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The PDT Cocktail Book: The Complete Bartender's Guide from the Celebrated Speakeasy
Now you don’t have to leave your home to learn how to mix and serve the sensational cocktails created by Jim Meehan, the nationally renowned mixologist at PDT, one of New York City’s hottest bars.
Beautifully illustrated, beautifully designed, and beautifully crafted—just like its namesake—this is the ultimate bar book by NYC's most meticulous bartender. To say that PDT is a unique bar is an understatement. It recalls the era of hidden Prohibition speakeasies: to gain access, you walk into a raucous hot dog stand, step into a phone booth, and get permission to enter the serene cocktail lounge. Now, Jim Meehan, PDT's innovative operator and mixmaster, is revolutionizing bar books, too, offering all 304 cocktail recipes available at PDT plus behind-the-scenes secrets. From his bar design, tools, and equipment to his techniques, food, and spirits, it's all here, stunningly illustrated by Chris Gall.
Beautifully illustrated, beautifully designed, and beautifully crafted—just like its namesake—this is the ultimate bar book by NYC's most meticulous bartender. To say that PDT is a unique bar is an understatement. It recalls the era of hidden Prohibition speakeasies: to gain access, you walk into a raucous hot dog stand, step into a phone booth, and get permission to enter the serene cocktail lounge. Now, Jim Meehan, PDT's innovative operator and mixmaster, is revolutionizing bar books, too, offering all 304 cocktail recipes available at PDT plus behind-the-scenes secrets. From his bar design, tools, and equipment to his techniques, food, and spirits, it's all here, stunningly illustrated by Chris Gall.
368 pages, Hardcover
First published November 1, 2011
61 people are currently reading
816 people want to read
About the author
Jim Meehan
6 books17 followersJim Meehan is the co-founder of the celebrated speakeasy PDT in New York's East Village. He began bartending at the University of Wisconsin at Madison and worked at New York City mainstays such as Gramercy Tavern before founding his own cocktail bar inside of a popular hotdog stand. Mr Meehan is a frequent contributor to cocktail magazines; The PDT Cocktail Book is his first book. Mr Meehan now lives in Portland, Oregon.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 32 reviews
December 6, 2013
Look, this book is pretty great. I mean it. Lots of recipes for not only cocktails, but infusions as well, explanations on how to do things like flame peels (if you were unfamiliar) - it's quite good. And truly, I appreciate the level of specificity used by Meehan in regards to liquor brands and what not, because ingredients very much matter.
However.
If I ever wanted to intimidate a friend OUT OF making their own drinks at home, which I would never, but ever, want to do, I would give them this book. My own home bar has been (fairly) accused of being extremely, perhaps even unreasonably extensive (yes, I can clear the 100 bottle mark with more than a little room to spare), yet I was able to go several pages in PDT on more than one occasion without encountering a drink I could make without a run to a liquor store* or placing an order online. And that's not even getting into brand substitutions.
Being me, yes, I've made several runs and placed a number of orders since I acquired PDT, and I've been pleased with the results. Specificity aside, the book doesn't feel sacrosanct - it's a working book, and I felt free(r) to futz accordingly. That being said, I very much doubt I'd actually recommend this book to many; my friends who could get the most utility likely already have it or have heard of it, while my friends who're beginning to expand their home cocktail repertoire would probably benefit from less imposing ingredients, and fewer too. In conclusion, I rather like it for all that, but YMMV.
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* And not the closest one, or even merely a reasonably decent one - I can think of two, maybe three stores in my somewhat major metropolitan area that stock a selection extensive enough and quality enough to even *potentially* have certain ingredients in this book.
However.
If I ever wanted to intimidate a friend OUT OF making their own drinks at home, which I would never, but ever, want to do, I would give them this book. My own home bar has been (fairly) accused of being extremely, perhaps even unreasonably extensive (yes, I can clear the 100 bottle mark with more than a little room to spare), yet I was able to go several pages in PDT on more than one occasion without encountering a drink I could make without a run to a liquor store* or placing an order online. And that's not even getting into brand substitutions.
Being me, yes, I've made several runs and placed a number of orders since I acquired PDT, and I've been pleased with the results. Specificity aside, the book doesn't feel sacrosanct - it's a working book, and I felt free(r) to futz accordingly. That being said, I very much doubt I'd actually recommend this book to many; my friends who could get the most utility likely already have it or have heard of it, while my friends who're beginning to expand their home cocktail repertoire would probably benefit from less imposing ingredients, and fewer too. In conclusion, I rather like it for all that, but YMMV.
---
* And not the closest one, or even merely a reasonably decent one - I can think of two, maybe three stores in my somewhat major metropolitan area that stock a selection extensive enough and quality enough to even *potentially* have certain ingredients in this book.
March 23, 2022
My Go-to cocktail book. I would recommend it to ANYONE interested in making a cocktail.
I am in the bar/restaurant business and have always read anything by Jim Meehan.
I have made at least half of the cocktails in this book with great success. I can’t find a single fault with this book.
It includes tools, clear instructions, history, credit to creators, bitters, syrups, infusions, bar food, and more.
This is the book that I wish I could have written.
I am in the bar/restaurant business and have always read anything by Jim Meehan.
I have made at least half of the cocktails in this book with great success. I can’t find a single fault with this book.
It includes tools, clear instructions, history, credit to creators, bitters, syrups, infusions, bar food, and more.
This is the book that I wish I could have written.
September 3, 2012
So excited to expand our bar and try out a ton of new recipes!
February 14, 2020
I've seen references to PDT and Jim Meehan online, so when I saw this in the stacks of the public library, I picked it up sight-unseen. Meehan describnes PDT as something wonderful. I know I would enjoy going there. Shoot, any place you need to enter another establishment, enter a phone booth, and call to be granted entrance is my kind of place. I'm certain they serve wonderful cocktails.
This book is mostly a recipe book. Because of that, it has an uphill battle with me. My feeling is that recipe books, in order to sell, construct recipes that use esoteric ingredients to differentiate themselves from others. Whether that was the reason or not, this book is replete with such ingredients. Most of these cocktails I'll never drink. I won't purchase rare/exotic bottles on the offhand chance I'll like a drink made with a quarter-ounce of it.
I noted several recipes that I felt were approachable to me. Many of those are reprinted from classic cocktail books that were already on my To-Try list.
Meehan comes off knowledgeable and crafty in this book. I think ultimately, this book isn't the right book for me to read at my level of (un)expertise. I would probably appreciate what is offered here after I graduate to a more sophisticated level of cocktails.
This book is mostly a recipe book. Because of that, it has an uphill battle with me. My feeling is that recipe books, in order to sell, construct recipes that use esoteric ingredients to differentiate themselves from others. Whether that was the reason or not, this book is replete with such ingredients. Most of these cocktails I'll never drink. I won't purchase rare/exotic bottles on the offhand chance I'll like a drink made with a quarter-ounce of it.
I noted several recipes that I felt were approachable to me. Many of those are reprinted from classic cocktail books that were already on my To-Try list.
Meehan comes off knowledgeable and crafty in this book. I think ultimately, this book isn't the right book for me to read at my level of (un)expertise. I would probably appreciate what is offered here after I graduate to a more sophisticated level of cocktails.
May 21, 2025
This book is like if a speakeasy had a baby with an art museum and that baby grew up to become a cocktail sensei.
Jim Meehan doesn’t just give you recipes—nah, he gives you legends. Every cocktail has a backstory, a vibe, a mood. I opened it thinking I’d find a few drink ideas… came out knowing how to build a bar, impress a date, and possibly open a dimension of flavor through absinthe and perfectly clear ice. I had the privilege of seeing him in action and was given a few lessons at the American Express Lounge
The layout? Classy. The illustrations? Like a tattoo artist and a blueprint designer teamed up.
The ingredients? Some I had to Google… and then Google Translate… and then question my life choices.
But that’s the magic. It challenges you to step up. This isn’t your uncle’s “rum and Coke” book. This is “I just handcrafted a smoked sage gin fizz and accidentally summoned Hemingway.”
Would I recommend it? Yes.
Would I mix drinks while reading it out loud in a dramatic movie trailer voice? Already doing it.
Jim Meehan doesn’t just give you recipes—nah, he gives you legends. Every cocktail has a backstory, a vibe, a mood. I opened it thinking I’d find a few drink ideas… came out knowing how to build a bar, impress a date, and possibly open a dimension of flavor through absinthe and perfectly clear ice. I had the privilege of seeing him in action and was given a few lessons at the American Express Lounge
The layout? Classy. The illustrations? Like a tattoo artist and a blueprint designer teamed up.
The ingredients? Some I had to Google… and then Google Translate… and then question my life choices.
But that’s the magic. It challenges you to step up. This isn’t your uncle’s “rum and Coke” book. This is “I just handcrafted a smoked sage gin fizz and accidentally summoned Hemingway.”
Would I recommend it? Yes.
Would I mix drinks while reading it out loud in a dramatic movie trailer voice? Already doing it.
April 28, 2021
Cocktails are evolving and becoming more culinary and with that evolution more skill is required from the craftsmen and women who make them. Jim Meehan of PDT is busily mapping the DNA of cutting edge cocktails and I am delighted he has decided to publish his delicious findings. The PDT Cocktail Book is a marvelous, classically illustrated book that I believe to be the book of the decade if not more.
Dale DeGroff
Jim Meehan's book is, as the subtitle says, a manual for bartenders, and one that will undoubtedly become a bible for many of them. But any cook--or, for that matter, person--who's seriously interested in mixology will quickly realize it's the definitive work, a roadmap for a lifetime of amazing cocktails.
Mark Bittman
I've imbibed every drink in this book; whether I can recall all the nights spent at PDT is another story. Jim Meehan has written a manifesto for aspiring drunks and bartenders alike.
David Chang/Momofuku
Dale DeGroff
Jim Meehan's book is, as the subtitle says, a manual for bartenders, and one that will undoubtedly become a bible for many of them. But any cook--or, for that matter, person--who's seriously interested in mixology will quickly realize it's the definitive work, a roadmap for a lifetime of amazing cocktails.
Mark Bittman
I've imbibed every drink in this book; whether I can recall all the nights spent at PDT is another story. Jim Meehan has written a manifesto for aspiring drunks and bartenders alike.
David Chang/Momofuku
November 14, 2021
The book is sumptuous, with fun illustration work and an extensive recipe section. What I found distinctive was the sections describing the building blocks of cocktail making, from base spirits to infusions and bitters, and categorizing them in a way that helps you get a more complete understanding of their places in a cocktail.
I also like the impressions I get about what it takes to setup a commercial bar, even though I will probably never do that myself. Seeing how a bar is setup to increase efficiency, how it's laid out to maximize space is all valuable to understand what happens when you walk into a bar.
I also like the impressions I get about what it takes to setup a commercial bar, even though I will probably never do that myself. Seeing how a bar is setup to increase efficiency, how it's laid out to maximize space is all valuable to understand what happens when you walk into a bar.
February 14, 2020
Section 1: basics such as bar design, glassware, tools, techniques, etc, p.12-39
Section 2: The recipes, drinks and hotdogs, p.40-293
Section 3: description about alcohols and other ingredients they use, and some other miscellaneous topics p.294-337
The recipes are listed alphabetically, and are a nice mix of classics along with house cocktails from around 2008 and 2009. All the recipes include the date and source. Not so complicated that most could be replicated at home if desired.
Section 2: The recipes, drinks and hotdogs, p.40-293
Section 3: description about alcohols and other ingredients they use, and some other miscellaneous topics p.294-337
The recipes are listed alphabetically, and are a nice mix of classics along with house cocktails from around 2008 and 2009. All the recipes include the date and source. Not so complicated that most could be replicated at home if desired.
March 8, 2018
All the good bars have this book at hand.
Lots of great recipes, and a useful bibliography. The section on what to stock, and how to set up a bar go a long ways to explain why some places are always a disaster and others, no matter how busy, are orderly and calm. Fun look inside how it is done.
Lots of great recipes, and a useful bibliography. The section on what to stock, and how to set up a bar go a long ways to explain why some places are always a disaster and others, no matter how busy, are orderly and calm. Fun look inside how it is done.
July 11, 2018
I quite enjoyed this! A lot of super interesting ideas for cocktails (and their histories) fit into one book! A lot classics done right in my opinion (e.g. Mojito, Negroni, Moscow Mule), and some very interesting ones I've never heard before that I could really see myself making (e.g. Shiso Malt Sour, Mint Apple Crisp, Perfect Pear).
May 19, 2017
Fascinující pohled do zákulisí svébytného koktejlového baru. Přestože velkou část tvoří přehledně uspořádané recepty, mnohem poutavější je vysvětlení logiky za sestavováním menu, vytvářením nových sezonních drinků nebo jídelní recepty.
March 20, 2018
A modern cocktail book, based from a New York bar, with rather harsh woodcut looking illustrations. I've saved the resource guide and the bibliography for future research. I found the drawings off putting. They jump at you and startle.
October 5, 2020
Mostly a lot of recipes, not much enjoyable/readable info at the start or end. The latter part was a list of different spirits and then bar stuff. Also rated less because the authors have stock looking illustrations instead of photos.
January 7, 2018
All of the classics plus the history. Beautifully designed and easy to navigate.
recipe
June 15, 2018Phenomonal recep
July 28, 2021
Interesting, learned a lot of things for my rooftop bar
June 4, 2024
Very informative book. Loved the parts specific to PDT. Excellent array of cocktail recipes.
January 16, 2021
Loved reading this. Great recipes and interesting tips and tricks for (home) bartenders. However, I wouldn’t recommend this to everyone. I feel like this is more aimed at professional bartenders and not amateurs (which I am, I guess). Some ingredients are pretty hard to find or not for home bartenders.
But god, after reading this book I really want to go to PDT.
But god, after reading this book I really want to go to PDT.
December 22, 2013
The greatest book I never read! On a certain level I find it hard to fault. This is a handsome book you would be proud to have on your shelf, beautifully designed and illustrated, a fine example of the art of bookmaking that easily matches the art of the cocktails you'll find inside. And if you are a fan of New York's PDT, it has interesting information about the origins of the bar and, of course, many of the recipes for their legendary cocktails and the hot dogs. Whether you're an experienced bartender or someone who is new to all this, it also has some very practical information on how to actually set up a professional bar and about glassware, equipment, ingredients, and liquors. And there's an extensive bibliography for further reading.
The problem with this book, as others have noted, is that it's nearly impossible to make any of these drinks in your average bar. Virtually every recipe calls for some very obscure liquor, liquor, or amaro that will be impossible to find if you live outside a major urban area (and maybe not even then), or homemade preparations and infusions that require a fair amount of work and advance planning. It might be possible to substitute some of the liquors for what you have on hand, but then of course it's hard to tell whether your experience is really what it should be. From time to time I make the effort to plan ahead, shop, and produce some of the amazing cocktails this book presents, but sadly, most of the time, it gets little use.
Again, it's hard to fault the book because it does present the drinks exactly as you'd get them at PDT. Why would you want anything other than that? But if you want a practical cocktail book filled with drinks you'll actually make, it may be best to start elsewhere.
The problem with this book, as others have noted, is that it's nearly impossible to make any of these drinks in your average bar. Virtually every recipe calls for some very obscure liquor, liquor, or amaro that will be impossible to find if you live outside a major urban area (and maybe not even then), or homemade preparations and infusions that require a fair amount of work and advance planning. It might be possible to substitute some of the liquors for what you have on hand, but then of course it's hard to tell whether your experience is really what it should be. From time to time I make the effort to plan ahead, shop, and produce some of the amazing cocktails this book presents, but sadly, most of the time, it gets little use.
Again, it's hard to fault the book because it does present the drinks exactly as you'd get them at PDT. Why would you want anything other than that? But if you want a practical cocktail book filled with drinks you'll actually make, it may be best to start elsewhere.
March 19, 2012
Beautiful and impressive book, but one that will live on my bookshelf instead of my bar. The recipes are for serious cocktail geeks, but the instructions are for cocktail noobs. And I don't understand the chapter on how PDT is set up. It's more of a guide for creating your own PDT than for learning cocktails, and intermediate cocktail enthusiasts like me will be bored on learning how to make simple syrup and use a hawthorne strainer but overwhelmed by some of the other instructions and recipes. There is even a few pages devoted to how often you have your glasses of water refilled at PDT.
But huge kudos to Jim Meehan for sharing so much of his business and making a book this amazing.
But huge kudos to Jim Meehan for sharing so much of his business and making a book this amazing.
July 6, 2013
If you know someone who like cocktails, buy them this book. They will love you forever. Not only is it a beautiful book, but the recipes and lore are great. It's one of the best cocktail books I've ever read and will be a permanent reference on my bar.
January 25, 2015
You'll probably not ever make a fraction of the recipes in this book, but the reviews that mark it as the bartender's manual of our craft cocktail era are not wrong. And it has a freaking annotated bibliography at the end. A must-own for 21st-century boozehounds.
February 10, 2012
what's not to love?
March 15, 2012
The best modern cocktail book out there. Taken alongside David Wondrich's Imbibe, you have nearly everything you need to begin taking cocktails seriously.
July 19, 2012
My new go-to guide as a fledgling mixologist.
September 11, 2012
The illustrations and commentaries are awesome!
October 28, 2012
The book does contain some nice recipes and the art work is great. But I would have loved some more details to the drinks.
August 12, 2016
Some cool cocktail ideas, a good addition to my food/drink recipe library
April 7, 2015
Would love to visit in person some day.
September 23, 2024
3.5/5…Pretty encyclopedic (if bar-specific) recipes make up the core of this tome, following a design and operation manual of the bar, and followed with some other reference stuff.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 32 reviews