The Bartender’s Pantry

Jim Meehans achievements as a pioneering bartender at Gramercy Tavern, The Pegu Club, and PDT in New York City helped pave the path for this generations craft cocktail industry. Here, hes crafted an advanced handbook focused on the zero-proof components of cocktails that make or break the integrity of a drink.

The Bartenders Pantryincludes concise overviews of ten categories of ingredientssugars, spices, dairy, grains and nuts, fruits, vegetables, flowers and herbs, coffee, tea, soda and mineral water, and fermentsthat cover each subjects modern history in drinks, popular production practices, artisan processing methods, and common distribution channels before suggesting sourcing and service insights from experts in each field. The primers grapple with the challenges producers, distributors, and consumers each face as the ingredient moves through the food chain and into the bartenders pantry.

Each chapter features artfully illustrated recipes incorporating the featured ingredients that bring the reader into the kitchens of some of the worlds most revered bartenders, baristas, importers, and chefs. Their innovative takes on traditional recipes including horchata, matcha, Turkish coffee, sorrel, kvass, and iced cream are followed by full-page photos of over 50 cocktails that incorporate them including modern classics like theGin Basil Smash,Earl Grey MarTEAniandPenicillin.

Inspired by kitchen references like Deborah MadisonsVegetable Literacyand Harold McGeesKeys to Good Cooking,The Bartender’s Pantryis an indispensable handbook for hospitality professionals, curious cooks, and anyone interested in how novel and traditional global beverages are connected to international foodways and our wellbeing itself.