TITLE: The Joy of Mixology
SUBTITLE: The Consummate Guide to the Bartender’s Craft
AUTHOR: Gary Regan
PUBLISHER: Clarkson Potter, 386 Pages
TYPE: Drinks recipes
COST: $30.00
REVIEWED BY: Chris Carlsson, SpiritsReview.com

Yes, indeed, it IS the consummate guide to bartending. History, career advice, theory, techniques: everything you need to know. Interesting section on families of drinks (relationships and family trees as it were) and of course, lots of drink recipes. Probably one of the best bartending books published in the last 50 years in terms of completeness, readability and detail, for the amateur or professional.

The only other book that comes close isThe Bartender’s Best Friend by his wife Mardee. While there are a number of excellent cocktail books out there (such as Craft of the Cocktail by Dale Degroff) there are few bartending books that have the depth and completeness of this one for bartending, drinks theory, and practice. Again, not a book with a lot of pretty pictures but an outstanding reference for the serious student of drink.

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