Build the Bar: Books
This post is part of Build the Bar series- detailing some of the things I found useful when we were building up our home bar.
The best way to get started building out your very own bar collection is to cozy up with a few books. Over the last 10 years we've been lucky enough to get books published by many of the world's leading cocktail bars. Some focus on recipes, some on the nuisances of bartending, and others on a little bit of everything.
I thought long and hard about which books to recommend and why. Something to give you a broad overview but still had recipes and bits of knowledge that I find invaluable. It also has to be well designed and contain gorgeous photos. What's the fun of owning something that's not lovely to display?
There are two books that I recommend equally and they both come from the owners of Death & Co (sorry not sorry).
Cocktail Codex: Fundamentals, Formulas, Evolutions by Alex Day, David Kaplan and Nick Fauchald.
I cannot sing the praises of this book enough. It’s a great primer on cocktail basics plus the hows and whys of what makes a great drink. The book is a nice mix between info, recipes (drinks/syrups) and photos. It breaks down the 6 classic cocktail structures and then goes more in depth with recipe variations. The intro to the book could have been written by me, just replace Little Branch with Death & Co.
If you buy this book on amazon, there’s usually a deal to buy their other book:
Death & Co: Modern Classic Cocktails by David Kaplan, Nick Fauchald and Alex Day.
This book came out in 2014 and was a genre game-changer. Cocktail Codex feels like a tighter version, this book goes into more detail about every aspect of a bar. I particularly like the “Day in the Life” of Death & Co. and have read it many many times along with the intro to this book. Our copy is FULL of little tabs marking recipes and syrups. I did not recommend this book first because I think it can be overwhelming when building your home bar. There’s SO many recipes and it’s a bit hard to plow through it all and decide what to buy. It’s crammed with techniques, gorgeous illustrations and lovely photos highlighting the staff and interior of the bar itself.
From here you can pretty much add books based on areas of interest, here are my recs and why:
The Bar Book: Elements of Cocktail Technique by Jeffery Morgenthaler
Additional info on techniques, recipes and it has a great sense of humor. Morgenthaler is known for taking traditionally awful cocktails— think the Grasshopper or the Amaretto Sour- and tweaking the recipe to make a truly delicious drink. He also has some of the most delightful youtube videos.
Smuggler's Cove: Exotic Cocktails, Rum, and the Cult of Tiki by Martin Cate
An essential guide on all things Tiki— history, recipes for drinks and all the unique syrup/modifier blends unique to tiki style drinks.
If you’re in the weeds and really want to get nerdy—
Liquid Intelligence: The Art and Science of the Perfect Cocktail By Dave Arnold
A *deep* dive into the science behind making a cocktail. Everything from making clear ice to adjusting the acidity in citrus juice.
Meehan's Bartender Manual by Jim Meehan
Covers history, starting and running a bar as well as Meehan’s advice for service and making the perfect drink. There’s also sections on bar design, menu design and the distillation process for different types of spirits.
Regarding Cocktails by Sasha Petraske / Georgette Moger-Petraske
This book was compiled from the notes and musings of the late Sasha Petraske who was one of the original bartenders to really kickstart the revival of the craft cocktail. He opened a revolutionary bar called Milk & Honey where he trained his staff with this new approach. We owe it to Sasha for ice programs, the wide-spread use of fresh juice and elevating the modern bar experience.
The Drunken Botanist by Amy Stewart
Part biology part history book, this one takes a closer look at the plants and how they influence the liquors we love.
Amaro: The Spirited World of Bittersweet, Herbal Liqueurs, with Cocktails, Recipes, and Formulas by Brad Thomas Parsons
This book gives a comprehensive overview of Amari- from history to recipes to little blurbs on how various folks like to drink it. The author gives the history and flavor profile for nearly every amaro you could get your hands on. I’ve even taken this book with me to a specialty liquor stores so I could read the tasting notes before buying a new bottle.
Like I mentioned earlier— it’s a great time for excellent cocktail/bar books with new releases happening every few months. I know there’s a few I can’t wait to get my hands on! Seasoned cocktail nerds out there- do you have any books you found particularly useful?
Cheers, enjoy!
-Abby