
| Message 32143 of 39187 in General Discussion |
| Subject: | Bartending Books |
| From: | angus |
| Posted: | Mon Feb 12. 2007, 18:39 UTC |
I found this article I wrote many years ago (hence omissions) and thought some may find it useful, more for ideas than examples. aside I recently got a copy of our own Cheryl Charming's book "Guide for Hip..." and have to say it is every bit as excellent as I thought it would be ... am recommending it to all and sundry tho... well done CC! (and not merely as she liked my video...) anyway... "Ask any bartender worth his salt and they will have a favourite bar book. It might be The Fine Art of Mixing Drinks (Dick Bradsell, Alex Turner and John Humphries), the Savoy Cocktail Book (Paul Martin) or the Waldorf Astoria Bar Book (Paul Harrington). I myself am a fan of the 1971 Playboy Host and Bar Book but the less said about that the better. Books are knowledge and knowledge is power and be you hardened professional or young upstart a reference manual is paramount for mixology. I took a long hard look at the books available today and found that there are broadly three types of book. Firstly you have what I call the 'Ingredients' books. These are aimed at the professional bartender who already knows many of the techniques of bartending and needs a large reference library to use (surreptitiously) when asked for a drink off the beaten track. Also there are the 'Process' books that are aimed at the professional mixologist and go into much more detail about bartending and making drinks in a professional way. There is some muddling of the two which often produces the best balance between the technical nature of the pro and the enthusiasm of the novice. Finally there are the old cocktail books that were written in gentler times but contain a wealth of cocktails guaranteed not to have been made for decades. In general the professional can learn from all of them, whereas the keen amateur or young bartender should start off with process orientated tomes first. One of the oldest (commonly available) Ingredients works is the legendary Mr. Boston's Official Bartenders and Party Guide. Dating back from 1935 and reprinted every three or four years since with over 11 million copies sold. Contains all of five pages on supplies and methods before the 260 page drinks list, all organised by spirit type. It has long been considered a classic but its omissions make it unreliable for today's bar. Gary Regan's Bartenders Bible is similarly exhaustive with recipes (over 1000) including some rare oddities but with far more information about products and techniques. Another classic recipe book is Harry's ABC of Mixing Cocktails written and expanded by the MacElhones of Harry's Bar fame. With over 369 cocktails listed alphabetically, including the Sidecar, the White Lady and the Bellini ( all invented at Harry's) it is concise and clear. Rather too many pages on the history of Harry's but I like its call that "while there are really very few rules by which a bartender may be governed, the new man in the business should have some guide". The International Guide to Drinks ( compiled by the UKBG) should be the definitive book for any English bartender but somehow just fails to succeed. It has the regulation pages on glassware, the history of the cocktail and other folderol but a relatively short list of cocktails, still organised with such archaic terms as Crustas and Daisies. Though it is nice to see cocktails from other bartender guilds around the world, with the differing national tastes I'm not sure how many are relevant. Whilst talking of definitive works the bravely titled Drinks Bible for the 21st Century (Paul Harrington a.k.a. The Alchemist) is a true classic waiting to happen. If you are looking for classic cocktails with history to baffle even the most knowledgeable punter then this is the book for you. For the professional bartender who cares about more than just the drink (heresy!) then there are a range of process books to choose from. The Art Of Bartending (Barrett) and The Harvard Student Agencies Bartending Course are great books on the industry of bartending. These contain the basic recipes that every bartender should know (and there are only 35 according to most US books) as well as useful sections on how to apply for a job to how to get tips out of tight customers and how to spot mystery shoppers… You could also try The Pour Man’s Guide ( Burton) or Bartending Inside Out (Marcus) to get some real insight into bartending as a career. Finally there are the old bartending books. With delightful titles such as “How to mix drinks in the new Fancy Style” (Byron) to The Bon Vivants Companion (Thomas) and even “The Exotic Drinking Book or, Around the World with jigger, beaker and Flask” (Baker) these books take on back to a more stylish age where the basic rules of bartending and Mixology were being formulated and laid down. Such books tend not to be available easily and websites such as www.abebooks.com are a godsend for the intelligent bartender. In books such as “The Fine Art of Mixing drinks” (Embury) the rules of Mixology are stated and bartenders need to know and understand these before breaking new ground. Although it is said you can’t teach an old dog new tricks these books can certainly teach a new dog old tricks and much of the content is more than relevant today. In the Stork Club Book (Beebe) for example they describe the owners signals to his staff about the importance of each guest and how they should be treated (“ a stroke of the right eyebrow meant give the table a bottle of champagne and some perfume for the lady”! This is high level stuff for bartenders and managers at the top of their game and will guarantee a host of new cocktails to experiment with. With all these to choose from which one should you buy? I would use this simple test: choose your favourite three drinks then check what each book lists as a recipe and make it accordingly. If it works, buy it. 369 drinks may be too little and 2500 is probably excessive but of course too much of a good thing can be wonderful and if you believe that you should probably just buy them all and any others you can find! " cheers aw
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