8 reference books of the modern bartender

For a long time, the main trend among books about cocktails and drinks was the classics, be it recipes, techniques or history. And this went on for quite some time. From time to time, some bars published their own literature, trying to provide readers with high-quality pictures in addition to interesting content, thereby moving away from the established style in which the bulk of the text was.

Starting in 2014, new books about cocktail culture began to appear on the shelves of bookstores, creating their own new style. We offer you our review of the best books for bartending.

THE BAR BOOK: ELEMENTS OF COCKTAIL TECHNIQUE BY JEFFREY MORGENTHALER

Jeffrey Morgenthaler, a bartender from Portland, has created a great guide on the fundamentals and tricks needed to make a variety of drinks with ease. It also contains tips that you may not have known before. The information is presented in a user-friendly style along with visual examples. A great guide for both beginners and experienced bartenders looking to brush up on their technique.

LIQUID INTELLIGENCE BY DAVE ARNOLD

In this book, Dave Arnold takes a scientific approach to the process of making cocktails. If you’ve ever thought about things like carbonation, temperature, and acidity when creating a cocktail, then this encyclopedia is perfect for you. For a layman, the book will be difficult to understand, but for an expert in their field, it is an indispensable source for finding new cocktail making techniques.

THE PDT COCKTAIL BOOK: THE COMPLETE BARTENDER’S GUIDE FROM THE CELEBRATED SPEAKEASY

A cult book covering all areas of the bar trade. A lot of useful information coupled with beautiful illustrations make it very valuable for beginners and business sharks. Among other things, the book includes more than 300 cocktail recipes and many tricks from the author.

DEATH & CO BY DAVID KAPLAN, NICK FAUCHALD, AND ALEX DAY

One of the best cocktail books written by David Kaplan, author and owner of Death & Company. Composed of stories about the history of Death & Company combined with short essays written by the bar’s regulars, the book is a guide for those who want to learn more about the cocktail making process of the Death & Co bar team.

This book contains detailed descriptions of ingredients and tools that have hardly come across in other books before. Also, the authors were not too lazy to paint a combination of strong drinks, different tastes and reinforce it all with visual examples. The book is perfect for both beginners and people who want to comprehend the secrets of bartending.

THE DEAD RABBIT DRINKS MANUAL BY SEAN MULDOON, JACK MCGARRY, AND BEN SCHAFFER

The book covers the range of various historical drinks created at The Dead Rabbit Bar, including punches, fizs, cobblers, plus a special section on absinthe.

THE NOMAD COCKTAIL BOOK BY LEO ROBITSCHEK

The book was written by the director of the bar at The Nomad Hotel. It is unlikely that anyone will call it pocket or small, because in the book you can find more than 200 recipes covering aperitifs, classics and unique author’s cocktails, which are preferred by many bar visitors.

THE OLD-FASHIONED BY ROBERT O. SIMONSON

The book is expertly written by alcohol connoisseur and New York Times journalist Robert O. Simonson. He digs deep into the origins of this iconic drink and explores how it relates to today’s pop culture. In over half of the book’s 158 pages, Simpson talks about various Old Fashioned cocktail recipes, covering classics, standard variations, and innovative variations. A nice bonus for the reader will be the photographs taken by Daniel Krieger.

THE NEGRONI BY GARY REGAN

The author of such a book as “The Joy of Mixology” (“The Joy of Mixology”), Gary Regan, this time decided to devote himself entirely to one topic – the Negroni cocktail – one of the main favorites of most admirers of bar culture. Before talking about classic and new cocktail recipes, Regan shares a lot of interesting facts and secrets that he was able to learn while writing his book.

Relevance: 09.02.2016

Tags: Tips and life hacks