Tiki: Modern Tropical Cocktails by Shannon Mustipher
A fantastic up-to-date guide to the tropical genre that reflects Mustipher’s expertise and style.
Smuggler’s Cove by Martin & Rebecca Cate
A comprehensive guide to the modern tiki movement, from the San Francisco bar of the same name.
And a Bottle of Rum by Wayne Curtis
A great history book that uses ten different rum drinks as a way of conveying centuries of colonialism and drinking culture.
Vintage Spirits and Forgotten Cocktails: Prohibition Centennial Edition by Ted Haigh
A useful reference about many early twentieth-century cocktails.
Colonial Spirits by Steven Grasse
An entertaining modern book about eighteenth-century and early Republic drinking in the U.S.
Early American Beverages by John Hull Brown
A very effective reference book that compiles recipes from various household companions and cookery books of the colonial and pre-Civil War periods.
Spirit Sugar Water Bitters by Derek Brown
A clear, concise book that attempts to give shape to the arc of cocktail history.
The Waldorf-Astoria Bar Book by Frank Caiafa
Bartender and drinks expert Caiafa provides a well-researched book with updated recipes.
The Martini Cocktail by Robert Simonson
Modern cocktail writer Simonson tells you everything you ever wanted to know about the Martini.
Spritz by Talia Baiocchi & Leslie Pariseau
A great handbook for aperitivo at home, complete with recipes for classics, riffs, and snacks.
How to Mix Drinks or The Bon-Vivant’s Companion by Jerry Thomas
(1862, 1876, 1887) - The foundational guide, the earliest comprehensive American bartending manual.
Cocktail Boothby’s American Bar-Tender by William T. Boothby
(1891, 1908) - A great source on late-nineteenth century cocktail culture in San Francisco.
The Flowing Bowl by William Schmidt
(1892) - This substantial book only focuses in part on recipes; Schmidt also instructs the reader on wine and food pairings and other epicurean matters.
Modern American Drinks by George Kappeler
(1895) - Kappeler’s bartending guide features Gilded Age drinks as well as classics from earlier in the 19th century.
Bartenders' Manual & Guide for Hotels & Restaurants by Harry Johnson
(1882, 1888, 1900) - One of my absolute favorite bar books, with advice on running a bar, café, and hotel.
Hoffman House Bartender's Guide by Charley Mahoney
(1912) - A great hotel bar manual from the pre-Prohibition era, with advice on how to run a bar.
Recipes for Mixed Drinks by Hugo Ensslin
(1916, 1917) - An excellent snapshot of the New York cocktail landscape from the years just before Prohibition.
The Ideal Bartender by Tom Bullock
(1917) - The first extant cocktail manual to be written by a Black American bartender.
The Savoy Cocktail Book by Harry Craddock
(1930) - An important collection of recipes from the American Bar at London’s Savoy Hotel; a look into British & expat cocktails in the ‘20s.
The Fine Art of Mixing Drinks by David A. Embury
(1948) - An interesting book published just after WWII by an attorney who was also a cocktail enthusiast.