Cocktail Codex: Fundamentals, Formulas, Evolutions
- Downloads：9290
- Type：Epub+TxT+PDF+Mobi
- Create Date：2021-07-08 09:53:24
- Update Date：2025-09-06
- Status：finish
- Author：Alex Day
- ISBN：160774970X
- Environment：PC/Android/iPhone/iPad/Kindle
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Reviews
Jean-michel Leroux
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An absolute must have for anyone interested in cocktails - will reframe how you look at the category
Alen
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THE knowledge about cocktails in one book。
Alex
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i really enjoyed this as an introduction to cocktails and read it cover to cover。 the book is organized around 6 archetypal cocktails， with detailed explanations of how to riff on those cocktails。 far more valuable to me， however， was the introduction to spirits and liqueurs themselves。 the number of ingredients you can use in cocktails is just enormous， and having some baseline knowledge really helps navigate there; the recommended bottles together with tasting notes also go a long way in this i really enjoyed this as an introduction to cocktails and read it cover to cover。 the book is organized around 6 archetypal cocktails， with detailed explanations of how to riff on those cocktails。 far more valuable to me， however， was the introduction to spirits and liqueurs themselves。 the number of ingredients you can use in cocktails is just enormous， and having some baseline knowledge really helps navigate there; the recommended bottles together with tasting notes also go a long way in this vein。 where this book falls apart from my perspective is in its expectations for your bar。 if you can afford dozens of spirits and liqueurs （some of which are used in very few cocktails in the book）， fine。 but if you are slowly building a bar on a budget， it's much harder to know what to buy when， and 'cocktail codex' doesn't really give the home cocktail maker any guidance here。 8/10 。。。more
Yasin S。
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A must read for every bartender and advanced mixologists。
Colin
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One of the best cocktail books I have ever purchased。 It is very well structured - shows you how you can build a ton of drinks from 6 simple starting points （Old Fashioned， Martini， Daquiri， Sidecar， Highball， Flip）。
Erik
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A really great and in depth review of cocktail history and structure。 A bit too advanced for an amateur。 Many recipes call for obscure bottles I’m just never gonna get。
Thomas
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Undoubtedly the best "cocktail how-to" on the market。 Meehan's Guide might be better for the aspiring bar GM/owner （it actually cares about turning a profit）， Morganthaler's Bar Book might bring a finer touch to issues of technique， and there are some quality historical texts as well， but Cocktail Codex provides virtually all of the information you need to start as a craft cocktail connoisseur-craftsman。 Most every industry person I've spoken to agrees （the other answer？ Stop reading and learn i Undoubtedly the best "cocktail how-to" on the market。 Meehan's Guide might be better for the aspiring bar GM/owner （it actually cares about turning a profit）， Morganthaler's Bar Book might bring a finer touch to issues of technique， and there are some quality historical texts as well， but Cocktail Codex provides virtually all of the information you need to start as a craft cocktail connoisseur-craftsman。 Most every industry person I've spoken to agrees （the other answer？ Stop reading and learn inside an actual establishment）。The book is structured by reducing all cocktails into six "templates" upon which all others grow。 Empirically， I find this conceit arbitrary and dubious， as you can cleave the templates many different ways， but it's effective as an organizing structure。 For each cocktail "template"， you'll get some discussion of its history， its constituent ingredients （i。e。 types of brandy， summarizing the process， typology， and recommended bottles）， related cocktail construction techniques， variations， and exercises。 More importantly， through practice， you'll absorb a broader gestalt of concepts like "balance"， "depth"， and "quality"， or the art of distinguishing a well-made Daiquiri from a flat one。 The only thing really missing off the top of my head is a serious discussion of flavor affinities， adjusting to workflow， and consumer norms。Each "main six" cocktail， for instance the Old Fashioned， will be broken down into its core （whiskey）， balance （sugar/syrup）， and seasoning （bitters）。 This breakdown helpfully explicates where the old fashioned's unified flavor comes from。 More importantly， it makes it easy to understand how many cocktails simply swap out another cocktail's core or balance， and then adjust from there。 "Okay， a Manhattan is a Martini but for whiskey"。 This is really useful for categorizing cocktails in your head and understanding where their flavor profiles converge/diverge。Fortunately， almost every "classic" cocktail is included in this book， though a couple are needlessly omitted。 Cocktail Codex's classic recipes are acceptable for most bars （though most high-end bars have at least one classic cocktail they prepare unusually）， though they can be needlessly fussy。 For instance， their house Dark and Stormy includes a custom ginger syrup and fresh lime， when you can just add ginger beer and squeeze two lime wedges。 Unfortunately， the authors omit most "modern classics"， like the Paper Plane。There are also plenty of house-designed cocktails。 They all embody Alex Day's ethos: highly complex， highly rigorous。 You'll definitely need to plan to make one of their cocktails。 They're mostly useful as ideas of what a modern cocktail can be。 When I'm designing a new drink， I often flip through their recipes to see what formula I'm approximating， or what recipe might be a counterpoint against which I can innovate。 Most tantalizingly for the home bartender， the book includes an excellent short primer on the Dave Arnold bartending school。 You'll learn pressurized infusions， acids， clarifying， smoking， and tinctures。 This is stuff （aside from infusions） that you should honestly avoid until you know what you're doing， but it's all very cool and raises your horizons of what a cocktail can be。 There are a few moments where the authors are BSing to maintain the book's structure。 Fortunately， they're easy to spot， typically when justifying why a cocktail belongs in its given section， or a given core/seasoning is where it is。 There's also a few parts where the authors tell the sorts of lies you'll have to tell customers to keep them happy （"yes！ vodka totally has subtle differences。 you can totally tell the difference between these vodkas in your martini"）。The book is also a nice size/weight， great for a coffee table or tofu press， with excellent crisp design and pretty high-contrast photographs。The main criticism is that， due to covering everything， nothing is covered in great detail。 This is largely true， and furthermore， because the information is densely packed， you'll likely miss most of it upon first reading。 Consider Cocktail Codex like this: if you do some of the exercises， practice technique， and memorize the 15 or so most "important" classic cocktails （happy to list them on request）， you'll have the basic framework from which to start bartending。 This framework will not make you an expert， or even able to competently step behind the bar of a high-end bar， but you will gain a baseline understanding of what's going on。 Highly recommended。Most useful for a home bartender， aspiring craft bartender （be humble！）， or someone who wants to see more recent developments in cocktail culture。 。。。more
Pdag
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Great bookAnyone who would like to increase their cocktail knowledge and skill。 Overall a great book for beginners or experts。 Highly recommended
Nicole Chu
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Cocktail Codex builds and improves on its predecessor， Death & Co。 It's beautifully designed with gorgeous photos--a book destined for the coffee table。 More importantly， I love a good framework， and Alex Day and David Kaplan have developed a very helpful one for cocktail specs。 All cocktails， they claim， can be traced back to 6 root recipes: The Old-Fashioned， The Martini， The Daiquiri， The Sidecar， The Whisky Highball， and The Flip。 "By studying [these] classic cocktails and explaining how we Cocktail Codex builds and improves on its predecessor， Death & Co。 It's beautifully designed with gorgeous photos--a book destined for the coffee table。 More importantly， I love a good framework， and Alex Day and David Kaplan have developed a very helpful one for cocktail specs。 All cocktails， they claim， can be traced back to 6 root recipes: The Old-Fashioned， The Martini， The Daiquiri， The Sidecar， The Whisky Highball， and The Flip。 "By studying [these] classic cocktails and explaining how we and others have interpreted these forms， we're providing the foundational knowledge necessary for developing your own artful creations based upon studied skills and knowledge。" It's the Salt， Fat， Acid， Heat of cocktails; what's not to love？ Strongly recommended for any home enthusiast :） 。。。more
Catherine Woodman
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n the interest of full disclosure， I am more of a cocktail drinker than a cocktail maker。 I do not even choose the backbone alcohol of a drink on most evenings that I drink cocktails。 I have been known to choose sweet over bitter， but that is about as far as I usually go。 I recently said to my spouse， who was searching for cocktail inspiration， that it would be perfectly fine to make a margarita。 He blanched at the thought。 That is simply not how we have been rolling this pandemic。 While there i n the interest of full disclosure， I am more of a cocktail drinker than a cocktail maker。 I do not even choose the backbone alcohol of a drink on most evenings that I drink cocktails。 I have been known to choose sweet over bitter， but that is about as far as I usually go。 I recently said to my spouse， who was searching for cocktail inspiration， that it would be perfectly fine to make a margarita。 He blanched at the thought。 That is simply not how we have been rolling this pandemic。 While there is a sameness about everything when all you do is work and home， the attention to the food and drink has been exquisite。 It has been astoundingly good to eat and drink at our home， but a part of me worries that we might not return to going out for these sorts of provisions when it feels safe to return to them， at least not in our home town。This book comes from the Death and Company folks， and that is also a very good cocktail book。 This book breaks down drinks into their fundamental components and then offers suggestions about how to build them up again into a variety of different cocktails with different sorts of flavor profiles。 I will warn you that the ingredients required to make all of these wonderful creations run into the dozens， and many of them are pricey。 It is a real investment to serve superior craft cocktails at home， both in the cash outlay and the making a flavor elements to elevate your cocktails to the next level。 If you choose to try this route， you will not be disappointed。 And it may help in planning your first trip out of the country post COVID。 My spouse informed me France was our destination， and we would be bringing home aperitifs and such that are not available outside of there。 Fine by me。 。。。more
Hal
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Outstanding， if a bit unreachable cocktail book。 Some of the ingredients are hard to source， at least where I live （Aylesbury Duck Vodka， La Favorite Couer de Canne rhum agricole）， and some of the tools are not practical for the home enthusiast （centrifuge， smoking gun， iSi Whipper）， but the reachable cocktails are fantastic。 The method to the madness of categorizing， making and enjoying the various cocktails and their riffs is fascinating and educational。 I thoroughly enjoyed spending time with Outstanding， if a bit unreachable cocktail book。 Some of the ingredients are hard to source， at least where I live （Aylesbury Duck Vodka， La Favorite Couer de Canne rhum agricole）， and some of the tools are not practical for the home enthusiast （centrifuge， smoking gun， iSi Whipper）， but the reachable cocktails are fantastic。 The method to the madness of categorizing， making and enjoying the various cocktails and their riffs is fascinating and educational。 I thoroughly enjoyed spending time with this book and look forward to reading the authors' first cocktail book， "Death & Co: Modern Cocktail Clasics， with More than 500 Recipes。" 。。。more
Anson Eckel
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Excellent cocktail book describing both techniques， recipe and how their 6 basic cocktail types can be changed。
Göran Sandström
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The ultimate guide to perfectly executing cocktail classics and their variations， and understanding the "DNA" of cocktails。 This book gives the reader a fundamental understanding of the 6 different core-types of cocktails and how every cocktail can be understood as derivative of one of them。 The ultimate guide to perfectly executing cocktail classics and their variations， and understanding the "DNA" of cocktails。 This book gives the reader a fundamental understanding of the 6 different core-types of cocktails and how every cocktail can be understood as derivative of one of them。 。。。more
Les Reynolds
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Awesome breakdown of broad cocktail families。 Lots of detail about techniques， tons of recipes， and details about advanced-level methods， along with more approachable options。 Also appreciated their info on preferred brands of spirits。
Will
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Truly an excellent cocktail book， covering both the basics and more advanced techniques。 Vastly superior to the first Death & Co。 book and that one was already quite good。 If there’s one cocktail book to own， it’s this one。
Markus Stobbs
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Can all cocktails be collapsed into 6 classics？ The authors make a compelling case that they can and the result is a mental map of the cocktail universe that is empowering to professional bartenders and amateurs alike。
Kelly
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Probably the best cocktail book I’ve read！ The folks from Death & Co。 have narrowed down the world of cocktails into six basic drinks: the old fashioned， martini， daiquiri， sidecar， whiskey highball， and flip。 An interesting take that is actually quite convincing。 Loved reading this book。 As always， Death & Co。 does not disappoint。
Luke Gruber
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Fantastic premise: most cocktails derive from 6 drink blueprints。 Identify those blueprints， and you’ll be able to be creative in your drink mixing。I’m a complete amateur when it comes to cocktails。 This book perfectly articulated the simplicity of the drinks， and also explained the differences between almost all of the major types of spirits （bourbon vs rye， vermouth vs sherry。。。etc）。 This was incredibly helpful for my novice expertise。The book also went into great detail articulating different Fantastic premise: most cocktails derive from 6 drink blueprints。 Identify those blueprints， and you’ll be able to be creative in your drink mixing。I’m a complete amateur when it comes to cocktails。 This book perfectly articulated the simplicity of the drinks， and also explained the differences between almost all of the major types of spirits （bourbon vs rye， vermouth vs sherry。。。etc）。 This was incredibly helpful for my novice expertise。The book also went into great detail articulating different bottle favorites and flavor profiles for the experts out there。 。。。more
Michael
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Follow up to Death & Co， this is an interesting approach to a drinks book。 Day， Fauchald and Kaplan focus in on six major cocktail archetypes （the Martini， The Daiquiri， etc） and explore in excruciating detail what the core ratios are that define each drink and how bartenders have developed variants over the years （i。e。 think of a Manhattan as a Martini with the gin swapped for whisky and the white vermouth for red， or a Margarita as a tequila Sidecar）。It’s an interesting book for anyone interes Follow up to Death & Co， this is an interesting approach to a drinks book。 Day， Fauchald and Kaplan focus in on six major cocktail archetypes （the Martini， The Daiquiri， etc） and explore in excruciating detail what the core ratios are that define each drink and how bartenders have developed variants over the years （i。e。 think of a Manhattan as a Martini with the gin swapped for whisky and the white vermouth for red， or a Margarita as a tequila Sidecar）。It’s an interesting book for anyone interested in how drinks work as opposed to just a list of recipes and highly recommended。 。。。more
Chris
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An almost excruciating level of detail but when you dig into this book， it helps unlock the world of cocktails。 Highly recommend it for enthusiasts
Ryan Rummel
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An outstanding reference book for formulating your own original drinks as well as some classics too。
Karl
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Another great book from Death & Co， including a sort of philosophy of drink invention， recipes， and many advanced techniques。
Steve Kreidler
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This is by far my favorite bar book in my library。 A cross between a coffee table book， a primer on the 6 basic drinks， a set of recommendations for best brands， and excellent and elegant recipes。
Janet
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Loved this book！ You need to be a little bit of a cocktail nerd to really enjoy it。
Liz
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