The New Craft of the Cocktail: Everything You Need to Know to Think Like a Master Mixologist, with 500 Recipes

by Dale DeGroff

The renowned cocktail bible, fully revised and updated by the legendary bartender who set off the cocktail craze—featuring over 100 brand-new recipes, all-new photography, and an up-to-date history of the cocktail.

NAMED ONE OF THE BEST COOKBOOKS OF THE YEAR BY THE ATLANTA JOURNAL-CONSTITUTION

The Craft of the Cocktail was the first real cookbook for cocktails when it first published in 2002, and it has had a remarkable influence on bartending. With this new edition, the original gets a delicious update, bringing expertise from Dale DeGroff, the father of craft cocktails, to the modern bar for a new generation of cocktail enthusiasts. The beloved histories, culture, tips, and tricks are back but all are newly revised, and DeGroff's favorite liquor recommendations are included so you know which gin or bourbon will mix just right.

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

256 pages, Hardcover

Published September 22, 2020

Reviews

[Sharon Orlopp · Rating 5 out of 5]

Dale Degroff has written a fabulous book, The New Craft of the Cocktail: Everything You Need to Know to Think Like a Master Mixologist, with 500 Recipes. It has 500 recipes and gorgeous photography.

The cover of the book is stunning and looks fantastic on a bar or on a coffee table.

Degroff spent over 16 years in the bartending business, including opening the famous Rainbow Room in December 1987 at 30 Rock. The Rainbow Room's goal was to have traditional entrees and cocktails. He designed a classic bar program with pre-Prohibition drinks with all fresh ingredients and no mixes. He hired and trained 36 bartenders to create a unique cocktail experience for customers.

Degroff then went to Windows on the World at the top of the World Trade Center. On the evening of September 10, 2001, he hosted an event called Spirits in the Skybox. It was a hands-on class on tequila cocktails at the top of the WTC. On the morning of 9/11, there was a 200-person breakfast event that hadn't started when the first plane hit the WTC. Unfortunately, many employees from Windows on the World perished that fateful day.

After 9/11, there was a resurgence and a beginning of a bull market for spirits as well as for classic and craft cocktails. A huge growth in cocktail glassware ensued and bartending became a real profession with many spirit companies offering bartending training classes and programs.

Degroff indicates that cocktails are in the thick of American cultural and culinary life; the cocktail is truly American. Cocktails and our country are big, diverse, and colorful. The culinary revolution in the twentieth century played a critical role in the growth of the craft cocktail movement.

Degross believes that spirits are gifts from the gods and ice is the soul of the cocktail.

He recommends several other books about cocktails:
* Vintage Spirits and Forgotten Cocktails: From the Alamagoozlum Cocktail to the Zombie {80 Rediscovered Recipes and the Stories behind Them}
* Imbibe!: From Absinthe Cocktail to Whiskey Smash, a Salute in Stories and Drinks to "Professor" Jerry Thomas, Pioneer of the American Bar
* Punch: The Delights (and Dangers) of the Flowing Bowl
* A Proper Drink: The Untold Story of How a Band of Bartenders Saved the Civilized Drinking World

[Karen Potoski · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book gives a history of alcohol, cocktails, the tools used to make the beverages, how to make a cocktail correctly, and cocktail recipes. This book combines my favorite things, history and a good adult beverage.

[Reading Fool · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is an updated and revised version of the original "The Craft of the Cocktail," which was published in 2002. It is an encyclopedia about the cocktail, this very American creation that found a revival and revolution at the new millennium. All topics are covered: the history of the cocktail, tools and glassware used, ingredients for your bar, and of course, recipes. This is a must-have for novices and experts alike, whether you want to try and experiment on your own or impress your friends and family. I have tried some traditional as well as some new (for me, anyway) recipes from this book: Pimm's Cup, Moscow Mule, Colorado Bulldog, Mark Twain Cocktail. All were fantastic. This is one to leave out for guests to peruse during a gathering. It would make a party even more entertaining. A great gift idea, especially for a housewarming!
I've received a free copy from Clarkson Potter in exchange for a free and unbiased review.

[Bonnie · Rating 5 out of 5]

This revised edition of the 2002 Craft of the Cocktail is a fascinating read with sections on the craft of the cocktail, the recipes and tales associated with the recipes, and resources for more information about mixing drinks and what's needed to make them. I was intrigued with the history of the cocktail and how they were named. Who knew there could be 500 recipes? This is an excellent book for bartenders, for those that entertain and mix drinks for their guests, and a novice like me, needing recipes for mixing drinks. I walked down memory lane during my college days, my 20s, and my 30s. I came across recipes for those drinks I've had. I think this is an excellent addition to one's cookbook collection for those wanting to learn to mix drinks and know the names and history of these cocktails. I've received a free copy from Clarkson Potter in exchange for a free and unbiased review.

[Amy (Other Amy) · Rating 1 out of 5]

Why on earth would you organize a book of drinks alphabetically? I don't know what drinks are called! I just know what kind of bottles I have in the cabinet! Totally unusable book.

[Melissa · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a beautiful coffee table book with many many recipes and an extensive glossary (the best I've come across in cocktail guides). The drawbacks for me were the organization of cocktails (purely alphabetical) which makes it harder to use if you just want to peruse drinks by category. Also, many of the ingredients are unique, super specific spirits, which you're not likely to have on hand.

[Sara Goldenberg · Rating 2 out of 5]

Liked it. Nicely done

[Nathan Hearns · Rating 5 out of 5]

Awesome cocktails recipes. Continue to use this book all the time to help improve my cocktailing skills.

[David · Rating 4 out of 5]

An OG, encyclopedic cocktail history and recipe guide…with many branded-out variations.

[Miss Jessica · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a beautiful books with good, interesting recipes that are a mix of classic and specific (as in specific name-brand alcohols). But, and this is a huge BUT, when you are getting ready to make a drink and you're not sure what you want, this book is very hard to use. When I am deciding on what I want to make, I usually pick a base liquor to start with, or if I have grapefruits on hand, I'll use those. But the way this book is organized (alphabetically) it is almost impossible to choose a recipe by starting with an ingredient. You then have to look through every single recipe looking for one that works. And the index is really hit or miss on whether it has drinks under certain ingredients. If the editors of this book would make a more thorough index, it would make using this book so much better and more usable.

[Du · Rating 3 out of 5]

This type of book didn't work well as an ebook. The content feels static and isn't engaging. The recipes and purpose of the book is worth seeking out, just in a paper format.