diffordsguide Cocktails 7
Rating: 
(out of 12 reviews)
List Price: £25.00
Price: £16.20
The Cocktail Book
Rating: (out of 2 reviews)
List Price: £5.99
Price: £2.88
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Tags: Cocktails | diffordsguide | Reviews
July 23rd, 2010 at 4:07 pm
Review by BookWorm for diffordsguide Cocktails 7
They’re both copying me, and buying this book for other friends!
Rating:
I’ve just started a new bar job, and I pretended I’d done it before!haha So in a panic, I needed a really good book I could learn basics from! I couldn’t decide on amazon which cocktail book I wanted, so I went into Waterstones - I’d seen Difford guide mentioned on Channel 4’s “Come Dine with Me” where one of the hosts had his cocktail published in it! I must say this is by far the BEST cocktail book around! This has even got the history of cocktails! Which glasses to use for what, and the different techniques for making cocktails! As well as every cocktail I could possible think of - with pictures. Tells you what glass, garnish and how to serve it i.e with straw, etc. I liked it so much, I couldn’t wait ordering it from Amazon, i bought it for £25 straight away! Well worth it! I think the size of it and the fact that its hardback, makes it an added bonus! All the other books I looked at were tiny in comparison!
A friend of mine has just turned 21 and my best friend has just moved into her first home, so I bought this book for them with a bottle of booze and a cocktail shaker, and both of them LOVED it and I’ve been invited round to many parties!
Diffords Guide makes an excellent addition to anyones library who likes food & drink! Even if you never want to make cocktails, it’s just a really nice book open up and look at! A great buy for yourself or as a gift!
5*
July 23rd, 2010 at 5:04 pm
Review by SC for diffordsguide Cocktails 7
Rating:
An informative and interesting book which provides a simple guide to making those supercool drinks with ease. All cocktails featured are pictured and inform you on the correct presentation and how to correctly mix them. As soon as I got home I was getting stuck in and the results were not too bad. Highly recommended.
July 23rd, 2010 at 5:54 pm
Review by Mr. R. J. Huntley for diffordsguide Cocktails 7
Rating:
This is an excellent book. If nothing else Simon has covered an incredible number of cocktails and commented on every one. In some cases, he has explained the history and variations of the most popular cocktails in dedicated pages throughout. There is a photograph of each one and a star rating for hints on which ones to avoid.
For some cocktails like the Mai-Tai, Simon has documented several versions, including the original Trader Vic’s one and many of the modern variants. The recipies are accurate easy to follow and there is very useful index of cocktails by ingredient at the back.
I have one complaint though and that’s the constant referring to spirits by brand name. All the way through each ingredient is specified by brand; Ketel One Vodka, Remy Martin cognac etc. It is obvious sponsorship as more mundane products like ‘ginger beer’ and ‘ice-cream vanilla’ are not branded. I’m sure a cocktail made with the very cheapest ice-cream would suffer more than one made with a less expensive brand of vodka.
This is taken to the extreme in the index where under “Creme de Cassis” it says “See Giffard creme de cassis liqueur.”
However, I’ve given it 5 stars and it’s very well deserved. My advice, buy the book without hesitation. Then purchase alternatives to all the spirits he names by brand and then maybe we’ll see a new edition that says “Premium Vodka” instead of specific brand placement in future.
July 23rd, 2010 at 6:11 pm
Review by Julie Cutler for diffordsguide Cocktails 7
Rating:
Well we started with one of those 101 cocktail books- for some reason things never tasted perfect and there wasn’t really much variety.
Soooo, the beast has been burbling for ages about wanting to have a cocktail cabinet full of spirits. A chance Amazon search, followed by a surreptitious 10 minutes in Waterstones, confirmed this book would definitely do as a pretty definitive guide. Oh it is good. There’s about 6 cocktails to a page and they are listed alphabetically. It’s a big, big hardback- more like a Physics textbook than any cookbook/drink book I’ve ever known. In the back there’s a listing by ingredient. That part isn’t 100% accurate- there’s some links that are missing, and it’s in painfully small print for my sadly aging eyes. Still it gives a reasonable introduction and collection to each ingredient.
Difford is very firm about what he sees as the best liqueur brands to buy- and generally you won’t be able to buy them on the high street, only the less palatable versions, if you’re lucky. Happily the UK internet has a few sites which oblige (which seems to be with a standard delivery charge). It will cost to buy up your main ingredients and we still haven’t quite solved the storage problem (cocktail cabinets aren’t the best solution and do you really want a BAR in your home?). Difford does helpfully list the basic set of spirits needed. Supermarkets happily provide the range of fruit juices you’ll need.
Glassware is much easier to get hold of. Martini glasses are ubiquitous in the high street. Again online is the best place to get hold of the weirder shapes such as pina colada, margarita and (our favourite) the tall conical Kyoto glass. If you want a boston cocktail shaker (base and glass) and strainer, then again the global electronic village is your best bet. You’ll soon be muddling with the best of them (a muddler is a wooden bar with which you bash out the essence of fruit- amazing on strawberries).
Like fondues, this is a 70s thing that is in desperate need of revival. They aren’t all brilliant drinks, but wow, St Germain Elderflower liqueur is amazing - especially in a “Gin Atomic”. Stay at home and crunch on a few roasted cashews instead of your credit!
July 23rd, 2010 at 7:04 pm
Review by Tom Brien for diffordsguide Cocktails 7
Rating:
Simply the best cocktail guide out there, the Difford’s Guide are excellent, well presented, clear, and uses UK measures. Just a great all round book, I now have to copies of #7
July 23rd, 2010 at 7:08 pm
Review by SecretSweets for The Cocktail Book
Rating:
This is a truly spectacular book - simple, clear and concise. There is no long winded explanations about glasses, tools, spirits etc. Just the basics, enough to get you started and keep you interested in the art of cocktail making.Admittedly, this art is something that need little encouragement, but still we want to be entertained while being educated. I think this book does just that aided by some 100 beautifully taken colour pictures. There are over 200 cocktail recipes and I dare say that you will find even the most obscure concoctions from faraway lands. There are tall drinks, spirits, classics, exotics and alcohol-free potions for the morning after! Although I did not buy this book from Amazon, it is, in my opinion, one of the best of its kind. Try and get it from the market place because it is worth the effort.
July 23rd, 2010 at 8:04 pm
Review by SecretSweets for The Cocktail Book
Rating:
This is a truly spectacular book - simple, clear and concise. There is nolong winded explanations about glasses, tools, spirits etc. Just thebasics, enough to get you started and keep you interested in the art ofcocktail making.
Admittedly, this art is something that needs little encouragement, butstill we want to be entertained while being educated. I think this bookdoes just that aided by some 100 beautifully taken colour pictures.
There are over 200 cocktail recipes and I dare say that you will findeven the most obscure concoctions from faraway lands. There are talldrinks, spirits, classics, exotics and alcohol-free potions for themorning after!
Although I did not buy this book from Amazon, it is, in my opinion, one ofthe best of its kind. Try and get it from the market place because it isworth the effort.