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The Complete Cocktail Manual

Recipes and Tricks of the Trade for Modern Mixologists

Published by Weldon Owen
Distributed by Simon & Schuster

About The Book

2017 Spirited Awards® Nominee BEST NEW COCKTAIL & BARTENDING BOOK

Learn everything you need to know to craft the perfect cocktail—or two, or three…but who’s counting? Spirits writer and expert Lou Bustamante, in partnership with the United States Bartenders’ Guild, collects the best cocktail recipes, techniques, and histories in this must-have volume that has a place in every home bar.


From worldwide classics to creative new combinations and packed with expert tips from bartenders across the globe, The Complete Cocktail Manual will help you stock your bar, impress your friends, and throw one hell of a party.

Everything you need is in here:

Setup: Get the expert-tested and bartender-approved list of what you need to set up a pro bar at home, from basic supplies and glassware to fancy gear and the ultimate shopping list. Learn all about your favorite liquors—and some you haven’t even heard of—and educate yourself on every mixer, ice cube, and tool you might need.

Recipes: From apertivos to citrus, spirit-forward to spicy, get the best recipes for every type of drink, from the classics to the most-Googled, in all their many forms. Learn what makes the difference between an antique old-fashioned and a modern one, get the twist right for your muddling, and know which tools to use for which cocktails.

Hospitality: Whether you’re planning the menu a week in advance or hosting on the fly, get the scoop on entertaining with ease—from food pairings to setup, party punches to supply quantities. Learn how to hack your garnish and set a drink aflame—the right way—and get some tips for dealing with intoxicated guests and next-day hangovers. This book has everything you need to know to throw the ultimate cocktail bash.

This is a must-read volume for any spirits fan, casual mixologist, or craft cocktail enthusiast.

Excerpt

Tip 144: Flame an Orange Peel
 
The most common and relatively safe—yet still quite dramatic—way to add a little fire to your cocktails is by flaming an orange peel over a drink. This caramelizes the citrus oils and also creates a sudden flash of fire that keeps things interesting.
 
STEP ONE Prepare the drink. Using a paring knife, cut a small circle of peel from an unwaxed orange. Hold the peel between the thumb and forefinger of your dominant hand, zest side towards the drink.
 
STEP TWO Light a match and position it about 4 inches (10 cm) from the drink, then pinch the zest quickly so that the oils in the skin jet towards the match and cocktail.
 
STEP THREE Moisten the rim of the glass with the orange peel. Note: If you end up with a sooty peel, it means that your orange is waxed. Avoid using waxed fruit as it will contribute a sooty-chemical flavor.
 
STEP FOUR Garnish your drink with the flamed peel and enjoy!

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THE BOOTHBY

This version of William “Cocktail Bill” Boothby’s signature cocktail comes from barman H. Joseph Ehrmann. Boothby was a bartender and author who tended bar at the Palace Hotel in San Francisco in the pre-quake days of the early 1900s. This variation on a Manhattan strikes the right sweetness and bitter balance, and it lends a nice effervescence and sophistication worthy of a cocktail party.
 
1½ oz bonded rye whiskey
1½ oz Italian (sweet) vermouth
2 dashes Angostura bitters
1 oz sparkling wine (Brut preferred)
 
Combine all ingredients except sparkling wine in an ice-filled mixing glass and stir 20–30 seconds, until well chilled. Strain the cocktail into a chilled coupe or cocktail glass. Float sparkling wine on top.
 

About The Author

Lou Bustamante is a bar, spirits, and cocktail writer who has done everything from recipe and product development and distillery work to bartending and teaching cocktail classes. He covers the local and national spirits scene for the San Francisco Chronicle, The Bold Italic, 7x7, Wine & Spirits Weekly, and many others.

Product Details

  • Publisher: Weldon Owen (October 18, 2016)
  • Length: 256 pages
  • ISBN13: 9781681880990

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Raves and Reviews

"In Bustamante’s first book, a rapid-fire primer to classic cocktails and techniques, he offers up hundreds of tips, like how to efficiently stock your home bar with booze and tools, and almost as many recipes. All of which will help give your home bartending game a handy boost."

– San Francisco Chronicle

"At first, leafing through The Complete Cocktail Manual: 285 Tips, Tricks & Recipes, a new book by San Francisco cocktail and spirits writer Lou Bustamante, it’s a little disorienting to realize that there are no page numbers. Instead, the book—the only one written in conjunction with the United States Bartenders' Guild—is an amalgam of facts, recipes and techniques, apportioned into easy-to-read chunks. Each of these nuggets is numbered, whether that means one or several per page (285 in all, as the subtitle says)."

– Liquor.com

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