Made my party better as my friends and I experimented with drinks we never would've tried before. It became the theme of the party and they can't wait to do it again

I loved this book. It had such beautiful imagery, and very interesting cocktails. They were delish! The only thing I wish was if some of the more classic cocktails were featured, since I always want to master those too. Even the classics with a twist.

Pretty great. I really like how the book is organized. Some of the recipes are a bit too difficult for a beginner mixologist.

Unfortunately for me, this book is a flop. While each of the drinks does only require a single spirit, many of the other ingredients are things I'm even less likely to have on hand. The recipes are pretty complex and many have odd things in them. Every single one of them would have required a special trip to the store. None of these are spur of the moment drinks. This book might work for those with a tiny home bar, but you'd need to have a robust fridge with many funky ingredients (who just keeps green tomato on hand?). You would want to make these drinks only when you've got friends over, and there's a lot of effort put forth per drink.

I wouldn't say this is a beginner friendly cocktail book. Definitely more for an experienced yet adventurous home mixologist who wants to make a specialty cocktail or two for a special event. These are definitely not "Tuesday night after work" drinks.

I received a free advanced copy from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review

Maggie Hoffman set out to create a cocktail book that didn't require a trip to the liquor store to stalk up on tons of obscure mixers. She cultivated a group of recipes that centers around one standard spirit and things you can find at the local grocery store. With bartenders from all over the country helping contribute to her new recipes these are in no way boring cocktails or ingredients, can we say star anise syrup, aloe vera juice or tajin seasoning.

The photographs are beautiful and the cocktail names are fun. Some of the recipes are designed for individual drinks while others are larger batch party friendly. I was reading a digital ARC copy so I am not sure if it was just my version but some of the recipes were mushed together with no break between making it harder to differentiate the different cocktails.

This book has a lot of fun cocktails to try and is a great concept.

I love the idea of this book, simplifying cocktails. I didn't feel like the book did that though. There are too many ingredients in most of them, and I couldn't even found a handful within the book that sounded even remotely appealing to me. The one-bottle cocktail would appeal to people who enjoy fresh ingredients in their cocktails, but I think most people when drinking or entertaining want something they can mix quickly.

A fun and creative take on cocktails! Simple recipes featuring simple ingredients makes The One-Bottle Cocktail a bargain find that's both light on the wallet and time. A must-have addition to the home bar mixology library.

In accordance with the publisher’s request, I will not publish the following review to Goodreads until 27 February 2018, which is within one week of the book’s publication date of 06 March 2018.

I love to read and work from cocktail books; therefore, I was thrilled when I was approved for The One Bottle Cocktail, which I mistakenly thought was about premixing cocktails in a bottle for parties. Nope! Its basic premise is that one bottle of basic spirit – vodka, gin, tequila, mezcal, rum, pisco, cognac, rye, bourbon, or scotch – can be used to make several different lovely drinks. Forget having a 12-bottle bar; all you need is one bottle of liquor, a well-stocked refrigerator and/or pantry, and perhaps some heavy-duty kitchen equipment.

The book is basically divided into three parts: an 18-page introduction, approximately 160 pages of cocktail recipes, and a few pages of useful lists. Full-page full-color photographs are sprinkled throughout the book. The introduction first reviews the rules of the book, like the fact that there are no vermouths, liqueurs, or bitters required by the recipes and the fact that the recipes come from bartenders and “drinks creators” in major cities across the United States, as well as London. Although each chapter offers recipes designed around the subject spirit, the Bonus Drinks page at the end highlights drinks from other sections that can be made with the subject spirit as well. The introduction also discusses tools, tricks, and other information that is necessary to get started making “fancy bar-worthy drinks.” My favorite parts of this section were the primers on making simple syrup and honey syrup, as well as the substitution of aquafaba for egg whites.

The cocktail recipes were divided into sections according to base spirit. Mezcal and tequila were grouped together as agave; pisco and cognac were grouped together as brandy; rye, bourbon, and scotch were grouped together as whiskey. Each base spirit group had at least nine drinks – ranging from super fruity to mildly spicy. Each recipe clearly indicated how many it served. Usually, the recipes only made one serving; however, there seemed to be half a dozen or so higher yield punch recipes sprinkled throughout. The recipe headnote mentioned the creator of the drink and discussed the finer points of its taste and preparation, including any suggestions for base liquor substitution. Ingredients were clearly listed in order of use along the left hand side of the recipe instructions. Recipe instructions were written in paragraph format, but with a good level of detail and extra explanation. For example, each recipe spelled out exactly how many seconds to shake it and what type of glass to strain into. Subrecipes for specialized syrups, shrubs, and infusions were listed immediately after the main recipe on the same page.

The first set of lists at the end of the book are the lists of Drinks by Season and Occasion. I thought the lists by season was especially helpful since the recipes seem to rely so much on ripe seasonal produce, like peaches and blackberries, for example. The second set of lists at the end of the book are the lists of brands for each spirit as recommended by the contributing bartenders. The index at the end of the book is fairly comprehensive, as it lists all the ingredients used in the different drinks, as well as the names of the drinks and the names of the contributors.

The full-color photography in the book was absolutely lovely. The cocktail photography gave an excellent idea of what the final product should look like and how it should be presented. I would have liked to have seen one photograph of the finished cocktail to accompany each recipe; however, this was not the case. Some recipes had no photographs at all, while others were accompanied by styled photographs of key ingredients.

I’m not certain whether I would purchase this book for myself or for my friends. There isn’t anything about it that strikes me as a “must buy” as all my friends are more likely to have extensive liquor cabinets than the patience to make the juices, shrubs, syrups, and infusions required by the more down to earth recipes. Some of the recipes are really odd – like requiring tofu in a vodka sour or radicchio syrup to replace the taste of Campari in a Boulevardier clone or milk infused with honey nut Cheerios in a bourbon drink. As for myself, I think that tracking down that exotic bottle and then finding more uses for it is one of the most fun parts of the cocktail craft.

I have yet to attempt any recipes from this cookbook. When I do, I will update my review.

Plenty of cocktail recipes to try, all using just one spirit. There are lots of different ingredients used, however, including herbs, syrups, sodas, fruit and spices. The book includes instructions on making your own syrups which adds an impressive handcrafted level to your drinks. There is also a section explaining the main tools you'll need which is good for beginners.

This elegant book of cocktails is full of startlingly unusual recipes for delicious drinks. The author has compiled a selection of recipes from mixologists across the country that feature one bottle (hence the title) and NO liqueurs, vermouths or bitters, which makes the recipes much easier and less expensive to make at home.

The recipes are sweet, savoury, exotic and exciting. Not having much cocktail experience, I still think it would be fun to make a special drink for special occasions, and it is always fun to try something new. This is the perfect book for making special cocktails at home, without ruining your budget or confusing people at the liquor store who have never heard super fancy ingredients that other recipes call for.

I like that the book is divided by type of spirit: Vodka, Gin, Agave, Rum, Brandy and Whiskey. Brand recommendations are provided, as well as lists of drinks by season and occasion. Several variations are also provided, which increases the amount of recipes and makes them more easy to customize.

This is a very nice looking book, and would make an excellent, elegant gift for anyone who likes trying new drinks or entertains frequently.