Bitters: A Spirited History Of A Classic Cure-All, With Cocktails, Recipes, And Formulas (2011) - Plot & Excerpts
This was a bit disappointing for me. I hoped for some in-depth history on the subject of bitters; a few cocktail recipes with bitters as a focus; such as in the magnificent Trinidad Sour; and a lot of recipes and formulas for making bitters, including a thorough discussion of the flavors, aromas, bitterness level, and other qualities of the various ingredients that go into different bitters.Instead, the book provides quite a brief history; merely a baker's dozen formulas for house-made bitters, all of which, as far as I can ascertain, are made using exactly the same technique (thereby padding out the book by a dozen pages); and a substantial number of cocktail and kitchen recipes. If you're somewhat of a cocktail novice, some of the recipes (such as the delicious Trident) might be new to you, but if you're an enthusiast, you won't find much that's new here. You will however find some things that will make you wince, or at least raise an eyebrow. Bitters in a Mint Julip? No. Just no.The section on bitters in the kitchen is pretty interesting, however. While a few items in there seem gratuitous (bitters vinaigrette, compound bitters butters), others such as the Chinese-style spareribs or the bitters ice cream look interesting. All in all, this seems more like a starting point for an exploration of the subject than the definitive guide I'd been hoping for. It'll stay on the shelf with my other booze-related books, but I'm not sure how often I'll pick it up. Al comprarlo pensé que el enfoque iba a estar más en la parte teórica, pero resultó ser mucho más completo, ya que la mitad del libros una compilación muy buena de recetas para hacer bitters caseros, para la realización de algunos tragos, tanto clásicos como modernos, y hasta de algunas comidas que utilizan estos ingredientes. Buenas fotografías, recetas claras, bien escrito... Creo que este libro es fundamental en la biblioteca (física o virtual) de cualquier aficionado a la coctelería. Vale la pena.
What do You think about Bitters: A Spirited History Of A Classic Cure-All, With Cocktails, Recipes, And Formulas (2011)?
One of my favorite bar references. Solid recipes, concoctions and anecdotes.
—gera
