3 Cocktail Books Every Aspiring Bartender Should Read

Cocktail and bar-related books to educate and inspire!

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My list of recommended reading for aspiring bartenders and cocktail enthusiasts is long– so here’s the short version.

These are THE three books you should read and have on hand for quick reference if you want to really up your game as a bartender or home bartender.

For my bartender friends – do you agree? Are there other absolutely essential books you would have included in this short list?

Death & Co: Modern Classic Cocktails

This is an absolutely beautifully written and photographed book. It’s full of stunning imagery, stories, background on spirits, instructions and examples for cocktail making techniques, and of course, plenty of amazing cocktail recipes.

This was the first high-caliber cocktail book I got my hands on back in the day and I just could never put it down. Part of the genius is that it reads like a story book– telling the origin story of the first Death & Co bar in NYC, which has now become a multifaceted behemoth of the hospitality industry.

The Bar Book: Elements of Cocktail Technique

Next up is the quintessential bar handbook that you’ll find in most serious cocktail bars all around the world– The Bar Book by none other than Jeff Morgenthaler.

While it does contain plenty of cocktail recipes throughout, this book primarily focusses on cocktail technique– so you can learn how to make cocktails that not only look good, but (most importantly) taste good too.

Morgenthaler includes plenty of clear and easy-to-follow example imagery so you can more easily learn each technique he outlines (perfect for those of us who are more visual learners, like myself).

The Flavor Bible

I’ll admit that this recommendation is not explicitly cocktail-related.

However, it has been an invaluable tool in my cocktail recipe development work. This is more of a resource you’ll keep on hand for whenever you need it (vs. a fun read like Death & Co.) The Flavor Bible an alphabetical index of flavors and ingredients, and it allows readers to search complimentary combinations for a particular ingredient.

Want to make a cocktail with curry leaves, but not sure how to pull that off well? Just look up “Curry leaves” in The Flavor Bible and check out the long list of complimentary flavors and ingredients. Not all of the items listed will be relevant to cocktail-making, as the book is largely used for cooking and baking, but it doesn’t take much searching around in this book to inspire some truly delicious flavor combinations for your next original cocktail (FYI allspice and coconut are on the top pairing list for curry leaves. I might need to make that happen sometime!)

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