The Craft of the Cocktail: Everything You Need to Know to Be a Master Bartender, with 500 Recipes
by Dale DeGroff
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Book Summary Information
Author: Dale DeGroffEdition: Hardcover
Audio: English (Unknown); English (Original Language); English (Published)
Published: 2002-10-15
ISBN: 0609608754
Number of pages: 240
Publisher: Clarkson Potter
Book Reviews of The Craft of the Cocktail: Everything You Need to Know to Be a Master Bartender, with 500 Recipes
Book Review: A fine cocktail book from one of the great bartenders.
Summary: 5 Stars
Dale DeGroff is to blame for setting me off on a quest for the perfect Sazerac.
While it lasted (and I can testify that its demise had nothing to do with the quality of the drink and food) DeGroff's Blackbird bar/restaurant in Manhattan was a place I enjoyed going when I could spare the time and cash. When you got DeGroff into the realm of the bitters-tinged cocktail, his subtly aromatic, complex, and a little bit dark and twisted drinks were a treat for the nose and tongue, even as his urbane presence and stylish economy of motion made it clear you were in the presence of a Real Bartender. I still remember the first Sazerac I had there, and the way it unfolded to my senses.
Although in the ensuing years, when it comes to that particular drink, I've developed a slight preference for the simpler perfection of the classic (just rye, Peychaud's Bitters, simple syrup, Herbsaint) Sazerac, I still enjoy the plot twists in the story told by DeGroff's fancified (half-and-half rye and cognac for the liquor, and half-and-half Peychaud's and regular old Angostura handling the bitters requirement) version, and I follow his glass-preparation instructions whichever version I make.
This is all an illustration of the true lesson to be learned about bartenders' references: there is no single book which will tell you everything there is to be learned about mixing drinks. You need to go out and taste what people are mixing, and you need to have several books on hand whose recipes you can read, compare, imagine, try, synthesize, extrapolate. DeGroff's The Craft of the Cocktail, despite having come out as recently as 2002, is clearly one of those essential references you need on your shelf. It's just a bonus (or perhaps, to some, an annoyance) that the book is so lavishly-produced that you could choose to leave it on the coffee table for guests to enjoy when you're not using it yourself.
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Summary of The Craft of the Cocktail: Everything You Need to Know to Be a Master Bartender, with 500 Recipes
Cocktails are bigger than ever, and this is the first real cookbook for them, covering the entire breadth of this rich subject. The Craft of the Cocktail provides much more than merely the same old recipes: it delves into history, personalities, and anecdotes; it shows you how to set up a bar, master important techniques, and use tools correctly; and it delivers unique concoctions, many featuring Dale DeGroff?s signature use of fresh juices, as well as all the classics.Debonair, a great raconteur, and an unparalleled authority, Dale DeGroff is the epitome of Perfect Bartender, universally acknowledged as the world?s premier mixologist. From Entertainment Weekly and USA Today to the Culinary Institute of America and the nation?s best restaurants, whenever anybody wants information or training on the bar, they turn to Dale for recipes, for history, for anecdotes, for fun?for cocktail-party conversation as well as for cocktails.
That?s what The Craft of the Cocktail is?the full party, conversation and all. It begins with the history of spirits, how they?re made (but without too much boring science), the development of the mixed drink, and the culture it created, all drawn from Dale?s vast library of vintage cocktail books. Then on to stocking the essential bar, choosing the right tools and ingredients, mastering key techniques?hints worthy of a pro, the same information that Dale shares with the bartenders he trains in seminars and through his videos. And then the meat of the matter: 500 recipes, including everything from tried-and-true classics to of-the-moment originals. Throughout are rich stories, vintage recipes, fast facts, and other entertaining asides. Beautiful color photographs and a striking design round out the cookbook approach to this subject, highlighting the difference between an under-the-bar handbook and a stylish, full-blown treatment. The Craft of the Cocktail is that treatment, destined to become the bible of the bar.
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