The Little Black Book of Cocktails: The Essential Guide to New & Old Classics (Updated and revised!) (Little Black Books (Peter Pauper Hardcover))

As someone who enjoys mixing drinks at home, I've found this book to be an invaluable resource that provides everything you need to elevate your cocktail game and impress my guests.One of the standout features of The Little Black Book of Cocktails is its extensive collection of recipes. From iconic favorites like the Martini and Manhattan to modern twists like the Moscow Mule and Espresso Martini, the book covers a wide range of cocktails to suit every taste and occasion.Each recipe is accompanied by clear and concise instructions, including ingredient lists, measurements, and garnish suggestions, making it easy to recreate your favorite drinks with confidence.

This is a vital book for any aspiring mixologist. If you are tired of pursuing cocktail recipes that deliberately include three or more liqueurs that no one is likely to keep in their home bar, or which claim success can only come by purchasing whatever brand of liquor paid the recipe's author, then buy this book immediately.The recipes are simple, classic, and if you have a well-stocked home bar with all the basic spirits, you will find that you can make many more things than you ever thought you could. No more buying $50 worth of stuff you'll never use again to make that Pomegranate Tom CosmoTini or whatever.Vignettes interspersed among the recipes will give you the history of classic cocktails and locations. Thematic organization makes it easy to find, say, party punches, or martinis, without remembering names. The cover and pages are durable, at least somewhat waterproof, and its slimness will let you wedge it between the gin and the whisky.

I ordered this book soon after embarking on a project to photograph a beverage a day for 365 days. Among my growing collection of bar books, this is one I will continue to refer to.It is useful if for a novice if not ideal, covering what mixers, garnishes and equipment are needed to stock a bar. Each recipe tells what kind of glass and garnishes to use, but I had to ask a friend what "cracked ice" is. He said whack it with a spoon.The three indexes are especially helpful. They cover "Drinks by Name," "Drinks by Primary Alcoholic Ingredient," and "Drinks by Color/Flavoring." Today I have freshly squeezed orange juice. The third index offers 6 orange juice choices, though surprisingly not Tequila Sunrise, which does appear in the first two indexes. Still, the book is small enough for browsing.As a genuine novice (who else doesn't know what cracked ice is?), I need more help with the presentation of beverages than I get from this book. The well-worded instructions are no match for a good photo. Even though there is 4-color process printing on every page, there are no photos. The 9 drawings of glassware in the first chapter are crude but adequate.As a career printer with a special interest in binding, I was intrigued by this beautifully crafted book. A slight swatch of the striped end papers is reproduced on the edge of every page and is carried through on the cover as well. The concealed wire-o binding, rounded corners and built-in elastic bookmark are all signs of a small publisher who loves the business of designing and crafting a book. The result is a small volume that is a delight to hold and an ideal gift.I visited the website of the publisher, Peter Pauper Press, and it turns out they have dozens of different books in this format. I can't address the content of the others, but this one is well worth the purchase price.Four stars instead of five, because of the cracked ice, orange juice and photo concerns mentioned above. Which is to say, this may not be the only bar book you'll ever need. Close but not quite.

This is a great little book for the beginner or the curious. I ordered the kindle version and had a blast just skimming over each recipe - I got through the whole thing in probably an hour. I want to make it clear that I haven't actually tried to mix any of the drink recipes yet, but as a former waitress whose spent countless hours around bartenders, they look exactly what I saw friends making or what they've made for me. The authors also make it clear that their recipes are oftentimes just outlines from which you can add and takeaway as you please. Nothing too exotic or hard to execute in here (no raw egg in the whiskey sour, for instance) but that just makes it all the more approachable. The authors do a great job of listing home bar necessities and different types of glassware without getting too bogged down in details. The kindle version has clean and crisp text - no big color pictures in this book, which works well for the ebook set. I particularly like having it on kindle so I can open to the drink I want and leave it flat and open on the bar as I'm mixing my drinks. Also, I can have it on my smartphone using the kindle app and search for something new and interesting that I've never had next time I'm at the bar.

This book simply has it all. The book begins with a simple discussion of the variety of drinks, glassware, and garnishes used for cocktails. However, the majority of the book is devoted to a wide variety of recipes. This book covers the most simple of drinks such as the vodka martini, the classics such as the Bloody Mary, as well as many others that I have never encountered. The punch recipes for a larger gathering/party will especially come in handy.The book with its spiral bounding makes it especially easy to read and use while mixing. The book does have an elastic strap, however I never used this. Finally, an appendix at the end of the book makes it easy to find drinks based on taste or appearance.Overall, the witty writing, quotes, and historical inserts made this a very enjoyable book.

Perfect for a bartender just starting out!

Alphabetical would work best

This actually has pre written recipes!! Hard to find. And it's little and compact so it's easy to store in the pantry or at a bar.

This book was bought as a gift but I flipped through it’s nice has a bunch of recipes/tips and was on sale so I’d say it was a good purchase!

Handy little recipe book for cocktails

Very handy item, written with a subtle humour, with the most famous recipes for cocktails.Useful for a mixology crash course too.Not very long, but may be a plus

Great selection of drinks to choose and try from :)

This is a very handy book as it is small and easy to take with you so when going round friends for cocktail party's you are well prepared to make the night more interesting with this wide range of cocktails at hand. The book splits each category of cocktails into chapters and lists the ingredients you will need to make them as well as the needed bar tools if you are a more advanced cocktail maker. All in all a very handy cocktail book, it has helped me learn a wider range of cocktails and taught me some new tricks which is great as I work as a bartender myself.