Meet House Cocktail Recipe Journal Co-Founder Ben Putano

Cocktail enthusiasts Ben Putano and Brett Vance have come up with a stylish way to record all of your precious cocktail recipes with their House Cocktail Recipe Journal.

Starting as a Kickstarter project, the pair reached their goal after just five days, and they were even featured as the “Project of the Day” in the Food and Drink section of The Manual.

The stunning, hardback, water-resistant journal records and captures the most important details of cocktail recipes-from the name to the glassware to the garnish and is divided into six sections based on spirit for easy navigating. Every detail, from the size of the journal to the sections in the recipe template, was inspired by bartenders and cocktail enthusiasts from around the world. The duo used surveys, polls, and a design competition to capture the best ideas from the cocktail community.

Chilled caught up with co-founder Ben Putano to learn more about this cool product.

How did the House Cocktail Recipe Journal come about?

One night I was having friends over for cocktails. They weren’t as familiar with making drinks and I wanted them to experience the process first hand. I found a small journal lying around and wrote five or six cocktail recipes that I knew we could make. My friends were then able to flip through the book, find a drink they wanted to try, and make it themselves! It was so easy and a lot of fun. It was like having my own house cocktail menu/recipe book.

A few days later, I had another friend over for drinks and we started brainstorming what a dedicated cocktail recipe journal would look like. This guy, Brett Vance, ended up being my partner for the project.

We mocked up a design for the journal and I posted it on the Coffee Cocktails Instagram feed. Then I reached out to people individually and asked them about their experiences making cocktails. I asked how they record their recipes, what information they record about each drink (glassware, garnish, etc), and if they would be interested in a dedicated cocktail recipe journal. The feedback was positive enough for Brett and I to improve on the original mock up and launch a design competition for the front cover on 99designs.

We received 65 entries for the front cover design competition, and then had the growing group of contributors actually choose the winning design. This group also voted on other design aspects like journal size, color, and features (elastic band, bookmark, etc.). In the end, around 400 cocktail enthusiasts participated in the design.

What is your cocktail background?

I actually work in the coffee industry, formerly a barista and now doing customer education for a coffee equipment company. I’m a big cocktail fan and started an Instagram account called Coffee Cocktails, which has provided a lot of informal cocktail education for me.

I became fascinated by coffee cocktails after writing an article about them in Daily Coffee News. For a year I sat on the idea of starting a coffee cocktails-related resource, honestly assuming someone else would start something before I got to it. When no one did, I took that as a sign that I should do it myself.

Coffee Cocktails has introduced me to a lot of amazing people in both the coffee and cocktail worlds, which are surprisingly similar. Both are in the business of bringing people together. The pros in both industries are passionate about crafting a really high-quality product, and I love that.

Tell us about your partner, Brett Vance.

Brett Vance is a photographer, graphic designer, and fellow enthusiast of coffee and cocktails. We both live in Dallas, TX.

Are you working on any future projects?

We want to make tools and products that inspire people to do what they love. More people should take the risk of following their passion, there’s no better way to live a life.

Journal specs:

• 5×7 inch, water-resistant hardback faux leather cover
• Pages for over 150 cocktail recipes and 40 ingredient recipes
• Journal divided into six sections based on spirit: Gin, Rum, Tequila/Mezcal, Vodka, Whiskey, Miscellaneous
• Elastic band and satin bookmark

Purchase the House Cocktail Journal HERE.