It was a delight to read about one of the true pioneers of American Bartending. I actually read completely through this without putting it down. Mr. Wondrich is giving us something that has been missing in our country's history books - a factual history of one of America's acheivements - the origins of the modern-day mixologist.
Being a bartender myself, it is nice to finally have an idea as to what and when the beginnings of my occupation transpired. Thank you for giving me, and those like me, the opportunity to read about Mr. Thomas' exploits and to learn some of the concoctions he came up with during his career.

Quite simply the greatest and most scholarly work on the history and culture of the cocktail to date. This book will change your life.

I have to admit that I read through much of this book in one sitting. It is just that engrossing. Wondrich brings a wry and learned manner to his writing, as well as a great enthusiasm for his subject. The downside is that you'll be spending a great deal of money on spirits and barware before you'll be satisfied. ;)

"...and after a Dry Martini or a Sazerac Cocktail or two, we're all cats." This beautiful, marvelous book is the best book I've read this year. It is part biography, part history and part mixology. If you enjoy the odd cocktail or two, you owe a measure of thanks to Jerry Thomas, the "professor". In the latter half of the 19th century, Jerry (now that I feel like I know the man) perfected and prodded forward the development of the cocktail. His life was interesting and productive. The book gives you many examples from his book (subtitled "the Bon-Vivant's Guide") with modern translations of the recipes. I have been experimenting with the recipes myself and have had one or two , um, slow mornings. Well worth it, however. Get the book for the history and enjoy it with a nice Saratoga Cocktail, or perhaps the "Tombstone". Just leave the vodka in the cabinet...forever.

This is perhaps the best cocktail book written since The Fine Art Of Mixing Drinks, astoundingly well researched (which is all to rare when writting about cocktails) and wonderfully told. Imbibe a must read for proffesional bartenders, or for those who like to fix themselves a proper drink, and think about what went into it as they enjoy their tipple. well done Mr Wondrich.

It's less of a modern bartender's guide than a treatise on the essential cocktails and their history. As a bartender in my earlier days, I found the author's handling of drink-making essentials, and especially the illustrations, dead on target. But the best part of this book is its readability. Go straight through it, or pick it up at any point and you will find yourself enthralled by the humor, the detail, the history, and the writing. I raise a glass to Mr. Wondrich. Cheers!

The cocktail has had a glorious 200 year history, much of which unfortunately has gone unheralded for far too long. Thankfully, one of the most diligent cocktail historians of today's milieu has taken it upon himself to rectify this problem.

Using the illustrious "Jerry Thomas" (famous bartender from the mid 1800's and author of the first known bartenders guide) as a focal point, Mr. Wondrich introduces us to the birth and evolution of the cocktail as well as a variety of other categories of "mixed drinks" from that era. With insightful, and often witty explanations he steps carefully through both the drinks and the attitudes of the time which formed the foundation for all that was to follow.

Cocktail recipe books, which cram as many recipes as possible within their pages, are a dime a dozen. To truly understand the cocktail, whether you are a bartender or bar-attender, requires that you have a grasp of the history which preceded our current landscape. For this reason, this book is perhaps the most important book of its kind, and fills a huge void which has surrounded this topic for virtually its entire history.

A wonderful book from cover to cover. "Imbibe!" by David Wondrich even includes la fee verte in its subtitle (from absinthe cocktail to whiskey smash, a salute in stories and drinks to "Professor" Jerry Thomas, pioneer of the American Bar), and the drink receives reasonable coverage between the covers; the author even expresses his affection for Jade Edouard in an early passage. The Sazerac receives a sizable entry and absinthe is a common cocktail ingredient throughout the book. There are also many early American recipes included in the narration: my favorite non-absinthe drink has to be the one consumed by Ethan Allen and his crew the night before they took Fort Ticonderoga; called the "Stone Wall", it was simply equal amounts whiskey and hard cider. Ouch.

Imbibe is the best book ever written on the subject of cocktails and mixed drinks. Plain and simple. Best Ever.

Not only does Wondrich dispel lots of myths about Jerry Thomas, and many, many cocktails--the birth of the Sazerac, for instance--he does it with such wit, turning phrase after phrase in the manner of a master wordsmith. It's a bloody delightful read.

Buy this book for yourself, and buy this book for anyone and everyone you know. Even if they have no interest in the main subject matter--and what are you doing hanging out with people like that, anyway?--if any of your friends has the slightest interest in American social history they will be absolutely spellbound as they travel back in time with Dave and watch illustrious quaffers of the nineteenth and early twentieth centuries doing what they did best: Imbibing.

Wondrich also translates recipes from Thomas' books, and from other books of the same period. He takes them to pieces, examines them thoroughly, and puts them back together so that we can sip a taste of the past. Our copy of the book is already splashed with bitters . . .

Wondrich has shown us all how it should be done. Congrats, Dave.

Gary Regan

An amazing book... Art, History, English, Cocktails, David Wondrich brings his A game in an incredible amalgam of booze, bonding, and bar-tending. I only wish I had the Aristolochia serpentaria clippings.

I would give this one 10 stars if I could.

Great for mixologists and budding mixologists alike. Concise and well written. Finally a well documented/researched "Professor" book. Nice collection of new takes on classic recipes from the circle of who's who of modern cocktailians. Great buy.