We independently evaluate all of our recommendations. If you click on links we provide, we may receive compensation.

These Are 19 of Our Favorite Cocktail Books

Whether you want to mix a negroni or read up on cocktail history, there's a book for everyone.

By
Emma Janzen
Emma Janzen
Emma Janzen is a journalist, photographer, book author, and digital content editor at Imbibe Magazine. Her first book, Mezcal: The History, Craft and Cocktails of the World's Ultimate Artisanal Spirit (2017), was nominated for a James Beard Foundation Award in 2018.
Learn about Serious Eats' Editorial Process
Updated March 21, 2024
a closeup of the spines of cocktail books

Serious Eats / Emma Janzen

When the modern craft cocktail renaissance first started back at the end of the 1990s, much of the national dialogue surrounding the resurrection of old recipes and techniques took place on blogs and online forums (as well, of course, as back and forth across the bar.) Research at the time was like a treasure hunt as drinkers and bar pros investigated hard-to-find vintage texts and sussed out reality from rumor. Seeking long-defunct ingredients and spirits and testing out forgotten recipes was difficult, but exciting.

When I was first introduced to the world of craft cocktails almost a decade ago, information was still scarce, so it was helpful when my guides spoke unanimously about the necessary books to seek out. The list was short: authors including Dale DeGroff, Gary Regan, and Tony Abou-Ganim were practically the only ones filed neatly on my once-bare cocktail book shelf, and I referenced them often as I progressed into the realm of cocktail mixing and history. If you're just getting started out in the cocktail world, there are still few books that establish such a solid foundation for understanding how we got to where we are now.

Today's landscape is far more informed. You can learn about every topic from proper technique to vintage recipes, modern concoctions, spirit-centric encyclopedias, and narrative histories about drinking, all with a quick trip to your bookstore or Amazon. The downside is that all those options can be a little overwhelming. This list of cocktail-related books narrows the field to 19 must-reads for any budding drink enthusiast.

Vintage Treasures

a page from an old bartenders book with an illustration of a bartender

Serious Eats / Emma Janzen

These are some of the first proper cocktail recipe books ever printed. If you enjoy translating recipe measurements and recreating vintage ingredients, or if you're just looking for a healthy dose of nostalgia, these are excellent places to start. Looking for more information on what makes a vintage cocktail book worth buying? Check out Michael Dietsch's story on building a vintage cocktail library.

Flipping through the first known cocktail book printed before Prohibition is like stepping back in time, and it's remarkable just how serious and impressive America's cocktail options were during the golden age. 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.

Since Mud Puddle Publishing released the first reprint of the work in 2008, Cocktail Kingdom has released a more substantial version. 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. And no modern edition of Thomas' book has ever even come close to capturing that, until this one." Indeed, although the book is currently being printed, it feels hundreds of years old thanks to small details like card stock and cover; it's not just a glimpse into the past, it's a modern treasure as well.

This homage to cocktails of the 1920's and '30s was written by Harry Craddock, an Englishman who learned the art of mixing in the States before moving back to London during Prohibition to be the head bartender at one of the most influential cocktail bars of all time—The Savoy Hotel. 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. It's a great book to that shows the way people used to drink, and how those flavors and cocktail recipes developed overseas during Prohibition.

Modern Classics

Two mixology books: the joy of mixology and the essential cocktail

Serious Eats / Emma Janzen

These essentials hail from notable bartending personalities responsible for helping usher in the modern cocktail revolution. They are great for beginners because when combined, they establish a solid baseline of technique and recipes both modern and vintage. Read all three to get a good understanding for how the movement re-started and get comfortable mixing drinks in your home bar.

"King Cocktail" is credited with being one of the first bartenders to revive the art of vintage craft cocktails at the Rainbow Room in the late 90's, and his two books on the subject hold up as fundamental must-reads that offer practical insight into how bartenders approached cocktail-making a good 15 years ago. Whereas The Craft of the Cocktail digs into tools and techniques, The Essential Cocktail dives right into the recipes, divided by style (highballs, sours, classics, punches, innovations, etc.). The beauty in Degroff's works is their simplicity, and the perspective they offer on how far the cocktail scene has evolved since he sparked the revolution. We've certainly come a long way since.

If you're a beginner looking to get into professional bartending or mixing great drinks at home, and you're only going to acquire one book on this list, make it Gary Regan's The Joy of Mixology. It's a hefty, thorough (albeit photo-less) guide to the methods and madness bartenders must adopt to be successful in the business that includes a brief history of the mixed drink, helpful tools and glassware, and most importantly, a breakdown of drink families. Regan's chart system helps teach how drinks are classified into different categories, which makes it easier to remember how to make certain styles of drink and spin them off into new creations of your own. For this reason alone, it's still a must-read.

At 864 pages, The Oxford Companion to Spirits and Cocktails is nothing short of a tome. You’ll be hard-pressed to find a book that is more comprehensive on the subject of alcohol—especially true if you pair this one with the Oxford Companions to Wine and Beer. In Spirits and Cocktails, though, you’ll find a deep history and evolution of spirits around the globe; covering everything from production to mixology. If there’s a so-called definitive guide to cocktails, this is it.

Historical Narratives

20150406-section3_narratives-emma-janzen.jpg

These are the books for true history buffs seeking an engaging story and in-depth details, presented in less of a "cookbook" format. Most of them still offer cocktail recipes, so you can mix up a cold one while you enjoy a few tall tales.

This book will especially appeal to cocktail enthusiasts with an interest in the vegetation behind their beloved spirits. The Drunken Botanist: The Plants That Create the World’s Great Drinks explores the botanical history and science behind the flowers, fruits, and trees that have made their way into our beverages—whether as a production staple or a fun experiment. Stewart further includes recipes and gardening tips, and her lovely style of writing makes The Drunken Botanist a joy to curl up with. 

It's likely that no single individual in America knows as much about the country's cocktail history than David Wondrich. Here, the historian and writer tackles the entertaining history of the American cocktail via the story of bartender Jerry Thomas. Wondrich's wit is electric as he digs through dense history, presenting wild and wondrous tales with authority. About 100 recipes litter the chapters, culled from Thomas' book and modern bartenders alike.

The newer edition adds updated tidbits of information, stories and colorful entertainment to the historical tales, along with a set of new recipes and information on the origins of the Mint Julep, making it a much better investment than the already wonderful James Beard Award-winning original.

In this captivating read, Curtis smartly weaves tales of American history and culture via the lens of rum from colonial times to when the book was published in 2006. Each chapter addresses a period in history paired with a rum cocktail that was popular at the time, providing insight into the development of American culture but also the history of these popular drinks. Regardless of whether or not rum is your spirit of choice, And a Bottle of Rum offers just the right balance of history, entertainment, and booze, making it an engaging read for all spirits lovers and history buffs.

This former Washington Post spirits columnist brings a more journalistic style of storytelling to the table with Boozehound, a recollection of his adventures in drinks reporting. Instead of solely looking to the American past, Wilson explores trends in drinking that are exotic and far-flung, from Italian amari to Peruvian pisco. Wilson gets a little snarky and insider-y at times, but that's part of what makes the book so engaging. Not everyone has the opportunity to travel and report on drinks, so why not live vicariously through this book?

Recipes and Specialties

photo of a bunch of cocktail books

Serious Eats / Emma Janzen

These five books 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. Most feature great recipes and are just as iconic and essential as the aforementioned picks.

This book is a fun dive into the bubbly world of the spritz. Through Spritz, you’ll learn about the history of this refreshing cocktail and how it became an integral component of aperitivo culture. Baiocchi and Pariseau also study the spritz’s rise in international popularity in recent years, offer tips on how to properly stock your at-home bar, and—of course—they provide plenty of recipes for spritz cocktails and snack pairings alike.

Mad Men may have helped the Old-Fashioned become, well, fashionable again—but devotees of this classic cocktail know that it never really went out of style in the first place. The Old-Fashioned is a deep dive into the origins and variations of one of the United States’ greatest contributions to cocktail culture. Flip through long enough to find a recipe and mix yourself a drink, then sit down to read this page-turner that will leave you thirsty for more.

This collection of cocktail recipes from New York's Employees Only set the stage for a rapidly growing trend of bars publishing recipe books. Jason Kosmas and Dushan Zaric assembled a sublimely simple, beautifully photographed compilation of their specs for classic recipes, with a handful of original EO recipes sprinkled throughout. When I was just starting to build a home bar, Speakeasy was one of the most approachable and fun cocktail books I played around with. It's a great place for beginners to start.

This massive tome—packed with over 300 cocktail recipes—is really most practical for cocktail bartenders and serious drinkers with flush bars. It's not for beginners with a low-stocked liquor cabinet, though it may inspire you to grow your bottle collection. The recipes are culled from far and wide—vintage drinks from the '30s, staff-created drinks properly credited and noting when each bartender worked behind the stick, recipes from bars in other cities, and many classics.

Author Brad Thomas Parsons hits the nail on the head with the execution of the topic of bitters, both sippers like amari and 'seasoning' bitters like Angostura or Peychaud's. 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. As America's palate continues to skew towards the unusual, this book will only become more relevant.

This is a coffee table book—this thing is thick and drop-dead gorgeous. Not to mention it's from a bar that spearheaded the modern craft mixology movement. While speakeasy bars have become somewhat of a trope, Death & Co. was one of the first bars to look back in time for cocktail inspiration and push the boundaries of what a modern tipple looks like. And the cocktails are damn good—one of commerce editor Grace Kelly's favorites is the Patois Punch, which combines Puerto Rican aged rum with calvados, lemon juice, maple syrup, and a spiced pumpkin puree for a silky libation that screams autumn without punching you in the face with pumpkin spice.

Serious Eats Staff Picks

the book Modern Cocktail Classics on a black coffee table next to a chair and some plants

Serious Eats / Jesse Raub

Lastly, we wanted to add a selection of go-to cocktail books from Serious Eats staffers. These books contain recipes, historical snippets, tried-and-tested how-to guides, and even complimentary small bites. Picking out a great cocktail book can be overwhelming with so many excellent choices, so here are five recommendations from our personal libraries.

How to Cocktail takes you from the basics (glassware types; spirit explainers) to the ambitious (DIY bitters and cocktail onions), so there's something in it for every level of at-home bartender. The recipe sections are broken down by technique (built, shaken, muddled, etc.), and, in true America's Test Kitchen fashion, everything's been tested within an inch of its life. It's the most intense-yet-streamlined cocktail book I own, and I'm grateful for it. — Riddley Gemperlein-Schirm, senior commerce editor

While I love an Old Fashioned, sometimes I want something light and spritzy. But the answer to that isn’t necessarily an Aperol Spritz, which, if I’m honest, has grown tiresome in its ubiquity. Enter this lovely cocktail companion by Rebekah Peppler, an ode to low-ABV (well, mostly), fizzy, aperitif-based drinks. Not only does Peppler provide light and bubbly combinations (like the AM/PM Sherry, a mixture of fino sherry, Lillet Blanc, grapefruit juice, simple syrup, Angostura bitters, and soda water), but her recipes also highlight lesser-known (at least, stateside) aperitifs and digestifs, like Byrrh, Amer Picon, and Bonal. Amidst the fizzy lifting drinks, there are also fun aperitif “shots” and a whole section with recipes for nibbles and noshes to munch on in between sips. Whenever I reference this book I have visions of hosting a trés-French afternoon gathering with bottles of vermouth, various tonics, and a spread of tapenade, brandade, and le grande aioli (the freshest vegetables over ice with homemade mayo for dipping). — Grace

If you're wanting to delve deep into the science of cocktails, pick up Liquid Intelligence. It has practical applications (like infographics on how to best stir a drink using a bar spoon) to the wonderfully nerdy (do you want to know how refractometers are used behind the bar? How about all the different kinds of acids—citrus, malic, tartaric—than can be used in cocktails?). There are certainly recipes in it, but I use it more as a reference. It makes for a fun cover-to-cover read! — Riddley

Half history, half recipes, this book is an excellent primer on where some of your favorite modern cocktails (think: Oaxaca Old Fashioned, Naked and Famous) come from, and how to make them. Because cocktail history tends to be word-of-mouth passed on from bartender to bartender, it's great to get a snippet of those stories in print. It's also exciting to see drink titles from your favorite cocktail bars pop up on the page—learning more about where a cocktail comes from always makes me feel more confident when attempting to make one myself at home. — Jesse Raub, former commerce writer

While this book includes cocktail recipes (100, to be specific), it's also packed with insights from bartenders. They're from "fifty friends, colleagues, and mentors who've shaped my views of the craft of bartending," writes the author. You'll also find the pages filled with delightful illustrations and photos (lots of drinks on moody black backgrounds—my favorite). — Riddley

This little hardcover cocktail book was given to me as a birthday gift years ago, and it remains one of my go-to's for classic recipes—with a side of history. It's a fun read for someone (like me) who loves to learn food lore. For example, flip to page 23 and you'll find a recipe for Champagne à la Nicholas II, which adds a splash of Chartreuse to the fizzy wine. The background is fascinating: Russia was a big imbiber of Champagne in the 19th century, and they would often drop sugar cubes in the wine to sweeten it up. Czar Nicholas II also had a sweet tooth and an affinity for Champagne, but he'd doctor up his pour with yellow Chartreuse. Intriguing! Questionable! But also very fun. - Grace

Executive editorial director Tess Koman says, "I! love! this! book!" and "It is deeply fantastic." If that doesn't convince you, we don't know what will. This is a beautifully illustrated cookbook from the owners of the namesake restaurant in Portland Maine (The Portland Hunt + Alpine Club); it not only provides cocktail recipes (the hot buttered rum sounds so good) but also the inspiration to host a banger of a cocktail party. Think snackies like smoked trout with deviled eggs, cucumber apple kimchi (great on oysters), and Swedish meatball soup—inspired by the state of Maine as well as Briana Volk's Finnish heritage.

FAQs

What is the very first cocktail book?

The first known cocktail book ever published is The Bartender's Guide: How to Mix Drinks: A Bon Vivant's Companion, which was published in 1862 by Jerry Thomas. It features a wide variety of cocktail recipes like the Mint Julep that are still popular today, but reading through its pages gives you a glimpse into how mixology has changed over the years.

How do you make cocktails at home?

One of the easiest ways to make cocktails at home is to pick up a cocktail recipe book, which will help walk you through making a variety of drinks. How to Cocktail from America's Test Kitchen is a great starting point, and you can build a home bar easily with cocktail shakers, a mixing spoon, and a jigger for measuring out spirits.

Why We're the Experts

  • We at Serious Eats are a team who devours not only fantastic food, but also fantastic cookbooks.
  • We've developed plenty of cocktail recipes for the site and know a thing or two about making a good drink.
Additional research by
Summer Rylander
Summer Brons Rylander Serious Eats
Summer Rylander

Summer Rylander is a freelance food and travel journalist based in Germany. Her work has appeared in Food & Wine, The Kitchn, Travel + Leisure, Condé Nast Traveler, Salon, HuffPost, and more.

Learn about Serious Eats' Editorial Process

More Serious Eats Recipes