I always tell myself I don't need more cookbooks, and when it comes to Michael Ruhlman's books I am always -- ALWAYS -- wrong. This book is both interesting and helpful as heck. Add it to your must buy list.

Not only is The Book of Cocktail Ratios interesting and informative, but also beautiful to look at too, thanks to Marcella Kriebel's lovely illustrations. As someone who likes to dabble at cocktail making, Michael Ruhlman's book will now be my go-to manual.

I had no idea as I read this book, that simply substituting one ingredient for another can change the whole makeup of a cocktail. I appreciated Ruhlman's historical anecdotes as well as his own personal history and cocktail preferences that showed up throughout the book.

A good source for those interested in cocktail making. Thank you to #NetGally and Scribner for providing me with this ARC of #TheBookofCocktailRatios.

This is a very informative book written by someone obviously passionate about cocktails and their history. I do not find myself quite as passionate but I appreciated the book nonetheless. I think it would make a great gift.

In THE BOOK OF COCKTAIL RATIOS, Michael Ruhlman seeks to remove the mystery around a range of cocktails; although there are a plethora of concoctions, Ruhlman boils them down to their essence, how a slight adjustment to the ratios creates a new drink.

Ruhlman offers a brief history of the cocktail, covers basics to stock, and then delves into margaritas, martinis, highballs, and more.

While I received this as an ebook, this is the sort of book I prefer to have on hand to physically refer to, having it splayed open on my counter while I explore various cocktails and remind myself of the key ratios.

(I received a digital ARC from the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for my honest review.)

Interesting cocktail recipe book, detailed and easy to understand. I also found the cover attractive and would be drawn to it in a bookstore.

I would love to have a drink with this author just to listen to him talk. My favorite part of this book isn’t the recipes. It’s the lead up to the recipes. The way the author sets the scene if you will. Very cool book.

I made a few drinks from The Book of Cocktail Ratios. Depending on the drink I either left it alone because I liked the drink or I tweaked it just a little. This is a great starting point to making mixed drinks at home and a really good way to experiment with what drinks you prefer.

“The Book of Cocktail Ratios” by Michael Ruhlman is the fourth book about cocktails I have read in the past 12 months. Ruhlman’s book has the strong advantage that, while it includes detailed instructions on how to make a wide variety of cocktails, it also includes variations, history, and explanations that help the reader understand the why’s in addition to the how’s.

The book contains three sections, a high level introduction, a foundation that teaches the reader about the tools, techniques, and ingredients used to make fine cocktails, and 7 chapters that provide information on how to make over 60 cocktails along with many variations and useful tips. I was quite pleased with every cocktail I have tried so far. (Margarita, Mai Tai, and Pegu Club) The “target wheels” in each chapter are an excellent visual reference of the commonalities and differences between the various traditional cocktails. They would are excellent references suitable for framing and displaying.

I thank the author and publisher for kindly providing a temporary electronic review copy of this work. I also look forward to purchasing it as soon as it is published! (Update: Yes, I just bought my very own copy. :-)

As both a reference book and how-to, this was stellar. I work as a sales associate for general beverage and I wish I could just hand this to anyone when they seem overwhelmed about needing to make margaritas from scratch. Personally, I entered it not knowing much about cocktails and being awed and a bit confused by the spirits and liqueurs aisles in a liquor store. This book made cocktails feel approachable, achievable and even easy.

I think the best nonfiction reads like you are having some of the most key secrets revealed to you and this felt just like that. Ruhlman keeps chapters short but scientifically and conveniently summarizes most major cocktails into their 3 or 4 key parts. It includes helpful sections on what you would NEED to buy, but also with just as simple work arounds you can find in any kitchen.

Thanks to this book, I’m hoping to start a heavy, and hopefully, life-long phase of cocktail making.

Thanks to Scribner and Net Galley for an e-copy in exchange for an honest review!

Michael Ruhlman’s 𝘛𝘩𝘦 𝘉𝘰𝘰𝘬 𝘰𝘧 𝘊𝘰𝘤𝘬𝘵𝘢𝘪𝘭 𝘙𝘢𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘴 is a very informative guide to cocktail-making. Ruhlman simplifies mixology by breaking down various drinks into ratios and showing how swapping out spirits can create different alcoholic beverages. He also provides information on the spirits, mixers, bitters, syrups, garnishes, bar tools, and glassware to provide a fuller picture. While the book is helpful, I do wish there were more flourishes other than simple black-and-white illustrations. As a cookbook lover, I enjoy full-color photography of the completed recipes for inspiration.

Thank you to Scribner and NetGalley for an advance reader copy in exchange for an honest review. My review was posted online May 8, 2023 to Goodreads here: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/5293532759.

As a person who doesn't drink often or mix cocktails, this was a great beginner book to help me start mixing my own drinks and trying it out!

Did you know that a Gimlet, a Daiquiri, and a Bee’s Knees are the same cocktail? As are a Cosmopolitan, a Margarita, and a Sidecar. When hosting a party wouldn’t you enjoy saying to your guests, “Would you care for a Boulevardier, perhaps, or a Negroni?” These, too, are the same cocktail, substituting one ingredient for another. Or if you’d like to be able to shake up a batch of whiskey sours for a party of eight in fewer than two minutes.
This is a very interesting book that you can substitute one ingredient for another and come up with a totally different drink. I don’t really drink alcoholic drinks but I found this book and was amazed at how many drinks there are and. This book would be an excellent book for a person getting ready to have a party. You could keep it handy as a reference book to refer to as you make your drinks. If you like to throw parties and have different drinks available for your guests, then you would love this book.

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This was such a fun book! I was expecting more of a recipe book...instead I got a bit of history mixed in with the recipes, as well as an education that many drinks are actually quite similar with just a few tweaks. Definitely one that I would keep for reference, as well as recommend.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the opportunity to read this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

I have always loved Ruhlman’s use of ratios. It opens up the door to a world of creativity in a safe environment. The ratios I have tried always work. Now Ruhlman has applied these skills to the bar and they are equally effective. Wonderful writing and instructions and a very broad application to many cocktails

Wow I have so many new things to try! As someone who is notorious for not measuring my ratios this book helped show me the importance of that.

Concise, succinct, opinionated - I have loved reading books by Michael Ruhlman since I discovered them, and "The Book of Cocktail Ratios" is another excellent addition to the collection. Rather than a recipe book, here we find drinks grouped by the ratio of their components (which I find fascinating). As I savor Mr. Ruhlman's writing style, that he describes the drinks, their history (briefly), and the distinctions between various brands of a drink's components has be asking when it will be 5:00p.

He discusses Practical Matters (barware, glasses, vermouths, etc.) before turning to the cocktails themselves. Each of the 7 chapters gives the "master" ratio and then the drinks built upon that ratio. As I said before, fascinating. This is a keeper, both to read and to use. Five stars and a dash of bitters.

Such a useful book, thank you for granting me a copy!
I’ve long wanted to learn how to make good cocktails, and this volume collects what I really need to know all in one place. I also like that the concept/theme of the book really helps you learn more about how drinks come together more so than you would just following a random recipe.

I never realized how many drinks are actually the same with just switching out the main alcohol! Mr Ruhlman does a great job of making the drinks easy to understand and detailing that really its all about the proportions that change one drink to another! a great read to have on any home bar!

Anyone who knows me, knows I love a good cocktail book!

This one not only delivered delicious recipes but also broke down how to alter and tweak those recipes. Michael Ruhlman is a legend in cocktails so I knew any advice he had would be golden.

I personally can’t wait to purchase a hard copy of this book for my kitchen!

I received a copy of this book through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

This is a nice book. It's a coffee table-esque book about cocktails. There's lots of information and some history about cocktails. There's a lot of standard recipes and while the book is beautiful, there's nothing that really jumped out at me in this.