1000 Best Bartender Recipes

August 1, 2005
Whether it's with a classic Martini (gin, vermouth and an olive-stirred, not shaken), the five-ingredient International Incident shot, or an intricate tropical fishbowl drink garnished with fruit and umbrellas, Parker offers readers a thousand ways to avoid the perils of sobriety. Organized not by the dominant alcohol in each, but by style, the "Breakfast and Brunch Cocktails" are separated from the "Lounge Lizards' Classic Cocktails" and the "Bahama Mama Tropical Drinks," among others, which could make it difficult for the reader trying to find a drink to build using the random alcoholic odds and ends common to many home bars, but a boon to those who pick up the book before hitting the liquor store. Cocktail purists might take issue with the over 100 virgin drinks included and Parker's use of store-bought mixes, but with the sheer number of recipes (and the variations on each), there are bound to be a drink or ten for everyone.

October 17, 2005
Whether it's with a classic Martini (gin, vermouth and an olive-stirred, not shaken), the five-ingredient International Incident shot, or an intricate tropical fishbowl drink garnished with fruit and umbrellas, Parker offers readers a thousand ways to avoid the perils of sobriety. Organized not by the dominant alcohol in each, but by style, the "Breakfast and Brunch Cocktails" are separated from the "Lounge Lizards' Classic Cocktails" and the "Bahama Mama Tropical Drinks," among others, which could make it difficult for the reader trying to find a drink to build using the random alcoholic odds and ends common to many home bars, but a boon to those who pick up the book before hitting the liquor store. Cocktail purists might take issue with the over 100 virgin drinks included and Parker's use of store-bought mixes, but with the sheer number of recipes (and the variations on each), there are bound to be a drink or ten for everyone.

Copyright 2005 Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

November 1, 2005
Modern mixology has invented multiple modes of martinis--so many martinis that to list them all requires a full chapter in this new, exhaustive bartender's guide. The classic martini has given way to a wide diversity of potables whose only common element is alcohol. Parker inventories all these, from the austere gin-and-vermouth originals through the cosmopolitan and on to outrageous martinis that include exotica such as sliced black truffles. Manhattans, margaritas, and " mojitos" still have their partisans, and Parker gives their recipes plenty of space. A chapter on champagne cocktails offers some festive, fizzy libations. Tropical concoctions call for rums and all sorts of fruit extractions. A section on vintage cocktails recalls drinks from old movies. Parker's nonalcoholic alternatives go beyond the well-known Shirley Temple to a host of fruit juice-based drinks that appeal to both children and adults. The book concludes with some recipes for drinks such as the prairie oyster, reputed to counteract the effects of excess revelry. This is a good contemporary addition for a reference collection.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2005, American Library Association.)