The ten best Cocktail and Liquor Handbooks and Encyclopaedia
What is The First Recorded Cocktail in History?
The oldest recorded cocktail is El Draque, named after the legendary English privateer ( pirate, depending on which side you are ) Sir Francis Drake. Sir Francis Drake was a British Naval Officer and a Slave Trader who was on his mission of pillaging the Spanish settlements in the Caribbean islands, and when he was in Havana, he found his men severely ill with malnutrition and scurvy. He sent a shore party in search of a cure and a cure they did find, the natives of Matecumbe, the southernmost tip of Florida, taught them the recipe of an alcoholic mix of a bark from the Chuchuhuasi tree and a distilled sugarcane beverage known as Aguardiente ( a sort of Schnapps ) , made from raw sugarcane juice, lime and mint.
This drink indeed saved Francis Drake's men and this is the precursor of the modern Mojito, and when Mojito was invented in Havana they simply replaced the Aguardiente with Rum and dropped the medicinal tree bark much in a way Quinine has been gradually removed from Tonic Water and many other recipes.
Now this drink that saved Drake's men was recorded and named in honour of Drake, the pirate, it's called the El Draque. This is probably the first recorded mixed drink.
Books are essential
There are good books and there are books worth nothing more than a place on the coffee table, mere decorative pieces. Of course, each book has its own place in our lives, but there are some that are considered bibles for their respective subject and genre.
So is the case for mixology and the history of alcoholic beverages, too. And the list is quite interesting. Here is one list in no specific order of importance.
Here are the ten best Cocktail and Liquor Handbooks and Encyclopaedia that all home mixologists and professional barkeeps consider as must haves for their bookshelf
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A rare gem - 501 Questions Every Bartender Should Know How to Answer, a Unique Look at the Bar Business by Robert Plotkin
The 1993 edition is rarely available and if you have one, you are already one of those masters who knows his drinks and mixes well. Old book, so, some of the data is outdated today, but its a collector's item nevertheless and is a treasure trove of information on liquors, and mixology in general.
Champagne Cocktails, Including recipes, quotes, lore, and a directory of the world's poshest lounges by Anistatia Miller, Jared Brown and Don Gatterdam (1999)
A nice book although lacking photos and illustrations to accompany, cocktail recipes accompanied by anecdotes, trivia, folklores and stories around the recipes and is a wonderful read, if you are interested in history and stories around the evolution of fermentation and distillation, especially during the medieval era.
The Craft of the Cocktail: Everything You Need to Know to Be a Master Bartender, with 500 Recipes
First published in the 70s this book by Dale Degroff is still in circulation and is not just a mere collection of a huge collection of classical cocktails, it is a book of history, stories and personalities surrounding each cocktail.
New Classic Cocktails 1997 by Gary Regan and Mardee Regan
Cocktails are back in style and classic cocktails are being reinvented, old fashioned American cocktails and bright sunny tropical drinks are living together now, and this handbook is a nice collection of classic and new classic cocktails with some engrossing anecdotal and historical information including who invented the cocktail, where and why. The background of a cocktail means a lot, since cocktails, unlike straight drinks, are social creations and have a social backdrop evident in its name, composition and style.
The Official Mixer's Manual by Patrick Gavin Duffy, 1940
The big daddy of all cocktail books, this one is from the era when modern cocktail was not a word known to many, and yet cocktails have been part of the American culture and American cinema for a while. This book is a collectors item that is all about the early cocktails encompassing the Prohibition Era and more. Pages after pages of recipes and commentaries. No fancy photographs or illustrations just pure facts, Originally published in 1934, if you can get a 1950 print for your shelves, you are lucky.
The oldest book of all - Bar Tenders Guide or How To Mix Drinks by Jerry Thomas printed in 1862
If you are a cocktail history enthusiast, this book is a must have, even photocopies are rare and as and when some publisher decides to bring out a rare reprint, they are gone soon. Amazon seems to have a reprint now, grab a copy if you are interested, before its gone again.
The Old Waldorf-Astoria Bar Book, by Albert Stevens Crockett, published 1935
This is a book of historical importance, its not just a book of classic cocktails, being published right after the end of the Prohibition, it tells stories about drinks that were served to famous people during those days. The new re-print has an introduction by Ross Bolton.
A.S. Crockett in his book, laid out the history of the Waldorf-Astoria hotel's bar and a historical view of how drink recipes changed before and after prohibition. A book for the afficionado, indeed.
The Savoy Cocktail Book yet another classic cocktail book from the same era, first published in 1930.
The hardcover re-print faithfully reproduces all the colour illustrations and this is an exact Facsimile of the original and not a digital re-production that uses text recognition in images and thus, retains all those old typography and drawings in their original.
œCraddock's "The Savoy Cocktail Book" was published in 1930, and is still in print today. Craddock invented a number of classic cocktails, including the famous Corpse Reviver #2 and possibly including the White Lady, and popularised the Dry Martini. Lavishly illustrated with all illustrations reproduced in color. Amazon Books
Cocktail: The Drinks Bible for the 21st Century 1998, a book by Paul Harrington
The expert mixologist on Wired magazine's "Cocktail" Internet site pours his wit and wisdom into an illustrated book of three hundred recipes for traditional and contemporary cocktails, with complementary information. A rather modern book by a contemporary expert, a book to keep as a reference.
The Gentleman's Companion: Being an Exotic Drinking Book Or, Around the World with Jigger, Beaker and Flask 1939, by Charles Henry Baker.
2017 facsimile reprint of the 1939 Edition, is another historical book of exotic food and drink that brought artists, sportsmen, musicians, scientists and vagabonds together in the quest of a good food and drink. This book is more than just recipes, it is a memoire of a culinary geniuss journey across the country over the years, looking for unusual specimens that he would bring back home scribbled behind a bar napkin.
A good book that is not actually about recipes but is about recipes at the same time.
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Any Glass
When there is no specific glass suggested for a cocktail, it's up to you to chose a glass.
Either you just go ahead and serve using any glass available to you following these simple rules
A. Go for Tall or Collins Glasses, Highball Glasses or even Hurricane Glasses for cocktails with loads of non-alcoholic mixes, and those that require crushed or cubed ices,
B. But if your cocktail is aromatic and liqueur based, and has a complex character that must reach the nose use a wide mouthed Cocktail Glass.
C. Red Wine Glasses for cocktails that have a Red Wine as the base spirit. Red Wine Glasses have a wider mouth and a long stem, so that the wine can be swirled an aerated to release the aroma while the long stem keeps the fingers away and avoid quick warming of the wine.
D. White Wine Glasses for cocktails with a White Wine base, since White Wines must not be aerated as much as a Red Wines, since they oxidise fast when in contact with air, White Wine glassware, in contrast to the wide mouthed bowl of a Red Wine Glassware, is narrow with a narrow mouth. A White Wine has much lighter and delicate notes and the narrow mouth and less surface area in contact with air helps retain the aroma.
E. If your cocktail is based on a Sparkling Wine like Champagne then a Flute Glass is more suitable since a Sparkling Wine is a White Wine with a secondary fermentation that produces the bubbles, and the narrow mouth flute prevents the bubbles from escaping.
F. If it's winter and you are in the mood for some hot cocktails like the Irish Coffee or Hot Toddy, go for the Irish Coffee Glass, it has a heat resistant glass and a handle.
G. Martini Glasses for Martinis or "Tinis" in general, but since these glasses have fallen off of favour these days, a Cocktail Glass will be good too.
H. IF you are serving Margaritas, don't look for Margarita Glass if you don't have one at home, Double Old Fashioned Glass or other glasses are more common these days, for serving Margaritas.
I. If you are the adventurous one, and are serving shots or shooters, of course the Shot Glass is your choice of glass,
J. Finally, if you are going all out and serving depth charges and car bomb shots, all you need is a Double Old Fashioned Glass or a Beer Mug for the beer and a shot glass to drop the bomb in.Simple Guide to Cocktail Glassware
When there is no specific glass suggested for a cocktail, it's up to you to chose a glass.
Either you just go ahead and serve using any glass available to you following these simple rules
A. Go for Tall or Collins Glasses, Highball Glasses or even Hurricane Glasses for cocktails with loads of non-alcoholic mixes, and those that require crushed or cubed ices,
B. But if your cocktail is aromatic and liqueur based, and has a complex character that must reach the nose use a wide mouthed Cocktail Glass.
C. Red Wine Glasses for cocktails that have a Red Wine as the base spirit. Red Wine Glasses have a wider mouth and a long stem, so that the wine can be swirled an aerated to release the aroma while the long stem keeps the fingers away and avoid quick warming of the wine.
D. White Wine Glasses for cocktails with a White Wine base, since White Wines must not be aerated as much as a Red Wines, since they oxidise fast when in contact with air, White Wine glassware, in contrast to the wide mouthed bowl of a Red Wine Glassware, is narrow with a narrow mouth. A White Wine has much lighter and delicate notes and the narrow mouth and less surface area in contact with air helps retain the aroma.
E. If your cocktail is based on a Sparkling Wine like Champagne then a Flute Glass is more suitable since a Sparkling Wine is a White Wine with a secondary fermentation that produces the bubbles, and the narrow mouth flute prevents the bubbles from escaping.
F. If it's winter and you are in the mood for some hot cocktails like the Irish Coffee or Hot Toddy, go for the Irish Coffee Glass, it has a heat resistant glass and a handle.
G. Martini Glasses for Martinis or "Tinis" in general, but since these glasses have fallen off of favour these days, a Cocktail Glass will be good too.
H. IF you are serving Margaritas, don't look for Margarita Glass if you don't have one at home, Double Old Fashioned Glass or other glasses are more common these days, for serving Margaritas.
I. If you are the adventurous one, and are serving shots or shooters, of course the Shot Glass is your choice of glass,
J. Finally, if you are going all out and serving depth charges and car bomb shots, all you need is a Double Old Fashioned Glass or a Beer Mug for the beer and a shot glass to drop the bomb in.
Please Note All Recipes and Articles on this site are for entertainment and general information only. None of it is to be considered final or absolutely correct or medical in nature.
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About Us
Neel B and Mani, we are a team of two, originally from India and the United States. We are professional software engineers and passionate cocktail enthusiasts. We built this app because we saw a need for a more comprehensive and user-friendly way to find cocktails and bartending recipes. We hope you enjoy using our app as much as we enjoyed making it!We decided to use our technology skills to help others who were in the same position as us and wanted to experiment with making cocktails at home but didn\u2019t know where to start. We have been working together for more than two years and has managed to collect an extensive library of recipes as well as tips and tricks for making the perfect cocktail.
Neel B is an Electronics and Telecommunications Engineer and martial arts and fitness enthusiast. He is an avid reader, compulsive doodler, and painter. His love for cocktails arises from the art in it and the history that traces the ups and downs of modern civilisation over centuries.
Mani is an ERP and SaaS developer and architect by day and a cocktail enthusiast in her leisure. She holds a Masters in Computer Application and Programming. In addition to writing stories on the history of cocktails and alcohol, she has a special interest in cocktails in literature. She believes that the perfect cocktail can make any moment special.