DIY Cocktails by Marcia Simmons and Jonas Halpren

I am really tired, so I won't be saying much about today's book, other than that it is rock solid and spot on! Cocktails for Idiots! Seriously, though, if you read this and follow their guidelines for the basic versions of the cocktails, they're basically idiot-proof. It's when you start to get fancy that you're taking the life of your taste buds in your hands…

I do think this is a good beginner's book in a lot of ways. It explains, very conversationally, what differences in supplies are, for instance. However, I don't think they need quite so many cocktail recipes--for the beginners, they muddle things up a bit (pun intended), and for the more seasoned cocktailer, the explanations and basic recipes clutter the more interesting recipes. They would have done better (and sold twice as many books) to make it a two-part series. Book 1: Cocktail Basics. Book 2: Fun Cocktail Recipes.

I will leave it up to you--try this guide out and see if you like it!

~6/10~