Playboy's Host & Bar Book

by Thomas Mario

How to run a bar and impress your guests.

Genres: Cookbooks, Cocktails

339 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 1971

Reviews

[Redsteve · Rating 2 out of 5]

Fair warning: this book (published in 1971 and including material written for Playboy Magazine between 1955 and 1971) is very dated; from the prices for pretty much anything, the florid prose and overblown descriptions, to the "standard" drinks (martinis, manhattans, and highballs). That being said, most of the tips on organizing various sorts of parties, of setting up a home bar, doing tastings, and mixing drinks in general are still solid. Recipes are included for pretty much any drink you can think of (and many you can't) popular in the mid-20th Century. One annoying feature is that the author takes many drinks made with a certain alcohol and then lists a dozen or more versions of the same exact drink made with a different liqueur as if it's a completely different beverage whether of not the variant tastes good; this may be done either to "pad out" the page count or increase the number of drinks listed. A decent book, but, outside of the timeless drink recipes and advice, rather dated. 2.5 stars.