I've always been curious about the "Eastern style" of mixology and this book really opens up the door into it. "Liquid Intelligence" is the opposite side of the spectrum, in that it brings a scientific approach to crafting cocktails. It's a great place for beginners to start. As a coffee table book, "Imbibe" also has neutral colors that could also look great on a bar cart. If you buy them, we may get a small share of the revenue from the sale from our partners. I won't say that this book is how I turned raiding my parents' liquor cabinet into a semi-respectable career, but I will say it was exquisitely helpful. Its written by Nick Coldicott, a long-time Tokyo resident and aficionado of its cocktail scene. [This book] pulls the curtain back and gives the reader a unique look at how one of the best bars in the world crafts some of its most innovative cocktail menus. Jim Meehan's Tips for Developing New Cocktails, This Bitter, Spicy Amaro Cocktail Is Like a Dark 'n Stormy for Weirdos, Tippler's Taxonomy: A Guide To Cocktail Categories, Amari 101: Your Guide to Italys Essential Bittersweet Liqueurs, How to Make Cocktails at Home: The Serious Eats Guide to Essential Cocktail Techniques, 25 Classic Cocktail Recipes Everyone Should Know, Easy Cocktails: 35 Simple, 3-Ingredient Drinks to Make at Home. It's not for beginners with a low-stocked liquor cabinet, though it may inspire you to grow your bottle collection. These essentials hail from notable bartending personalities responsible for helping usher in the modern cocktail revolution. Here, the historian and writer tackles the entertaining history of the American cocktail via the story of bartender Jerry Thomas. Mezcal: The History, Craft and Cocktails of the World's Ultimate Artisanal Spirit, cocktail literature that's hit shelves in the last 18 months or so, story on building a vintage cocktail library, The Drunken Botanist: The Plants That Create the Worlds Great Drinks, Spritz: Italys Most Iconic Aperitivo Cocktail, The Old-Fashioned: The Story of the Worlds First Classic Cocktail, with Recipes and Lore. Inside its pages, author and America's first 'celebrity bartender' Jerry Thomas compiles a wide swath of slings, cobblers, juleps, bitters, and shrubs, including drinks that are still around today like the Mint Julep, Philadelphia Fish House Punch, and Tom and Jerry. While there is a great deal of technical knowledge shared within these pages, it is an easy read and approachable to everyone, no matter what level of bartending they are at. Not only will you experience a slice of history, but you will also walk away with a great understanding of how to make a beautiful and well-balanced cocktail. They are great for beginners because when combined, they establish a solid baseline of technique and recipes both modern and vintage. You can't say enough about Dale's contribution in bridging some very dark days in adult beverages through to the modern cocktail era. That was her cocktail yarn, one that led her to explore the spicy drinks in the Latin world, and came back with this atlas of Latin American spirits culture that has more than 100 lauded recipes from her bar, Leyenda, in Brooklyn. Yeah, hes got quite a resume, and he wrote this tome for classic cocktail recipes when he was at his prime as the barman of The Savoy hotel in Londonstill a mecca for mixologists to this day. Robert Kidd, "3-Ingredient Cocktails" by Robert Simonson, $15.99, available at Amazon, Author Robert Simonson has put in the work and researched some important categories and cocktails. As David Wondrich says in the book's introduction, "so much of the experience of reading an old book is the physicality of the volume itself: the feel of the cover in your hands, the texture of the paper, the particular size and heft of it. These influential and visually stunning books cover technique, flavor profiles, history, and more. We may receive products free of charge from manufacturers to test. When the text was rediscovered, it quickly turned into a guide for modern bartenders, many of whom ended up hosting Savoy Cocktail Book nights, where they'd make drinks like the White Lady and Corpse Reviver #2 (or perhaps more obscure ones) from the 750 recipe-strong oeuvre for history buffs. At Takoi, we focus mainly on draft cocktails which means we have to sous vide infuse and clarify liquids, batch all the ingredients for a cocktail together in a keg, pressurize it and then cool it down. This book will especially appeal to cocktail enthusiasts with an interest in the vegetation behind their beloved spirits. This cocktail book is actually a graphic novel. Lynn House, national spirits specialist and portfolio mixologist for Heaven Hill Brands in Bardstown, KY, Jeffrey Morgenthaler's "Bar Book" is my favorite bartender guide to recommend for professional and at-home bartenders. The final five books on our list are ones that capture a specific moment in time at a particular cocktail bar or cover a certain niche subject within the broad world of drinks. In the cocktail section, there are 100 recipes from the vault as well as Meehans own walk of life, and each is broken down like a Wikipedia entry: origin, history, hacks, and recipe. So we asked the pros for their best recommendations. Maverick Li is the Assistant eCommerce Editor at Esquire, where he covers tech, home, and all things related to lifestyle. There're 85 recipes within, covering the classics and the now, but everything is cleanly illustrated from prep to measurements to ingredients. This volume situates modern drinks and drinking culture in personal history. I feel like most people in the industry may know this book, but if you're new and looking to learn, the first 100 pages or so can really set you up for success. You can find it all here, with some humor and, of course, a damn good cocktail. Youll be hard-pressed to find a book that is more comprehensive on the subject of alcoholespecially true if you pair this one with the Oxford Companions to Wine and Beer. Books can be a trusted source for the industry standard when it comes to making drinks.". Gary Regan was one of the most influential characters in modern-day mixology. If there's one thing that's always right in bartending, it's to heed the words of Sasha Petraske, the bar world's late, great icon, the mastermind behind NYC's Milk & Honey, who's acolytes spread the craft cocktail gospel across the country. You'll dive into some good texts with great photography, and get using bartending kits and mixing drinks under your belts before you finally stock up your home bar. Any of his works, from 3-Ingredient Cocktails, "The Old Fashioned," "The Martini Cocktail,"and others, are a fine addition to your boozy library Charles Joly, "Market-Fresh Mixology" by Bridget Albert, $28.97, available at Amazon. This cocktail book takes a fun and whimsical approach to making cocktails. His hospitality and cocktails charmed the world. Robert Kidd, "The Joy of Mixology" by Gary Regan, $24.49, available at Amazon. He recently released an updated version of his must-have text "The New Craft of the Cocktail." Cocktail books teach you the basics of cocktail making while giving you an appreciation for the science, history, and artistry of the craft. Mr. Bullock is credited for teaching the world how to make the perfect Old Fashioned. Here, we've rounded up over 125 cocktail recipesincluding 13 drinks every man needs to know how to makefrom crowd-pleasing large-batched beverages to crafted single-served classics. It accomplishes so many things it's educational, fun, political, and most importantly a joyous celebration of women. Yours might be more: From a blue martini you had in a Mykonos beach bar, or a $20 mint julep you had at a world-class destination like Death & Co or Katana Kitten. Troy Ali, "Mezcal and Tequila Cocktails" by Robert Simonson, $15.99, available at Amazon, This is a beautiful book with a catchy design that piqued my interest right away. After you get down to the basics this book has some great complex recipes to try out in the back half of the book. By clicking Sign up, you agree to receive marketing emails from Insider In Spirits and Cocktails, though, youll find a deep history and evolution of spirits around the globe; covering everything from production to mixology. by David Wondrich, $19.47, available at Amazon, "Punch" by David Wondrich, $26, available at Amazon. Most of them still offer cocktail recipes, so you can mix up a cold one while you enjoy a few tall tales. Written in 1917, "The Ideal Bartender" is the first-ever cocktail book published by a Black American. The best cocktail shakers we tested in 2021, Le Cavalier at Hotel du Pont in Wilmington, DE, Trifecta at the Four Seasons Hotel in Boston, MA, The Mountaineering Club at Graduate Hotel in Seattle, WA, The 5 best wine openers and corkscrews we tested in 2021, The 5 best cordless vacuums we tested in 2021, 12 direct-to-consumer kitchen startups that are changing the way we shop for cookware and knives, 8 tableware startups changing the way we shop for dishes, Even chefs experience cooking burnout here's how they get re-inspired in the kitchen, How businesses create successful virtual experiences, 50 cookbooks from famous restaurants across the US that will help you recreate their best dishes at home, Learn more about how our team of experts tests and reviews products at Insider here, Learn more about how we test kitchen products. Party? It is especially helpful when coming up with original drink concepts. Ask a Bartender: What's Your Favorite Modern Cocktail Book? It's incredibly meticulous and thorough while being surprisingly approachable to newcomers. This is the cocktail bible, written by disciplesor, as we know them, the guys behind Death and Company, a famous moody bar in the East Village where cool bartenders in bow ties and suspenders can whip up some modern twists on classic cocktails like "Oaxaca Old-Fashioned" or "Naked and Famous". "The Drunken Botanist" is what I imagine a nerdy bartender retreat in the woods would be like (at least my version of one). Ricky Agustin, bar manager at The Mountaineering Club at Graduate Hotel in Seattle, WA, "The Ideal Bartender" by Tom Bullock, $15.95, available at Amazon. We highlight products and services you might find interesting. Connie graduated from UC Berkeley with degrees in media studies and business administration, which help inform her perspective on and coverage of industry trends, as well as the competitive e-commerce landscape at large. Amazing drawings and cocktail recipes we still use today. Not everyone has the opportunity to travel and report on drinks, so why not live vicariously through this book? Mad Men may have helped the Old-Fashioned become, well, fashionable againbut devotees of this classic cocktail know that it never really went out of style in the first place. Youll probably want to book a ticket to Japan right after reading his book, but if circumstances do not allow, youre always welcome to forage through your liquor cabinet and whip one up based on the book. It offers well-reported brief history, complete with a guide on how to make your own bitters at home, and comes stocked with ample recipes to play around with as well. About 100 recipes litter the chapters, culled from Thomas' book and modern bartenders alike. His follow-up to "Imbibe," "Punch", was just as thorough and entertaining. Good ones, too, with bare-bones explanations. You can really learn what makes the classics great, and how to start making your own recipes. Robert Kidd, the head bartender of Wilmington, Deleware brasserie Le Cavalier at Hotel du Pont , told Insider Reviews, "I think it's important that the public and the professionals invest more in books. This massive tomepacked with over 300 cocktail recipesis really most practical for cocktail bartenders and serious drinkers with flush bars. Note: The Bar-Tender's Guide and Savoy Cocktail Book were provided as press samples for review consideration. Drew Pompa, beverage director at Takoi in Detroit, MI, "The New Craft of the Cocktail" by Dale DeGroff, $18.69, available at Amazon. The son of former slaves, Mr. Bullock would eventually become a bartender at the famed Pendennis Club, as well as The St. Louis Country Club. Solo? It is my go-to tool when charged with designing a new cocktail list or anything bespoke. Everyone has their own falling in love with cocktails story. When it's ready to serve, we then hook it up and dispense it from a draft tower similar to how a beer or cider is dispensed. This cocktail book is actually a graphic novel that, instead of having you suffer though pages of dry infographics, tells a Gangs-of-New-York-ish story of an anti-hero rabbit who goes on a revengeful murder spree against people in the bar world, with 90 cocktail recipes mapped out across each illustration page and connected to the page's plot. [This book] features historical narratives of badass women throughout history and around the globe and pairs them with inspired bespoke cocktails created by female bartenders. Read Every Article Esquire Has Ever Published, How to Get Into the Marvel Cinematic Universe, The Case for Age Limits in American Politics, This content is created and maintained by a third party, and imported onto this page to help users provide their email addresses. "The Joy of Mixology" walks one through the history of making cocktails, methodology, spirits categories, and finishes with classic recipes that have stood the test of time. Its more of an anatomy of the bar industry than it is a recipe book, covering bar design to space planning to menu development. Esquire participates in various affiliate marketing programs, which means we may get paid commissions on editorially chosen products purchased through our links to retailer sites. From classic manuals to graphic guides, these cocktail books are all, shall we say, spirited. Anthony Baker, the "Cocktail Professor" and virtual cocktail teacher, "Proof: The Science of Booze" by Adam Rogers, $10.55, available at Amazon, I love "Proof." In addition, it helps readers think outside the box to create new drinks and explains everything clearly and logically. Johnny Swet, founding partner and master mixologist at JIMMY in New York City, NY, "Imbibe!" We surveyed 23 bartenders, beverage directors, and cocktail pros on their favorite cocktail books. Known as the world's first technique manual for cocktails, this book will break down the basics of building classics like an Old Fashioned and setting a foundation for inspiration from there. It marked the end of an era, but the man behind the Nomad bar scene, Leo Robitschek, actually published a book on more than 300 recipes there, with NoMads own philosophy on cocktail making included to change the way you see and use spirits. John is as qualified as they come to write a nerdy cocktail book, but the tone and structure of the book are laugh-out-loud funny and approachable while sharing real and practical tricks of the trade. Stephanie O'Neill. Another must-have for your average home bartender, home cook, and pros alike is "The Flavor Bible." An essential for any bartender, Morgenthaler's book is also a terrific training tool for staff and a how-to for educating hospitality professionals. What makes Katana Kittenand Master Urushidospecial is the way they infuse Japanese cocktail-making art with American comfort bites that'll have you musing on the lines of "I can easily devour this" and "This needs to be savored". You can't have a conversation about spirits and cocktail books without talking about David Wondrich. This cocktail book is from our own best and brightest, and we only toot our own horn because of our almost 90 years of experience in drinking better. This does not drive our decision as to whether or not a product is featured or recommended.