The Complete Bartender

This book is a must have! The entire book is layed out perfectly! The recipies are very easy to read and they're well layed out. They're alphabatized as well as the index and the glossary. The table of contents breaks the book down into catagories from stocking your bar, party drinks, to nonalcoholic drinks. Beginning with a list of mixers, 'Odds and Ends', measurements in ounces, standard bar measurments, and garnishes. Included is a section on 'Bartender's Secrets' that gives tips and tricks the professionals use to make drinks such as choosing glassware and how to open a bottle of wine. One very important point discussed is the importance of being responsible while drinking and also on being a responsible bartender. Included is a body weight chart giving the ratio of weight to the number of drinks a person consumes and how long it takes the body to matabolize it.One of my favorite parts is the index because it makes the art of bartending professionally or unprofessionally much simpler taking a lot of the guess work out. If you don't know what to make with that bottle of flavored liqueur or you want to use some wine just go to the index and it will give you a list of drinks that can be made using whatever kind of alcohol you have. For anyone watching their calorie intake the book also includes an Index of Low-calorie Drinks.I agree that this book would greatly be improved if it were spiral bound and was somehow protected so it would avoid liquid damage. I wonder....since it's so thick, making it a bit bigger, allowing more space for text and minimizing the amount of space the recipies take up on each page, in turn minimizing the depth, would make it easier to spiralbound it. Other than that this is an outstanding resource guide!

I am an idiot when it comes to making drinks and I felt this guide was wonderful! It was easy to look up a particular type of liquor you might like and find a drink you could make with it . Trust me if I could make a good drink called the popscicle delicious every time you can too!

Working in the tourist area of San Francisco, we get drink requests from people who are visting from all parts of the world. This was the only book we used out of four, and now that a parting bartender has made a momento of this one we either already know the drink or can't find it. It may be a bit light in other areas, (I never checked) but if you need a 'drink dictionary' behind the bar, get this one. Then give your boss the receipt and tell him to cough it up.

This book is the best one to get, whether you're a beginner or an old pro, it tells you everything you need to know, not just about mixing the drinks, but what you need to stock your own bar, the equipment, and the glassware. If you're looking for a guide to bartending, this is the one to get.

This is the most up to date and accurate cocktail recipe book on the market. The Complete Bartender is a MUST HAVE for everyone interested in making cocktails. Jonathan C. Chance Libationist