Jim Meehan And The PDT Cocktail Book
The origins of numerous classic drinks we prepare on a nightly basis like the martini, Manhattan and margarita are still a mystery. I wanted to track down as many leads as I could find....
Here at Société Perrier we love cocktails and the craft behind it. So we were excited to have a chat with renowned mixologist Jim Meehan of PDT about his new book, The PDT Cocktail Book: The Complete Bartender’s Guide from the Celebrated Speakeasy, an extraordinary bartending bible that will be flying off the shelves into the hot little hands of cocktail lovers around the world.
Why did you decide to write this book, and why now instead of years ago?
I started putting this book together two years ago and have been working on the concept for a long time. After six years of compiling recipes for Food & Wine magazine's annual cocktail book and four Mr. Boston guides with Anthony Giglio, I felt I had the prerequisite experience to write my own book. With over 150 recipes to share from PDT alone, it seemed to be the perfect time to reintroduce the "house" cocktail book, which was a popular style of bar manual from the 1890s to the 1930s. I love the design of the book. It looks like a graphic novel.
So what made you decide to use illustrations rather than photos?
Many of my most prized vintage cocktail books have illustrations. In the spirit of these books and in the hopes of capturing the essence of our bar and drinks, instead of just their appearance, I partnered with illustrator Chris Gall.
How did you decide what recipes to put in the book?
It’s been a long time since a complete guide to a well-known bar published an entire catalogue of recipes. I chose to include over 150 of our creations along with 100 classics we mix on a weekly basis at the bar. To round out the list, I added a little over 50 drinks created by colleagues who’ve guest bartended at PDT or shared their recipes with us. Three hundred seemed like a healthy, manageable number of drinks.
You tell the history behind the cocktail. Why did you feel that was important?
The origins of numerous classic drinks we prepare on a nightly basis like the martini, Manhattan and margarita are still a mystery. I wanted to track down as many leads as I could find without spending the rest of my life in a library and be completely candid about the origins of our recipes. Each cocktail tells a story of some sort and that’s an important part of a great drink’s allure.
Do you think this is more for the amateur bartender/mixologist or do you think your fellow colleagues could learn from this book as well?
It’s probably not the first book an amateur bartender/mixologist should buy, but I hope it’s one they’ll eventually gravitate towards. With books like Craft of the Cocktail, Joy of Mixology and Vintage Spirits and Forgotten Cocktails on the market, I felt it was a good time to publish a book to build upon the fundamentals gleaned from studying your cocktail ABC’s.
What is your favorite cocktail?
I don’t have one: my palate is constantly evolving, which makes it very difficult to stick with one drink. If I had to pick one, it would probably be the Sazerac, but I wouldn’t call it my favorite drink.
So what book helped you out when you first started bartending?
If I had to pick one book, it would be the Joy of Mixology, which delves into theory in addition to history and recipes.
This book is really well written and I know you write for other publications like Food and Wine. So have you ever thought about leaving the bar to be journalist full-time?
I hope to always run or work at a bar or restaurant. I enjoy writing, but nothing is more gratifying than serving people. Writing is a solitary experience, and I rarely get much personal feedback on my work. When you serve someone a delicious drink, pick a nice bottle of wine or recommend the right dish, typically you have the pleasure of watching your guests enjoy your suggestions. Helping people enjoy themselves has become addictive at this point.
I love that you include PDT's bar rules in the book as well. Why do you feel that is important?
When we opened almost five years ago, many of our policies such as reserved tables, no standing and monitoring the volume (and subject matter) of your conversation were totally unheard of. In my opinion, one of the best ways to position craft cocktails as a culinary art is to insist upon the same decorum upheld in esteemed restaurants. In the beginning, our etiquette policy wasn’t well received, but as time has passed, many returning customers now manage their own guests. As we look back upon this period years from now, I think it will be important to keep in mind that without bars that refused to make every drink with vodka and owners who sacrificed money in the till for a less crowded, more hospitable environments, cocktails may have ended up being a trendy alternative to martinis instead of a revolutionary paradigm shift in bar and restaurant operations.
