Around the World in 80 Cocktails * Allan Gage

Discover 80 of the World's Best Cocktails and the Bars That Made Them Famous. Inspired by Jules Verne's timeless adventure, this vibrant, global mixology guide takes home hosts on a whistle-stop tasting tour of eighty legendary regional drinks, pairing foolproof recipes with the fascinating historical lore behind the world's most iconic bars.

The Story: Written by prominent international drinks consultant, lifestyle journalist, and spirits expert Allan Gage, this celebrated 2005 book is a magnificent entree to global cocktail culture. Gage looks past dry, abstract academic culinary lectures, unvetted drinking fads, or generic, low-friction party punch checklists. Instead, drawing from his extensive travels and deep immersion in international nightlife scenes, he shows that an exceptional drink relies on strict adherence to balancing local artisanal base spirits, fresh regional botanicals, and hand-pressed citrus elements to achieve flawless structural balance in the glass.

The book takes home mixologists, armchair travelers, and visual arts collectors through a spectacular flavor landscape across its beautiful pages. The book organizes your strategic bar menu around an epic global travel route detailing local elixirs as it traces paths through Europe, the Americas, Asia, Africa, and the Pacific. The text guides creativity through accurate, step-by-step assembly and recipes behind regional standards like the Cuban Mojito, the Brazilian Caipirinha, and the Singaporean Singapore Sling, pairing each recipe block with crisp, evocative lifestyle photography and specific glass-garnishing rules.

Rather than reading like a rigid technical laboratory manual, the book is a companion for intentional hospitality and casual entertaining. Gage pairs his mixing science with practical masterclasses on selecting premium bar tools, choosing the correct glassware for each flavor profile, and executing tricky techniques like muddling, shaking, layering, and straining. Published as a premium illustrated hardcover edition by Hamlyn, this perennially popular, highly cited guide remains a definitive cornerstone for beverage arts, home entertaining, and culinary shelves worldwide.

Perfect For: Aspiring home bartenders, holiday hosts, and readers looking for an uncomplicated, highly detailed text to master international cocktail recipes and presentation mechanics; fans of visually driven, travel-centric craft drink books; and library collections archiving classic beverage references.

Published 2004 by Hamlyn.

Food & Drink / Mixology & Bartending Guides / Classic & International Cocktails / Beverage History & Lore / Entertaining & Hospitality / Food & Beverage Photography