The Ultimate Bar Book: The Comprehensive Guide to Over 1,000 Cocktails (Cocktail Book, Bartender Book, Mixology Book, Mixed Drinks Recipe Book) Hardcover – Illustrated, June 23, 2006

After setting up a home bar, I needed a reliable resource for drink recipes. Everything else was rather light on the overall coverage or just very restricted to one type of liquor or another and what I needed was more a standard reference for (almost) everything. True to its title, there are 1,000+ recipes in this, and it's organized in an easy to find manner. Moreover, there are two indexes: One accounts for the drink recipes by drink, the other is organized by major liquor ingredient (say, Bourbon), so finding what I might like to make is simple and quick.There is occasional background on liquor or drink types at the beginning of sections, but unlike other books it doesn't dwell on the history lessons and focuses more on "what will you need", "how to choose", "what should be in my standard bar stock", and other topics like that. The focus is more on providing the ready-reference and necessary background and taking you right into getting the ingredients, measurements, and activities aligned.I wanted just one book that would serve the purpose of "how do I make..." and this for me was it. I'd highly recommend this if that's also your goal in finding that single reference guide. My only complaint is that the actual book is on the small side with a lot of information in smaller type. Keep that in mind and for those needing reading glasses, break those out to review this one.

I love this book. I wanted to get into mixology, but I knew very little about not only cocktails, but also the difference in some drinks/alcohols and a bunch of other stuff that I didn't even realize I didn't know until reading this book. It has sections that talk about what kind of tools/utensils are needed or recommended, recommendations for small home bars or even full bars, and a whole chapter on what kind of glassware is used for different drinks (which I didn't even know was necessarily a thing). Then it discusses how each type of alcohol is made, a little history to it, details on variations of it, and how its predominantly used. Then of course it has a TON of mixes, cocktails, and so on. Once I finally got a grasp on the topics discussed in the book, I eventually switched over to a Bar app for my mixes/cocktails. Personally I use "My Bar", because I can select all the ingredients I have in my home bar, and then it populates a list of cocktails I can make with the ingredients I have. Also, if there's a drink I don't have the ingredients to, it will tell me what I'm missing and then let me add it to a shopping list to pick up at a later time. It even allows for custom drinks or variations to popular drinks. Of course I wouldn't have any idea on all the ingredients, glassware, mixes, and alcohols if it weren't for this book though.

I bought this book with three other "Mixology" and "Home Bartender" style books. This one is easily the best of the bunch. It explains the tools, what they do, and which one you need to get started. It goes into detail on the bare bones essentials to start mixing, and what you need if you want to expand into a moderate and even a fully stocked bar.The book breaks down each alcohol and explains the history, labeling (so you know what to look for), and what glass to serve each drinks in. It even gives tips on garnishing, and explains the terminology.Aside from the astonishing detail and information, the book is weighty, but reasonably so given its size and appears to be of great quality. I've seen other comments mention receiving damaged and/or sticky books, mine arrived clean and unscathed.All in all, this is a great starting book that will guide you through being a beginner, and continue to aid you as your mixing skills progress to Advanced.

I wanted ONE bartender's guide with the recipes for any cocktails, I might be asked to mix, while hosting friends - and this one is packed with plenty. Not only filled with the recipes, but also helpful tips and information about liquids I had heard of but never tried.Pay attention to the Product Details !! While the photos make the book look large, it is actually only 5"x7" and just under 2" thick. The print is small, so I need to throw on cheater glasses to make sure I catch everything.You may need to put something on the book's open page while your hands are busy mixing, because the small book likes to close on you.Otherwise, I like the book and am thankful for its collection of cocktails.

I love this book! Ended up buying after my brother in law showed it to me. It’s had every drink recipe I’ve ever looked for, cute to leave out as a decoration, and the book organization is smart. You can look up drinks by their name and by alcohol type. Overall I would recommend this book to anyone who has a home bar and appreciates making their own drinks.