The New DeGroff

The Craft of the Cocktail by Dale DeGroff is one of my go-to books for drink recipes. Come to think of it, for actual drinks I'm going to make around the house, it's probably the first place I look.

Now he's released a second book, called The Essential Cocktail: The Art of Mixing Perfect Drinks. While Craft has 500 recipes, this book has 100 recipes, plus 100 variations on each. I attended Dale's book launch party in San Francisco at Level III, and asked him a few questions.

What's the difference between this book at Craft of the Cocktail?
A lot fewer recipes, number one. Craft is more of a master’s class. This is more recipe, story, and artwork. But within the classics for example I'm not just talking about the Martini but I'm giving some variation. Within each of the classic categories I’m also giving a spin or two as well. (There are also) new drinks I think will last quite a bit longer, like the Cosmopolitan and the Long Island Iced Tea. They are part of an era and are still very much ordered around the world.

And the artwork is so much a bigger part of this book. I found a young digital photographer who I think is spectacular. I heard from a lot of people, especially home bartenders, said that they wanted to see (the drinks)!  My favorites are Page 92 the Monkey Gland and Page 23- the Champagne Cocktail.

Who is the book written for?
The bartender and the home bartender. Same as Craft.

Did any of the recipes change between this book and the last one?
Yes.  Always! I change them from week to week, are you kidding me? The recipe is driven by the size of the glass, the classic original recipe, and the customer in front of you. You can’t be anal about recipes.

Buy the book on Amazon here.