The Best Cocktail Recipe Books for Bartenders

The Essential Bar Book for Home Mixologists by Amy Traynor is designed specifically for amateurs or home bartenders. It is very easy to understand and includes all the information you will need to master delicious recipes from the comfort of your home. The book highlights the importance of flavors, choosing the right glass, and even garnish. It will be ideal for beginners as it includes all the tools, techniques, ingredients, and other essentials that you will need to keep your home bar stocked and impress your family and guests. 

A total of 70 recipes are included ranging from both classic and contemporary cocktails. The drinks range from gin and whiskey to rum, which means they are tailored to all tastes. Due to the experience of the author and the large number of unique recipes and techniques included, we chose this cocktail recipe book as our top pick.

The Art of Mixology by Parragon Books is another one of our favorite cocktail recipe books because it is designed for all expertise levels including beginners, intermediates, and experts. It includes both traditional and contemporary recipes, which makes them ideal for different occasions like parties, dates, holidays, and different celebrations. This cocktail recipe book includes non-alcoholic drink recipes as well like Ginger Fizz, Sober Sunday, or LongBoat so that it can cater to a wider audience. 

There are a total of 200 recipes to choose from, including unique drinks that will make you stand out from other bartenders. The alcoholic drink recipes range from gin, vodka, and whiskey to rum and brandy. The cover is extremely stylish and will be a good addition to your coffee table or bar area. A hardcover option is also available if you are feeling extra fancy.

If you are looking for a classic cocktail recipe book, you should consider Death & Co: Modern Classic Cocktails by David Kaplan. The book is based on real recipes from the award-winning bar Death & Co. Death & Co has been an industry award winner several times because it houses some of the best bar staff, which means that it is the birthplace of some of the most iconic drinks in the world. 

This book is very extensive because it comes with 500 recipes along with a comprehensive history of cocktails. This includes the theory and philosophy behind drink making along with step-by-step instructions for practicing bartending techniques. Despite being long, it is not boring because it includes bright and evocative illustrations along with infographics and charts. 

The Home Bartender by Shane Carly is a cocktail recipe book that utilizes simple terminology so even beginners can understand it easily. This book focuses on the notion that you do not need to spend a lot on expensive liquor and bar tools to create the perfect drink. As long as you have a few quality ingredients along with a select few recipes, you can learn the art of bartending. It includes a total of 175 recipes which include non-alcoholic drinks as well. 

Drink recommendations for different occasions are provided and a few necessary tools are listed. Additionally, the book also includes resources that will provide guidance about where to buy bartending essentials. It is 368 pages long, which may seem a bit too extensive to some people, but it includes basic recipes as well for absolute beginners.

Last but not least, the Cocktail Codex by Alex Day, Nick Fauchald, and David Kaplan is another one of the most famous cocktails recipe books. This is because it is written by experts who are very experienced in the bartending field. They have adopted a very simple approach by stating that you just need to know the six root recipes, and the rest is just improvisation. This means that instead of learning a range of different recipes, you just need to memorize a few basic ones. Once you understand the science behind each of these recipes, you can understand what you are doing wrong and fix your mistakes easily. 

The authors encourage trying new things and using your own drinks as well. What sets this book apart from others is that instead of just listing down recipes, it tries to teach you the art of bartending by encouraging creativity.