The ultimate bartenders guide how to create delicious drinks using spirits, liqueurs, wine, beers and mixers. There are instructions for making both alcoholic and non-alcoholic drinks, accompanied by glorious photographs. All the best-loved cocktails are featured, as well as some more unusual drinks to try. Here are classic formulas of the 1920s Jazz Age such as White Lady and Maiden's Blush, drinks from the 1980s cocktail revival such as Buck's Fizz and Green Caribbean, and trendsetting concotions popular in bars today such as Cosmopolitan and Titanic. At the back of the book is a comprehensive guide to the different types of alcohol and mixers available, including spirits, liqueurs, fortified wines, beer and wine: find out how each type of drink is made, its taste and how it should be served. There is also a fascinating history of alcohol, plus a useful guide to bartending equipment, glasses, garnishes and tricks of the trade. Practical advice is given on how to prepare a party, together with useful information about alcohol and health, including tips for safe drinking and avoiding hangovers. The author, Stuart Walton, has been writing about alcoholic drinks since the early 1990s. A prolific writer and commentator on wines and spirits, he is currently writing for the London Paper, World of Fine Wine magazine and www.wine-pages.com. He is also the author of The New Encyclopedia of Wine (Lorenz Books) as well as You Heard It Through The Grapevine, Out Of It: A Cultural History of Intoxication and (with Jeffrey Benson) The Right Wine with the Right Food.