Meehan’s Bartender Manual by Jim Meehan is, true to its name, a Manual.
It details how to layout a bar from start to finish. The section called “The Physical Bar” is extremely specific, starting with the location for your establishment – considering everything from the population density to income levels and more. Then the theme of the bar, or even, “do you really want one of those”. Then moving on to building the interior, the book gives detailed measurements of the ideal distance from the back edge of the bar to the front of the back bar, where the ice bins, coolers POS and more should be placed.
The book gives specific case studies and detailed technical drawings of famous bars such as the NoMad and Dead Rabbit.
There are pages about the sequence of building one round of 11 particularly complicated cocktails. I’ve been thinking about that section constantly at work, trying to maximize my workflow.
Information about icing, stirring, shaking, tasting and much more.
Then there are also 100 great cocktail recipes.
Honestly, this is a must-have book. There are many important details on designing a bar, service plus spirit & cocktail knowledge.