There’s nothing like curling up with a cocktail and a good book – especially if the book is about cocktails.
And the next couple of months there are some amazing cocktail books being released. We have picked our favourite seven publications that will not only expand your knowledge and your trivia but also your recipe library too.
The Curious Bartender Volume II: The New Testament of Cocktails
by Tristan Stephenson
The Curious Bartender Volume II: The New Testament of Cocktails is the sixth book by bestselling author and legendary bartender Tristan Stephenson.
You’ll find 64 of the finest cocktails there have been, are, or will be: 32 perfected classics and 32 game-changing reinventions of classics. Tristan makes you discover tastebuds and talents you never knew you had. He’ll show you the tools of the trade, the techniques he swears by, and how to experiment to create your own cocktail sensations.
Tristan’s done all the hard work for you, selflessly trying every drink known to man to uncover what partners perfectly. All you have to do is leaf through the pages of this—the holy grail of cocktail books.
Available (in hardcover) from September 11th via amazon for $US24.95
A Drinkable Feast: A Cocktail Companion to 1920s Paris
by Philip Greene
A history of the Lost Generation in 1920s Paris told through the lens of the cocktails they loved.
In this sweeping look at the City of Light, cocktail historian Philip Greene follows the notable American ex-pats who made themselves at home in Parisian cafes and bars, from Ernest Hemingway, F. Scott Fitzgerald, and Gertrude Stein to Picasso, Coco Chanel, Cole Porter, and many more.
A Drinkable Feast reveals the history of more than 50 cocktails: who was imbibing them, where they were made popular, and how to make them yourself from the original recipes of nearly a century ago.
Filled with anecdotes and photos of the major players of the day, you’ll feel as if you were there yourself, walking down the boulevards with the Lost Generation.
Available (in hardcover) from October 9th via amazon for $US18
The Cocktail Companion: A Guide to Cocktail History, Culture, Trivia and Favorite Drinks
by Cheryl Charming (Author), Gaz Regan (Foreword)
The Cocktail Companion spans the cocktail’s curious history-from its roots in beer-swilling 18th-century England through the illicit speakeasy culture of Prohibition to the explosive, dynamic industry it is today. Along the way, readers learn how their favourite spirits are distilled and explore the cultural touchstones associated with numerous brands.
Additionally, well-known bartenders from around the country offer up advice on everything, including using fresh-squeezed juices, finding artisanal bitters, and creating perfect cubes of ice that will help create intriguing, balanced cocktails.
Finally, Cheryl Charming’s compendium of all things Cocktail features 25 must-know recipes for iconic drinks such as the Manhattan and the Martini, including cultural anecdotes and often-told myths about their origins.
Available (in paperback) from October 15th via amazon for $US24.99
Apéritif: Cocktail Hour the French Way
by Rebekah Peppler
For the French, the fleeting interlude between a long workday and the evening meal to come is not meant to be hectic or crazed.
Instead, that time is a much needed chance to pause, take a breath, and reset with light drinks and snacks.
Apéritif is about kicking off the night, rousing the appetite, and doing so with the carefree spirit of connection and conviviality. Keeping true to the apéritif tradition, you’ll find cocktail recipes that use lighter, low-alcohol spirits, fortified wines, and bitter liqueurs.
The impressive drinks have influences from both Old World and New, but are always low fuss and served barely embellished.
Available (in paperback) from October 16th via amazon for $US18.99
Cocktail Codex: Fundamentals, Formulas, Evolutions
by Alex Day and Nick Fauchald
From the authors of the best-selling and genre-defining cocktail book Death & Co, Cocktail Codex is a comprehensive primer on the craft of mixing drinks. Employing the authors’ unique “root cocktails” approach, the book gives drink-makers of every level the tools to understand, execute, and improvise both classic and original cocktails.
Once you understand the hows and whys of each “family,” you’ll understand why some cocktails work and others don’t and when to shake or when to stir. They also look at what you can omit and what you can substitute when you’re missing ingredients, why you like the drinks you do, and what sorts of drinks you should turn to–or invent–if you want to try something new.
Available (in hardcover) from October 30 via amazon for $US40
The Dead Rabbit Mixology & Mayhem: The Story of John Morrissey and the World’s Best Cocktail Menu
by Sean Muldoon and Jack McGarry
Since their award-winning cocktail book The Dead Rabbit Drinks Manual was published in 2015, the bar has completely revamped their menus in a bold, graphic novel style, now featured in their newest collection The Dead Rabbit Mixology & Mayhem.
Based on “Gangs of New York”-era tales retold with modern personalities from the bar world (including the authors) portrayed as the heroes and villains of the story, the menus are highly sought-after works of art.
This stunning new book, featuring 100 cocktail recipes, fleshes out the tall tales even further in a collectible hardcover edition—making it a must-have for the bar’s passionate fans who line up every night of the week.
Available (in hardcover) from October 30th via amazon for $US28
Let’s Get Fizzical: More than 50 Bubbly Cocktail Recipes with Prosecco, Champagne, and Other Sparkling Wines
by Pippa Guy
This is the book for people who like their drinks bubbly and sparkling.
An inspiring mix of classic cocktail recipes such as bellinis and mimosas, alongside exciting variations, Let’s Get Fizz-ical offers tips, tricks, presentation ideas, and technical know-how to make your cocktails as sensational for the eye as they are for the palate.
Helping you tell your spumante from your frizzante, or your extra-brut from your demi-sec, this book even includes insider secrets such as how to make sure your bubbles don’t go flat.
Sidebars tell you every sparkling wine suitable for each cocktail, so you know whether you can substitute Cava for Prosecco, or whether sometimes only Champagne will do!
Available (in hardcover) from November 1st via amazon for $US14.99
