279950 Sun Sep 25 18:58:01 -0700 2005 2 31 Home Cooking 0 1485776 Looking for suggestions for the best book of cocktail recipes. I'm not aiming to be a bartender, so it doesn't have to have every drink under the sun. Instead I am looking for something that would be fun to browse and would inspire me to concoct a cocktail. If it had more unique recipes (ala Grammercy Tavern's drinks) that would be great too. Please share your faves, I've been using websites to find drinks but there are too many recipes out there with no way of finding the best ones. Thanks! D-NY Sun Sep 25 18:58:01 -0700 2005 0 D-NY 1 1485790 Dale DeGroff's Craft of the Cocktail is very nice. Very much a glossy photo book if you get your inspiration visualy. I also like Gary Regan's Joy of Mixology. This is a less exciting format but a great book that has good recipes and really gets into the different categories of drinks and how they work. I only own the DeGroff but frequently check out Regan from the library. I plan to add Regan to my collection soon as I have a slight preference for it. You can get some sense of style on both of their websites: DeGroff: http://kingcocktail.com/ Regan: http://www.ardentspirits.com/ And if you don't know it, here is another great source for coctail info: http://www.drinkboy.com/ Cheers! Sun Sep 25 21:31:22 -0700 2005 1485776 0 Nathan P. 2 1485871 The two standard classics are the ubiquitous Old Mr. Boston guide and the reprinted Savoy Cocktail Book, and those will tell you how to do just about anything. Mr. Boston is certainly the most up-to-date - I think it's the Standard Text for American bartending - though I rather like seeing a four-to-one Martini described as "Very Dry", being of that school myself... The Trader Vic books are all very much fun, if you're in the mood for kitsch drinks. These and the others can always be found in used book stores and in book stalls in antique malls, usually for less than $5. Mon Sep 26 13:02:18 -0700 2005 1485790 0 Will Owen