Bartender Magazine's Ultimate Bartender's Guide by Ray Foley

If you're looking for a well-rounded listing of cocktails that is well organized and can stand up to some of the hazards of a bar, Bartender Magazine's Ultimate Bartender Guide is a great choice. Written by Ray Foley, publisher of Bartender magazine and author of many bartending books, this bartending guide covers the basics in an easy reference format and includes over 1,300 modernized cocktails collected from Foley's magazine and website (Bartender.com).

There is really nothing exceptional about the Ultimate Bartender's Guide by Ray Foley, but it's easy to read, reference and includes some great cocktails. As a reference for an aspiring bartender who aims to work in today's hospitality industry and is looking for their first bartending book, this one may be confusing with it's many brand specific cocktails and garnish cutting instructions which are too brief. That said, it is a bartending guide that can be very handy for a slightly more experienced bartender who needs a book that they can have at the ready behind the bar for a quick reference. It will also be a nice addition to the aficionado's collection of cocktail recipes as it includes quite a few new, obscure and unknown cocktails that are a great addition to anyone's repertoire.

Beyond the extensive index of cocktail recipes there are a few helpful chapters of the Ultimate Bartender's Guide. One that it would be nice to have expanded (next edition maybe?) is the Name and Origins where about 40 histories of some of the more common drinks are alliterated, some to a lesser extent than others. The Beer chapter is extensive, but primarily includes American brews with the history of Anheuser-Busch in the forefront and the Pousee Cafe chapter is informative but also includes Hiram Walker exclusively in the gravity chart. Then the Home Bar chapter makes the back of the book shine. Not only does this chapter list essentials to stock in a home bar, but it features a guide that estimates how much of what you need to have on hand when entertaining for different sized occasions. This is an invaluable tool.

I enjoyed the way Foley describes himself in the introduction, it's an accurate way to describe the book as well. "...I am a bartender, not a mixologist, or master mixologist, or bar chef- just a bartender who loves the business and the people."