Bartending For Dummies

Make drinks like a master mixologist with 1,000 recipes

Bartenders are the life of the party—and it’s never been easier to prepare and serve drinks that keep partygoers coming back for more! Whether you want to break into professional bartending or up your ante as a home mixologist, this clear, easy-to-follow guide has you covered. With tips on stocking your bar and working with the right tools and garnishes, as well as information on the latest liquor trends and popular new cocktails, it won’t be long before you hear, “Bartender, may I have another?”

• Concoct the perfect timeless and modern drinks
• Learn how to create perfect low and no-alcohol options
• Replicate everyone’s favorite ready-to-drink cocktails
• Stock your bar with the best glasses and tools

If you’re looking for fresh ideas to keep your friends or customers happy, Bartending For Dummies is the perfect how-to resource for making a splash with great drinks.

Author Ray Foley is the Founder of BARTENDER^® Magazine, and co-author Jackie Wilson Foley is the Publisher. Since 1979, BARTENDER^® Magazine is one of the only magazines in the world geared toward bartenders. Ray and Jackie also founded the BARTENDER “Hall of Fame”^® and The Bartenders’ Foundation. For more information visit bartender.com/mixologist.com.

Introduction 1

About This Book 1

Foolish Assumptions 2

Icons Used in This Book 2

Beyond the Book 3

Where to Go from Here 3

Part 1: Getting Started With Bartending 5

Chapter 1: For Openers: Gathering the Tools and Glasses You Need 7

Covering the Basics: Bar Tools to Have at the Ready 7

Wine opener 8

Cocktail shaker 8

Strainer 9

Adding Other Helpful Tools 10

Pour It Out: Giving Some Thought to Glassware 12

Chapter 2: Methods to the Drink Making Madness 17

Shaking a Drink 17

Stirring a Drink 18

Every Day I’m Muddling 18

Chillin’ on Ice 19

Making the Cut: Common Garnish Shapes 20

Slices 20

Wedges of all sizes 20

Wheels 23

Twists 24

Adding a Little Something Sweet: Simple Syrup 26

Opening Wine and Champagne Bottles 27

Wine bottles 27

Champagne and sparkling wine bottles 28

Chapter 3: Setting Up Your Home Bar 31

Preparing for a Party 31

Situating the bar 31

Serving smartly 32

Stocking Your Bar 33

The basic bar 33

A more complete bar 34

The ultimate bar 35

Picking up mixers and other important supplies 35

The Party Charts: Calculating Liquor and Supply Needs 37

How much liquor should you buy? 37

How many supplies should you buy? 39

Chapter 4: Keeping Tabs: Helpful Charts and Measures 41

Bottle-Related Measurements 41

Bar Measurements and Their Equivalents 42

Beer Measurements 43

Drinks per Bottle 44

Calories and Carbohydrates 44

Part 2: Distilling The High Points Of Various Spirits 49

Chapter 5: Vodka 51

How Vodka Is Made 51

Popular Vodka Brands 52

Flavored Vodkas 54

Storing and Serving Vodka 55

Chapter 6: Gin 57

Quality Gin and How It’s Made 58

Popular Gin Brands 58

Storing and Serving Suggestions 59

Chapter 7: Tequila and Mezcal 61

One Tequila, Two Tequila 61

Types of tequila 62

Popular tequila brands 63

Messin’ with Mezcal 64

The famous worm 65

A few brands 65

Storing and Serving Suggestions 65

Chapter 8: American and Canadian Whisk(e)y 67

How Whiskey Is Made 67

Bourbon 69

Popular bourbon brands 70

Specialty bourbons 71

Flavored American bourbons 72

Rye Whiskey 73

Tennessee Whiskey 74

Canadian Whisky 74

Blended Whiskey 75

Wheat and Corn Whiskies 76

Storing and Pouring the Most Popular Serves 77

Chapter 9: Irish Whiskey 79

What Makes Irish Whiskey Taste So Good? 79

Popular Irish Whiskey Brands 80

Storing and Serving Suggestions 81

Chapter 10: Scotch Whisky 83

Types of Scotch Whiskies 83

How Scotch Is Made 85

Dispelling Myths about Scotch Whisky 86

Popular Blended Scotch Whiskies 86

Taking a Closer Look at Single-Malt Scotch 87

Storing and Serving Suggestions 88

Chapter 11: Japanese Whisky 89

How Japanese Whisky Is Made and Aged 90

Popular Brands 90

Storing and Serving Suggestions 91

Chapter 12: Rum 93

How Rum Is Made 93

Popular Rum Brands 95

Getting Familiar with Flavored and Spiced Rums 96

Cachaça: The “Brazilian Rum” That Isn’t 96

Storing and Serving Rum 97

Chapter 13: Brandy 99

Making Brandy 99

Brushing Up on Brandy Varieties 99

American brandy 100

Pisco 100

Fruit brandy 101

Fruit-flavored brandies and pomace brandy 101

Sampling Brandy Brands from Around the World 102

Enjoying Brandy: Storing and Serving Suggestions 103

Chapter 14: Cognac and Armagnac 105

Cognac 105

How cognac is made 105

What are all those letters on the label? 106

Popular cognac brands 107

Armagnac 108

How armagnac is made 108

How to read the label 109

Popular Armagnac brands 109

Storing and Serving Suggestions 110

Chapter 15: Aperitifs, Cordials, Digestifs, and Liqueurs 111

Whetting Your Appetite with Aperitifs 111

Digesting Digestifs 112

Cordials and Liqueurs 113

Storing and Serving Suggestions 118

Chapter 16: Beer 119

How Beer Is Made 120

Types of Beer 120

Storing and Serving Beer 122

Chapter 17: Hard Teas, Seltzers, and Ready-to-Drink Products 123

Hard Teas 123

Hard Seltzers 124

Ready-to-Drink Beverages 124

Storing and Serving Suggestions 125

Chapter 18: Wine 127

Wines from Around the World 127

Popular wines named after grapes 128

French wines by region 128

German white wines 129

Italian wines by region 129

Australian wine gaining popularity 129

Notable South American wines 130

North American wines for sharing 130

Poppin’ Bubbly, and other Types of Wine 130

Port 131

Sherry 131

Vermouth 132

Sparkling wines 133

Storing and Serving Suggestions 133

Chapter 19: Low- and No-Alcohol Options 137

No-Alcohol Beer 137

No-Alcohol Wine 138

No-Alcohol Spirits 139

Serving Suggestions 139

Part 3: Drink Recipes: Creating Classic Cocktails And More 141

Chapter 20: Recipes from A to Z 143

Chapter 21: Shots and Shooters 311

Chapter 22: Martini Making 321

Chapter 23: Drinks for Special Occasions 329

Crowd-Pleasing Punches with a Punch 329

Holiday Cocktails 334

Chapter 24: Mocktails and Low-Alcohol Cocktails 337

Low-Alcohol Cocktails 337

Alcohol-Free Alternatives 341

PART 4: THE PART OF TENS 349

Chapter 25: Ten+ Toasts to Mark Any Occasion 351

Saluting Special Occasions 352

A Nod to Friendship 353

Chapter 26: At Least Ten Cures and Lores 355

Hiccups 355

Hangovers 356

Chapter 27: Ten+ Terms That’ll Make You Sound Like a Pro 357

Ordering and Pouring Slang 357

Working the Bar 358

Recipe Index 361

Topics Index 393

The New copy of this book will include any supplemental materials advertised. Please check the title of the book to determine if it should include any access cards, study guides, lab manuals, CDs, etc.

The Used, Rental and eBook copies of this book are not guaranteed to include any supplemental materials. Typically, only the book itself is included. This is true even if the title states it includes any access cards, study guides, lab manuals, CDs, etc.