The Complete Bartender

Rating:
Summary: Missing too many drinks...
Review: "The Complete Bartender" is far from complete. Even though it looks like a hefty book (560 pages?!), it really leaves out quite a bit.

Of course, all of your standard drinks are included: martinis, margaritas, manhattans, and the like. But there's no recipie for cosmopolitans, apple martinis, or any "dirty" drinks (e.g. b.j.s or sex on the beach). And some of the recipies that are included are questionable at best - wrong at worst. The recipie for a zombie included cherry liquor; while the recipie for kamakazie did not include sweet and sour.

This book also lacks color pictures. If you think your presentation is perfect and you don't need any illustrations, then by all means go out and purchase this book. For most of us, it's helpful to have a few pictures to let us know if we're on the right track. In my opinion, a really good bartending book would illustrate the presentation for each drink.

This book isn't all bad. What it lacks in quality it makes up for in quantity. Despite the sometimes iffy drink recipies, the lack of color pictures, and the noticibal absence of several very popular drinks, it's still got tons of drinks and a helpful glossary that explains what different liquors are. There are some illustrations of the various tools and glasses needed to bartend.

I bought this book in college, thinking it would have every recipie I'd ever want. It's a big enough disappointment that I wouldn't really recommend it, but you do have to keep in mind that - with the internet - it's pretty easy to get just about any recipie you'd ever want for a drink. So if you're willing to look up the occasional drink, and you don't need pretty color pictures, this book might be right for you.

Rating:
Summary: One of the best resources for making mixed drinks!
Review: 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!

Rating:
Summary: A good place to start for a new or training batender.
Review: I hire and train bartenders for two resteraunts and a night club. This is the only book I currenlty allow my bartenders to use behind our bars. The glossary and ingredient index are very helpful. This book has helped greatly in getting some consistency back among my bartenders. I have run across only a couple of problems with it. The binding. If this book had been spiral bound it would be much easier to actually use while working. Because it is in a paperback format it is more of a reference than a tool. The life expectency of any paperback behind a busy bar is about one week. Glossy or laminated pages would extend it's life. I'm sure that cost is a factor with both of these problems, but any working bartender would gladly spend a few more dollars and consider it an investment.

Rating:
Summary: Spiral Bind Please
Review: I think that books on mixing drinks, cooking, etc. as a rule should be spiral bound and in larger print! Maybe waterproof would be nice, too. That said, I enjoyed the recipes in this book, although I wished there were more non-alcoholic drink recipes included.

Rating:
Summary: Definately should be spiral bound
Review: Like others, I too would agree that this book should be spiral bound. It is rather difficult to mix a drink and try keep the book open. Even with that said, this is a great book with tons of recipies! Before I bought this book I didn't know how to make any mixed drinks and now I do. This book is not only great for bartenders, but anyone who likes to drink or have friends over for a night of fun. I highly recommend this book.

Rating:
Summary: Good to have on hand
Review: This book has tons of drinks and recipes. Tells you how to make exotic drinks , nonalchoholic drinks, low calorie drinks and many more. It also gives handy tips on how to toast , throw a party, even the proper way to pop champagne. Has 100's of good recipes and is very informative. Recomended.

Rating:
Summary: An excellent book for any bartender
Review: 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.

Rating:
Summary: Definately should be spiral bound
Review: This is one of the best informational tools related to the art of bartending. The book is very simply laid out.Recipes are listed alphabetically not outlined by their base spirit. This resource is a fixture (that is used by both employees and adventurous customers) in our bars and danceclub. Buy it, you won't be dissappointed!