The Bartender's Bible by Gary Regan (1997, Paperback, Reissue)

Now you can with this indispensable handbook, the most thorough'and thoroughly accessible'bartending guide ever created for both professional and home use. Encyclopedic in scope and filled with clear, simple instructions, The Bartender's Bible includes information on:

• Stocking and equipping a bar'from liquors and mixers to condiments, garnishes, and equipment

• Shot-by-shot recipes for over 1,000 cocktails and mixed drinks from bourbon to rum to whiskey

• Wine drinks

• Beer drinks

• Nonalcoholic drinks

• Special category drinks'tropical, classics, aperitifs, cordials, hot drinks, and party punches

• Anecdotes and histories of favorite potables

• And more!

If you've ever wondered whether to shake or stir a proper Martini, or what to do with those dusty bottles of flavored liqueurs, The Bartender's Bible is the only book you need!

A bartender, as a rule, is a person who enjoys the company of others, endeavors to solve problems, listens to the woes of the world, sympathizes with the mistreated, laughs with the comedians, cheers up the down at heart, and generally controls the atmosphere at his or her bar. A bartender is the manager of moods, the master of mixology.

Certain scenarios are played out over and over again in bars everywhere. The questions are basically the same; only the details vary: What's in a true Singapore Sling? How long has the Martini been around? What's the difference between a Fix and a Fizz? A reference book is as necessary to a bartender as ice.

-- from The Bartender's Bible