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39 of 40 found the following review helpful:
 For Dummies, right on my level Nov 23, 2000
By Ericka Haddad
A while ago I decided to take up bartending as a hobby. I got a drink guide, but that's all it was: a drink guide. Bartending for Dummies does what all the other For Dummies books do: it takes you by the hand, and assumes nothing. This book first teaches you about the tools of the trade, teaching you things like how to properly open champagne and wine, what glass to use, etc. Then it gives you info and history on all the popular drinks (whisky, beer, rum etc.) It gives you mixing tips, and then a whole lot of drink reccipes. It has a chapter with tables telling you what kind of liquer and mixers you'll need for a party with X amount of people, along with a list of what your humble but equipt home bar should have. It also has a great chapter on mixing layered drinks. As a bartender, I am far from pro, but now I have a little skill I can use when friends come over. The book is informative, precise, and very very helpful.
15 of 15 found the following review helpful:
 So you want to know how to mix drinks. Jun 21, 2000
By thebartend@thebartend.com
Many books out there can help you mix a drink, but Bartending For Dummies not only shows you how to make drinks, but how to stock your bar, what glasses to use and even a little trivia about some drinks. The contents are laid out in an easy to use format, and any "technical" bartending speak is explained to you. Dont get this book if you are expecting tons and tons of drink mixes, it just isnt there but it makes up for it by giving you all the practical information you need to get going!
13 of 14 found the following review helpful:
Excellent Reference! Sep 29, 1999
Hey, I bought this book when I first became a bartender. Now, when I became a bartender, I lied in order to get the job. I said that I had over 5 years experience behind the bar. Hell, I hadn't even had 5 minutes experience, let alone 5 years! I didn't even know what glasses were for what. So, I needed a book on bartending, and I needed a good one. And I am here to tell you, this is one of the best bartending reference books ever! At first, I wanted to look like a pro, but with the help of this book, I am a pro!
12 of 13 found the following review helpful:
Made me look like an expert in a short time Jul 11, 1999
When I was put on the spot to start bartending at a club I had been waitressing at in New Orleans, the first thing I did was read this book cover to cover. It saved my life! I was able to take the knowledge I gained from this book and get straight to work. People could not believe I had never bartended before. A couple of years later, I consider myself a professional bartender and work in a private fine dining establishment as their only bartender. Needless to say, I consider this an excellent book!
12 of 13 found the following review helpful:
Serving Up a Good Mix Apr 19, 2004
When I built my home bar, and stocked it the brim with liquor, mixers, and various essential glassware, I knew I needed a little bit more advice and expertise to tighten up the collection and get it ready for a party. I was always a fan of the dummies books, and while they may be looked upon as lowbrow material for the martini connoisseur, or bar expert, I was neither, and I believe that for people like me, most do-it-yourselfers, the book suffices quite nicely. When I throw a party, and our college parties are usually big with 65 or more people, we go all out and things get hectic behind the bar with dozens of people all clamoring for something different. Bartending for Dummies really comes in handy time after time, with many of the most popular drink recipes available at a moment's glace, in logical, alphabetized order. The look-up is fast and quick, and the instructions are quite easy to follow. This is especially useful for when you have dozens of people throughout the night who, when asked what they want, simply reply with, "I don't know," or, "Make me something that tastes good." While these responses are aggravating, and totally unproductive, this book serves as a great reference of on-the-fly drinks to make for these indecisive individuals.
For pre-party preparations, the front of the book is filled with information on everything from cutting limes the proper way to buying enough rum, or vodka for a predetermined number of guests. The numbers, math, and money tabulations I have found to be accurate enough to swear by, and often helpful in a myriad of party-planning adventures. The book also has a number of charts depicting types of alcoholic volumes, what some of the terminology means, and even an informative list of calories per kind of alcoholic beverage. The book has a couple drawbacks, as almost everything does. For one thing, the author tends to use a few lower-quality alcohols in certain popular drinks that should never be used. Using these lower qualities, and sub-par products detract from the eminence of an otherwise first-rate beverage. A second criticism is that some of the drink recipes are not what the vast majority of the world believes them to be. Slight variations in amount, sequence of mixing, and kinds of alcohol used within these drinks I find suspect. However, the information on the main categories of alcohols, their history, production methods, place of origin, and most popular nomenclature I found to be quite fascinating. The research seemed impeccable, with well-documented and respectable sources. The chapter on kinds of glassware and their uses provided a layman with tons of useful facts to help them make informed decisions on what kinds of glasses to stock your bar with and serve different drinks within.
While Bartending for Dummies may be considered light reading, inconsequential, and contrived to experts in the field, this demographic is hardly this book's intended audience. I, a nonprofessional and do-it-myselfer, have found the book to be a boon time and again, at party after party. Its setup is easy to follow, coherent and consistent, with humor at times, and an all-round indispensable tool for any home-bartender.
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