The Oxford Companion to Spirits and Cocktails (Oxford Companions)

This is a great resource book for anyone interested in the world of alcohol and the people who have contributed to its development. Unbelievably comprehensive, exhaustively researched, and well-written. Pick any topic at random and you will be amazed at how much you can learn in a few minutes. The cross-referencing is very thorough and easy to use. Highly recommend if you're a collector or cocktail enthusiast.

I created a Monthly Cocktail Club that we host at our house for friends. Some of our friends are new to creating cocktails, so I wanted to have a reference book available. I read a lot of articles, trying to find the perfect reference book - and this book is the one I selected. I'm so glad I did!This book is an A to Z encyclopedia of cocktails. It includes the history of all things cocktail related, as well as definitions of the various kinds of spirits and tools.Each entry is brief enough to read quickly, yet still contains a lot of interesting information.I like having this book sitting out on the counter during our Cocktail Clubs, so anyone can use it if they want to look something up. I also reference pages that relate to whatever cocktail we tried each month, and I post the references to our private Cocktail Club Facebook Group in case anyone wants to read more.I think this book offers something for everyone - whether you're just getting started crafting cocktails, or you're an experienced bartender. It's a great reference book to have in your home library!

This has been sitting in my wish list since its release, and I finally got around to picking it up on a lark as a gift for my wife. Wow, what an . . . obsessive academic endeavor! And pretty clearly a labor of love. The Oxford Companion to Spirits and Cocktails doesn't have everything about everything, but if you want to know about cocktails or spirits, well - you really need this in your library (I'll be buying more as gifts). It is FUN to read, too: my wife and I will read articles to one another out loud (it sounds crazy, but the writing is so good that it's a total hoot). We almost always learn something. We're always entertained by it. And we generally wind up fixing a drink, so . . .

Full Disclosure: I've know David and Noah for a number of years.This book is a triumph of knowledge and experience over rumor and old wise tales. Each page is filled to the brim with insightful instructions and useful (and real world useable) information. From everything on how to properly make a Bee's Knees cocktail to origin of the Swizzle stick.It's the prefect book for the true cocktail and Spirits nerd.If you ever wanted to clear the 'Potent Potables' category on Jeopardy this is the book to study.

I'm a little disappointed. This is way more information than what I was looking for. It's a great encyclopedia about alcohol, but it's not practical if you want to make cocktails

I have been praying for a work like this for decades to act as a replacement for the once king, but now long out of date "Grossman's Guide to Wines, Beers, and Spirits" - and David Wondrich's "Oxford Companion to Spirits & Cocktails" is it! Packed with solid information, documented with page references, a home run game changer for the world of the bar & beverage industry! Move to the top of F&B Directors' Short List of annual "MUST READS".

This was my brother's big Christmas book this year and he was thrilled. He would retire from the socializing to peek at the book. It was a great hit and he'll know everything there is to know about cocktails after reading this.

No question about it, this is pure knowledge of drinking--absolutely joy to read and sip from.