MASTERING CLASSIC COCKTAILS

Brady’s bartending guide serves up some classic—and tasty—recipes for mixed drinks.

Aimed at the home bartender but also useful for professionals, this cocktail guide is as entertaining and beautiful as it is helpful. In the author’s introduction, Brady asserts that “most cocktails are simply not worth drinking. Consequently, the scope of this book is limited to a highly select group of classic cocktails, most of which are 65 to well over 100 years old.” The book’s lineup of these classic cocktail recipes is divided into five chapters: “Built Cocktails,” including mint juleps and mojitos; “Stirred Cocktails,” including the trusty Manhattan and martini; “Shaken Cocktails,” including the cosmopolitan and margarita; “Cocktails with Foam,” including the whiskey sour and white lady; and “Custom-Made Cocktail Syrups,” including basic simple syrup and mint syrup. The recipes are easy to follow and result in tasty concoctions, but it’s the additional elements in this book that really separate it from the other bartending guides out there. Non-recipe chapters include “A Brief History of Cocktails” and “Guidelines for Great Cocktails,” the latter of which includes 12 tips that will elevate any bartender’s game. Beautiful photographs, a guide to cocktail measurements (what is a “dash,” anyway?), and recommended equipment for your bar are the cherries garnishing the drink. It’s this combination—useful information and beautifully designed pages—that really distinguishes this charming book from run-of-the-mill bar guides; this attractive volume will, of course, be at home behind the bar, but also on a coffee table. Brady’s guide is a winner across the board, with recipes and techniques galore, beautiful and colorful illustrative photos, and a bit of illuminating history served up along the way.

A well-written illustrated guide to cocktails that is a must-have for bartenders and anyone who loves a quality adult beverage.