Before there were YouTube and Instagram, aspiring bartenders had only so many resources to study the trade, mainly books and mentorship. Even today, some classic (and modern) cocktail books are incredibly rich founts of knowledge that industry professionals can learn from. So we’ve decided to put together a sort of canon of cocktail books that bartenders and interested drinkers alike can use as their own personal curriculum.
To do so, we consulted someone who might know more about the subject than anyone else: Greg Boehm, the founder and CEO of Cocktail Kingdom. Not only is Boehm a partner in some of New York City’s best bars (Katana Kitten, Mace, Superbueno), but he is an avid antique cocktail book collector with some 3,800 tomes to his name stored in a research library at his brand’s showroom. He got into the bar world through publishing and currently puts out facsimile reproductions of some of his favorite editions.
In narrowing down our selections, we chose to include books that are best read cover-to-cover, some that you should absolutely know of but don’t necessarily need to read every word of, and a few with authors who can serve as role models in your bartending journey. So without further ado, here is the VinePair Cocktail Book Canon of 20 essential books everyone in the bar industry should know (in alphabetical order).
‘The Bar Book: Elements of Cocktail Technique’
Jeffrey Morgenthaler
Boehm calls this work by bartender and writer Jeffrey Morgenthaler one of the best modern, practical books. It’s focused on the non-spirit components of a drink (juices, bitters, sweeteners, etc.) and has sections on topics including techniques, equipment, stirring, shaking, and ice.
‘Cocktail Techniques’
Kazuo Uyeda
This manual is invaluable for its practical explanations of Tokyo-style bartending techniques like the hard shake. It’s also the first book on Japanese bartending to be published in English, so it influenced many bars that were at the forefront of the trend.
‘The Drunken Botanist: The Plants That Create the World’s Great Drinks’
Amy Stewart
If you’re interested in the plants used to make spirits, Stewart’s book will be right up your alley. It’s all about the herbs, flowers, trees, fruits, fungi, and grains that we’ve managed to turn into alcohol.
‘The Encyclopedia of Cocktails’
Robert Simonson
In this “A to Z compendium,” author and VinePair contributor Robert Simonson has written something way more fun than the “World Book.” His encyclopedia covers the essential people and places in the industry as well as the classic drinks we should all recognize.
‘The Essential Cocktail: The Art of Mixing Perfect Drinks’
Dale DeGroff
DeGroff basically revived mixology with his push for fresh ingredients from his perch at the Rainbow Room. His book focuses on 100 essential drinks and their best variations plus the stories of their development. Boehm calls it a “well-done, great book,” as it should be considering DeGroff is the founder and president of the Museum of the American Cocktail.
‘The Fine Art of Mixing Drinks’
David A. Embury
“This is by far the best book ever written on cocktail techniques, but his part on how to develop a cocktail is the best thing I’ve ever read on creating your own cocktail,” Boehm says of David A. Embury’s 1948 volume. In fact, he thinks so highly of “The Fine Art of Mixing Drinks” that it’s one he reprints himself. Embury was a passionate amateur whose book explains what to mix and why via six base cocktails: the Daiquiri, the Jack Rose, the Manhattan, the Martini, the Old Fashioned, and the Side Car.
‘The Flowing Bowl: What and When to Drink’
William Schmidt
Boehm considers Schmidt “the first modern bartender.” He ran a bar below the office of a newspaper in NYC, so he and his practices were often cited, and we have a good record of him. He also created new drinks every day and didn’t just try to master the classics. This coffee-table book is a great resource for less common ingredients — if you don’t know what to do with something niche, Schmidt will likely have a recipe for it. The 1892 book even contains cocktails that use Fernet and a jellied shot recipe made with horse gelatin.
‘The Gentleman’s Companion’ and ‘The South American Gentleman’s Companion’
Charles H. Baker
These two books, the first from 1939 and the second published in 1951, are the travelogues of salesman-turned-writer Charles H. Baker. Boehm calls them “the best armchair travel-meets-cocktail books” and even took a volume with him when he traveled to India to see if the bars mentioned still exist. While there are recipes, Boehm notes that they were all written from observation, so they aren’t useful for actually making any of the listed cocktails.
‘Harry Johnson’s Bartender’s Manual and a Guide for Hotels and Restaurants’
Harry Johnson
This book is important because it was one of the first about the profession of bartending. It’s an all-around guide with recipes, techniques, and tips that offers a look at 19th-century bars and how they operated. “I always recommend this one,” Boehm says. “The recipes are OK, but it’s more about opening a bar. The practical advice is very interesting to see.” Boehm specifically recommends the 1900 edition or a reprint of it.
‘Hoffman House Bartender’s Guide’
Charley Mahoney
“This is the first and arguably most important cocktail book in the golden age of the American cocktail,” according to Boehm. It’s also one of the first that grabbed his attention and had him chasing down a rare volume. Everything included was taken from national newspapers, so it reflects often lesser-represented markets. It also contains advice that is still practical today, like, “if you have no experience, ask someone who does.” Plus, its 1912 publishing date makes it one of the earliest books with photos, so you can see how bartenders actually implemented the techniques mentioned.
‘The Ideal Bartender’
Tom Bullock
“The Ideal Bartender” is the first book on the bar industry written by an African American author. It was published in 1917, not long before the Volstead Act kicked off Prohibition, and it preserves the legacy of Black, pre-Prohibition bartenders. Bullock came to prominence as a bartender at the St. Louis Country Club and was known for his Mint Juleps, even serving one to Theodore Roosevelt.
‘Imbibe!’
David Wondrich
This book is a highly researched, dense history of American cocktails, but it’s also a fascinating read that explains early cocktail books including “Jerry Thomas’ Bartenders Guide.” Boehm says reading it is “an absolutely spiritual journey,” no pun intended, and that it’s “the best of the best” in the world of drinks books.
‘Jerry Thomas’ Bartender’s Guide: How to Mix Drinks’
Jerry Thomas
If you’re a completist, “Jerry Thomas’ Bartender’s Guide” — the first cocktail book ever published in English with recipes — is a must-have. Boehm calls Thomas “the father of American mixology,” and says that “owning the first cocktail book in your collection is inspirational.” He recommends thinking of Thomas as your own pocket role model. The book contains the first written recipes for many cocktails, including the Daisy, the Mint Julep, the Fizz, the Flip, and many others.
‘The Joy of Mixology’
Gary Regan
Regan’s book sets out a system for categorizing drinks that can help readers both remember recipes and create new ones. “The Joy of Mixology” is a follow up to his previous book “The Bartender’s Bible,” another worthy tome that contains over 1,000 recipes. This one is basically a textbook for learning how to bartend, and Boehm calls it “one of the most influential books of the cocktail renaissance.”
‘Liquid Intelligence: The Art and Science of the Perfect Cocktail’
Dave Arnold
If you’re a cocktail nerd and science geek, you probably already know about Dave Arnold, the high-tech, experimental bartender who founded the beloved bar Booker & Dax in NYC. His rigorous book highlights new methods and teaches readers how to apply culinary techniques to liquids. Per Boehm, “there’s nothing better for molecular mixology.”
‘Meehan’s Bartender Manual’
Jim Meehan
“After the cocktail renaissance went mainstream, this was the best book that came out,” says Boehm. Meehan, who worked at influential NYC spots including Pegu Club and opened PDT, explains the modern bar industry and its history and gives professional insights into topics like bar design, menu development, spirits production, service, and hospitality. It’s really about bartending rather than cocktails and gives an inside look at the acclaimed bartender’s creative process.
‘The Oxford Companion to Spirits and Cocktails’
David Wondrich and Noah Rothbaum, eds.
This is the first major reference book on the subject and is truly an encyclopedia. “If you only had one book, this might be the one you should own” — high praise from Boehm.
‘Beachbum Berry’s Potions of the Caribbean’
Jeff Berry
Tiki drinks needed to be represented in this list, and Boehm recommends Beachbum Berry. The illustrated volume contains vintage Caribbean recipes, including some never before published.
‘The Savoy Cocktail Book’
Harry Craddock
“The Savoy Cocktail Book” has been continuously in print since its first publication in 1930. Bartender Harry Craddock trained at some of the top bars in the U.S. in the early 20th century, including the Hollenden Hotel in Cleveland and the Knickerbocker Hotel in NYC. He moved back to his native England during Prohibition where he rose to fame at London’s Savoy Hotel. The book has 750 recipes plus advice about wine and non-alcoholic drinks and Art Deco illustrations, but Craddock copied many of the recipes from other sources and didn’t often cite them. “It’s an absolutely iconic book and incredibly important to own, but I have some issues with the recipes,” Boehm tells us. Craddock, sometimes called “the Dean of Cocktail Shakers,” is said to have invented the Dry Martini and White Lady, but it’s possible he was just the first to popularize them.
‘The World’s Drinks and How to Mix Them’
William Boothby
Boothby’s 1908 edition is notable for many reasons, including housing the first printed recipes for the Sazerac and the Bronx. He had published a previous edition, but the original plates were destroyed in the 1906 earthquake and fire in San Francisco, so he started from scratch for this version. The title contains over 500 recipes and also gives a glimpse into the history of the city where he worked at the Palace Hotel. Boehm cites it as the best old recipe book with specs that are actually still usable.
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