Bar & Cocktail Book Recommendations
As much as there is a wealth of great bar & cocktail information available on the internet, I still love to leaf through a good book for inspiration. Given this is something a lot of you have asked about, I thought it was time to put together a list of the books that get the biggest workout at Bomba, and at home.
Whether you want to go down a historical rabbit hole, learn some modern cocktail techniques or just try new flavour combinations, there is some wonderful booze literature out there. Here are a few of my favourites, and I’ll break it down in to categories so you can decide where your interests lie and invest accordingly!
All Rounders
These books take more of a holistic look at bartending and will guide you through some history, technique and principles of being a good bartender as well as listing recipes. I especially love the focus on service from a couple of these!
The Craft of the Cocktail/The New Craft of the Cocktail - Dale DeGroff
The first book I bought when I began to get serious about bartending and is written by a man widely credited with spearheading the modern cocktail revival.
Anecdotes included by DeGroff – it feels like you’re sitting across the bar from him, and in doing so proves how to be a great host!
Recently released an updated version which is great, because the face of bartending has changed a lot since the original, but still has the same warmth and great stories!
His drinks are all simple and delicious, and it’s a very entertaining read so definitely worthwhile for a home bartender as well as someone in the industry, really accessible.
The New Craft of the Cocktail by Dale DeGroff (AU & NZ) - booktopia.kh4ffx.net/rngQYD
The Craft of the Cocktail by Dale DeGroff - https://amzn.to/33WbVGy
The Joy of Mixology - Gary Regan
Shows what the word ‘mixology’ is meant to mean, looking after the guest
Chapter titled ‘The Bartender: Do You Have What It Takes?’ looking at the philosophy of bartending but also practical solutions to situations like cutting people off of, or things to do during downtime.
Definitely more aimed at career bartenders than home enthusiasts but things like the drinks families’ charts are definitely useful for both. Some of the recipes are a little dated, but still a great grounding in this craft.
The Joy of Mixology by Gary Regan (AU & NZ) - booktopia.kh4ffx.net/AoKW7a
The Joy of Mixology by Gary Regan - https://amzn.to/3yvw98j
Imbibe! – David Wondrich
A homage to Jerry Thomas, who wrote the very first Bartender’s Guide in 1862
Acts as a key to decipher older recipes, with lots of notes on how to update measurements, spirits etc.
Also helps see the evolution of cocktails by listing chronologically
One for the geeks amongst us but I refer to it all the time when looking up classics as it helps to see what the actual original was then tweak from there.
Any David Wondrich books really, but definitely:
Imbibe (AU & NZ) - booktopia.kh4ffx.net/BXK07J
Punch (AU & NZ) - booktopia.kh4ffx.net/EaqK7D
Imbibe - https://amzn.to/3v31Q6x
Punch - https://amzn.to/3bCpsY4
For the History Buffs
These are some absolute classics of the genre and amazing foundational texts but not necessarily the most practically useful for drinking tastes nowadays. Some drinks fell out of favour for a reason…!
The Fine Art of Mixing Drinks – David Embury
Thorough breakdown of cocktails and cocktail culture. Goes into categories of spirits which is great, but you can tell it’s from a slightly different time - vodka and tequila are included in the ‘Miscellaneous Spirits’ section!
The Fine Art of Mixing Drinks by David Embury - https://amzn.to/3ggnIq2
The Savoy Cocktail Book - Harry Craddock
Arguably the most famous cocktail book of all time.
Contains all the classic and also some originals which have entered into the cocktail hall of fame like the White Lady and Corpse Reviver No 2.
The Savoy Cocktail Book by Harry Craddock (AU & NZ) - booktopia.kh4ffx.net/3P7enk
The Savoy Cocktail Book by Harry Craddock -
Bartenders Guide / How to mix drinks - Jerry Thomas
There are many versions, many titles and many differing prints of this legendary book
Bartenders Guide - How to mix all kinds of plain and fancy drinks
How to Mix Drinks (the Bon Vivant’s variation) by Jerry Thomas (AU & NZ) - booktopia.kh4ffx.net/2rK1ZA
Special Interest
No-one likes to play favourites but eventually you’re going to find your own niche (or two!), and there will doubtless be an authoritative tome in that area of interest. For me, sherry and whisky both hold a special place in my heart, but there’s always room for self improvement!
Sherry – Talia Baiocchi
I love how this book combines lots of information on the wines themselves with cocktail and food ideas.
Sherry by Talia Baiocchi - https://amzn.to/3u00ubs
The World Atlas of Whisky
A great starting point for the elixir of life that is whisk(e)y.
The World Atlas of Whisky by Dave Broom - https://amzn.to/3fxDz1S
The World Atlas of Whisky by Dave Broom (AU & NZ) - https://booktopia.kh4ffx.net/vn2NBy
Tiki
If Tiki and tropical is your thing, Jeff Berry aka Beachbum Berry is considered an expert and has multiple books on the subject, or Smuggler’s Cove – Martin Cate.
Jeff ‘Beachbum’ Berry - Various
Potions of the Caribbean by Jeff ‘Beachbum’ Berry - https://amzn.to/3e1sB4O
Sippin Safari by Jeff Beachbum Berry - https://amzn.to/3cDrurf
Jeff ‘Beachbum’ Berry (AU & NZ) - https://booktopia.kh4ffx.net/4edPbr
Smuggler’s Cove - Martin Cate
Smuggler’s Cove by Martin Cate (AU & NZ) - https://booktopia.kh4ffx.net/NKNkZb
Smuggler’s Cove by Martin Cate - https://amzn.to/3vhJT3C
Feeling Experimental?
While it’s definitely important to have a thorough grounding in the classics, if you really want to understand why certain techniques and flavour combinations work and maybe use that as a basis for experimentation, these next books have you covered!
Liquid Intelligence - Dave Arnold
The science behind drinks making – ice, acid, carbonation etc – which can be applied to elevate your classics
Elevated techniques if you want to take the next step like clarification, fat washing, etc.
Liquid Intelligence by Dave Arnold (AU & NZ) - https://booktopia.kh4ffx.net/WDYq1Z
Liquid Intelligence by Dave Arnold - https://amzn.to/2S7qBji
The Drunken Botanist - Amy Stewart
It’s easy to forget that all booze comes from plants, but when you think of it like that, it makes it much easier to understand where flavours come from, and therefore what to pair them with.
This book lots of interesting botanical information but also recipes and history.
The Drunken Botanist by Amy Stewart - https://amzn.to/3yhP0Ud
The Drunken Botanist by Amy Stewart (AU & NZ) - https://booktopia.kh4ffx.net/zajN7W
The Flavour Thesaurus - Niki Segnit
Not strictly a bar book but one I refer to a lot when creating cocktails.
It works really well used alongside The Drunken Botanist.
The Flavour Thesaurus by Niki Segnit (AU & NZ) - https://booktopia.kh4ffx.net/OR1rgr
The Flavour Thesaurus by Niki Segnit - https://amzn.to/2T5EqQ5
All Day Cocktails – Shaun Byrne and Nick Tesar
Based on seasonal fruit, vegetables, herbs and nuts and builds the drinks around that rather than the booze – in fact a lot of the drinks are non-alcoholic.
Lots of great techniques for preserving and using in cocktails – syrups, shrubs, ferments and so on.
Again, great to use alongside the Thesaurus to figure out how to incorporate certain flavours in drinks.
All Day Cocktails by Shaun Byrne and Nick Tesar (AU & NZ )- https://booktopia.kh4ffx.net/RyR5BR
All Day Cocktails by Shaun Byrne and Nick Tesar - https://amzn.to/3wnltqp