The Grand Prix / A cocktail book for the 21st century

Last November, Drinks International published the results from their annual
search for the best bar in the world. Over a hundred professionals took part in
the survey and New York’s PDT grabbed first spot. The very same month, the
bar’s acclaimed general manager, Jim Meehan, published PDT’s eagerly awaited
cocktail book. Its first print run of 10,000 copies sold out in a matter of days. Of
course, the book’s success is not a surprise: PDT is probably the defining bar of
the last few years.

As every cocktail enthusiast who has ever dreamt of going to PDT knows, to get
in the bar you have to use the phone booth at the adjacent hot dog eatery. This
makes for a very memorable first impression. Visually, The PDT Cocktail Book is
probably no less striking. This is almost entirely due to its co-author, illustrator
Chris Gall. His drawings offer an impressive contrast with today’s photo-
saturated cocktail books. A throwback to the era of the Savoy Cocktail Book’s
art deco presentation or to the Bottoms up’s pin-ups, Gall’s illustrations give the
book its own identity whilst placing it with in a long and rich contextual history.
Modernity’s constant link to the past, is one of the defining characteristics of the
book.

As its title implies, The PDT cocktail book is not just about cocktails, it’s also
about PDT itself. In fact, it presents in detail every single relevant fact about the
bar: how it is set-up, how it is organised and what techniques are required…
PDT’s rules, including its no standing policy, no loud conversation allowed and
its eight point etiquette guide are also explained in these pages: Meehan saw
them as a means to an end, a way to elevate cocktail craft and make clear that
great bars have the same culinary relevance as great restaurants. Frowned upon
when the bar opened, this code of practice has now been practiced from Chicago
to London. As such, The PDT Cocktail Book is not only a collection of over 300
recipes: it’s also a guide on how to run a first class bar.

Obviously, most people will come to The PDT Cocktail Book for the drinks – that’s
why they do trouble themselves with going through a phone booth, after all. Here
again, PDT doesn’t disappoint. Meehan decided to include every single cocktail
created by his team or by the bar’s guest bartenders (not all of them professional
mixologists) and friends between 2005 and 2010. Alongside the house libations,
the reader will find scores of classic drinks recipes updated for the typical palate
of the 21st century imbiber. Each cocktail is credited, when possible, to it’s
original creator and the drink’s history is told in a few words. This is a collector’s
book that never gives away too much: it has just the right amount of information
to give the reader a little bit of context without ever getting boring. According to
Jim Meehan himself, this is not the book you want to buy if you’re getting started.
One could even say The PDT Cocktail Book is aimed at working bartenders. Some
drinks require elaborate techniques and infused spirits or call for products that
home cocktail enthusiasts will most likely not have to hand. This is inevitable in
a book whose unspoken ambition is to draw a portrait of our present cocktail
era. Still, there are enough straightforward recipes for the beginner to enjoy.
And even if they call for specific brands, most of them work well if you use

what you have readily available. Furthermore, Meehan’s explanations, while
always exhaustive, are accessible to the layman. Not content with being a great
bartender, the man is also a keen writer.

Gaz Regan claims it’s the best cocktail book of the century. In the foreword,
David Wondrich compares it to the Savoy’s legendary book. We think the hype
is more than justified. The PDT Cocktail Book is like a great cocktail: it looks
fantastic, its ingredients are mixed to perfection and a genial host, perfectly
educated and knowledgeable, is there to present it to you. Moreover, and
although it’s the cutting edge book of a cutting edge bar, The PDT Cocktail Book is
never modern for the sake of being modern: Meehan and his team make it amply
clear that what always comes first is taste and balance and that, more often than
not, beauty lies in simple things. Let’s drink to that.


******


Few cocktails rock our boat more than a Daiquiri. The PDT Cocktail Book
features a delightful twist on this Cuban classic, created by La Havana’s very own
Constantine Ribailagua in the 30’s: the La Florida Cocktail. Here’s how it is made
at PDT:


2 oz Rum
¾ oz fresh lime juice
½ oz Crème de Cacao
¼ oz Sweet Vermouth
1 bar spoon homemade grenadine

Shake with ice, strain into a chilled coupe and garnish with a lime wheel.