{"product_id":"unvarnished-a-gimleteyed-look-at-life-behind-the-bar-isbn-9780062899286","title":"Unvarnished: A Gimlet-eyed Look at Life Behind the Bar","description":"\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eA \u003cem\u003eKitchen Confidential\u003c\/em\u003e for the cocktail profession, \u003cem\u003eUnvarnished\u003c\/em\u003e is a fly-on-the-wall narrative peek at the joys, pains, and peculiarities of life “behind the stick.”\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eWhen it opened a decade ago, the acclaimed Los Angeles speakeasy The Varnish—owned, designed, and managed by award-winning cocktail aficionado Eric Alperin—quickly became the stylish standard bearer for modern bars. \u003cem\u003eUnvarnished\u003c\/em\u003e is a candid, voice-driven, no-holds-barred look at the workings of a bar, and the foundation of The Varnish’s success: attention to hospitality and an abiding belief in the nobility of service. \u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eAlperin and veteran bartender and writer Deborah Stoll push back against the prevailing conceit that working in the service industry is something people do because they failed at another career. They offer fascinating meditations on ice as the bartender’s flame; the good, the bad, and the sad parts of vice; one’s duty to their community as a local; the obsessive, compulsive deliberations of building a bar (size matters); lessons from Sasha Petraske—Eric’s late partner, mentor, and the forefather of the modern day classic cocktail renaissance—and the top ten reasons not to date a bartender. At the book’s center are the 100 recipes a young Jedi bartender must know before their first shift at The Varnish, along with examples of building drinks by the round, how to Mr. Potato Head cocktails, and what questions to ask when crafting a Bartender’s Choice. \u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eA sexy, gritty, honest look at the glamour-less work of a glamorous job, written with the intimate honesty of \u003cem\u003eThe Tender Bar,\u003c\/em\u003e the debauched inside view of \u003cem\u003eKitchen Confidential,\u003c\/em\u003e and the social commentary of \u003cem\u003eWaiter Rant, Unvarnished\u003c\/em\u003e will take its place among these classics of the service set.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cbr\u003e | \u003cp\u003e\"his isn't the usual breezy or dutiful as-told-to memoir but rather a deep and meticulous dive into Alperin's personality and experiences. Consequently, sometimes the narrative is spectacularly and absorbingly dorky....Even teetotalers will relish the insights into this arcane world.\" - \u003cb\u003e\u003ci\u003eKirkus Reviews (starred review)\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e“The portrayal of cocktail culture in \u003cem\u003eUnvarnished\u003c\/em\u003e strips away the veneer of cheer that bartenders work so hard to project, revealing the chaos behind the curtain in a vocation where rapturous heights are offset by depraved depths. Cocktail geeks should be grateful that Alperin and Stoll bare as much of The Varnish’s ethos as its founder’s soul in this cinematic memoir that affirms the virtues of hospitality.”  - \u003cb\u003e\u003ci\u003eJim Meehan, author of Meehan’s Bartender Manual an The PDT Cocktail Book\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e“In this page-turning gem, Alperin and Stoll bring to fascinating life the ins and outs and ups and downs of building a glamorous, successful speakeasy. Part memoir, part perfectionist’s tutorial, this book will make you thirsty as hell for the perfect cocktail and even hungrier to pursue your own glittering dreams.”  - \u003cb\u003e\u003ci\u003eVu Tran, author of Dragonfish\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e“\u003cem\u003eUnvarnished\u003c\/em\u003e is an uplifting story of a man in the relentless pursuit of his dreams, even when he is not sure what that dream is. And that’s the beauty of \u003cem\u003eUnvarnished\u003c\/em\u003e. When he discovers his passion, he, along with the reader, go on a beautiful—and delicious—odyssey to the best bar in Los Angeles.”  - \u003cb\u003e\u003ci\u003eNancy Silverton, James Beard award-winning chef, owner of Mozza Restaurant Group and founder of La Brea Bakery\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e“A beautiful, heartbreaking, and triumphant look inside the beating heart of one of the most wonderful bars in the world. Alperin and Stoll have given us a raw, passionate, and hilarious record of exactly what it takes to achieve greatness in this business.” - \u003cb\u003e\u003ci\u003eJeffrey Morgenthaler, author of Drinking Distilled\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e“With the turn of every page, Alperin and Stoll have slipped off the underpinnings of our industry and provided us with the best seat in the house—a voyeur’s keyhole into the passionate yet gritty world of bar life. Brutally honest and deeply personal, \u003cem\u003eUnvarnished\u003c\/em\u003e is a cathartic bloodletting for anyone who has ever worked behind the stick. I loved it, I hated it, I couldn’t put it down.”  - \u003cb\u003e\u003ci\u003eAudrey Saunders, founder of Pegu Club\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e“\u003cem\u003eUnvarnished\u003c\/em\u003e reads like an unwavering, no-shortcuts hug from across the room, filling your soul with the most delicious pour, from the heart.” - \u003cb\u003e\u003ci\u003eRoy Choi, chef and author of L.A. Son\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e“One of the best cocktail books I have ever read—a true and honest insight into what it’s \u003cem\u003ereally\u003c\/em\u003e like to own and run a critically acclaimed bar. Alperin and Stoll chronicle the trials and tribulations of being a bar-owner, bouncing seamlessly between narratives about the grind and temptations of the lifestyle that come with the territory.” - \u003cb\u003e\u003ci\u003eSimon Ford, founder of the 86 Co. and Fords Gin\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e“\u003cem\u003eUnvarnished\u003c\/em\u003e is a celebration of Eric’s friendship with Sasha Petraske, a man of extraordinary vision and talent who changed the bar world forever. It is also a manual for bartenders around the world of what a modern classic cocktail bar should be.”  - \u003cb\u003e\u003ci\u003eDale DeGroff, bartender, author, and bon vivant\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Harper","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":44889257869541,"sku":"NP9780062899286","price":27.99,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/1842\/7735\/files\/9780062899286.jpg?v=1730230860","url":"https:\/\/k12savings.com\/es\/products\/unvarnished-a-gimleteyed-look-at-life-behind-the-bar-isbn-9780062899286","provider":"K12savings","version":"1.0","type":"link"}