(Part 2) Best cocktails & mixed drinks books according to redditors
We found 726 Reddit comments discussing the best cocktails & mixed drinks books. We ranked the 205 resulting products by number of redditors who mentioned them. Here are the products ranked 21-40. You can also go back to the previous section.
I refer to the Flavor Bible frequently. It is a compendium of flavors that pair well together.
There isn't a particular book that I can think of that focuses on cocktail creation, but I enjoy Kevin Liu's discussion of balance in Craft Cocktails at Home and Gary Regan's discussion of drink families in The Joy of Mixology. I would start there and then move onto other books.
In terms of process, it's very situation-based. Modifying current recipes can be fun and a good jumping off point. Start by trying to make your own signature Last Word variation. Classically it would be equal parts gin, Green Chartreuse, maraschino liqueur and lime juice. I do something with equal parts rose green tea-infused gin, Liquore Strega, pear liqueur, lemon juice and chamomile-citrus bitters.
You can also think about what certain drinks have in common and try something in the same style i.e. Sidecars and Margaritas are both spirit, sweet, and sour while Manhattans and Negronis are both spirit, sweet, and bitter. The history of drink making is so long that it is highly unlikely that you'll be making something that doesn't at least slightly resemble an extant drink, whether or not you ever figure it out.
The key to a good cocktail is balance. Sweet, sour, and bitterness all help to mellow each other out. Bitters are great for this because the addition of even a small amount of bitter flavor will dull the perception of sweet and sour so that any extremes are rounded out. Sweet does the same to sour and bitter while sour does the same to the other two, though both to a lesser extent than bitterness.
Again, I highly recommend the Flavor Bible. With it you can take a spirit, see what flavors you can pick out and see what will pair well with them. Then find ingredients that can bring that flavor to the table. You can then check out the pairings for that flavor and see if the two lists have any overlap.
The more classic recipes you become familiar with, the more you'll be able to see patterns in what general drink formulas work.
Be sure to straw taste as you go to correct any issues with balance early on in the process. You should do this anyway with drinks you already know the recipes for, but it's especially important when creating so that you can tell what each ingredient is bringing to the table.
Another approach, once you have an idea of ingredients to mix, taste each on its own to get an idea of how it might play with the others and also the intensity of flavor to give you an idea of what proportions you might aim to balance intensities.
Have at least part of an idea in mind before you start pouring. Cocktails are an ephemeral art, so you won't have to live with your mistakes for long if you make a bad drink, but don't go wasting good liquor chasing after a completely unformed thought (at least not at this point).
That should be enough to get you started. Let me know if you'd like additional reading recommendations.
Source: I run the bar, train the bartenders, and write the drink menu for a successful bar/restaurant with a focus on craft cocktails.
This is a side-by-side-by-side review / overview of three different bitter liqueurs.
General Notes & Methodology:
Amaro is an Italian word that simply means bitter. The word amari is the plural of amaro. It is a word used to describe a broad class of liqueurs that have a distinctive, bitter note as part of the flavor profile. Though technically the words amaro and amari are Italian, they can be used (and often are) to describe bitter alcoholic preparations from all over the world.
Most of these products have recipes that are generations old, steeped in mystery and legend. Most were originally developed for medicinal purposes, or as apertivo, to stimulate appetite before a meal, or digestivo, to be taken after a meal to aid digestion.
Because enjoyment is largely personal taste, rather than rating on a 0-100 scale as one might in a spirit review, I will assign a value between 0 and 4 and give some tasting notes on several characteristics. In each case, a 0 rating on a given characteristic means it is non-existent in that spirit, where a 4 means it a primary characteristic and thus very strong.
All spirits are poured, rested, and sampled neat at room temperature unless otherwise noted.
JÄGERMEISTER
Jägermeister... what can one say about it? We likely all have at least one questionable memory that involves it. Thanks to an aggressive marketing plan involving scantily clad Jägerettes, beefy Jäger Dudes, and the seemingly unquenchable desire for college "dare shots", this German digestif has forged a solid presence in popular culture. It is the rare college bar indeed that does not have it well stocked in the freezer, or set up on specially designed frozen shot dispensers.
Originally designed to be taken after a heavy meal to aid digestion, it has been produced since the early 1930's in Germany. The name literally translates to English as "hunting master", thus the iconography of the stag and cross representing Saints Eustace and Hubertus, the patron saints of hunters, and the verse from Oscar von Reisenthal's poem Weidmannsheil on the label.
Though its recipe of 56 botanicals is a secret, it is known to include, licorice, saffron, anise, ginger, juniper berries, and poppy seeds. After blending, Jägermeister is aged in oak barrels for approximately a year before being bottled in its iconic, green, rectangular bottle.
On the nose Jägermeister is rich and herbal with a hint of bitter spice. It is sweet on the palate, but packs a strong herbal and medicinal punch. There are strong notes of menthol, eucalyptus, and cinnamon, with a bit of allspice and burnt caramel bitter-sweetness.
I know you've probably had a frozen shot, or perhaps a Jäger Bomb (a shot dropped in Red Bull), but I would encourage you to try a sample neat at room temperature. There is a great deal of complexity and nuance that is lost when served ice cold, though that is the recommendation on the back label.
Jägermeister is having a bit of a renaissance behind the bar, and beginning to be taken a bit more seriously as a cocktail ingredient. Beyond just the college drinks like the Liquid Heroin and Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse, there are now some more civilized uses as well. This Liquor.com article does a good job introducing a few.
At $20 or so for a 750mL bottle, this is easy to add to the bar
UNDERBERG
Underberg, the digestif shot you might even be able to pick up in the grocery store. These iconic mini-bottles, wrapped in brown paper and shipped in bright green boxes and tins, have long been available even in places without liquor licenses because of a quirk of US government classification. It is also available in bulk packaging on Amazon, even in the US.
Each bottle contains 2/3 oz of an intensely bitter herbal mixture that even according to the label "... is not a beverage. Not to be sipped, but taken all at once, and quickly, because of its aromatic strong taste".
The things I do for science... sitting here sipping my Underberg!
On the nose it is hot and earthy, with a spicy note combining star anise, allspice and something herbal, perhaps oregano or marjoram. On the palate it is brightly bitter, with a blast of rooty gentian followed by that same star-anise/allspice finish. If I take time to pick it apart a bit, I also get cloves (with their lip numbing quality) and pepper on my tongue.
This is gorgeous taken neat (either as a shot, or sipped) and does indeed settle the stomach after a heavy meal. It is also becoming more popular as an ingredient in a few remarkable cocktails.
The Snowball in Hell from Mark Bittermans Field Guide (see link below) is a boozy, bitter root beer float with Underberg and other bitters.
The Ice-Berg, which I first saw in Brad Thomas Parsons, Amaro (again, see link below) is a riff somewhere between a Margarita and a Mai Tai that uses the bitter in the recipe and the bottle as a garnish. Here is the recipe on Lucky Peach
At a buck or two a bottle (cheaper when you buy in bulk) you can collect as many green and red caps as possible and trade them in for some cool "loyalty" prizes, including stemmed digestif glasses, metal signs, and even a bandolier to hold you bottles.
HOFLAND MEESTERBITTER
I really wish I had something unique to say about this. I picked up a 750mL bottle for $13 at Total Wine, hoping to have another unique flavor profile to add to my cabinet. No such luck.
If given this blind, I would 100% believe it was Jägermeister. Even side-by-side with Jäger, I can only detect a very faint difference. Nose is nearly identical. Palate of the Hofland seems murkier somehow, not as crisp and defined as Jägermeister, but the notes are very similar. Biggest difference to me is on the finish. Hofland is thinner and a bit tannic, where the Jäger lingers with a sweet, herbal, slow fade.
Ahh well, it's a good sub for my couple of friends that love Jäger Bombs, and like I said, it's dirt cheap.
Wrap Up:
Amari, and other bitter liqueurs... Test them, try them, see what your palate likes. There are lots of good resources out there (see a couple below) but nothing replaces actually tasting it.
I strongly recommend the following:
Thanks for reading. Again, I welcome any feedback you might have. Next up... back to a couple more bottles of single malt, and then perhaps a few blends over on r/Scotch
~Cheers!
Your options vary from 40 - 95% ABV (vodka, Everclear/NGS and other spirits as well). Your choice will depend on several factors:
I generally tincture with a base of 80% 151 proof spirit and 20% lower proof spirit(s). This yields me a base @ 60 - 68%. Given a base in this range, when tincturing is complete, I can usually expect a batch of bitters around 50% ABV. Just where I like 'em. I tend to extract components individually and blend a final bitters. For fresher components (read: with higher water content), like fresh citrus peels and herbs, lean closer to a 68% base. For dried components, like spices, lean closer to a 60% base. With a 60-68% base range, I can normally control the extraction process entirely with time. I can overextract if I want to, or be more controlling with less time.
I hope this makes sense.
I highly recommend Mark Bitterman's Bitterman's Field Guide to Bitters & Amari. At <$9 for the epub version, it may be the best resource currently available. I also recommend Brad Thomas Parson's Bitters: A Spirited History of a Classic Cure-All, with Cocktails, Recipes, and Formulas.
~Good luck!
Damn dude.. I'm going to go through your list item by item, but before even considering my (a random person on the internet) opinion, you really should ask yourself what do you like to do? Don't try to force yourself into a hobby you don't truly care for. That said, here goes:
-Improving your multifaceted musical talents: Go for it! It's something you must like to do being a Pianolinibassitarmonicalelecalist.
-Learning to cook: Fuck yes! This is a great skill for men and women to have! Allrecipes.com is a great free resource for beginners. Just start making stuff!
-Learning to mix cocktails: Again, a good skill to have. I recommend The Bartender's Black Book on Amazon, or getting a drink App for your phone. (Also, make damn sure your know how to pour a beer into a glass/mug properly -hint: tip the glass about 45 degrees.)
-Learning Spanish and German: The languages are similar in structure (I've studied both), but don't expect either to be easy. Honestly I'd hold off on this one given the title of your post OP.
-Reading 2 books per months: Cool! Make them cookbooks! (Or drink, or movie, or videogame books) Don't let yourself get overwhelmed with new habits.
-Card games: Try Cribbage. Also, try Chess. You're obviously intelligent OP. I think you'd excel at either of these, but more importantly, If you can find someone to play with, you'll start meeting new players quicker than you might think.
-Watching as many tv shows as possible: I think this will conflict with your other goals. I use Hulu and Netflix so I can watch just the shows I like on my schedule.
-Briefly playing new video games: No real point that I can see. Any real gamer will see right through you.
-Catching up on movies you missed out on: Nothing wrong with this unless it's solely to talk about the movies. Check out Pan's Labyrinth. It's from Spain, so - Spanish.
I gotta stop typing - broken wrist.
For the rest: Read whatever you like, do whatever you like, just make sure you're doing it for you, and nobody else. People notice that shit. Charity work is cool, and it looks good on a resume. Last but not least, as far as new music goes, just make LOTS of different Pandora stations, and select shuffle.
Drops mic.
It totally depends on the type of bartending you’re trying to get into, but for my personal tastes. there’s a book I like called Cocktail Codex which breaks it down to assert that there are six basic templates and that everything else (within the classic cocktail spectrum) is essentially some variation on one of those six models.
Those six are:
Old Fashioned
Martini
Daiquiri
Sidecar
Whiskey Highball
Flip
If you can get down the templates for those, you’ll have a pretty solid foundation for a ton of cocktails.
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.
Results
Original
This is the recipe that I am most familiar with, it was originally found in a notebook of Dick Santiago, one of Don’s bartenders. I first found this recipe in the PDT book and have made it many times. I’ve always enjoyed this cocktail, although I have some variations of my own. The original Zombie is a must try for everyone, even if Tiki drinks are not your thing. This version starts out with mint and lime on the nose, obviously coming from the garnish of mint. At first sip, sweet rummy goodness, the Puerto Rican rum and Jamaican rum marry here and bring each other’s best features forward. What’s great about this version is that, unlike some of the recipes we will look at, there is not a lot of fruit juices, which really allows the rum to come forward and be enhanced by all the other syrups and spices. More drinks need Don’s Mix, there is lots of grapefruit flavor here, more so than the lime. I used 2 day old grapefruit juice. The book Craft Cocktails at Home by Kevin Liu, suggests this as optimal for best flavor. With the stronger grapefruit flavor, the Don’s Mix might benefit from a 1.5:1 ratio of grapefruit to cinnamon syrup. Whether or not this truly is the original Zombie, we may never know, however it is safe to say, this is definitely the Zombie for todays cocktailian palate.
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Simplified
A great Zombie, though Berry wasn’t kidding when he called it simplified. Two juices, two rums, and syrup; pretty simple…for a Zombie. The nose is very similar to the Original, with just a little more citrus. The cinnamon syrup and Angostura help bring the complexity to this cocktail, and the citrus juices are more prominent here than the Original. This version is not too sweet, too sour, or too boozey. This a great all around Tiki drink and alternative to the Original Zombie if you want a lower poof drink. The Jamaican rum really comes through here, the 151 amber rum doesn’t offer much flavor, and without the Puerto Rican rum the Jamaican shines through. Jamaican rum is not my favorite type of rum, but it works so well here in this Zombie, you can tell it is really the cornerstone of the Original Zombie. I would however choose an Original Zombie over a Simplified Zombie if I had all the ingredients, just for the additional complexity and rum blend. But I would mix up a Simplified first if I were missing the other ingredients over some of the other recipes.
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Mid-Century
This recipe came from Louis Spievak’s 1950 book, Barbecue Chef, in which Don Beach provided the recipe. Beachbum Berry notes that since this Zombie differs so much from other recipes, he speculates that Don used this to trick his competitors, and give Spievak’s readers a more simplified recipe that would be easier for them to make. This Zombie is best for the summer months and its a whole different cocktail compared to the previous two. I made my own pineapple juice and passion fruit syrup for this. I have never had passion fruit syrup before, and I honestly did not really like the flavor by itself. However when you build this Tiki drink, all the different fruit and citrus juices come together really well, and blend into a great summer cocktail. The nose is all citrus and sweet, with mint from the garnish coming up first. As you sip the Mid-Century Zombie, it’s sweet and sour, all the juice and syrups make for an extremely easy sipper. I might scale down the 1 oz of passion fruit syrup to ½ oz to make the drink a little less sweet. The rum? It’s in there somewhere, but you cannot really tell, which is a feat of its own considering 1/3rd of the rum is 151 proof. The blend of light, gold, and Demerara rum all seem to lose some of their distinct flavor in the midst of all the juices, and that is either good or bad depending on your own preference. This one is ideal if you’re spending a day at the beach or by the pool, no place too fancy, and just want a cool refreshing Zombie.
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South Seas
Firstly, this drink put me off when I read Italian vermouth in the recipe. Secondly, the only open sweet vermouth I have is Carpano Antica, which seemed like a waste. However, it only calls for ½ oz and I really liked the subtle complexity it added to the drink, and I mean subtle, I might kick it up to ¾ oz to bring it forward in the drink. In this Zombie the orange and pineapple are king, the rum comes through second. On the nose, as with all 151 floats, is alcohol; second comes the pineapple and orange only showing up at the end. This is a good cocktail, just not up to some of the other Zombie recipes. I really think this cocktail could benefit from the addition of a complex syrup, like Demerara syrup or Falernum syrup, with this I would put it up against almost all other Zombie recipes. Beachbum Berry’s Remixed notes that Don’s Hawaiian rival, Spence Weaver, created this Zombie for his Polynesian themed restaurant South Seas. In this drink we can see where Spence got his inspiration, yet he always seemed to live in the shadow of the Beachcomber. I think he was a skilled bartender, but not as in love with Tiki as Don.
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Tonga Room
I really didn’t have much for notes on this one, it comes from the Tonga Room at the Fairmont Hotel in San Francisco. Ok, ok, I seriously failed on the garnish on this one, but I used all my pineapple for the pineapple juice, and forgot to set some aside for garnish. The Tonga Room Zombie is sweet and sour, the pineapple and lime come through strong on the nose and with each sip. For a Zombie, there is not a whole lot of alcohol in this one. The second one I made I added a dash of Angostura (and forgot to photograph), which really helps this one come alive. This is a great example of what bitters can add to a drink.
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Aku-Aku
This recipe comes from an ex-employee of Aku-Aku, from the late Stardust Hotel in Las Vegas. The Stardust hired Don the Beachcomber to create their cocktail menu in 1959, which is why this recipe is so similar to the Original Zombie. The Absinthe, Grenadine, Falernum, and Curacao are to be combined beforehand, this was to create Zombie Mix and help speed up creation of the drink. Besides the Zombie Mix and dash of Angostura, all other ingredients are ¾ oz.The Aku-Aku Zombie is very similar to the original recipe, just with different proportions and the addition of Orange Liqueur. If you enjoyed the Original Zombie, but want something that is sweeter and less strong than this is your Zombie. The nose is mint first, then cinnamon second, which continues as you drink. The cinnamon is definitely more prominent here, and I cannot help but think it overpowers some of the nuances of the rums. The Cointreau helps sweetens up the drink but I found that the orange flavor is lost. As with the original the Absinthe, Falernum, and Grenadine add a distinct sticky spiciness that is quite enjoyable here as with the Original Zombie.
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Modern
This is one of the many variations of the modern – pre-cocktail renaissance- Zombie that you can find at most beach bars. Most recipes I found are very similar to this, they might add some orange juice or papaya juice, and might not have the Jamaican rum. What is surprising about this recipe is the lack of sugar as there is no syrup, instead all the sugar comes from the juice. I think some Demerara syrup would help sweeten this cocktail up nicely, with the raw sugar adding an additional flavor. Another aspect of this drink that I noticed is how bright yellow the cocktail is compared to the other Zombies (the Tonga Room is the exception), which come in more around an orangish red color. I decided to use Bacardi 151 since many of the modern Zombie recipes I found online called for it or amber 151 rum. I’d love to try this again with Lemon Hart, since I find that Bacardi 151 adds nothing more than alcohol to a drink. I found the nose of the drink to have strong pineapple and alcohol aroma. This drink is very pineapple forward, which mixes unbelievably well with the apricot brandy! Perhaps finding another drink with pineapple juice and apricot brandy would be worthwhile; it’s a delicious combination. I dashed some Angostura on top just for good measure, and enjoyed the addition.
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Okole Maluna! (The Hawaiian word for cheers)
Wow, that was a lot of rum! I hope you enjoyed this weeks NCotW post, I certainly enjoyed learning a little bit about one of the pioneers of Tiki drinks, Don Beach, and trying all these different variations of the Zombie, although it put quite a hurt on my rum collection. I hope you’ll give at least one of these recipes a try, if not multiple. It was enjoyable to go through and taste how the recipe has changed over time from our “original” recipe to the “modern” version any beach front cabana bar would mix up for you. Again, a lot of this information and recipes come from Beachbum Berry’s Remixed. It’s a great book, if you don’t have it, buy it, but it’ll only hurt your rum reserves. Please feel free to post any Zombie recipes you guys know, or any other information that I left out. I don’t have a copy of the Bum’s Sippin’ Safari, but it’s suppose to go into detail on how he reverse engineered some of his Zombie recipes. So if you have a copy I would love to know the story. Special thanks to /u/hebug for letting me do a guest post, and my wife for putting up with Zombie-fied me for many weekends.
I’ll leave you guys with a thought from Trader Vic on the Zombie.
"Why people drink them I don't know.... Personally, I think it's too damn strong, but people seem to like it that way"
I've brewed a fair amount of cask. The comments here are pretty spot on. The life of cask ale is very short. I'd put it closer to 3-5 days if it's kept well. This can be extended to weeks with a cask aspirator/breather which will slowly dispense CO2.
Other issues not mentioned in the thread:
Keeping the beer cooled during this whole process and through service can be an issue. You'll have a hard time fitting a pin with a tap horizontally in a keg fridge. You can use a cask widge to serve a cask (even a firkin) vertically in most keg fridges. Cask Widges are great for home brewed cask beer for a number of reasons.
When we do cask events, we use stainless tubing that saddles the pin and pump ice water through them. With enough insulation (we are in Arizona, so it's always a challenge) you can keep a cask at cellar temps for a few days.
Or you can use a ton of ice.
If you don't want to drop a shit ton of cash on an engine, there's a very popular DIY engine.
When using an engine, buy some sparklers and decide if you think they are worthwhile. I think they are.
I used to not be a fan of gravity pours but while hiking this summer for 3 months in the UK (331 pints of real ale and 177 pubs!) I stumbled into what turned out to be my favorite pub of the trip and they only poured with gravity. If done correctly, a gravity poured cask will give you huge mushroom shaped head. I am now a fan.
For equipment purchases, I check ebay first and the ukbrewing.com. If you want to get serious, I strongly recommend CAMRA's Guide to Cellarmanship
I've been experimenting with frozen cocktails for some backyard weddings I'm bartending this summer here in pdx. If anyone has experience with slush machines hit me up with your 2 cents.
credit: Brad Thomas Parsons excellent book Amaro
I have a copy of this book, and it's pretty thorough:
https://www.amazon.com/Bittermans-Field-Guide-Bitters-Amari/dp/1449470696/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&amp;qid=1491065472&amp;sr=8-1&amp;keywords=bitterman%27s+field+guide+to+bitters+%26+amari
He goes into a lot of detail about he whole process. I recently did a modified recipe out of that book using tonka beans and cacao, and it turned out awesome. Being a bar, you might not be able to use tonka beans though, as the final product is for sale.
Garbage in, garbage out. If you use something like everclear, you're probably going to end up with bitters that have that harsh everclear edge to them. Bitterman himself usually uses alcohol that is about 50%. He uses a blend of higher proof and lower proof alcohols to make the mix. When I made my above mentioned batch, I used Wray and Nephew overproof and El Dorado 3 year. I made mine with rum drinks in mind, so I used rum as a base. You could use bourbon, or whatever else tickles your fancy as your base. Rittenhouse comes out of the bottle at 100 proof.
Any way, read the book. It's full of good info. It's not difficult to make your own tasty bitters. There are several places online to buy your herbs. Mountain Rose herbs had everything I needed except for the tonka beans, which I got off Amazon.
Have fun!
Imbibe is a good history lesson.
The American Cocktail from Imbibe! magazine is great and just came out. A lot of stuff from the current movement.
A gift subscription to Imbibe itself would also be very welcomed.
DeGroff's The Essential Cocktail is a beautiful book.
Ted Haigh's Vintage Spirits and Forgotten Cocktails is one of the early books of the cocktail revival. Still essential.
Right now I'm really liking Jeffrey Morgenthaler's The Bar Book as it talks more about techniques than recipes, and also offers the rationale behind both the techniques and the recipes that the author presents.
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.
First, I go to the local vinegar and oil store and buy a bunch of amber 8oz screw top glass bottles like these. Then, I'll get my 750ml bottle of Carpano or Amontillado and pour it into 3 8oz bottles. I'll then use something like this to seal all 3. You just spray into the bottle for a second or two, the argon is heavier than O2 so it blows all of the O2 out. You then just seal tightly, label (I use a label printer) and refrigerate. Since they're smaller bottles they become a lot easier to store in the fridge. I don't use the argon every time I open the bottle because I'm only oxidizing a third of the whole and I can usually go through that in the 6-9mo it lasts. If it goes bad, I dump a few oz and crack open a fresh new 8oz bottle, the waste is minimal.
I wish I could claim this as my own invention but I got it from Craft Cocktails at Home which is full of great info like this.
Yeah, if there's a bar, and you're the person behind it preparing the drinks, then you're the bartender.
Start researching the category of Amaro, or Italian bitter liqueurs. Here's a great book that came out pretty recently: Amaro
Campari, Aperol, Montenegro, Averna, Abano, Meletti, Lucano, Braulio, Cynar, Nonino, Ramazzotti, Cappelletti, Nardini, etc. And of course, the Fernet sub-category. Branca is the most well known of these.
There's a world of Italian cocktails out there, and many play well with food. Aperol Spritz, Americano, Milano-Torino, Bicicletta, Negroni, Garibaldi, Cardinale, Bellini, etc.
The tiki drink bible aka Beachbum Berry Remixed: https://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/1593621396/ref=mp_s_a_1_1?qid=1465275504&amp;sr=8-1&amp;pi=AC_SX236_SY340_QL65&amp;keywords=beachbum+berry+remixed
I'd highly recommend the book Beer, Food, and Flavor: A Guide to Tasting, Pairing, and the Culture of Craft Beer by Schuyler Schultz. It was a great addition to the beer book library and really expands on the already wonderful info found in Tasting Beer.
https://www.amazon.com/Beer-Food-Flavor-Tasting-Pairing/dp/1616086793
Dale DeGroff's book too.
https://www.amazon.com/Craft-Cocktail-Everything-Bartender-Recipes-ebook/dp/B003V4BPN8/
If you have not picked up Beach bum Berry Remixed or his Total Tiki App. I highly suggest it!
Jeff Berry did a ton of research tracking down old recipes, secret formulas and ancient booze to put these together. They are the gold standard for tiki recipes.
Cellarmanship by Parick O'neill is great resource on cask beer.
https://www.amazon.co.uk/d/Books/Cellarmanship-Patrick-ONeill/1852493313/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&amp;qid=1499350961&amp;sr=8-1&amp;keywords=cellarmanship
I posted this in another thread so sorry its just a copy paste, but very relevant---
I dont recommend bartending school. i haven't been personally, but you dont need to pay for the education if you work at the right bar. I learned everything while getting paid.Death and Co makes amazing books to teach and inspire how to make great unique cocktails. The modern classics covers the fundamentals of bar tools and all the philosophy, plus theres a bunch of neat recipes. They also have a codex thats super interesting in that they simplify and break down the origins of most cocktails. Everything is a riff on a classic, in one way or another.
Another one I like is from Smugglers Cove in San Fransisco (i think?) This book touches more into tiki and tropical cocktails, but its a lot of fun and there are plenty of great cocktails without super esoteric ingredients.
On the opposite end of the relax tiki book is this book from Grant Achatz, 3 Michelin starred chef of Alinea in Chicago (hence the pricy book). He also owns bars in Chicago and New York, and have some of the most exceptional drinks I've ever had. He's big on molecular gastronomy, wether its juice filled caviar balls, dry ice used to chill your drink tableside (with lots of smoke) or this tableside infusion. A lot of it is super over the top and not necessary, but for presentations sake its incredible. really innovative and inspiring
Sorry for the lengthy post, but I suggest that if you want to get into cocktails and mixology, find a nice restaurant with a cocktail program. If you're near a big city, try bar backing at a nice cocktail spot or restaurant, it'll help you kind of see things from the outside for a bit and will make it all less daunting.cheers
FYI Pedro Ximenez is going to be quite sweet, as well as any cream sherry. Fino / Manzanilla is the driest and lightest. Amontillado and Oloroso are going to be nuttier and more oxidative in style. I personally prefer Manzanilla served ice cold. It’s quite refreshing, salty, fresh and easy to drink.
Sherry can be an acquired taste, just keep that in mind. If you can find a bottle of Hidalgo La Gitana Manzanilla I think that would be the perfect starting point.
EDIT: This is a really great book about Sherry if you’d like to learn more: Sherry: A Modern Guide to the Wine World's Best-Kept Secret, with Cocktails and Recipes https://www.amazon.com/dp/160774581X/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_i_kxYsDb75JV34H
This. Pattinson has thoroughly debunked the IPA's English/India travel idea. His book on Vintage Beer contains more than a few olde-timey IPA recipes: not especially high octane. Lots of good evidence in his blog, his books, and his collaborative recipes.
If you could find a more well-read, well-traveled, or more meticulous beer-historian we'd all be in your debt. Ignoring him leaves you far less educated about the subject. Between Cornell and Pattinson you've got it so deeply, distressingly covered that brewerguy's quibbles really shouldn't carry much weight.
Mine was kind of extreme by today's standards. It's the recipe from William Younger's 1885 version of Younger's XP. From Ron Patinson's Vintage Beers Book. http://www.amazon.com/Home-Brewers-Guide-Vintage-Beer/dp/1592538827
We had him come to our LHBS in Toronto and taste a bunch of recipes we had brewed from his book. 6 oz of hops before 30 minutes and none after, was really surprised how much hop flavour came through. 100% pale malt too, guess that is how they brewed in the 1800's.
I am 100% all for the pursuit of knowledge behind the bar. I believe it's a great way to show initiative to get behind a craft bar, elevate your cocktail game, and just to learn something cool. Feel free to message me if you have questions on where to get started, what to do after you've read some of these books, what to expect when you're working your way up, etc. I'd be more than happy to lend some helpful advice!
Here are some of the books I'd recommend:
"The Bar Book" by Jeffrey Morgenthaler
I'd start here if you're interested in and are brand new to craft cocktails. Morgenthaler's Bar Book is threaded with great insight on what and why certain techniques are used behind the bar and is riddled with beautiful photography.
"Imbibe!" by Dave Wondrich
Hands down, the first book you should read if you want to get into the lore behind craft drinks. It opens up with the story of our great forefather, Jeffrey Thomas, and then continues to discuss the various eras of bartending and what they represent, as well as the drinks within those eras.
"Craft Cocktails at Home" by Kevin Liu
If Bar Book is your high school Geometry, Liu's, "Craftcocktails at Home" is your college Linear Algebra class. Provides you with hard science on what exactly going on in the glass if we shake VS stir or the happenings in an egg-based drink. Awesome read.
"How's Your Drink" by Eric Felten
Felten runs through history and entertains with stories behind some of the biggest drinks in cocktails. Did you know the Vesper (a vodka/gin Martini hybrid of sorts) was created in a Jame's Bond book and was named after the sultry villain? That President Theodore Roosevelt loved himself a good mint julep and even had his own mint bed to supply himself plenty when he wanted one? Fun read.
"Drunken Botanist" by Amy Stewart
Alcohol is derived from things. This is the best book that talks about those things. Agave, Juniper, Barley, Cinchona Bark. Understand the drink from a Botanist's point of view.
"Bitters" by Brad Thomas Parsons
Bitters are an incredible way to add both aromatics and flavor into a cocktail. This book will help you not only understand what they are and what they do, but will kickstart your own bitter brewing process if desired. Homemade Orange Bitters kick ass.
Barsmarts
Last but not least, Barsmarts is a great online tool to help rundown the basis of what we with cocktails. It goes through the various spirits, a brief look at cocktail history, and even has a "drink builder". Definitely worth the $30.
Eh... he's one of the guys that is credited with reviving the "craft" cocktail scene from the late 1980s to late 1990s.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dale_DeGroff
In my opinion, the recipes in his book for just about all drinks beat all of the other currently "trendy" options.
https://www.amazon.com/Essential-Cocktail-Mixing-Perfect-Drinks-ebook/dp/B003V4BPR4/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&amp;qid=1537484181&amp;sr=8-1&amp;keywords=the+essential+cocktail
He has another book, this one is less detailed, and the drink specs aren't always as good as the one above.
https://www.amazon.com/Craft-Cocktail-Everything-Bartender-Recipes-ebook/dp/B003V4BPN8/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&amp;qid=1537484372&amp;sr=8-1&amp;keywords=craft+of+the+cocktail
Dale DeGroff's book, The Essential Cocktail, has a recipe for his Lazone's Martini that's about as good of a use for Souther Comfort as you'll find.
The first thing I can think of is the Adonis and the Sherry Cobbler. I'm not sure how it would pair with cupcakes, but then my taste buds are kind of biased against sweet vermouth. There's a recipe called the Bamboo Cocktail that is similar to the Adonis but uses dry vermouth instead of sweet.
But before I look through the catalogs and find some other stuff, I want to ask if you are looking for cocktails wherein sherry is the primary ingredient, or for cocktails in which sherry is merely one of several ingredients. It would also be helpful to know what kind of sherry you're using.
edits:
The Dunhill seems pretty nice. Most recipes prefer a specific type of sherry but I'm sure you could get away with using what you have on you.
There's a "modern guide" style book that looks pretty good, focused on demystifying sherry and offering cocktail recipes. Available in hardcover and on Kindle.
There's a few interesting recipes combining sherry and rye whiskey in this Chemistry of the Cocktail blog entry.
An interesting recipe called Whispers of the Frost combining bourbon, port and sherry.
This Ginger Snap recipe combines sherry and ginger ale.
Cocktail Codex for understanding builds
Death and Co for technique, classics, and variations
Liquid Intelligence for understanding the “why” to the “how”
Smuggler’s Cove because tiki is sort of its own thing in a lot of ways
Imbibe! for historical context
Some honorable mentions include Jim Meehan’s Bartender’s Manual, Regarding Cocktails, and The Dead Rabbit: Mixology and Mayhem.
I highly recommend this book. You'll learn a lot about sherry from it.
https://www.amazon.com/Sherry-Modern-Best-Kept-Cocktails-Recipes/dp/160774581X/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&amp;ie=UTF8&amp;qid=1510421556&amp;sr=1-1&amp;keywords=sherry
This has been in my shopping list. Maybe it might interest you.
https://www.amazon.com/Handcrafted-Bitters-Recipes-Artisanal-Cocktails/dp/1623156300/ref=pd_sim_14_4?_encoding=UTF8&amp;pd_rd_i=1623156300&amp;pd_rd_r=KTXCBFR8WY1ZETHASW9B&amp;pd_rd_w=PlBaW&amp;pd_rd_wg=7YWLA&amp;psc=1&amp;refRID=KTXCBFR8WY1ZETHASW9B
Skip the bartending course, that's a scam. All the receipes you need you can just google, and the "practical experience" of a classroom setting is meaningless. Save your cash and buy these books:
If you're serious about bartending:
http://www.amazon.com/Bartenders-Black-Book-Updated-Edition/dp/1934259179
If you're serious about serving (fine dining):
http://www.amazon.com/New-Food-Lovers-Companion/dp/1438001630/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&amp;ie=UTF8&amp;qid=1408551678&amp;sr=1-1&amp;keywords=food+lovers+companion+2014
If you're serious about making big money serving:
http://www.amazon.com/Wine-Dummies-McCarthy/dp/1118288726/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&amp;ie=UTF8&amp;qid=1408551722&amp;sr=1-1&amp;keywords=wine+for+dummies+2014
To start your education, read the Draught Quality Manual.
Probably about 3 times. The PDF is free.
Since you're in UK, perhaps also Cellarmanship.
I have tried it myself but went with the recipe out of The Cocktail Lab which uses almond milk instead of almonds. Since I can't get green almonds in the US - which is what orgeat traditionally is made from - I feel like taking that shortcut isn't too big a deal.
First time it had too much cereal milk flavor which I attributed to the orange flower water. Second time I let it reduce too much and ended up with almond putty. Haven't mustered the strength for another go.
I know Cask in San Francisco sells BG Reynolds. I'll hafta see if the one over in the East Bay does too.
Don't go to bartending school. They are an absolute rip off. I'm looking to start bartending as well. If you'd like someone to practice making drinks with, I'm down.
If you're looking to start in craft cocktails, try getting work as a barback. At least that's what I hear. I haven't found a job, but I am only passively looking. You can get a package of cheap, basic gear like a boston and spoon (because you stir more cocktails than you'd think) at total wine for like $30.
Here are my resources:
Online:
http://www.reddit.com/r/cocktails/
http://www.bartendingblueprint.com/
http://www.adventuresincocktails.com/
Other various Youtube channels like Art of Cocktail.
Books:
The Bar Book
The Essential Cocktail
MUST HAVE The Savoy Cocktail Book
Trader Vic's Bartender's Guide
Jerry Thomas' Bartenders Guide
The Homebrewer's Guide to Vintage Beer recommends WLP029 Kolsch. Everything I've read about the style says to use a clean ale yeast, so I guess you could US05 is you fermented it cool.
I'm in the middle of reading the Cocktail Codex by the Death and Co. guys.
I feel like this is close to what you're looking for.
> Edinburgh Cannonball gin
Never heard of it, I'll keep an eye out. Sounds really unique.
If you want a great book with a killer homemade tonic recipe in it, try this
His youtube channel is amazing also, an awesome story with every drink.
His way to make a French 75, I do drink these his way.
Tiki: Modern Tropical Cocktails - Shannon Mustipher, is what you're looking for. Her book involves many more sophisticated techniques, advanced preparations, and unusual ingredients than these others - a worthy challenge when you've "Mastered the Masters".
Here's a whiskey sour I made a few years back! I used to be hardcore into mixology. (Highly recommend Craft of the Cocktail if anyone is into that stuff. It goes into the chemistry of making cocktails. Brilliant book, even if you don't know/remember chemistry)
Celery is probably the least used since I don't care for bloody Mary's. Cardamom was the oddest one but came out great, it works amazingly well in an old fashioned.
The book is Handcrafted Bitters, I highly recommend it. It gives a couple cocktail recipes per bitters as well so you can try them out.
I'm not sure there's going to be a concrete answer for this.
Mostly it's just because of a change in drinking tastes in the last five years or so. A lot of cities are seeing a reemergence of the classic American cocktail. As the Millennial generation continues to age (graduate school, settle into work, explore social bar scenes), many are less interested in two ingredient collins drinks and more interested in craft cocktails. Because of this desire for more "artisan" drinks, there has been a growth in craft beers and liquors. We're seeing more and more small batch gins, whiskeys, tequila, vodkas, etc. With this growth comes clubs, and conventions where craftsmen, brewers, distillers, and hobbyists can get together to share knowledge and have a good time.
If you're interested in cocktails there are resources like The Savoy Cocktail Book, [The Bar Book] (http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/145211384X/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o00_s00?ie=UTF8&amp;psc=1), and The Drunken Botanist.
Most of my knowledge comes from an interest in cocktails after years of working as a server and more recently as a bartender.
Here are the only books you need:
They're all fantastic. But if you only buy one, start with Smuggler's Cove. It's just an incredible wealth of information and it's a lot more current than the others. It's also very useful if you're looking to expand your tiki repertoire since it has a lot of information on bar equipment, rums, syrups, etc. that the other books lack.
The Essential Cocktail by Dale Degroff
The Savoy Cocktail Book by Harry Craddock
If you like this, you'll love The Curious Bartender volumes 1 & 2 by Tristan Stephenson.
He does a classic and modern version of each cocktail utilising some really cool techniques and novel ideas.
Very inspiring in many ways and absolute gems to have in any mixology collection.
https://www.amazon.co.uk/Curious-Bartender-artistry-creating-cocktail/dp/1849754373
https://www.amazon.com/Bartenders-Black-Book-10th/dp/1935879995/ref=dp_ob_title_kitchen Bartender's Black Book is one that I've always kept on hand.
I highly suggest Homemade Bitters as the book to have, I also have Bitters: Spirited Cure All Cocktails and I have Bittermens Field Guide, but out of all I found Homemade Bitters to be the easiest to work with and has some more accessible recipes and a few cocktail recipes to pair with each recipe they supply.
It's a good starting point to making modifications as you go.
Just had a great cocktail from Shannon Mustipher's "Tiki" cocktail book called Jade Merchant #2 >> https://www.amazon.com/Tiki-Tropical-Cocktails-Shannon-Mustipher/dp/0789335549/ref=sr_1_1?keywords=Tiki%3A+Modern+Tropical+Cocktails&qid=1566858182&s=books&sr=1-1
Avocado-oil washed Shochu, aloe juice, cucumber, mint, lime, and green tea syrup (I used Dragonwell) -excellent. Some other tea infusions in the book (the whole thing has been pretty great so far).
Otherwise, doing a short infusion of Wuyi oolong or shoeing pu'er in whisk(e)y is always great.
Or there's always the old Hot Toddy (change hot water to hot tea and there you go).
Here is a link to his book. Its a good book, but I would not purchase it for the iSi whipper discussion since its very short. I'd look at some of his vids like here or read his blog.
The moment I saw this pic I thought of this recent tiki cocktail book
https://www.amazon.com/Tiki-Tropical-Cocktails-Shannon-Mustipher/dp/0789335549/
Cocktail Codex: Fundamentals, Formulas, Evolutions https://www.amazon.in/dp/160774970X/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_i_-UJBDbQ38E66A
Good book that helps with pairings
Take a look at Cocktail Codex. It just came out from the Death & Co guys. I think this is exactly what you are looking for.
https://www.amazon.com/Cocktail-Codex-Fundamentals-Formulas-Evolutions-ebook/dp/B07911KFYZ/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1542383175&sr=8-1&keywords=cocktail+codex
Check out The Cocktail Lab. It’s got tons of ideas. Highly recommend the Teagroni. It sounds like you’ve got just about everything save the vermouth.
Awesome!
http://www.amazon.com/Beer-Food-Flavor-Tasting-Pairing/dp/1616086793/ref=pd_sim_b_2?ie=UTF8&amp;refRID=03EN4VTZJ22XZ0N7CQTM
I found that in the recommendations too. Damn maybe I'm just awful at searching for these things?
Yes, as well as Bitters: A Spirited History by Brad Thomas Parsons and especially Field Guide to Bitters and Amari by Mark Bitterman. All three excellent reads with a little different focus. If you're wanting to DIY, Field Guide is the way to go. As far as gardening tips go, I can't say I'm as well-versed in that category.
Field Guide to Bitters and Amari
Bitters: A Spirited History
Liquid Intelligence also has some neat infusion and bitters-making sections, but it's mostly centered around rapid infusions w the iSi Whipper.
Sorry. It's from the Curious Bartender page 137.
I have it and it looks gorgeous. I find that this is far more useful though.
Get 3-4 tools;
A Japanese-style jigger or a 50ml graduated cylinder
Ice. (And learn how it is made properly)
A cocktail shaker.
A strainer comes in handy too.
The cheapest way to practice; mix whatever booze you have on hand that is around 80 proof with some form of sugar, (honey, 1:1 sugar-to-water, 2:1 sugar-to-water, agave, Demerara sugar, etc...) and some form of citrus (fresh lime/ lemon juice). Just play around with the ratios of each (booze, citrus, sugar) till you learn how each affects one another.
For beginning bartending, I recommend familiarizing yourself with how alcohol is synthesized, the different distillation processes, and the types of booze from around the world.
From there, look on YouTube.
u/CocktailChem has a nice playlist for beginners called Basic Cocktails
Here is a couple of other playlists for you
The Educated Barfly YT
Steve the Bartender 365 days playlist
How To Drink
United States Bartenders Guild (USBG) seminars
Additionally, look for some books;
Cocktail codex(here)
Savoy Cocktail book (here)
Liquid Intelligence (here)
Smuggler’s cove (here)
Tiki (here)
The Aviary Cocktail Book (here)
Oh well work hard and read the intro to this book - https://www.amazon.com/Bartenders-Black-Stephen-Kittredge-Cunningham/dp/1935879995/ref=sr_1_3?crid=IBCEALAJ3ZXI&amp;keywords=bartenders+black+book+2019&amp;qid=1571872166&amp;sprefix=bartenders+bla%2Caps%2C188&amp;sr=8-3
Doh! Rookie mistake.
Here you go. Tiki: Modern Tropical Cocktails https://www.amazon.com/dp/0789335549/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_i_gAyPCb32N03MN
http://www.amazon.com/Savoy-Cocktail-Book-Harry-Craddock/dp/1614274304
One of the best books on cocktails, by one of the most famous bartenders. I'm not just pulling this out of my ass. If you like them stirred that's fine, but don't assume people who like them shaken just don't know what they're doing.
I know this isn't the answer you want to hear (I don't like it either), but coffee and alcohol just don't usually work together well. Take it from Tristan Stephenson's "The Curious Bartender":
> I am a massive coffee greek. The vast majority of this book was written under the effects of coffee's magical motivational qualities. So it is with great regret that I admit to a very well-considered belief – coffee and alcohol don't mix very well. Actually, it's not that they don't have the potential to mix well, it's just that most coffee-based cocktails break the first law of cocktail making – the drink must taste at least as good as its best ingredient.
>
> Many years ago, when I as still a fresh-faced bar-rookie, a guest asked me for the best Irish coffee I could make with the ingredients I had to hand. I extracted a perfect Americano using coffee beans roasted two weeks previously, mixed it with Bushmills 12-year-old whiskey, added some sugar and whipped up some fresh cream to go on top. The ingredients were near enough perfect, so it should have been an excellent drink. But the truth is that it was average at best. Both the whiskey and coffee cancelled out all the subtleties and nuances of each other. It would have been far better to serve the coffee and whiskey side by side.
From there, he goes on to describe the process and recipe for for his "Improved Coffee Cocktail", but for that you'll have to buy the book. It's a great book, too; I'd recommend it.
This book came out last year and I think it's a great introduction to one of the most under appreciated drinks on the planet
http://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/160774581X/ref=pd_aw_fbt__b_img_2?refRID=0YWYZF6Z5XZDWYXDPZYG