Book Review- Mr. Boston: Official Bartenders Guide

I'd heard that Jim Meehan was working on a new and revised edition of the venerable Mr. Boston guide and to be honest, I was curious just how much the publisher would let him revise it. I own more copies of Mr. Boston than any other book (currently 31 copies ranging from really old to copies from the last few years. Hint- when purchasing a Christmas gift for a bartender, he might already own a copy or two of Mr. Boston), and while I never, ever crack them open, I still can't bear to part with any cocktail books so they sit high on an out of reach bookshelf, taking up space and needing a good dusting. I don't keep Mr. Boston behind the bar, and the last time I can remember using one to look up a drink was 1994 when I was wearing a bolo tie as I worked a Stuart Anderson's Black Angus Fun Bar. Whatever I made was clearly not what my customer was expecting and I felt pretty burned by the guide. Since then, I've always held a rather low opinion of the Mr. Boston guide and I tend not to reach for it when I have questions about a cocktail.

That all changed last night. I got home and found a copy on my front doorstep. Let me just say now that Jim Meehan should be congratulated on a job well done. Instead of adding a 32nd useless copy to my bookshelf, this new edition (I believe it hit bookstores yesterday) mixes classics with 200 modern classics from some of the top bartenders in the country (including Oregon's Kevin Ludwig, Kelley Swenson and Ryan Magarian). The book is beautifully photographed by Ben Fink, not something I was expecting, and there are some nice tips and hints scattered throughout the book from people like Dale DeGroff, Robert Hess and David Wondrich. This book is easy to use, dividing most of the drinks by base liquor, but also has sections on hot drinks, frozen drinks, eggnogs, punches and even wine in mixed drinks. This is a great reference now, and I was inspired to work on a couple of new cocktails after reading a few of the drinks contained inside of this volume.

At $14.95, this is a great reference and every bartender should own a copy of this book. It provides a concise reference for what the modern bartender needs while also offering up cocktails from the most creative minds in the business right now. HIGHLY RECOMMENDED.

2 for 1 Book Review: Dale Degroff & Robert Hess

I try to stay on top of what is current in cocktail books. A lot of what comes on the market, is, quite frankly, crap. However, over the last couple of years, the quality of cocktail related writing has improved somewhat markedly. The last month has seen the release of two fantastic cocktail books by two of the people I respect most in the world of mixology, Robert Hess and Dale Degroff.

Dale Degroff's latest, The Essential Cocktail, The Art of Mixing Perfect Drinks , is a beautifully photographed and well put together book. Featuring approximately 500 different cocktails and their variations (a nice touch), this book isn't as comprehensive as Degroff's earlier book, The Craft of the Cocktail, but this book is a wonderful introduction to the world of classic cocktails. This is an easy to use and wonderfully laid out book, full of nice photography and of a decent enough size that you can lay the book out and read from it if need be. If you know a bartender or have any cocktail enthusiasts to do Christmas shopping for, they will be very happy to find the "Essential Cocktail" under the tree.
Robert Hess, sometimes known as Drinkboy and host of the Small Screen Network's wonderful shows, has just published "The Essential Bartenders Guide". While DeGroff's book seems to appeal to a broader audience of cocktail enthusiasts and bartenders alike, Hess delivers a precisely focused, well written and designed manual for working bartenders. While he does offer some tips on stocking a home bar, I think the real value in the Essential Bartenders Guide is to the professional, who can put it behind the bar (great job on the binding with this one) and read and reread selections from it when it they have time. Hess provides the background on things like Fernet Branca, proper glassware selection and more. Even better, while the recipes are heavy on the classics (A Bamboo cocktail anyone?), Hess doesn't waste time with half assed contemporary drinks, instead focusing on a small but signifigant selection of modern classics including Ryan Magarian's Pepper Delicious and Paul Harrington's Jasmine in addition to some of his own creations. This is going behind the bar at 50 Plates tonight, joining the Hess autographed and rather dog eared copy of the Museum Of American Cocktails recipe book, and it is an invaluable addition to any bartenders library.
Both of these books come highly recommended. If you can't make up your mind between the two, buy both, you'll be glad you did. Both are excellent new offerings from some of the top people in the world of mixology. I'm glad that they both have a home on my bookshelf.

Book Review- 101 Champagne Cocktails

So I'll admit it. When I was asked if I'd like to receive a copy of 101 Champagne Cocktails for review, I accepted because I love to see whats on the market, but I didn't exactly have high expectations. Perhaps it is because I am always suspicious of cookbooks and whatever else that offer a large number of recipes. I mean, can you really make 101 decent champagne based cocktails? Why not 98 if thats all you have? Or why didn't you make it to 105? Those are the kind of things that run through my head when I see books like this. Luckily enough for me, Kim Haasarud not only created 101 interesting champagne cocktails for this book, most of these are easy and approachable too.

I started flipping through the pages and while a number of the classics are represented (the Bellini, the the Kir Royale, the Mimosa), I was startled by how many unique and interesting new concepts were in the book as well. The Limoncello Sparkle, Sparkling Apple Cocktail and Stormy Ginger Fizz were all revelations, and the photography of these drinks is just superb. This is a really well written and photographed book. Interesting enough to intrigue me as a professional, but clear and concise so that even a novice with no bartending experience can make these drinks. Overall, this is a pretty interesting addition to my cocktail library, so much so that I think I might be giving several copies to my friends and family as Christmas gifts this year. Pick up a copy of 101 Champagne Cocktails. You'll be happy that you did.

Book Review- "Drink: A Cultural History of Alcohol"

I don't generally review books, but I'm probably going to be doing more of these in the future. Iain Gately's latest work is a fairly comprehensive look at alcohol throughout history. Its an interesting read, filled with a number of obscure and unusual details (lets just say that I've got a lot of new ideas for drink names now). I'd suggest that no serious cocktail enthusiast go without this one on the bookshelf.
Starting with the Sumerians, and then moving into the Greeks, Aztecs and Romans before moving into more modern times. I learned that the Aztecs had a drinking age of 52 (I'd still have a few years to go), the Greeks had much more complex symposiums than I'd realized and the Huns drank a beverage made from mare's milk (and I thought pulque was rough). This is a large book (500 pages) that manages to take on the task of a comprehensive history of alcohol while at the same time remaining lively and readable.
I haven't been able to put this one down since I began reading it. I've gotten to rationing myself a few pages at a time to savor the quality writing and also to have time to digest all of the information packed so densely into these pages.
This is one book that serious cocktail afficionados need to add to their reading list and should be required reading for anyone hoping to be or currently practicing the craft of bartending.