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4.55 AVERAGE
4.55 AVERAGE
Focuses more on the craft of making an excellent cocktail than the recipes themselves. Each recipe also comes with lore.
informative
inspiring
fast-paced
emotional
hopeful
informative
lighthearted
reflective
fast-paced
Look, I thought I was just getting recipes. And they're here and they're great. But this is a eulogy for a man I hadn't heard of and whom I'll now not forget. It's so warm and charming. And damn if the drinks aren't perfect.
Content Warnings
Minor: Death
Georgette Moger-Petraske did an admirable job of shepherding this book to print. The result is (unavoidably) a little bit fragmented, (arguably) becomes a little too personal here and there, and the graphic design conceit that balloons the page count by about 25% is of little value (but this is Phaidon, after all). Really, this book should’ve been a more modest, slim volume—a small book that could fit conveniently in the breast pocket of your jacket—but I suppose that’s not what sells these days. The bright spots here are many: oral history, reflection, essays on best practices (some debatable, but all interesting), and a really great collection of highly accessible mixed drinks from Milk & Honey. The index even seems to be quite good! Some of the drinks are of the bar’s particular era (lots of cucumber drinks, a fair amount of Chartreuse), but even these sound perfectly appealing, today. I really can’t think of any collection of contemporary recipes that better represents the spirit of the straightforward cocktails from the Savoy and the other vintage sources that fed the cocktail renaissance. Of course, I also can’t think of any bar that better represented that spirit than Milk & Honey.
adventurous
funny
informative
inspiring
lighthearted
fast-paced
Beautiful and Elegantly Designed, Formatted, and Styled - Not a Cocktails 'Bible' but enough here including Classics and New Classics to Make and Enjoy Cocktails for a lifetime or three. Great Sections on setting up a Bar and, most of all, a Patron's Bar Etiquette.
informative
fast-paced
informative
inspiring
lighthearted
fast-paced
Not a narrative in any sense, but the only recipe book I have ever read cover to cover. There’s some prose up front and then each recipe is presented with a reminiscence, often about the drink’s creation. It’s not didactic but over the course of it I began to learn some principles about cocktail creation, and also got a real sense of respect and humility for Sasha P. His dedication to his craft brought a lot of happiness to a lot of people - his bartenders and the tens of thousands (likely more) lucky enough to visit the bars he built or inspired.