Post #85596 by woofmutt on Sat, Apr 10, 2004 11:04 AM

I too will suggest a favorite bar guide...The Pocket Bartender's Guide by Michael Jackson. (Mentally insert you own joke here, but please post it elsewhere. Michael Jackson is the Brittish beer and spirits expert/writer.) According to amazon.com it's out of print, but used copies are out there (Starting at $1.48!). This book has a brief geography of booze, a list and description of barware, a sort of dictionary of spirits (with a red dot by those that should be in a well stocked bar), and a collection of mostly classic cocktails (and he has the green Mai-Tai recipe). Jackson is an informative, funny, and opinionated writer as you cna see in his Scorpion entry:

"One of the new generation of refreshing, long drinks that are perilously alcoholic. They all hint at Californian recklessness, yet several are, despite their youth, already universal 'old' standards. The Scorpion certainly is. Trouble is that they are so potent and fruity that it can be hard to tell them apart after the first one. A bit like Southern Californians, really."

There's a lot more history in this little book than you find in bigger drinks books. It's a great read from cover to cover or just dropping in at random.