The Bartender's Black Book, 7th Edition

Rating:
Summary: Newest Edition Has Recipes, Convenience--and a Wine Guide
Review:
Tons of Lore and Just as Much Convenience


By Bill Marsano. There are more than enough bar guides around to satisfy even the thirstiest soul, so the question becomes which one is the most helpful, the easiest to use. Well, this one has a pretty fair claim to the title.

At about 4.5 inches by 9, it is of convenient, under-bar size (no bartender wants the customer to know he has to look anything up). It has some 2,700 recipes, and it takes them all with a straight face, from the utterly genteel to the impossibly vulgar (in my view, anyone who orders a German Leg-Spreader or a Duck Fart is a lout who should be flung into the street at the earliest opportunity, but that's the bouncer's job). There's an enlarged section on the martini, that greatest of cocktails, that Fred Astaire of drinks; and sections on flavored vodkas, shooters, floaters and wines. The wine section is especially worthy of note. Bartenders used to take the approach of Tim Costello's old Manhattan saloon, which had its wine list painted on the wall. It said: "Red, $2.50. White, $2.50. No substitutions." But times are changing and with any number of places offering wine by the glass, the able bartender has to know more than how to use a corkscrew. In this book, the wine advice comes from that demigod, Robert Parker Jr. himself. Nuff said.

But the best thing about this book is that it has a comb binding--something like a spiral-wire binding, but made of plastic. It means this book, unlike all the others I've see lately, lies FLAT. No more bending the book open, flexing it until the binding cracks, and then weighting it with a beer bottle to keep the thing from flapping closed. Sometimes strokes of genius are as easy as they are rare.--Bill Marsano is an award-winning writer and editor.

Rating:
Summary: Buy this Book
Review: I had to write a review after reading the prior one of a man in search of a picture book. There are a plethora of [bad] picture drink books on the market. It is funny, he was looking for a common thing (a [bad] picture drink book) and he got the finest drink recipe book ever written. The author painstakingly alphabetized and reworked thousands of drinks. He threw out all the [bad stuff] and made a No [fooling] essential tool, that restaurants, bars, and liquor stores must carry (they all seem to). The book is unbiased (no liquor companies pushing their product) It lays flat so I can work and read at the same time. I own a 4th, 5th and a 6th edition and I await new editions. I have learned from them all....THE BARTENDER'S BLACK BOOK IS A 5 STAR BOOK.

Rating:
Summary: Recommended from Behind the Bar
Review: I'm a bartender and there is always one customer who comes along and orders a drink you dont know how to make. Behind the bar we keep several drink books, but this is the only one that actually gets used. Easy to read recipies, non-coded names for liquors, short, sweet, and to the point. Spiral binded so the book will not close while you are mixing. Contains the most variety of drinks I've seen from Vodka Collins for beginners (which most books don't have) through Long Islands all the way to a Mongolian Mother for the more adverse. Highly recommended for anyone who wants to shake, stir, or blend.

Rating:
Summary: The best investment I have ever made.
Review: This book is without a doubt the best investment I have ever made. When I had an interest in bartending I snagged a copy of this and started studying... as a result I now make a comfortable living bartending, and enjoying my job.
It doesn't have every drink known to man (what book could?), but it will cover most everything you need... It will give you quite a good start on what mixes well with each other. The guide to liquors at the back is quite nifty as well, since you can always impress your nitwit patrons with booze knowledge. Don't hesitate on picking this up.

Rating:
Summary: FINALLY A BAR GUIDE THAT HAS A GREAT WINE SECTION.
Review: WINE SECTION BY ROBERT PARKER...WHAT COULD BE BETTER. HAVE MOST OF THE OTHER EDITIONS, BUT THIS ONE IS MUCH MORE COMPLETE THAN THE PREVIOUS ONES. FOUND MORE INFORMATION FOR PROFESSIONAL BARTENDERS. WOW!A WINE GLOSSARY OF WINE TERMS, THE LATEST MARTINIS, DESSERT DRINKS, SHOOTERS, FLOATERS, METRIC CHART, LATEST DRINKS(2600). STEPHEN SURE COVERED EVERYING. I THOUGHT THE 6TH EDITION HAD EVERYTHING, BUT THIS 7TH !!! WHAT SURPRISES WILL HE NEXT HAVE?

Rating:
Summary: Best book on market! Most up to date!
Review: You will probably discard any other books you have previously purchased. The author/bartender obviously knows his stuff.
This book is not by a wannabe or a corporate monkey. It's great that this book does not push brands and is unbiased. The book lays open flat, and the recipes are easy to follow.

I once had a book with twice the recipes but they were 98% bad recipes. I threw that book out.

There is a wine section written by Robert Parker, that has helped me immensely picking out bottles of wine. Other things that make this book stand out are the Martini instructions, Dessert Drink Section, Hot Drink Section, Frozen Drink Section. Glossary of Bartending Lingo.