Joy of Mixology: The Consummate Guide to the Bartender's Craft

by Gary Regan, John Harrisson

Overview

An original book on the craft of mixology is a rare gem. Gary Regan’s The Joy of Mixology is such a gem, one whose genius lies in Regan’s breakthrough system for categorizing drinks that helps bartenders—both professionals and amateurs alike—not only to remember drink recipes but also to invent their own.

For example, once you understand that the Margarita is a member of the New Orleans Sour Family, you’ll instantly see that a Kamikaze is just a vodka-based Margarita; a Cosmopolitan follows the same formula, with some cranberry juice thrown in for color. Similarly, the Manhattan and the Rob Roy, both members of the French-Italian family, are variations on the whiskey-vermouth-bitters formula.

In this way Regan brings a whole new understanding to the world of cocktails and how to make them. Not only will you learn how to make standard cocktails, you’ll actually learn to feel your way through making a drink, thereby attaining the skills needed to create concoctions of your own. And as Regan explains methods for mixing drinks, how to choose bartenders’ wares and select spirits and liqueurs, and the origins of many cocktails, you’ll feel as though you’re behind the bar with him, learning from a master. Plus, his charming and detailed history of mixed drinks raises this far above the standard cocktail guide fare.

With more than 350 drink recipes, The Joy of Mixology is the ultimate bar guide. Ground-breaking and authoritative, it’s a must-have for anyone interested in the craft of the cocktail.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780609608845
Publisher:	Potter/Ten Speed/Harmony/Rodale
Publication date:	10/14/2003
Edition description:	1ST
Pages:	400
Product dimensions:	5.70(w) x 9.40(h) x 1.40(d)

About the Author

GARY REGAN is the author of The Bartender’s Bible and coauthor with his wife, Mardee Haidin Regan, of The Book of Bourbon and Other Fine American Whiskeys, New Classic Cocktails, The Martini Companion, and The Bourbon Companion. He has written articles on mixing and drinking for the San Francisco Chronicle, Food & Wine, Playboy, Wine Enthusiast Magazine, Wine & Spirit Magazine, and Cheers Magazine. Gary and his wife are the creators of the e-letter Ardent Spirits and drink experts for Amazon.com’s Kitchen & Housewares store. They live in Cornwall-on-Hudson, New York.

Read an Excerpt

Chapter 1
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Excerpted from "The Joy of Mixology"
by .
Copyright © 2003 Gary Regan.
Excerpted by permission of Potter/Ten Speed/Harmony/Rodale.
All rights reserved. No part of this excerpt may be reproduced or reprinted without permission in writing from the publisher.
Excerpts are provided by Dial-A-Book Inc. solely for the personal use of visitors to this web site.

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Editorial Reviews

As the author of The Bartender's Bible, The Book of Bourbon and New Classic Cocktails, Regan is no stranger to spirits, and in his newest work he sets out to explain "the histories behind various cocktails and perhaps come up with some new theories, if not conclusions, along the way." He accomplishes it all, offering a definitive and entertaining guide to the bartender' trade. Beginning with a solid history of mixed cocktails, Regan then provides an instruction manual for bartenders, asking, "do you have what it takes?" He instructs on everything from bartender etiquette (how to treat a customer who doesn't tip, how to tell someone he's had enough) to the brass tacks of tending bar (how to arrange liquor bottles, how to rim a glass and how to pour out precise measurements). Regan misses nothing, and everything he covers is simply explained; clear illustrations identify the "families" of cocktail glasses, while charts show the "families" of alcohol. It isn't until three-quarters through the book that Regan begins his cocktail recipes. And by that time, readers will finally have the knowledge to prepare each one. (Oct.) Copyright 2003 Reed Business Information.

Publishers Weekly

Regan knows booze. He writes a column on the subject for the San Francisco Chronicle, and with his wife, Mardee Haidin Regan, has authored several books on liquors and bartending, including The Bartender's Bible. The duo also maintain the web site ardenspirits.com and publish a newsletter, The Cocktalian Gazette. Regan distinguishes cocktalian bartenders as those "who thoroughly understand the theory behind mixing ingredients to achieve balance in their drinks and marry flavors successfully." His book is a course of study toward this goal, covering history and theory and offering more practical chapters with lessons on professional behavior and ethics, tools and techniques, and, of course, lots of recipes. The charts for drink families are a particularly useful way to learn the ingredients of popular drinks, for instance, how a Mudslide relates to a White Russian. A glossary and bibliography are included. Recommended primarily for those studying the craft, secondarily for home use. For casual home bartenders and the public libraries that serve them, a better choice would be The Bartender's Bible.-Julie James, Forsyth Cty. P.L., Winston-Salem, NC Copyright 2003 Reed Business Information.

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