Shake Strain Done

"Are you done with generic gin and tonics, mediocre Manhattans and basic martinis? You can use pantry staples and basic liquors to produce more than 200 game-changing craft cocktails worthy of a seat at the bar."

This is a must have for any new mixologist or anyone missing the ability to go out to the bar for someone else to mix a fancy drink. The author skillfully addresses cocktail characteristics, breaking them down to 11 categories, and addresses the probability that most readers will not have hundreds of tequilas at their immediate disposal to craft specialty drinks. By organizing the drinks by alcohol and by characteristic, the author provides a quick and easy way to navigate the book and find your perfect drink quickly. I highly recommend.

This cocktail book is genius. I love the idea of having flavour notes as guidelines so you can choose your cocktail recipe based on whether you want smoky or sour or sweet rather than just the liquor you would like to use. I really loved how this book explains in detail how the mixology works so you can adapt cocktails one way or the other and there were some really interesting mix ideas as well. Lots of ways to create bar worthy drinks at home and Shake Strain Done will certainly be on my Christmas list this year!

This book was received as an ARC from Little, Brown and Company - Voracious in exchange for an honest review. Opinions and thoughts expressed in this review are completely my own.

Watching John Taffer in Bar Rescue I knew a little Bar Mixology but this book broke it down to a science and why these drinks work with their process. I loved all the types of glasses, cups, tools, ingredients, garnishes displayed throughout the book and the diagrams. When reading some of the recipes, I noticed some of them had a "skinny" version and now when I go to my local bar, I know to order that. Also, thanks to this book, I now know the official names of some of the drinks so I won't look like someone who doesn't visit a bar for the first time. I know our community will find use of this book and will enjoy it very much.

We will consider adding this title to our TX Non-Fiction collection at our library. That is why we give this book 5 stars.

A nicely presented drink mixing book, has a lot of favourite drinks and tips on making them correctly. Also Good photos of the drinks.

I absolutely love that this cocktail book has flavor map keys to cocktails to illustrate the wide variety of drinks you can have if you prefer certain flavors. Despite having gone for a bartenders certificate (um, ask me if I've retained any information), I tend to just stick to a handful of cocktails that I'm familiar with. This book has nice illustrations (I'm more of a picture person), great information/recipes that are well organized with ingredients that are easy to find. As I read the book, all I could think of was 'how long would it take me to make each and every one?'. I'm excited to start.