Cocktail Books and Bartending Guides

Intelligent, entertaining and captivating, David Wondrich's Imbibe! From Absinthe Cocktail to Whiskey Smash, a Salute in Stories and Drinks to "Professor" Jerry Thomas, Pioneer of the American Bar is a striking cocktail history book for anyone who wants to dive deep into the drinks of yesteryear.

How's Your Drink? This is the question posed by Eric Felten in his new book How's Your Drink? Cocktails, Culture and the Art of Drinking Well. In it the Wall Street Journal columnist explores drinks that were once common in bars and lounges and many of which have since faded into near obscurity.

Gary Regan's The Joy of Mixology leads with a wonderful history of cocktails and mixed drinks. The book also offers advice to emerging bartenders and explains the tools and techniques that have worked best in his own career. The recipe section focuses on the different families of cocktails and includes an informative table of the drinks within each family and the main ingredients used for each. It is a great read and necessary for anyone interested in bartending and cocktails.

The ultimate home bartending guide. "The Bartender's Bible: 1001 Mixed Drinks and Everything You Need to Know to Set Up Your Bar" is the second edition of this popular book written by Gary Regan. Besides the large alphabetized index of cocktail recipes, this book is a great source of information for setting up a home bar and will have you "Mixing Like a Pro" in no time.

First published in 1935 and written Albert Stevens Crockett, historian for the Waldorf-Astoria Hotel, this is a bartending guide which every cocktail enthusiast should add to their library. Included are the cocktail recipes from the bar's book of recipes, a book that Crockett claims he received stained with years of liquors. Written during and after the "Great Drought" or the "Noble Experiment" (Prohibition), Crockett includes stories of the old days of bartending before Prohibition and includes 244 popular pre-Prohibition cocktails with a more mixed drinks and potables along with a concise history of the hotel and its bar.

Cheryl Charming has updated one of the most popular bartending guides, The Everything Bartender's Book: 2nd Edition. It now contains 750 drink recipes spanning the range of classics, martinis, shots and mocktails. Cocktail recipes are organized by the main liquor involved, so all your vodka, tequila and rum drinks will be with each other, making it easy to use what you have in your bar. Snippets of facts, history and trivia are scattered throughout, keeping you reading through the recipes, and her bartending advice, tips and techniques are, as always, invaluable.

The Everything Cocktail Parties And Drinks Book: The Ultimate Guide to Creating Colorful Concoctions, Fabulous Finger Foods, And the Perfect Setting by Cheryl Charming is a delightful cocktail party planning book. It not only includes cocktail recipes but also features easy party ideas, food tips and little touches for creating a fun, stylish atmosphere for your next cocktail party.

Miss Charming is back and as charming as ever with her newest book release, Miss Charming's Guide for Hip Bartenders and Wayout Wannabes. The title is long but it describes the book perfectly. This new bartending book, from a woman who is known for her entertaining bartending skills, is the hippest bartending guide yet and a perfect introduction for anyone mixing their first cocktails.

Stephen Kittredge Cunningham brings us over 2800 cocktail recipes (500 of which are martinis!)in the Bartender's Black Book, 8th Edition. Of course you will find many of the classic cocktail recipes in this bartending guide, but you will also find a lot of "new" cocktails which have gained popularity in the revival of the cocktail culture. If you have no idea what a Mo Jo, Sand in Your Butt, or F.E.D.X. are, you need to check out this book.

A.J. Rathbun's Good Spirits is nothing less than an entertaining and informative bartending guide. The book includes 450 recipes divided 12 chapters with titles such as A Multitude of Martinis, Pacifying a Crowd (punches), Fresh Faces (newer creations) and Shooting the Moon. But this book isn't just a list of cocktails. For every recipe Rathbun illuminates on the story of the drink and, if it doesn't have a known story, some other enlightening, humorous or otherwise relevant commentary. Throughout the book the author also includes sidebars like Six Bad-Boy Bachelor Party Beverages, Four Corners, Four Bars and Obscure Facts to Bring Up at the Bar.