The Joy of Mixology, Revised and Updated Edition: The Consummate Guide to the Bartender's Craft - Hardcover

Regan, Gary

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 0451499026 ISBN 13: 9780451499028

Publisher: Clarkson Potter, 2018

Synopsis

A thoroughly updated edition of the 2003 classic that home and professional bartenders alike refer to as their cocktail bible.

Gary Regan, the "most-read cocktail expert around" (Imbibe), has revised his original tome for the 15th anniversary with new material: many more cocktail recipes—including smart revisions to the originals—and fascinating information on the drink making revival that has popped up in the past decade, confirming once again that this is the only cocktail reference you need.

A prolific writer on all things cocktails, Gary Regan and his books have been a huge influence on mixologists and bartenders in America. This brand-new edition fills in the gaps since the book first published, incorporating Regan's special insight on the cocktail revolution from 2000 to the present and a complete overhaul of the recipe section. With Regan's renowned system for categorizing drinks helps bartenders not only to remember drink recipes but also to invent their own, The Joy of Mixology, Revised and Updated Edition is the original drinks book for both professionals and amateurs alike.

About this title

About the Author

A columnist for Daily Beast, Gary Regan's work has been featured in Food & Wine, Wine & Spirits, and Imbibe, among others. He is the author of The Negroni, The Bartender's Bible, The Book of Bourbon and Other Fine American Whiskey, The Bourbon Companion, New Classic Cocktails, The Martini Companion, and The Joy of Mixology. He regularly consults with major spirits producers and marketers such as Diageo, Pernod-Ricard, and Heaven Hill, and he travels the world holding workshops, judging cocktail competitions, and making public appearances. He lives in the Hudson Valley in New York.

Excerpt. © Reprinted by permission. All rights reserved.

A Message to Bartenders of All Stripes

Since the first edition of The Joy of Mixology became required reading for bartenders at many craft cocktail bars around the globe, I thought that I'd take this opportunity to address those of you who are new to tending bar, so you'll know what you're getting yourself into.

Many of us find ourselves called behind the bar so we can be a "startender," complete with tattoos, piercings, and hordes of adoring fans who come back night after night to taste our concoctions. I found out quickly that you have a helluva lot of legwork to get through before you even begin to approach that kind of status. Before you gain the fame, you gotta pay your dues. Big time.

If you're new to bartending, be willing to start out as a barback, lugging ice and cases of beer up from the basement, cutting garnishes, polishing bottles, and doing all of the drudge work while others get the big bucks, and walk home with the best-looking girl or guy in the place.

When you finally do get behind the bar, as a bartender or as a barback, your first job is to learn how to watch. Watch the seasoned professionals as they go about their business. Notice how both of their hands are busy at all times. See how they can pour gin with one hand and open a bottle of IPA with the other.

Learn from the pros as they manage the guests at the bar, and listen to their interactions. Learn how to deal with angry customers, how to cope with complaints, how to crack wise, and make people smile as they go about their jobs.

When the time is right, ask questions. Find out why the pros do what they do, how they prioritize when faced with multiple tasks, and how they steer potential troublemakers toward the door without an angry word being spoken.

Most important: LISTEN. We don’t know it all. We'll never know it all. Be prepared to learn something new every day for the rest of your life.

And if you manage to become a full-time bartender, the rest of your life will surely be interesting, to say the least.

With Lotsa Love,
gaz regan

Edition details

• Publisher: Clarkson Potter
• Publication date: 2018
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 0451499026
• ISBN 13: 9780451499028
• Binding: Hardcover
• Number of pages: 352