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The Curious Bartender: The Artistry & Alchemy of Creating the Perfect Cocktail
In this new small-format edition of Tristan Stephenson's original best-selling book, he explains the origins of the cocktail and showcases classic drinks alongside his own ingenious reinventions.
A true master of his craft, in this book bartender, restaurateur, spirit consultant, brand owner, and drinks author Tristan explores and experiments with the art of mixing the perfect cocktail, explaining the fascinating modern turns mixology has taken. Showcasing a selection of classic cocktails, he explains their intriguing origins, introducing the colorful historical characters who inspired or created them. 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 you will need, making this an essential anthology for the cocktail enthusiast.
A true master of his craft, in this book bartender, restaurateur, spirit consultant, brand owner, and drinks author Tristan explores and experiments with the art of mixing the perfect cocktail, explaining the fascinating modern turns mixology has taken. Showcasing a selection of classic cocktails, he explains their intriguing origins, introducing the colorful historical characters who inspired or created them. 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 you will need, making this an essential anthology for the cocktail enthusiast.
208 pages, Hardcover
First published October 1, 2013
63 people are currently reading
554 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 reviews
July 2, 2017
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.
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.
February 21, 2019
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.
June 13, 2018
used it alot. very good book.
September 24, 2024
A must for all those who like cocktails.
June 13, 2015
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.
May 21, 2014
Great review of the history of drinks, and even better suggestions.
December 26, 2017
Excellent cocktail recipes, with plenty of fascinating backstory and history about the spirits and flavors that make our favorite drinks.
Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 reviews