About the Book
The most complete and authoritative cocktail encyclopedia ever published.
Simon Difford has earned a huge and loyal international following in professional bartending circles, and discerning drinkers, amateur mixologists and professional bartenders will find this new edition of his cocktail guide to be an indispensable reference.
Practical and inspiring, this book contains 2600 recipes from the traditional to the new and inventive. Each easy-to-follow recipe has a color photograph of the assembled drink in its assigned glass, ingredient measures, directions, garnish, variations, plus fascinating information on the cocktail's origin. Difford even grades each drink from (rarely) "disgusting" to "delicious."
The book includes:
An A to Z recipe directory
Detailed instructions for beginners, including all the basic skills
Recommendations for the best equipment
A directory of glass types
The 14 key alcoholic ingredients, which make a minimum of 450 cocktails
The 9 essential juices and mixers
The 18 essential refrigerator and cupboard staples
An index of ingredients and the cocktails they are used in
The top 100 great cocktail bars of the world.
About the Author :
Simon Difford is a drinks industry celebrity. His experience includes running his own bar, founding his own import company and establishing brands. He is a Glenfiddich Food & Drink Award winning writer and lives in London.
Review :
[This book] includes 2,600 recipes arranged alphabetically by the name of the drink... In addition to the recipe each entry has a symbol for the author's rating, from Disgusting to Outstanding. The type of glass (with a photo of the finished drink), garnish, and method are also noted. Entries for most recipes include variants, the drink's origin, and Difford's comments, some of which are entertaining. Interesting facts and amusing quotations related to alcohol are interspersed throughout the text... More than 400 of the recipes (indicated with a key) can be made with 14 key ingredients listed in the introduction. An index by ingredients is followed by an appendix that describes major ingredients... The encyclopedia is highly recommended for reference or circulating collections of libraries that have patrons interested in alcoholic beverages and who, even if they have access to the Internet and Difford's Web site, would prefer to find the information in a book.-- (05/01/2010)
A real nuts and bolts book, it's an alphabetical listing of 2,600 cocktail recipes using just about every liquor imaginable--and yet it is very straightforward and easy to follow.-- (12/20/2009)
British mixologist Difford has an encyclopedic knowledge of cocktails and an abundance of confidence in his own bartending skills, and he effectively uses both in this entertaining guide to classic and modern alcoholic drinks. After dispensing a short introduction to the equipment, key ingredients, and garnishes a good bar requires, Difford explains everything-including the type of glass to use, the mixing method, and even comments and a rating-needed to complete the beverage to perfection. While this volume might not be quite as luxe as Danny Meyer's Mix Shake Stir (one of the other standout books on drinks published in 2009), it more than makes up in the glam department with its profusion of practical information. VERDICT Whether you take your drink shaken, stirred, on the rocks, or neat, you will still find plenty to keep you busy at the bar with this exceedingly useful resource.-- (01/01/2010)
For friends who own a muddler and know how to use it: Difford's Encyclopedia of Cocktails... Simon Difford, a London-based bartender with a cult following among cocktail enthusiasts, and publisher of Class magazine, has assembled a staggering 2,600 recipes here.-- (11/14/2009)
Have ice crusher. Will travel. Especially with this 500-page hardcover bartending bible tucked under one arm. A comprehensive compendium of all things gin fizz and champagne bubbly, it features not only recipes and glossy illustrations of just how to place an umbrella on a Singapore Sling, but also detailed guides to the right garnishes, glassware and tools needed for the perfect bartender's kit - think citrus jesters, swivel peelers, juicers and the like... Difford is best known as something of an auteur, having won the Glenfiddich Drink and Bar Writer of the Year Award in 2007. So when he tells you that a Kiss of Death - from equals parts Luxardo Sambuca and Galliano and served in a shot glass gives you fresh breath for that kiss, you believe him. Then again, after you've sampled just a fraction of what he's got on offer, you'll be believing anything.-- (01/30/2010)
Holy cow, this is a hefty book. It looks much like a college chemistry book...hardcover, 8 by 10 1/4 inches, glossy-fronted, and wrist-achingly heavy. Mercifully, the contents of this book [are] more appealing than most chemistry books. (This might be characterized as an alchemy book.) Difford's Encyclopedia has 2,600 cocktail recipes in it. The young bartending student may dig it as it can be plopped open on a counter and one can squint to read recipes, like that of the Dutch Breakfast Martini--Tanqueray, Bols Advocaat liqueur, lemon juice, sugar syrup, and Galliano. Small photographs next to each recipe give one a sense for the type of glass to use and the look and color of the cocktail. And, obviously, with so many recipes to experiment with, one can get a lot of mileage out of this book.--alcoholreviews.com
If you want to have an all-encompassing cocktail guide, just in case an ice storm hits and the power goes out, Difford's Encyclopedia is a good choice. This is one of those guides that's a relentless stream of drinks, one after another, non-stop, until you don't remember what happened the night before--it's kind of like drinking with Simon Difford. This organic chemistry sized text-book of drinks contains 2600 recipes, which means you'll need to drink 7.1 cocktails per day to complete in one year. I don't recommend that, consider it a 6 to 7 year Ph.D. program.-- (11/23/2009)
Simon Difford wrote the book on cocktails -- literally....but his new Difford's Encyclopedia of Cocktails goes beyond any bar guide I've seen. It's all a novice needs in order to learn how to make any cocktail.... Even the most experienced mixmaster will get a kick out of the recipes.-- (02/06/2010)
The 2600 alphabetically arranged entries in this bar reference provide a color photo of the cocktail along with its ingredient list, preparation method, and origin, if known. The ingredients appendix reviews the history of recommended liqueurs and describes their flavors. Previously published as 'Difford's Guide to Cocktails #7, [this] eighth edition adds 400 cocktails and amends many recipes.-- (02/01/2010)
(reviewed with Cocktails Made Easy) Pick up a copy of these books and search for Difford's take on your favorite cocktail, or for something new that captures your attention.--E. Leposky"Miami Examiner.com" (06/18/2010)
For those who want to learn more about making cocktails, whether you're at home or are considering a career behind the bar.--Judy Creighton"London Free Press" (12/26/2009)
If you have the right ingredients on hand, Difford says [cocktails are] simpler to create than most food recipes.--Lisa Kadane"Calgary Herald" (06/06/2010)
Simon Difford says he has spent a dozen years "visiting and writing about the world's best bars." He's put together an impressive 2,600 cocktail recipes, which should keep trendy boozers enthralled (or hammered) for ages.--J. Mackie"Kelowna.com" (10/23/2009)
