Amazon.com Review
What was a friendly cocktail party--a few friends, some witty banter, and a martini or two--just got serious. Your best friend, Bob, wants an Imperial Martini, and his new girlfriend from Key West thinks a Shrimptini would really hit the spot. Across the room, someone with purple hair and "Cocktail Nation" tattooed on her bicep wants an Alternatini. Suddenly your rep is on the line, and it's going to take more than that set of cool glasses you got for Christmas and a bottle of olives to bail you out. A splash of gin and a few drops of vermouth aren't enough to keep you among the suave and the sophisticated; what you need now is Sally Ann Berk's The Martini Book.

This is the first, last, and only book you will ever need to make a martini and possibly save your reputation as a first-class party host. Every type of martini imaginable is included here, along with a history of the famous drink. The Dutch may think they invented the martini, but most true aficionados agree that America has a better claim on this quintessential cocktail. Best of all, The Martini Book is an equal-opportunity cocktail guide. Purists may scoff that a Vodka Martini is a bastardization of a fine drink, but Berk assures us that vodka has a legitimate and rightful place in the martini pantheon. That old Bondian dictum "Shaken not stirred" is also put to rest: it's OK to go both ways now. With more than 201 variations, it's tough to imagine a more comprehensive treatise on the subject of martinis, or a better way to save a cocktail party. --Mark O. Howerton