Sharon Tyler Herbst - The Ultimate A-to-Z Bar Guide

he trouble with the world is that everybody in it is three drinks behind.

HUMPHREY BOGART, AMERICAN ACTOR AND COCKTAIL LOVER

Famed British satirist Samuel Butler once said, The human intellect owes its superiority over that of the lower animals in great measure to the stimulus which alcohol has given to imagination. Of course these words were penned in the seventeenth century, which only goes to show that what goes around comes around or everything old is new again. Yes, cocktails are definitely back in a major way. But with a twist, as a new generation passionately embraces the retro cocktail heyday of the 1940s and 50s and mixes it with twenty-first-century flair to create a hip new cocktail culture thats sexy, inventive, and exciting, with a generous jolt of attitude.

With The Ultimate A-to-Z Bar Guide as your cocktail connection, youll be right in the swing of things. Weve compiled what we hope is an intoxicating blend of drink recipes and terms in an easy-to-use A-to-Z format, complete with liberal dashes of humor through jokes and quotes from the famous and infamous. And weve topped it all off with an ample spritz of cocktail techniques, tips, history, etymology, and phonetic pronunciations.

So, you ask, just whats in this tasty little tome? First of all, there are over 1,000 drink recipesmore than most people will need in a lifetime. Youll find everything from timeless classics like the Martini, Manhattan, and Mint Julep, to newer raves like Sex on the Beach, Liquid Cocaine, and Kamikaze. There are short drinks, tall drinks, even super-small drinkshot, cold, flaming, frosty, creamy, boozy, and boozefree cocktails for any and every occasion. But recipes arent all youll find in The Ultimate A-to-Z Bar Guide. There are 600 definitions for cocktail- and drink-related terms for liquors, liqueurs, mixers, wine, and beer, as well as bartender lingo and general cocktail phraseology.

Good hosting starts with the basics, and this book is brimming with everything youll need to prepare drinks that will establish your reputation as an accomplished barsmith. Youll learn dozens of insiders tricks of the cocktail trade including: How to choose the right glassware; what bar tools (from citrus strippers to cocktail shakers) can make life easier; how to stock a home bar with everything from spirits to mixers to garnishes; drink-mixing techniques, from stirring to shaking (and, no, you cant bruise gin or any other liquid); how to create fruit garnishes and make decorative punch-bowl ice rings and flavored ice cubes; how to make flaming and layered drinks; tips on opening champagne and wine bottles; and much, much more.

And because the measure of a good drink is exact measurements, youll find accurate equivalents for everything from a dash to a gallonno vague 1 part this, to 2 parts that in this book. Youll also find equivalents for nonalcoholic ingredients (such as the amount of juice in a lemon), plus a chart on common sizes of wine and spirit bottles. Speaking of wine, theres also plenty of information for wine and beer lovers, from styles and brands to how to store, pour, and serve both libations.

But theres more, including step-by-step guidelines for how to order wine in a restaurant, plus a section on the art of toasting, complete with dozens of toasts for almost any occasion. Theres also an important segment on responsible drinking. And if you tend to overindulge, theres information on how to avoid a hangover as well as charts on blood alcohol levels and current state laws on blood alcohol limits for driving while intoxicated. And for those who just have to know, there are calorie counts for beers, wines, liquors, liqueurs, and mixers. Last but not least, weve created four indexes (more than any other book of this kind) to enable you to find just the drink you want.

One thing that became abundantly clear while writing this book is that there are absolutely no absolutes in making drinks. While some declare the perfect Martini is stirred, not shaken, others insist it be shaken, not stirred. But thats part of what makes the cocktail culture infinitely intriguing and so much fun. Bottom line? It doesnt take special talent to create most drinksanyone can do it with a little know-how. And youll find a lot of know-how in this comprehensive, user-friendly bar companion. So, relax, have fun, and enjoy being the hit of the party, not only because youre mixing the drinks, but because youre doing it with confidence and flair. Cheers!