Cosmopolitan: A Bartender's Life

by Toby Cecchini

A Bartender's Life is a memoir of the bartending life structured as a day in the life at Passerby, the bar owned and run by Toby Cecchini. It is, as well, a rich study of human nature—of the sometimes annoying, sometimes outlandish behavior of the human animal under the influence of alcohol, lust, and the sheer desire to bust loose and party. It's not a pretty picture, but it's always compelling through the gimlet-eyed gaze of the author. As his typical day progresses, from the almost pastoral quiet of opening the bar and setting up to the gathering rush of customers dropping in after work to the sheer madness of catering to a crazed crush of funseekers, Toby Cecchini muses over a life spent in the service industry and the fascinating particulars of his chosen profession. Topics touched on include dealing with regulars, both welcome and not; sex and the bartender; cocktail connoisseurs (and drinks he refuses to make); learning the bartending ropes of the Odeon when young and newly arrived in New York; the sheer man-killing pace of keeping those drinks coming at flood tide; and the manifold varieties of weirdness and bad behavior that every bartender has to learn how to manage.

A Bartender's Life is the hip, behind-the-scenes look at the frenzied yet undeniably fun atmosphere of that great establishment—the bar—and Toby Cecchini is, by turns, witty, acute, mordant, and lyrical in dealing with the realities of his job, shedding plenty of light on the hidden corners of what people do when they go out at night.

Genres: Memoir, Nonfiction, Cocktails, Food, Biography

256 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 2003

Reviews

[Rob · Rating 4 out of 5]

I loved this memoir. I'm surprised at the relatively low ratings here and the small number of readers. I just finished Unvarnished by Eric Alperin, the pretentiousness of Cecchini in so low as to not even register, comparatively. I found him to be a bit acerbic but still likeable and very funny. Also this is better written than most books I read, fiction or non. I certainly relate, after a lifetime spent in the restaurant business, but I think the appeal of this book would be more more universal than it seems to be here.

[Lyubov Dvoretska · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book has completely surpassed my expectations, while at the same time being exactly like I imagined.
It makes you fall in love with words and language a bit, as well as with bartenders craft.
It also has this slightly unhinged, philosophical, unbothered and snobbish New York vibe I adore since as long as I remember. And of course, being an imbiber myself and having cocktail culture and history as a hobby for almost 12 years now, I’m a bit biased about this book, but I’m happy to admit that both my bar-lover and book-lover side were enjoying every second and every letter of this book.

[Iris · Rating 3 out of 5]

What's your trade? In the spring of 2009 we were hit with a wave of news stories, presidential speeches and bestselling books exhorting Americans to do and make things, instead of speculating and analyzing and consulting. Office work is fragile, construction is forever: that's a message propagated by hyped books like Shop Class as Soulcraft. Manual work is less likely to be exported, and it's often more fulfilling than cubicle work.

Good luck finding a Ford, GM or Chrysler employee who would call his job "soulcraft." I doubt he'd gloat about stable employment, either; in an economic depression, the most vulnerable professions are in construction, assembly-line and creative physical fields.

Nevertheless, I agree that each of us should acquire a skilled trade. Mine could be bartending: the efficient and judicious preparing of libations, the mixing of drinks with an acumen for theatricality, the fine-tuning of each boilermaker or bellini to suit patrons.

Toby Cecchini's memoir of bar owning, bartending and bar thinking reminds us that to bartend is not to be an artist or a glamourpuss but a stockroom worker, an owner or employee of a perilous small business, and an endlessly patient guardian of drunkards and thieves. Cecchini writes unaffectedly about his routine, the trials and delights of his no-nonsense gig, and how he created his bar in the Garment District.

This book is based on a series of articles that Cecchini contributed to Slate.com's diary series. If Anthony Bourdain's "Kitchen Confidential" didn't make you wince at the food biz's lack of reality-show fabulousness, you'd be well-advised to check out "Cosmopolitan."

[Chad Sutherland · Rating 4 out of 5]

Four Stars.
Reading each chapter, it’s clear that these were a collection of essays on the author’s life behind the bar and it feels a little jumbled and jumpy from page to page, but overall I felt it matches my own ten year experience behind the bar. I found myself nodding, shaking my head, smiling, and frowning at the encounters contained within. As much shit the author talks about the job, as you read you can tell they have a deep love and respect for the profession, and they create a definition of bartending without actually defining it.

A must read for anyone tending bar for longer than 2 years.

[Hairold Gelderkorn · Rating 5 out of 5]

For an outsider, Cosmopolitan provides a guffawingly-funny, well-written, polysyllabic, enlightening, and endearing look into the gritty world of bartending. The memoir’s enchanting style, weaving in and out of yarns and astute reflections, gives me a newfound appreciation for the trade. Toby is the snob of all things but I wouldn’t want it any other way!

NO DANCING

[Aaron · Rating 5 out of 5]

Fascinating look into the life and times of a bartender/bar-manager in the early aughts. Toby's sardonic sense of humor and genuine passion for bartending (and storytelling) make for quite an enjoyable read.

[Bonnie Odin · Rating 3 out of 5]

I recommend this one if you are interested in the life of a bartender. He’s a funny guy & gives several good drink recipes. At times he can get a little verbose, but it’s still a fun read. You’ll never guess what his ideal bar would be!

[Austin Menzia · Rating 3 out of 5]

Was attracted to book because my shop compared it to Kitchen Confidential, which is a comp I don’t agree with a few of the stories were pretty entertaining and gave a glimpse of life behind the bar, but overall, the stories didn’t flow and feel the same as other memoirs in food and bev.

[Stevejs298 · Rating 4 out of 5]

A very enjoyable memoir that I stumbled upon after playing golf with the author on the Cape. (He never mentioned the book or the Cosmo, but he did mention his bar in Brooklyn so I found the book when I Googled him).
The book really made me want to go out to a cocktail bar (and revisit NYC).

[Naomi · Rating 2 out of 5]

Written well but the casual racism and transphobic language throughout made it much less enjoyable.

[Jill · Rating 3 out of 5]

There were moments in Cosmopolitan that made me feel like I was reading the bartending equivalent of Kitchen Confidential (a good thing and indeed, the front cover of the paperback edition has Anthony Bourdain making a plug for the book). These are the moments when Cecchini would give the lowdown and skinny on the different kinds of patrons in his bar - the attention seeking maneaters, the drunks, the freeloaders, the nymphomaniacs; his opinions on people based on the drinks they order; and what it takes to be a bartender and the bartending equivalent being "in the weeds". And when Cecchini described his father's approach to making gin and tonic, it made me want to grab a bottle of Tanqueray and make a pitcher of the stuff myself.

But there are other times when Cosmopolitan attempts to be more than just a behind the scenes look at bartending and tries to a bartender's musing on life and living and this, for me, is where it flags a little. The pace slackens and the writing becomes more indulgent with such extravagant turns of phrases as "But while this existential purgatory can be demonic in my own experience, the universality of the phenomenon makes it for some reason hilarious to me when other bartenders talk about it." Philosophy for Bartenders. Fabulous. Still, Cosmopolitan is not a bad read overall for someone who's always wondered about the people on the other side of the counter.

[Jenny · Rating 2 out of 5]

It's an interesting memoir and it's enjoyable in the same sense as Kitchen Confidential. It's interesting to read about a man who enjoys his career so much. But at the same time, the ego is a bit overpowering and it turned me off. He's very impressed with himself and after a little while that grew tiresome.

[Alex · Rating 3 out of 5]

Never been much of a bar guy, and so hearing the master bartender's perspective on what barflies should and shouldn't be ordering and tipping doesn't interest me. But Cecchini writes well and is an entertaining curmudgeon and his attention to the nitty-gritty of bartending as a job makes this a valuable memoir about work.

[Caroline · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book made me laugh and nod my head an awful lot. Yeah, Toby Cecchini is a tad pretentious and who the heck knows if he truly 'invented' the Cosmopolitan. I'm not sure I'd be thrilled to have that particular cocktail as my last drink in life or its ingredients inscribed on my tombstone. But he paints a vivid picture of life behind the bar and I can attest the man has done his time.

[Elyssa · Rating 3 out of 5]

I agree with Alex that the information about drinks, tipping, and other bar etiquette wasn't very interesting to me, but learning about the working life of a bartender and bar owner in NYC made this a worthwhile read.

[Audrey · Rating 3 out of 5]

Well written book about bartending in New York City by a literature major, who has an artist's/photographer's eye. He notices and comments on quirky things and happens to know a lot about the French. I want to get to know this person. I also learned a lot about different drinks.

[R. · Rating 4 out of 5]

Surprisingly well written, Cecchini is a fine writer and offers a rare taste of the life of a bartender/owner at a posh artsy bar in the Meat Packer District of NYC before that neighborhood became "the place to be seen." If you like being a fly-on-the-wall, you'll like this.

[Sarah · Rating 4 out of 5]

I can never walk into a bar the same way any more. The bartender's perspective and judgment? is always there now. This was a very different read, which I loved. Sometimes his stuck up tone made me want to throw the book across the room, but I appreciated his writing style.

[Amber · Rating 3 out of 5]

There were things about this book I really enjoyed. Cecchini can describe a great drink like nobody's business.
On the other hand, he seems like a bigoted jerk. Negative references to blacks, women, gays and others really turned me off.

[Fritz · Rating 3 out of 5]

funny, light. though: anyone who is not an octogenarian british woman should not call people "love." it makes you sound like you are impersonating johnny depp in pirates of the caribbean.

[Brian · Rating 5 out of 5]

A well written and entertaining memoir of a subject and lifestyle I think about often. Solid drink recipes too!

[Quod Demonstradum · Rating 4 out of 5]

A fun read, Cosmopolitan is a memoir that includes both fun anecdotes as well as thoughtful insights to the operation of a bar.

[martha · Rating 3 out of 5]

great book if you want to read about the life of a bartender - a classy one - in a NY bar (or many). He is very well read and writes accordingly.

[Catherine · Rating 4 out of 5]

Along the same vein as Anthony Bourdain, Toby Cecchini writes frankly about his long career as a bartender. It's pretty hard in my opinion to beat Bourdain but I did enjoy Cecchini's storytelling.

[Falisha · Rating 3 out of 5]

I live in a country that doesn't really have a lot of good booze, our limitations can be frustrating at times. This book made me 1.miss nyc 2.soooo thirsty! good, fast and easy read.

[Thomas · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is the guy that invented the Cosmopolitan. But the book is more of a memoir of bartending in the Meatpacking district of Manhattan. Well written and interesting.

[Ryan Gannon · Rating 3 out of 5]

If you can get past the wildly purple prose, this is a must-read for any bartender. Okay, servers may read it, too.