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W. W. Norton & Company

Liquid Intelligence: The Art and Science of the Perfect Cocktail

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Format: Hardcover


Description

Winner of the 2015 James Beard Award for Best Beverage Book and the 2015 IACP Jane Grigson Award. A revolutionary approach to making better-looking, better- tasting drinks.In Dave Arnold’s world, the shape of an ice cube, the sugars and acids in an apple, and the bubbles in a bottle of champagne are all ingredients to be measured, tested, and tweaked.With Liquid Intelligence, the creative force at work in Booker & Dax, New York City’s high-tech bar, brings readers behind the counter and into the lab. There, Arnold and his collaborators investigate temperature, carbonation, sugar concentration, and acidity in search of ways to enhance classic cocktails and invent new ones that revolutionize your expectations about what a drink can look and taste like.Years of rigorous experimentation and study―botched attempts and inspired solutions―have yielded the recipes and techniques found in these pages. Featuring more than 120 recipes and nearly 450 color photographs, Liquid Intelligence begins with the simple―how ice forms and how to make crystal- clear cubes in your own freezer―and then progresses into advanced techniques like clarifying cloudy lime juice with enzymes, nitro-muddling fresh basil to prevent browning, and infusing vodka with coffee, orange, or peppercorns.Practical tips for preparing drinks by the pitcher, making homemade sodas, and building a specialized bar in your own home are exactly what drink enthusiasts need to know. For devotees seeking the cutting edge, chapters on liquid nitrogen, chitosan/gellan washing, and the applications of a centrifuge expand the boundaries of traditional cocktail craft.Arnold’s book is the beginning of a new method of making drinks, a problem-solving approach grounded in attentive observation and creative techniques. Readers will learn how to extract the sweet flavor of peppers without the spice, why bottling certain drinks beforehand beats shaking them at the bar, and why quinine powder and succinic acid lead to the perfect gin and tonic.Liquid Intelligence is about satisfying your curiosity and refining your technique, from red-hot pokers to the elegance of an old-fashioned. Whether you’re in search of astounding drinks or a one-of-a-kind journey into the next generation of cocktail making, Liquid Intelligence is the ultimate standard―one that no bartender or drink enthusiast should be without. 450 color photographs Read more


Publisher ‏ : ‎ W. W. Norton & Company; 1st edition (November 10, 2014)


Language ‏ : ‎ English


Hardcover ‏ : ‎ 416 pages


ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 0393089037


ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 35


Item Weight ‏ : ‎ 3.31 pounds


Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 8.4 x 1.2 x 10.3 inches


Best Sellers Rank: #3,218 in Books (See Top 100 in Books) #3 in Juices & Smoothies (Books) #9 in Alcoholic Spirits #11 in Cocktails & Mixed Drinks


#3 in Juices & Smoothies (Books):


#9 in Alcoholic Spirits:


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Top Amazon Reviews

    • Cocktail science at its absolute best.
A MUST READ for any mixologist. I create high end cocktail menus for a living, and this book has become my new Bible for advanced mixology. It will provide any professional or home enthusiast the information to perfect classic drinks and usher them into the modern age. Arnold’s drink recipes are fantastic- but the most valuable aspect of this text is its plethora of cutting edge cooking/ mixing methods and ingredient recipes. He provides the “why” and “how” & the “do’s and dont’s” of flavor pairings, garnishes, and techniques in a clearly stated yet in-depth analysis of the science behind mixing the modern cocktail. An innovative and refreshing near-textbook on mixology, Dave Arnold’s Liquid Intelligence stands alone. ... show more
Reviewed in the United States 🇺🇸 on November 20, 2022 by Thomas
    • people like Dave Arnold who practice that the 'right' cocktail is ...
Shortly after I finished reading my first alcohol book (The Drunken Botanist), I found myself desperately searching for something that could measure up to it and could teach me the things I needed to know. Upon receiving many recommendations for Liquid Intelligence, I decided to purchase it for Kindle, since I couldn't wait for it to be shipped. About halfway through I vowed never again to buy a cocktail book (or any reference book) without being able to hold it in my hands. I did not abandon the book, but in electronic form it was of little use to me in my average references. Recently while discussing books with a regular, she mentioned that she had purchased a cocktail book that proved to be wildly over her head and far more than she had ever needed... I immediately knew which one she was talking about and she was gracious enough to give me her copy. I am a more fulfilled woman today, with this book in my hands. In every aspect of Liquid Intelligence, Dave Arnold's character is clear. He is a scientist who puts on the garb of bartender. He is a perfectionist in an artists game. In my mind, there is a range of cocktail artists... on one end you have the artist, someone who pours until the cocktail is 'right', someone who makes a different cocktail every time. On the other end of the spectrum is the scientist, people like Dave Arnold who practice that the 'right' cocktail is the perfectly balanced one, a blend that can be found through practice and repetition. People like this create as much consistency as can every be had in the cocktail industry. On both ends of the spectrum boundaries are pushed in ways the average person could never anticipate. Liquid Intelligence begins you with over 30 pages on measurements, units and equipment. He then has 25 pages on Ice. Part 3: New Techniques and Ideas involves things like nitro-muddling, pokers, iSi Whipper, and fat washing. This is not a beginners cocktail book. This is not a home-bar cocktail book. This book is by a professional, for professionals. While Dave Arnold's writing style is extremely accessible and he does not delve into too much scary molecular science, if read as a beginner or an average home enthusiast, one of two things will happen: 1. you will fall in love with it and but entirely too many things you don't need and constantly be asking for more than the average bar can supply or 2. you will think cocktail making is some inaccessible science, bordering on wizardry and that you could never hope to be a part of it. I fall into the first category and freely declare myself to be an impractical person when it comes to the things I want for my bar. My friend falls into the second category and while I am glad that it led this book to me, I am also saddened by the fact that she felt she was unable to continue on a cocktail journey. Her husband is a chef and she is a bookworm with a great deal of spirit... there is no reason she cannot explore complex cocktails at home and I have no alternative but to believe that it is this book that deterred her. I am not driven the way Dave Arnold is. His focus and consistency are not my style, but I still found this book incredibly interesting. It also was extremely helpful for establishing 'Best Practices' in my opinion. There are many people out there who will be happy to tell you that shaken is better or stirred is better but Dave Arnold took the time to break it down to what is actually happening in the glass. For those things that we can do at our limited bars, it is best to do them as well as is possible. Many of the small things I do throughout the day are with his advice in mind, such as icing a drink after all ingredients have been added or slapping mint instead of tearing it. This book is also jam-packed with pictures for reference. Arnold ensures that every explanation is as thorough as if you were sitting in a classroom. He explains why he does everything, which is incredibly helpful for the bartender who is looking to bring a new elevation to their cocktails. Overall, I love this book. I dream enthusiastically about the day I get to go to Booker & Dax and less enthusiastically about the morning afterwards. If you are thoroughly entrenched in the alcohol business, either as a home enthusiast or as a bartender/mixologist I recommend it with passion. If you are not thoroughly entrenched, if you are still hesitant when walking down the liquor isle or nervous when going on shift... maybe wait a while. Read some other books first, talk to some other bartenders and do your own research. This is an experience that is best done at the right time, not the closest time. ... show more
Reviewed in the United States 🇺🇸 on October 3, 2017 by Megan Campbell
    • This is a 400-level text on bartending, not just a bartending how-to.
I'm going to sum up this book as succinctly as possible: I'm a professional bartender that has remodeled his kitchen to be as much a chemistry lab as it is a place of cooking. I have a HUGE library dedicated to bartending books... in addition to cooking, gastro, flavor-profiling, pairing, etc. I love the food and beverage industry, and I believe that a bartender is as responsible for creating an enjoyable meal as a chef. My personality is front-of-house while my mentality and drive (and sometimes my personality, too) is back-of-house. This book is perfect for people like me that are always on the look-out for ways to bring new techniques to their libations, not to mention a thorough explanation for why things work they way they do... which is wonderful for inspiration. However, this book is also perfect for someone that simply wants to know how to make the magic happen at home. 1) Dave Arnold is a genius. Certifiably, not hyperbole. It takes a unique and gifted soul to bring this level of thoughtfulness to his trade, and a generous spirit to pass along just enough of that information to make someone incredibly dangerous if they're on a first-name basis with their welding shop (like me: former iron-worker). What he has to say about everything is worth paying attention to... especially the giant chapter on ice. It's funny to say it, but embracing 25 pages on solid water has made me a much better bartender than the hundred of other pages detailing elevated techniques. 2) Outside of understanding how ice and dilution actually work to make or break a cocktail, there is very little in this book that pertains to bringing an extra bit of flair and wonder to your bar. Tossing bottles is for kids that work at TGI Fridays. Real flair is about making the creation of something that's liquid unforgettable look effortless. This book is all about preparation. The first part is education. The second part is experimentation. The third part is learning how to set everything up in advance so that the actual mixing, building and shaking is as smooth and consistent as possible. 3) This book will force you to be a better bartender. I don't care if you're a professional or home-based booze-hound: this book will force you to elevate your knowledge and ability just from the kind of humble enthusiasm Arnold communicates for the bartending trade. Not only am I a better, more educated bartender capable of applying the various techniques and technologies discussed in Liquid Intelligence to the recipes bound within it, I've also gained the confidence to seek out my own individuality using these lessons. I have a ten-pound bottle of liquid nitrogen in my kitchen, now... and I'm sourcing a carbonator. And then there's the red-hot poker I know just enough about electrical engineering and fabrication to injure myself perfecting. 4) This book has made such an impact on me that I've begun carrying my own tools to my job. I refuse to use pint glasses for shaking cocktails, I refuse to use their muddlers, I refuse to use their strainers. Just like when I worked on steel fifteen years ago, I pack in my own tools every day I go to work, and when I take over a new bar in three months, all of the bartenders that work for me will do the same. Chefs pack their knives. Carpenters pack their saws. Real bartenders pack their shakers, clarify their juices, and analyze every bottle with a Brix meter to make sure each cocktail they craft is consistently delicious. THAT'S how good Liquid Intelligence is. ... show more
Reviewed in the United States 🇺🇸 on March 9, 2015 by Ringo is a terrible drummer
    • Good read
Ton of information relevant for almost any level of knowledge when it comes to crafting cocktails. Must read for anyone who takes cocktails seriously.
Reviewed in the United States 🇺🇸 on October 3, 2022 by aaron mathis

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