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3-Ingredient Cocktails: An Opinionated Guide to the Most Enduring Drinks in the Cocktail Canon
Finalist for the 2018 James Beard Foundation Book Awards for "Beverage" category
A collection of the greatest drinks of all time, modern and classic, all of which conveniently feature only three ingredients.
3-Ingredient Cocktails is a concise history of the best classic cocktails, and a curated collection of the best three-ingredient cocktails of the modern era. Organized by style of drink and variations, the book features 75 delicious recipes for cocktails both classic (Japanese Cocktail, Bee's Knees, Harvey Wallbanger) and contemporary (Remember the Alimony, Little Italy, La Perla), in addition to fun narrative asides and beautiful full-color photography.
A collection of the greatest drinks of all time, modern and classic, all of which conveniently feature only three ingredients.
3-Ingredient Cocktails is a concise history of the best classic cocktails, and a curated collection of the best three-ingredient cocktails of the modern era. Organized by style of drink and variations, the book features 75 delicious recipes for cocktails both classic (Japanese Cocktail, Bee's Knees, Harvey Wallbanger) and contemporary (Remember the Alimony, Little Italy, La Perla), in addition to fun narrative asides and beautiful full-color photography.
176 pages, Hardcover
First published September 26, 2017
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Displaying 1 - 22 of 22 reviews
February 7, 2025
"David Wondrich, the most eminent drinks historian of our time, delivered the hapless Whiskey Sour a knockout punch in the pages of Esquire at the turn of the century, calling it "the fried egg sandwich of American mixology: simple, dull, reliable in a pinch...the cocktail in its undershirt."
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The best drinks book I've ever read. The concept itself is a winner to begin with, given the silly excesses to which modern mixologists feel the need to go in order to stand out (cough, BarChef, cough). Everything is manageable and doable.
Simonson, as perhaps we should rightly expect from the NYT staff drinks writer...is a great writer. Funny, extremely well-informed, and has a great editor, because the intro to each chapter gives you exactly as much info and history as you want before you start to feel silly reading that much about a cocktail. Then, straight into the drink recipes.
A great coffee table adornment for those who drink casually...for those who take it a little more seriously than that, it will be a book to return to many times over.
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The best drinks book I've ever read. The concept itself is a winner to begin with, given the silly excesses to which modern mixologists feel the need to go in order to stand out (cough, BarChef, cough). Everything is manageable and doable.
Simonson, as perhaps we should rightly expect from the NYT staff drinks writer...is a great writer. Funny, extremely well-informed, and has a great editor, because the intro to each chapter gives you exactly as much info and history as you want before you start to feel silly reading that much about a cocktail. Then, straight into the drink recipes.
A great coffee table adornment for those who drink casually...for those who take it a little more seriously than that, it will be a book to return to many times over.
March 27, 2018
OK, so I like reading cocktail books. Is that so bad a thing? Sure, I never get around to making most of them but they all have such interesting histories. And maybe, just maybe, some day I'll have a bar from which I can simply grab the ingredients and whip up everything in those books.
When that day comes this will be the first book I reach for. Mr. Simonson knows his stuff (as evidenced by his book The Old Fashioned, another enjoyable ready) and enjoys expounding on his knowledge.
And, boy howdy, the man is opinionated! In a good way. Look, I love my wife dearly. But her favorite mixed drink involves eight ingredients and takes an incredibly long time to whip up. Sure, I'll do it for her. But my favorite cocktails (notice the distinction?) have always involved a mere three ingredients. Thus I was immediately captivated by the title.
He starts with his definition of a cocktail: A spirit, a bitter, and a sweetening or souring agent. That's it. That's all you need. Anything else is not a cocktail. With these in hand he precedes to make an vast array of tasty concoctions for that 5:00 hour. Tho' he does add one more ingredient…
This man is opinionated! His discourse on the Martini alone probably bans him from many social circles. And don't get him started on the Old-Fashioned. (tho', truth to tell, he does seem to love it in almost all of it's incarnations. Just leave the fruit salad in a separate bowl)
And if three ingredients are too many for you then grab a copy of Ms. McCartney's Cocktails for Drinkers: Not-Even-Remotely-Artisanal, Three-Ingredient-or-Less Cocktails that Get to the Point. Because sometimes you just don't want to take the time to grab three things…
When that day comes this will be the first book I reach for. Mr. Simonson knows his stuff (as evidenced by his book The Old Fashioned, another enjoyable ready) and enjoys expounding on his knowledge.
And, boy howdy, the man is opinionated! In a good way. Look, I love my wife dearly. But her favorite mixed drink involves eight ingredients and takes an incredibly long time to whip up. Sure, I'll do it for her. But my favorite cocktails (notice the distinction?) have always involved a mere three ingredients. Thus I was immediately captivated by the title.
He starts with his definition of a cocktail: A spirit, a bitter, and a sweetening or souring agent. That's it. That's all you need. Anything else is not a cocktail. With these in hand he precedes to make an vast array of tasty concoctions for that 5:00 hour. Tho' he does add one more ingredient…
This man is opinionated! His discourse on the Martini alone probably bans him from many social circles. And don't get him started on the Old-Fashioned. (tho', truth to tell, he does seem to love it in almost all of it's incarnations. Just leave the fruit salad in a separate bowl)
And if three ingredients are too many for you then grab a copy of Ms. McCartney's Cocktails for Drinkers: Not-Even-Remotely-Artisanal, Three-Ingredient-or-Less Cocktails that Get to the Point. Because sometimes you just don't want to take the time to grab three things…
July 14, 2024
Excellent. The simple drinks tend to be the best. I also love that most drinks follow similar patterns. All cocktails are spirits modified by a pairing of either sweet and bitter or sweet and sour.
November 13, 2017
Mr Simonson's little book packs a lot of whollup in not very many (relatively small) pages. The design is overwrought, and his commentary sometimes raises my feminist hackles, but overall his book is a smart piece of work and vastly superior to the typical small-format-photo-centric cocktail book that it will be competing with for stocking stuffer fodder this Christmas. I sincerely hope that indecisive gift-givers are swayed by its awesome cover art because I'm confident that the world will be better with more copies of this book in it.
May 22, 2022
This books is delightful. Simonson is witty and informative, with a dash or two of snark, and tempting photos. I plan to make ALL of the drinks for which he's provided recipes—'though it probably wouldn't be prudent to do them all at one time.
November 16, 2017
Good variety of easy-to-make drinks
I liked the simplicity of this book, most everything is easily obtainable and approachable and used in more than one drink. Something for everyone in here.
I liked the simplicity of this book, most everything is easily obtainable and approachable and used in more than one drink. Something for everyone in here.
December 30, 2017
I’m no cocktail expert. In fact, I’m an amateur so this little book which I gave my husband for Christmas explains a lot of things about cocktail recipes I didn’t understand. Although making a cocktail for my book club, I think I’ll leave making them to the experts. Oh, and give me a sour anytime.
August 2, 2023
As a lover of 3 ingredient cocktails (in the interest of speed, simplicity, and not wanting to keep a ton of obscure ingredients around), I found the familiar recipes in the book to be spot-on, a few that I need to revisit, and a few new ones to try…first up…The Cosmonaut.
January 8, 2018
Succinct cocktail compendium with scintillating commentary on every drink. Yet another great work from this author, can’t wait to see what he writes next!
January 25, 2018
This is not just a list of recipes, well written, both amusing and entertaining. There is a lot of interesting history here. One for the reference shelf.
February 9, 2018
Great succinct guide to making really good drinks, with simple recipes.
May 16, 2019
An excellent book, I can't wait to follow his clear instructions on making great drinks.
April 18, 2020
very much coming in handy during quarantine.
the tastiest cocktails are the simplest cocktails. but the simplest cocktails are the most nuanced.
the tastiest cocktails are the simplest cocktails. but the simplest cocktails are the most nuanced.
May 4, 2020
Opinionated is right!
June 2, 2020
Nice photos and many recipes that are easy to make (if you have the right ingredients). A keeper for my bar cart.
March 22, 2021
if you are a beginner and want to buy one cocktail book, let it be this one
July 16, 2021
Not nearly as dry as you might think a book of cocktails would be. I have quite a few new drinks to try, now.
July 22, 2021
Well.... I guess I must invest in a Boston Shaker and a Bar Spoon.... then I will be able to further my mixology skills with some of the recipes in this book.
June 3, 2022
Witty and informative.
February 9, 2026
Very good little cocktail book
November 13, 2017
I love the simple premise of this book, that is, you don’t need a basketful of ingredients to make a great drink. In fact, with just three ingredients, you can make a great-tasting cocktail.
This book is an opinionated antidote to those fussy cocktail books with their 10+ ingredient recipes requiring obscure items like lamb wool tincture and shaved squirrel saliva.
This book is an opinionated antidote to those fussy cocktail books with their 10+ ingredient recipes requiring obscure items like lamb wool tincture and shaved squirrel saliva.
December 3, 2020
Hard to find any complaints with this one. Beautiful images, easy-to-follow recipes, and some amazing backstories on any number of classic cocktails. This guide has it all.
Displaying 1 - 22 of 22 reviews