Professional Bartender's Handbook

A nicely written book for quick review on the basics...plus a little bit more. I would recommend this for a first bsr book. The only drawback is that it is not coil bound and requires 2 hands. I imagine it getting fairly dirty and worn with time as it is on rag paper.Still a good purchase all in all.

This has a great selection of drinks in it as well as some "industry" information at the beginning about how to stock a bar and what different alcohols are (probably not useful to most people buying this book). The drinks are listed alphabetically in the book, what would be helpful if someone asked if you could make a particular drink, but is less useful for a home bartender looking for inspiration. The index does break it down by alcohol type which is more helpful.Pros: 1,500 recipes, decent mixing instructions, great if you have a lot of ingredients on hand to choose from (a FULL bar), small enough to be kept in your kitchen.Cons: No "basic" drinks (martini, gin & tonic, pretty much anything that is 2-3 ingredients) so not great for beginners who need recipes for those, no pictures of the drinks, lots of ingredients are needed to be able to just open to a page and try something.This falls into a category of not professional enough for the pros and not basic enough for the amateurs. I like it enough to keep it, but I'll be looking for a different book as my go-to for a home bar.

This book has several recipes, but does not have recipe for mojito! All those recipes and nothing for a popular, refreshing cocktail. It does give definition of the different liquors and differentiation of those liquors. It does not explain the nuances of mixing. As long as you know how to layer the ingredients, it will work ok.

I was really disappointed in this book. I almost returned it, but I was too lazy. If I had bought it locally, which I wouldn't have if I looked inside, I definitely would have returned it. I have some preliminary bartending experience and was hoping to learn some more from this book, but it is really just a standard recipe book.Furthermore, all of the games and tricks are for home parties and nothing to use at a bar or pub. When was the last time I bartender told you about a really cool drinking game to play at a bar and then told the rules of "quarters" . . . a standard drinking game for any college kids.And get this "trick" that she tries to teach you: "the key to making any drink a shot is to resize the drink." Are you kidding me?Here is another "trick": to make four shots at once, just quadruple the recipe.In the back of the book she has case studies where she interviews 10 bartenders and asks them the same questions. One of the questions is "what is your least favorite drink to make for a customer?" Great question. But the problem is that one of the answers is "undertow". So when you want to go find out what an undertow is, it is not listed in her recipes so you have no idea.For a home bartender this book may suffice (but there are better ones out there). For an aspiring professional bartender, this book is a joke.

good directions and so many drinks. I don't know what to make next.