It should come as a surprise to no one that the last few years have borne witness to the glory days of the modern cocktail. A less publicized, but equally valid, trend is that those same years have also seen the rise of the cocktail book as art form.
Indeed, it seems as though nary a month goes by without the announcement of some new cocktail book, whether omnibus volume or specialized guide. Some are practical pocketbooks grouping eight to ten concise, almost terse recipes per page, while others are lavishly illustrated coffee-table books that not only detail how to mix the drink, but also offer sometimes lengthy notes on its history and development.
Three of the best recent arrivals are the new edition of the “Mr. Boston Official Bartender’s Guide,” “Mix Shake Stir: Recipes from Danny Meyer’s acclaimed New York City Restaurants,” and “The Essential Cocktail” by Dale DeGroff.
Certainly the most practical for behind-the-bar usage is the “Official Bartender’s Guide,” edited by Anthony Giglio with the able assistance of Jim Meehan from the NYC cocktail bar PDT. The pocket-sized book bound in distinctive red represents the 67th edition of the classic guide and covers as much as possible most every drink you would care to present your guests, from classics like the Aviation to blender drinks like the banana-chocolate Dreamy Monkey, and historic recipes like the Martinez Cocktail to modern shooters like the Kamikaze.
While this guide does pretty things up with a handful of photos, the shots and the occasional historic note offered are principally afterthoughts. The focus here is on making drinks and how to do it, and in this regard Mr. Boston continues to excel even in his 73rd year.
Far prettier but certainly more for at home study than bar shift reference is “Mix Shake Stir.” The photographs are certainly lush, if occasionally a bit monochromatic, and the quality, high-gloss paper definitely adds to the book’s aesthetic appeal.
As for the cocktails, they are nothing if not varied, presented in Five sections ranging from “Favorite Classics” to “Elegant Sips” and “Inspired Flavors.” In total, 97 drinks are included, from the simple, two-ingredient Pointillist Pêche to the more culinary inspired Rhubarb Sparkler, using house-made spiced rhubarb syrup, to the populist Watermelon Margarita, which needs no explanation. The book is rounded out with a handful of recipes for bar snacks, some with cocktail pairing suggestions, and a few pages on the making of syrups, rims and fruit purées.
If the world of beverage books were to hold a beauty pageant, though, the clear winner would be DeGroff’s “The Essential Cocktail,” and not merely for its good looks. This hardbound, 272-page tome has it all: looks, brains, personality and, like any good bartender, the ability to weave a good tale. From the moment “King Cocktail” welcomes the reader with a couple of paragraphs on his personal past, DeGroff has his audience hooked and keeps them entranced with recipes for one hundred classic drinks, and another hundred variations, spiced liberally with history, techniques, anecdotes and notes on individual ingredients.
It goes almost without saying that DeGroff knows his stuff, but less universally recognized is his ability to communicate it well, which he does here with apparent ease. If you want to know what locals are drinking while the tourists put back one Bahama Mama after another, or how to make an easy, single-serving Eggnog, it’s all here, neatly and simply explained.
What puts the proverbial cherry atop “The Essential Cocktail” is the gorgeous, unfussy photography that lets the natural appeal of each and every drink shine through. It’s been a lot of years since I last enjoyed a Black Russian, and I’m not so sure I’d want one today, but looking at the picture on page 215 sure makes me want to think long and hard about it.