It’s safe to say that Dre Masso is a bit of ledge with 20 years of experience working in the industry, starting as a pot collector and going on to be trained and work with the top dogs in the industry at the world’s most iconic bars (i.e. tequila maestro Julio Bermejo at Tommy’s in San Fran).
Now he’s a master himself, training thousands of bartenders, overseeing bars which have helped shape the bar scene we know today, heading up the Academy and Akedemi (in London and Bali) and consultant to the AWESOME Poatato Head. He’s visited over 50 cities in more than 30 countries because of his bad ass skills, SO, who better to release a classic cocktail book?! Exactly.
BarLife was lucky enough to head down to Nola during London Cocktail Week for a boozy talk with the man himself, learning about his journey and working through some exceptional tasters of his own twists on the classics featured in his new book “Classic Cocktails at Home” (which we were able to get free, when we bought a margarita… winning).
“Classic Cocktails at Home” leaves no stone unturned, covering all bases. Glassware, bar essential and ingredients, followed but drink recipes split by spirit: vodka, gin, rum, tequila, whisky, brandy followed by miscellaneous drinks. The perfect addition in any enthusiastic amateurs bookshelf.
Sure, you bartenders are probably thinking “I know the classics, mate. Tell me something I don’t know” BUT these cocktails have stood the test of time for a reason, so we need to make sure they’re being made properly. These legendary cocktails have now been tried and tested by Dre, experimenting with several different formulas for each, searching for the best result, to create the perfect recipe. And let’s face it, if a recipe has the Dre stamp of approval then you know it’s going to be pretty bullet proof.
Go get a copy.