Liquid Intelligence: The Art and Science of the Perfect Cocktail

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.

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.

Last week I picked up Liquid Intelligence. I wanted to wait to write a review of it until I had a little time to digest the whole thing. First off, I should say that I have a hetero-man-crush on Dave Arnold. I’ve been listening to Cooking Issues for well over a year now. He’s answered numerous questions of mine, some cocktail related. I’ve experimented with many of the concepts in the book before it came out. I bought some Pectinex Ultra-SPL, for instance, and agar, and did a few different juice clarifications. I built my own carbonation rig. I’ve read his work on chilling and dilution and watched all the YouTube videos. There isn’t much he’s done that I haven’t heard about. So I was afraid going in that there’d be nothing I haven’t heard before. Turns out, there’s quite a bit in there I didn’t know, and there’s a lot more depth on some of the things I did know. Dave (he’s answered enough of my questions that I feel like we’re on a first name basis) goes into depth on the science of cocktails. Want to know which sugars are sweeter upfront but fade faster? (Hint, things containing fructose, like agave nectar.) Or which acids to use when? The ingredients section has you covered. Every bartender, whether professional or enthusiastic amateur, needs to read the section on ice. It clears up many misconceptions in the bar industry. There are 25 pages devoted to it, and they’re worth the read possibly more than anything else in the book. His section on Cocktail Calculus has a balance chart that shows, at a glance, the sugar, acid, and alcohol levels of a cocktail. His formula lets you develop cocktails almost mathematically. That’s really interesting to me, and something I hope to play around with more. The section on carbonation will help even those of us who’ve been doing it at home a bit. It had never occurred to me to mix nitrous with CO2. His clarification flowchart will help you figure out how to clarify any juice for bubbles. He’ll help you troubleshoot problem commons. (I think everyone who carbonates has had a drink foam out, only to turn the PSI up and have it foam out even more.) To do most of the stuff in this book you’re probably going to have to get out of your comfort zone if you haven’t done any modernist cooking or mixology. The good news is, Arnold includes a ton of ways to do recipes at home that require little to no equipment. Armed with basic bar tools, an ISI Whip and a Modernist Pantry account, you can do most of the recipes. It won’t be cheap. And it won’t be easy. Most of these drinks take preparation. There’s a list of classic cocktails, but if that’s what you’re looking for (something to stir up and drink right now) PDT or Death and Co. are better books. This isn't meant to be a list of classic recipes. However if you want to push the limits of what a cocktail can be, and don’t mind some prep work (hell, the bottled cocktails save you work at the party) this is THE book right now.

Must have for any classic cocktailing bartender looking to learn a lot about the technicals/science of bartending.

I discovered Dave Arnold while searching YouTube for videos on modernist cooking techniques. (There is a video in which he teams up with Harold McGee for a chemistry in cooking demo at Harvard...definitely worth watching.) After more searching, I found a number of videos in which Dave demonstrates cooking or cocktail techniques he pioneered or perfected. So, prior to reading this book, I already knew about nitro-muddling, general use of LN, force carbonation, and rapid infusion. (Dave had already taught me about those things!) Nevertheless, the book was still exceptional. Dave delves into the part that matters most to me: the WHY behind the techniques. Sometimes, this is an arcane chemistry discussion, and sometimes it's a discussion on the results of extensive empirical tests. Throughout, he focuses on fundamental principles, so you can potentially use his wisdom to explore on your own, even without expensive gear. It's also quite amusing to ride along on his candid and often frustrating journey of discovery through the creation of various concoctions. Dave is an unapologetic mad scientist who truly knows his craft; his devotion is inspiring and his tone is hilarious. (I also recommend watching him on video before reading this so you can hear his voice as the quirky and excitable narrator of the book.) I would recommend this book to any of the following readers (I'm a bit of all of these): 1. True cocktail enthusiasts who want to understand what makes proper drinks taste good, and/or who want to be able to spot a great bartender. 2. Aspiring bartenders who want to learn how to do things REALLY well. 3. Foody-boozer types who aren't afraid of home experimentation or an in-depth discussion of things like flavor notes.

If you're interested in the science of bartending, this is your book. Dave Arnold talks about simple things like proper measuring and making crystal clear ice to practical uses of liquid nitrogen and roto-vaps. Important (to me anyway) is that he makes a distinction between what he talks about in his book and "molecular mixology". As an avid home bartender, this book gave me a greater appreciation of the craft of bartending and I was able to put much of this to immediate use. One thing I'm particularly appreciative of is that the author understands that home bartenders and even most professional bartenders won't ever need or even want to use such devices as roto-vaps but he gives you an appreciation of what they can do and how they can be used. Dave Arnold's writing style is very approachable. He offers fun and drinkable experiments to solidify the concepts in the book and offers interesting and often funny examples of his own journey into craft bartending. I highly recommenced this book. Even if you're simply interested in gaining an appreciation of the bartending craft and have no intention of bartending yourself, this book is both informative and highly amusing.

The author of this book has obviously spent more time in deep contemplation of his drinks than any other cocktail writer I have known. Without hesitation, I can recommend this book to anyone who is interested in the subject matter, and as has been said by other reviewers, the chapter on ice, by itself, is easily enough to justify the purchase price. His lists of equipment recommendations are flawless. That high praise, and my five star rating notwithstanding, I do have a few criticisms. On pages 177 to 188 he writes at length about using a red hot copper poker to make a hot drink, and even compares the differences in flavor that copper produces compared to an iron poker. Nowhere is it mentioned that the TTB (Alcohol and Tobacco Tax and Trade Bureau) has a legal limit of 150 mg/L in alcoholic drinks, and that if the copper in the drink is so strong that you can actually taste it, it is certainly above that level. Before I freak anyone about copper poisoning, bear in mind that copper is found naturally in a lot of ingredients and it would take about 2 liters of cocktail at 150 mg/L to reach a dangerous daily dose. However, if the copper is a lot higher than 150, then perhaps far less. Considering the pains he goes to regarding the safety risks of liquid nitrogen and certain other toxic ingredients, it seems to be a glaring omission. Much of the writing seems to be targeted more at professional bartenders, although he does go out of his way to include home bartenders too. There is not much more praise I can heap on that has not already been said by other reviewers, so I will stop this here. If you are in any way a cocktail geek, you must know this book. I now think of the author as the Sheldon Cooper of Cocktails, and I mean that only as the very highest of compliments.

I think about my ice cubes differently now. I didn't know I even should. This book breaks cocktails down to science. It goes well beyond anything reasonable for at-home drinks, but does so in a way that leaves me feeling informed and improved. Dave Arnold's writing voice is engaging as he takes you on a journey from "I like to make drinks" directly into "Maybe I should buy a centrifuge?" What makes this great is that I not only learned a lot, but I learned enough to draw the line on some techniques and go "This is good enough for me." without joining Arnold on his quest for perfection. It also makes me certain that I will absolutely take any opportunity to drink at Dave Arnold's bar(s) if I get a chance. NOTE: This is not a book of recipes for cocktails. This is a book of technique and science. If you read this book and take in the information he's sharing, you will be much more able to take random cocktail recipes from the books on your shelf, or the internet, and make them better. Further, you'll know why they are better.

Un livre a posséder dans sa bibliothèque, Dave Arnold dévoile sa vision du cocktails et ses expériences. Il faut avoir du matos mais le livre est très intéressant. A conseiller uniquement aux barmans de profession le contenu étant très pointu Edition en anglais

Muy bueno!

l'ho regalato al mio compagno. da Bartender ha apprezzato moltissimo perché il libro da ottimi consigli per la realizzazione di cocktail

Incredible. Puts a new perspective to mixology. A must-have for every professional and enthusiasts.

If you know of David Arnold you already know that he is a source for a very wide range of valuable information on all matters food and drink related (the back catalogue of the 'Cooking Issues' podcast is a gold mine of culinary knowledge). In this book he explains and lays out simply how to go about creating fab drinks. Okay... Some of it needs some hardcore equipment but an awful lot can be done with not much kit. And the methods he describes work and with great tasting results (try the milk washing to remove tannins). I'm no barman, but a cook in search of expanding my knowledge and always seeking to understand and control flavour and this book offers a lot that can be used with food as well as drink. So to sum up- a really worthwhile book for chef or barman which could certainly extend your techniques and knowledge and all washed down with wit, inteligence, and some great recipes and tips. Thank you Mr. Arnold