry Thomas.