The Spirit World

It is fair to say that there are thousands, no several thousands of different cocktail recipes out there, and it often seems like more and more being concocted every day. It is equally fair to say that far more than just a small percentage of those really never deserve to see the light of day. Books that contain a thousand or more recipes clearly include many drinks that the author/editor has never even tried. Which is why I tend to gravitate more towards the cocktail books which specifically narrow their focus to just a handful of “author approved” drinks.

It can sometimes be useful however to have a few books on hand which include far too many recipes. Sort of like having a dictionary which includes many words which you may never use, but allows you to look them up just in case.

Here are just a few of the books that I often turn to when I’m stumped by a recipe.

Difford’s Guide
By Simon Difford

Here’s a concept. Since new cocktails are constantly coming out, some of which actually are worth letting folks know about, what about printing a cocktail compendium on an annual basis? Adding new drinks each year, updating (or correcting) previous recipes, and tweaking the format each year to try to address the needs of the bartenders and customers who rely on it? Well, that’s the concept behind the wildly successful series being published by Simon Difford from the UK. He’s up to volume 6, with volume 7 coming out soon. There are over two thousand recipes in these massive hard-bound tomes, each one clearly listed, with an accompanying photograph of the finished drink. The drinks are even given a nine degree rating, from “Disgusting” to “Exceptional”. And in the back of the book he lists a variety of different products, and the recipes included in the book which use it. Hmm… no listing for “Strega” though. Need to talk with Simon about that.

The Bartend’s Best Friend
By Mardee Haiden Regan

From its waterproof and wipe-dry cover, to its bold and easy to read print, and its bound-in bookmarker ribbon, it is clear that this book is intended for use by the busy bartender in almost any situation. It of course has to include the obligatory sections on bartending basics, and how to set up a home bar, but the real intent of this book is clearly in giving you a well organized collection of recipes. The recipes are all listed alphabetically, with a prominently positioned “first letter” on each page which makes it extremely easy to quickly riffle through the pages in order to find any of the recipes it contains.

Instead of simply providing a comprehensive but dry and featureless listing of recipes, Mardee accents her collection with some interesting, and often witty commentary that can help you better understand the drink, or perhaps impress your customers with some background information that they might not otherwise know. For instance, you can tell your customer who just ordered an “Oreo Cookie”, that the cookie itself first debuted in 1912, and while nobody remembers anymore where the name came from, one of the theories is that it comes from the Greek word for mountain, since the original form of this cookie was hill shaped.

Mr. Boston Platinum Edition
Edited by Anthony Giglio

This is not your father’s Mr. Boston. Sure, you may be familiar with this book from years ago. It seemed to be on the bookshelf of every college graduate to supposedly aid them in their home mixology needs. The small red hardbound volume was one of the most commonly found books of cocktail recipes. The problem however was that over the years, and experiment in entropy appeared to be affecting it as the recipes lost more and more of their luster. This new edition represents a grand housecleaning of the old collection of recipes and once more makes this collection relevant again. To be fair, I have to disclose that I had a hand in this volume. The editor contacted me when he first took on the project, asking me what changes I could recommend that he attempt. Where to start? I took the original list and quickly removed “sour mix” from all of those that called for it, and instead inserted a proper use of simple syrup (or other sweetener) and the proper citrus juice. I re-distributed the various “whiskey” cocktails to use the proper whiskey instead of almost always using either Canadian or Blended whiskey. And I recommended a variety of additions to the cocktails included. Both the traditional “red hardbound” edition, and this special spiral bound “Platinum” edition contain the same recipe updated, but in the Platinum Edition there is a “Cocktail Classic” section which I wrote, and provides an indepth look at several of the classic cocktails that everybody should know. Call me biased, but I like to always keep this volume on hand.