Who is Steve the Bartender? You’ll know Steve Roennfeldt from his hugely popular YouTube channel, launched in 2015 and which at the time of writing boasts 600 videos and 713k subscribers. He has more than two decades experience working in the hospitality industry in Australia and is founder of Threefold Distilling.
What’s the USP? A complete guide to cocktails at home, from stocking up your bar, what barware you’ll need, how to make your own syrups and mixers and 125 cocktail recipes. It’s the perfect introduction for cocktail newbies or more experienced amateur enthusiasts who want to up their game. What more could you ask for?
What will I love? The book is beautifully laid out and leads you gradually into the subject, like a mini-cocktail masterclass. First there’s a short history of cocktails (Roennfeldt suggests they are a British invention – hurrah for us – with roots in the bowls of sprits and fruits served in 18th century punch houses) and cocktail timeline that tracks the development of mixed drinks from those simple punches through prohibition, tiki bars, disco drinks and modern technique driven cocktail bars that emerged from he early 90s until today. You’ll then learn about the various cocktail families such sours and highballs.
Now you’re an instant expert on cocktails, you’re ready to get hands on and start stocking up your own home bar. From my own experience, this can be a daunting task; read a random sample of half a dozen modern cocktails online and you might well believe you’re going to need a small fortune and ton of storage for all those obscure premium spirits and random liqueurs. Roennfeldt has the solution, advising his readers to ‘pick a few favourite cocktails, purchase the select bottles needed and expand your bottle collection gradually’. Wise words. Roennfeldt then offers recommendations for spirits, liqueurs, amaros, aromatised wines including vermouths and sherry bitters.
Recipes for making your own syrups and mixers are followed by a primer on types of ice (cubed, crushed and clear) and garnishes like olives and cucumber. Now you’re ready to buy some essential kit like a shaker and a muddler and purchase your glassware. Roennfeldt lists three essentials including highball and six secondary including a hurricane, the tulip shaped glass you serve a pina colada in, all handily illustrated so you know exactly what you need to get and for what purpose.
Finally, Roennfeldt outlines how to execute the essential techniques you’ll need including shaking (10-12 seconds is enough apparently, any longer and you’re wasting everyone’s time) and stirring (it takes longer to achieve the correct serving temperature than you might think, up to 30 seconds. More advanced techniques include ‘fat-washing’; infusing things like bacon and coconut oil into spirits.
Roennfeldt offers some cocktail menus to simplify to job of hosting a cocktail party for friends and then it’s into the recipes. These are grouped in to aperitivo, whiskey, gin, rum, tequilas/mezcal, brandy/cognac/vodka, fortified wine and liqueurs, so something for everyone.
How easy are the recipes to follow? Every recipe is illustrated with a full page colour photograph which looks great and you can see exactly how your drink should look. Every recipe is headed by the main ingredient written in large type at the top of the page which makes it simple to flick through the book and find the category of drinks you are interested in making. Roennfeldt also lists where the drink originated, the type of drink (e.g. tropical), the method of making, the glassware you’ll need and the required garnish so you can quickly decide if you have everything to hand to make the drink or if you need to go shopping or maybe choose another recipe.
Instructions are clear and comprehensive with both ounce and ml measurements, so you won’t put a foot wrong. How complicated can mixing a drink be? Well, there are more variables than you might expect and Roennfeldt covers them all. For example, in his recipe for Port-au-Prince, a rum-based tropical drink, named after the Haitian capital, that originated circa 1930 by Don the Beachcomber and that’s served in a footed pilsner glass with a lime wedge (I learned all that in seconds just by reading the recipe), Roennfeldt recommends ‘flashblending’ the drink in a milkshake maker, but offers the alternative method of ‘whip shaking’ – a short shake with a small amount of pebble ice that will chill, combine and aerate the drink. He also offers an alternative recipe by increasing the quantity of rum and splitting it between two types, aged Haitian and demerara rum.
Should I buy the book? If you are new to cocktail making, or want to kick your home bartending skills up a notch, this is the book for you. Like any great educator, Roennfeldt has seen his subject from his reader/pupil’s point of view ensuring they have all the information they need. There is no assumption of knowledge or expertise on the reader’s part so you won’t find yourself having to Google jargon related to techniques or equipment or ingredients. It’s an extremely well thought-through book that look great too. What are you waiting for? Order the book, get your shake (or stir) on and take your drinking (of the responsible kind of course).
Cuisine: Cocktails
Suitable for: Beginners/Confident home bartenders
Cookbook Review Rating: Five stars
Buy this book: Steve The Bartender’s Cocktail Guide
£20, Alpha
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