The 10 great cocktail books every booze lover should own

It’s time to go to booze school! Anyone who wants to learn about pre-Prohibition cocktails needs to familiarize him or herself with the father of the American bar, Jerry Thomas. This narrative book is full of stories and history, and recipes too, and the newly updated version includes even more boozy details, plus some fascinating background on the mint julep, the first American drink.

Buy Imbibe! Updated and Revised Edition: From Absinthe Cocktail to Whiskey Smash, a Salute in Stories and Drinks to “Professor” Jerry Thomas, Pioneer of the American Bar on Amazon

If you want to brush up on your San Francisco cocktail history, this highly personal and educational book by barman Duggan McDonnell is a love letter to the city’s original cocktails, including pisco punch, the mai tai, and Irish coffee. Twenty-five iconic recipes and their backstory, plus 45 more variations and handy batching tips and tricks are contained therein. McDonnell’s vibrant writing style will keep you reading it cover to cover.

Buy Drinking the Devil’s Acre on Amazon

The executive editor of Imbibe magazine (also known for his Cocktail Chronicles blog) naturally has some insight on the contemporary cocktail movement, and the classic cocktails that form the backbone of our modern drinking culture. This accessible reference book has recipes, great stories, techniques, glassware tips and more.

Buy The Cocktail Chronicles on Amazon

While this book may have 10 years on it, that’s the fantastic thing about making great cocktails: it’s timeless. These two esteemed San Francisco barmen (previously of Absinthe) share their seasoned perspective and skilled techniques for making craft cocktails with a slant on extra-fresh ingredients, which includes making syrups, plus classic cocktail recipes with a little history back. Drink it up!

Buy The Art of the Bar: Cocktails Inspired by the Classics on Amazon

For those who want to keep up on the latest cocktails around the world, there are few better guides than bartender extraordinaire Gary Regan. This is his fourth year assembling the latest and greatest formulas from places as far-flung as Norway and Bahrain.

Buy Gaz Regan’s 101 Best New Cocktails, Volume IV on Amazon

Regan’s seminal cocktail book is another one for your library, and one you’ll find on most bar shelves. It’s an excellent reference book that will help you understand how to categorize drinks into cocktail “families,” like the New Orleans Sour Family, which most of us would like to be adopted by.

Buy The Joy of Mixology on Amazon

Oof, is your liver feeling like it’s time for a break from all these spirits? Or maybe you just need to learn about the right way to kick off the evening: with an aperitivo. This brand-new book will fill you in on the oh-so-hot-right-now Italian spritz, sharing its history, recipes and how to stock your own spritz bar (you’ll be very popular with your friends).

Buy Spritz: Italy’s Most Iconic Aperitivo Cocktail, with Recipes on Amazon

You may have all the right ingredients, but without proper technique, your cocktails won’t shine as brightly as they should. For those ready for the next-level of cocktail-making, this technique-driven book will lead you to proper stirring, shaking, juicing and more through 60-plus recipes and photographs.

Buy The Bar Book: Elements of Cocktail Technique on Amazon

Okay, so this one is a little wild card for you. No, it’s not a cocktail book, but it’s a text that is beloved and used by many chefs and bartenders in their craft. Authors Page and Dornenburg give advice and insight in how to create balance, enhance flavor, and make exciting ingredient combinations that work. Meet your flava secret weapon.

Buy The Flavor Bible: The Essential Guide to Culinary Creativity, Based on the Wisdom of America’s Most Imaginative Chefs on Amazon

Ready to geek out? Strap on your goggles and let Dave Arnold of New York’s high-tech Booker & Dax bar show you how to make crystal clear ice and infuse vodka, and take things to bar science level 10 with liquid nitrogen techniques and more through 120 recipes.

Buy Liquid Intelligence: The Art and Science of the Perfect Cocktail on Amazon