A lot of young homeowners enjoy entertaining friends in their new place. A rising hobby for home entertaining is bartending. Whether it’s date night in or a fun party, making cocktails is a fun way to show off your home bar and impress. But if you aren’t a professional bartender, making cocktails at home can be tough. What are the best cocktails, and where should you begin? Like a good home chef with cookbooks, a cocktail recipe book is essential for home bartenders. But what are the best cocktail books? Let’s take a look at some favorable options.
The Best Cocktail Books
The Savoy Cocktail Book by Harry Craddock
This is, in my opinion, the best cocktail book out there. I have a copy that I loan out regularly to friends who are interested in drumming up some new cocktails for their homes. This has been the quintessential cocktail recipe guide since Craddock first published it all the way back in 1930. It’s beautifully illustrated, and great dive into amazing cocktail theory and art.
For the freshest, most classic cocktails, every home bartender needs The Savoy Cocktail Book on their bar shelf.
The Bar Book by Jeffrey Morgenthaler
The Bar Book: Elements of Cocktail Technique is the perfect book for beginner home bartenders. Easy to follow instructions and illustrations help make a novice bar tender look like a pro. Jeffrey Morgenthaler is a well-known bartender from Portland, Oregon who has kept a blog for many years. Now, his bartending best practices are available in beautiful print to get you started behind the bar.
Death & Co. by David Kaplan, Alex Day, and Nick Fauchald
Death & Co., the bar, has been around since 2006. Death & Co., the book, brings their unique craft cocktails to life in a palatable way. Classic cocktails and modern spins are carefully described to help new, home bartenders create these beautiful drinks.
Death & Co.: Modern Classic Cocktails covers everything from bar tools to cocktail ice methods. You’ll make beautiful cocktails with this books, and have a fancy bar to boot.
Liquid Intelligence by Dave Arnold
Once you’ve spent some time in the previously mentioned books, or if you aren’t otherwise scared of a dense tome of cocktail theory, Liquid Intelligence: The Art And Science Of The Perfect Cocktail will fully complete your cocktail bookshelf. This book is heavy and full of technical cocktail science that will not only teach great recipes, but how to craft new cocktail recipes yourself.
Working through this book will not just make you a good home bartender, but a truly professional one.
With just one or two of these cocktail books guiding you through the process of home bartending, you and your friends will become experts in a new hobby that encourages social interaction, science, and collecting. Hands on and delicious, cocktails are a great way to use the whiskey and other liquor on your shelf. These books are the perfect addition to your bar cart, and they also make wonderful gifts.
Pingback: Can You Mix Gin and Coke? - NC Whiskey
Pingback: Bushmills vs Jameson: Irish Whiskey Showdown - NC Whiskey