ladymblack's review
funny
informative
inspiring
lighthearted
fast-paced
5.0
In a word: brilliant. In more words, well…. I’ve read upwards of 40 cocktail books aimed at various levels of reader and mixologist. Not one of them ever truly made sense to me as a non-professional. Finally, here’s a cocktail meant for people at home, rather than bartenders. With a small, easily obtained and well-defined pantry, they show you, one bottle at a time, how to create excellent cocktails. By the end of the book, one should have a decently curated liquor cabinet, excellent technique, and an arsenal of drinks in which to deploy those bottles. And you’ll know WHY those drinks work because it’s all explained in plain language. (They’re cheeky at times, which is always appreciated.) I was even impressed that they realized you can replace eggs with aquafaba, which most professional bartenders prefer to ignore. On top of that, I thought they found and/or created a number of really interesting concoctions I haven’t encountered elsewhere and can’t wait to try. Reading this during a blizzard, I couldn’t obtain any fresh citrus, but I still found plenty of drinks to make with my already well-stocked bar. My only gripe is with the young whipper-snapper who thought yellow words on white paper or white words on red paper would be a good idea, but thankfully it’s only for certain sections and not the whole book. Despite that, if I ever know of someone who wondering how to get their own home bar set up, this is the book I will recommend
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