The Curious Bartender Volume 1: The artistry and alchemy of creating the perfect cocktail

by Tristan Stephenson

Preparing a first-class cocktail relies upon a deep understanding of its ingredients, the delicate alchemy of how they work together—their flavor, aroma and color. Most of all, mixing a sublime cocktail is an art.

Preparing a first-class cocktail relies upon a deep understanding of its ingredients, the delicate alchemy of how they work together—their flavor, aroma and color. Most of all, mixing a sublime cocktail is an art.

In The Curious Bartender, the mastermind behind three of London’s most avant-garde cocktail bars Tristan Stephenson explores and experiments with the art of preparing the perfect cocktail, explaining the fascinating modern turns mixology has taken. Showcasing a selection of classic cocktails, Tristan explains their intriguing origins, introducing the colorful characters who inspired or created them and how they were intertwined within their historical context. Moving on, he reinvents each drink from his laboratory, adding contemporary twists to breathe fresh life into these vintage classics. Stay true to the originals with a Sazerac or a Rob Roy, or experiment with some of his modern variations to create a Green Fairy Sazerac topped with an absinthe “air” or an Insta-age Rob Roy with the “age” on the side. Also included is a reference section, detailing all the techniques and equipment you will need, making this an essential and exciting anthology for the cocktail enthusiast.

Genres: Nonfiction, Cocktails, Cookbooks, Food, Cooking, Food and Drink, Reference

208 pages, Hardcover

First published October 1, 2013

Reviews

[Alastair Hudson · Rating 4 out of 5]

Possibly the perfect Cocktail book for the science nerd and pretty good for the the history nerds too.

This isn't just a collection of nice recipes, it's a manual of "mixology" and all things relevant to fancy drinks. For each of the classic cocktails presented there's some history and a nice recipe that includes good instructions and information on why the cocktail in question works so well. Then the author goes one step further and presents an incredibly complex variation on a theme (think jingle bells turned into a Bach Fugue) where science and art are combined to create amazing flavours with witty invention... in the style of the recent trend (now fading) of turning food into a science project. Not many will follow these Fugues as they often take hours, usually days and sometimes months to prepare. Good Luck.

Being nerdy meant all this was quite interesting... but I'll probably stick with a G&T as my go-to cocktail of choice for now.

[Rocky · Rating 5 out of 5]

Historical backgrounds of some popular classic cocktails. Recipes for intermediate and advanced mixologists. Some recipes require some pretty high tech gear. Not as many accessible recipes as I would like but beautifully done.

[Tom Fain · Rating 5 out of 5]

used it alot. very good book.

[Dan · Rating 5 out of 5]

A must for all those who like cocktails.

[Jack Shoegazer · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book had some great history and classic recipes for great cocktails and methods, but there's also a lot of information about the modern molecular fad. If you're into this while cocktails with their heads up their own navels trying to get by under the guise of science, then that's cool too.

[Rj · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great review of the history of drinks, and even better suggestions.

[Terry · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent cocktail recipes, with plenty of fascinating backstory and history about the spirits and flavors that make our favorite drinks.