Rating: 
Summary: Wonderful resource...
Review: I have used this book at several parties and have loved it - the section on what you need to set up a home bar was great - with not just the liquor, but also the equipment and glassware - with pictures, to boot! This was my first wet bar, and this book has been great so far...
Rating: 
Summary: A good book for home use
Review: I must say I disagree with the point made in Mona L Moloney's review. She says the book is unusable because it is organized by ingredient, rather than by drink. What she is missing is that this book is to be used at HOME, not at a bar. The point to the way the book is organized is is that many home bars will have only a subset of all the kinds of alcoholic ingredients available, so the home user probably will want to look things up by ingredient to see what they are capable of making with what's on hand. Besides, there is an index anyway, so what's the problem? Just bear in mind that this book is designed for home use and for that it is quite useful. It could use a few more drinks, though. I must admit it is missing some obvious ones.
Rating:
Summary: Great Drink Index!!!
Review: I think this book is great! I am very happy I purchased this book, because I found some recipies for some drinks I had long forgotten how to make. I love the index in the back of the book, I can find drinks my major ingredient or by the name of the drink. It's very helpful when I'm tending my home bar during parties. I've also picked up a few new "favorite" drinks by experimenting from this book. Pick up a copy today!
Rating:
Summary: Excellent Resource (but don't go "Sola Scriptura")
Review: I use this book fairly often and I respect the amount of work put into it. It is easy to use to find drinks and its format better allows the reader to encounter new ones. That is the great strength of organizing the book by main ingredient/type. If you know you like gin or scotch, you can find drinks that feature them. If you like tropical drinks, this is a surprising goldmine of ideas, as it has a good section for them. You don't have to flip through the entire alphabet to get an idea of the drinks you can make with the various bases. The one point of confusion I find is with some tropical drinks outside of that section. As any fool should know, many rum drinks are tropical, so looking in both sections would benefit you. But after all there's always the INDEX!If you are trying to find a specific drink that you don't know how to make, why on earth wouldn't you use the alphabetically arranged index? Drinks in the index aren't listed just under their ingredients, they are also list by name. But the ingredient index is also very useful in planning the expansion of your bar. ... The opening sections on how to do the things you need to do to set up your bar is useful. It's not complete by any means, but it's adequate for the beginner and intermediate home bartender. I find some of the recommendations for the stocking process odd. For example, Anisette, Pernod/Ricard, and Sambuca are all listed as items a small bar should have, yet these ingredients are hardly used in the enormous collection of drinks the Bible boasts. They also impart relatively the same flavor, and if that's what matters to you then you'd be better with one and then wait a long time to get the others. Irish Cream and other crucial ingredients don't make the "Small bar" list. About drinks it doesn't have... oft-mentioned "Hurricane" is one I've seen in MANY different forms, so there is no sort of concensus on how it is made. It doesn't have many drinks that have become trendy, but it would be impractical to carry the latest drinks which rise to popularity quickly. However, I could see how a new edition could trim maybe 100 of the truly odd, obvious, or repetitive drinks to make room for some new ones. If you're trying to impress your friends by making "Flirtini"s then I suggest you scour the internet. Overall, this book would put you well on your way to establishing a real home bar. The Bible has some cool introductions and stories for the sections and cocktails, which whet your appetite for more. It is the first book you should own if you wish to enter the wonderful world of cocktails, but by no means the only one... it all depends on where you want to go from here.
Rating:
Summary: THE BEST BAR BOOK SO FAR!
Review: I've reviewed a good many cocktail recipe books, and this one is by far the most informative. The histories of drinks in it, as well as how different liquors are produced is extremely informative. The author shows a love for the subject that is usual deviod from a cocktail recipe book. Many different drink recipes are covered, both alcoholic and nonalcoholic. This book is a must for any wouldbe bartender.
Rating:
Summary: The only one
Review: It is not really needed but I will chime in and say it is the first drinks book I got, and the only one of the many I now have that I use. The others are OK for specialty applications but the sheer number of drinks in this one makes it an amazing experience. stellar are the introductions to each base ingredient section; how is gin made; is whiskey and whisky the same thing? Etc etc. A great buy!
Rating:
Summary: best bartending guide available
Review: Pretty much I agree with Brian Tomkiel's review. Complaints about looking things up confuse me, since there is an alphabetical index. There are drinks missing. But every single bartending guide I've looked at is missing one drink or another. In practice, I've never had problems with this book. Besides, most people who are asking for "popular" drinks like the Cosmopolitan and Hurricane know how they're made...it doesn't kill you to ask someone rather than looking in the book. In the end, sure, maybe it's not perfect for bar use. Then again, I don't see the negative reviews suggesting what IS perfect for professional bar use. For home bar use, however, this book is the best of the many I have and have used.
Rating:
Summary: Bartender's Bible makes me want to drink myself into a stupo
Review: Regan is thorough! He has lots on the history of certain drinks, mixers, and practices. I wouldn't mind if he listed recommended brands or his favorites. I like how he lists many versions of a drink that can often be made many ways. I like this book better than Mr. Boston or any other bartending guide. I loved learning how different spirits are made. Kim Stahler
Rating:
Summary: Best book for batenders young and old
Review: The "bible" showed me the light. I have had this book for years, through houseparties etc. It has made me what i am today.
Rating:
Summary: Pretty Good
Review: The Bartender's Bible has a couple things going for it, but also has a downside which is pretty annoying. First off, the book is very stylishly put together and has a professional feel. The professional feel is further seen in the well done explaination on how to stock your bar, and how to mix good drinks. The final great thing about this book is the massive amount of drinks that it contains. The one poor thing about the Bartender's Bible is that the drinks are organized by main ingredient, instead of alphabetical, this causes a slower time when looking up drinks. All in all, this is a pretty good drink mixing guide, but I'm sure you can find better.
| 
