Best Cocktail Books: When it comes to choosing the best cocktail books for your collection or adding to your existing cocktail library, the choice can be a little daunting.
10 Best Cocktail Books: Australian Bartenders’ Favourites – Photo © Cocktails & Bars
We asked bartenders from around Australia, in different positions and at different stages of their bartending careers to name their favourite cocktail book, the one that has inspired them and influenced them in their bartending career.
Here are the 10 Best Cocktail Books: Australian Bartenders’ Favourites:
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10 Best Cocktail Books: Australian Bartenders’ Favourites
1. The Joy of Mixology by Gary Regan
For Jack Sotti, General Manager at Boilermaker House in Melbourne, when it comes to the best cocktail books, it is the first cocktail book he ever read, The Joy of Mixology by Gary Regan. “What I love about it, is that it focuses on the customer and not really about the cocktail at all. It’s about service, how to act, how to hold yourself behind the bar. He’s a very accomplished writer so he comes across very humorous and it’s an enjoyable read and a start to my hospitality career.”
Get The Joy of Mixology: The Consummate Guide to the Bartender’s Craft here.
2. The Flavour Thesaurus by Niki Segnit
“Not necessarily a cocktail book, this book was one of the first I bought as a reference guide for myself beginning to create my own cocktails, and one I still go back to often to this day for inspiration on flavour matches and pairings,” Jenna Hemsworth, Senior Bartender at Lui Bar in Melbourne say about The Flavour Thesaurus by Niki Segnit. “When I’m feeling stuck trying to come up with drink ideas, or the chefs at work bring in some fresh produce I have yet to play around with, I keep finding myself going through this book for ideas. This is the most well worn and used book in my collection, as it not only lays out ideal flavour pairings but explains the flavours using vocabulary that’s both novel and easy to understand.”
Get The Flavor Thesaurus: A Compendium of Pairings, Recipes and Ideas for the Creative Cook here.
3. Bartenders’ Manual by Harry Johnson
Joe Sinagra, Bar Manager of Bobeche in Perth cites Harry Johnson’s Bartenders’ Manual. “Harry Johnson had his head screwed on. His bartender manual is more than the straight up recipe book that many classic cocktail books are. It was how to conduct yourself as a bartender and in the business of bartending. From the value of investing in quality fittings and fixtures for your bar to the importance of ensuring there are systems in place for staff to follow and even how to go about presenting yourself properly at a job interview. Harry Johnson’s bartender manual was the first classic book I found that had huge amounts of solid advice for people looking to make bartending a career. You have to read between the lines a little as things have changed slightly since 1882 but the essence of what he wrote is as true today as it was back then. It’s the one book I recommend to every young up and coming bartender who asks me about books.”
Get Harry Johnson’s Bartenders Manual 1934 Reprint here.
4. Liquid Intelligence by Dave Arnold
“Liquid Intelligence by Dave Arnold is a very insightful perspective on methods and techniques to maximise flavour, clarity and texture within cocktails and preparations for cocktails”, says Edward Quatermass, Bartender at Maker in Brisbane. “It plays around with some funky experimental equipment and methods yet still focuses on the ultimate balance of the drink. Very helpful for us at Maker, trying to harness the best out of native Australian ingredients into a creative, well presented, but most importantly, a super tasty drink.”
Get Liquid Intelligence: The Art and Science of the Perfect Cocktail here.
5. The Ultimate Bar Book by Mittie Hellmich
James Connolly, Group Bars Manager for The Shorehouse/Enriques/Angels Cut in Perth names The Ultimate Bar Book by Mittie Hellmich. “It has heaps of good solid recipes and specs. I carried it every where with me and learnt a few drinks from it.”
Get The Ultimate Bar Book: The Comprehensive Guide to Over 1,000 Cocktails here.
6. Vintage Spirits and Forgotten Cocktails by Ted Haigh (Dr Cocktail)
Yoshi Onishi, Bar Manager at Tokyo Bird in Sydney speaks of Vintage Spirits and Forgotten Cocktails by Ted Haigh (Dr Cocktail). “This incredibly insightful book really helped build my repertoire of cocktails and working out how they used to structure drinks. Understanding the past is the best stepping stone for the evolution of modern day cocktails and how you can adjust them to suit today’s palate. There wasn’t any super fancy syrups, bitters, and so on, and they worked with what they had. This is a great reference book if you want to nerd out.”
Get Vintage Spirits and Forgotten Cocktails here.
7. Taste What You’re Missing by Barb Stuckey
For Thalita G Alves, Bartender at The Gresham Bar in Brisbane, it’s Taste What You’re Missing by Barb Stuckey. “It is not a specific cocktail book, but very related to cocktails since approaches ‘taste’ in general. If you want to create new concoctions it is very important to know cocktails developed in the past. But what always got me thinking was the concept of flavour itself. How do we taste things and why. This book was one of my ‘findings’ while researching this subject. It gives an awesome perspective on the relationship between flavour, aroma and texture from a scientific point of view but in a very easy language. To understand the process of different taste sensations was very helpful for me to understand how to balance drinks with diverse elements and pair different beverages with food.”
Get Taste What You’re Missing: The Passionate Eater’s Guide to Why Good Food Tastes Good here.
8. The Big Sleep by Raymond Chandler
“You won’t find anything about cocktail technique, nor will you find recipes for lost classics in here”, says Niall Maurici, Bar Manager at Robbie Brown’s in Kingston Beach, Hobart about The Big Sleep by Raymond Chandler. “From a look at the cover, Raymond Chandler’s hardboiled crime novel seems like it doesn’t have anything to do with the world of booze at all. Wrong! I’ve learned a lot about bartending from novels and The Big Sleep’s Gumshoe PI – Marlowe can teach any rookie bartender a lot about how to drink the proper way. Marlowe has a drink for every occasion. He knows when it’s the right time to be drinking champagne cocktails and he knows when it’s the right time to be sipping rye whiskey straight from the flask. I know a lot of bartenders who mess this dynamic up and leave some customers feeling pretty unsatisfied when they are talked into drinking some kitsch tiki creation when all it is that they need is a stiff gin martini. Whenever Marlowe drinks (and he drinks a lot), he makes a statement. The drink is an extension of his personality and his mood so if he walks into your bar you better listen to him because this guy is a seasoned pro.”
Get The Big Sleep here.
9. The Drunken Botanist by Amy Stewart
“There is a huge abundance of slick little hardback publications that suggest recipe ideas based on seasonal and slightly obscure pairings of fresh ingredients and good booze. The Drunken Botanist by Amy Stewart has this component but it also has a hell of a lot more. Anyone, from the casual weekend drinker to a career bartender, can further their understanding of what makes up the liquid that sits in their glass using this incredibly well researched and approachable book. Every great drink starts with a plant, be it a grass, a grain, a fruit or a flower, and this book shows just how important the botanical world is to the alcohol that populates our bars. The book isn’t comprehensive but it’s a great starting point for further boozy exploration,” Niall Maurici adds.
Get The Drunken Botanist here.
10. The Craft of the Cocktail by Dale DeGroff
Harriet Leigh, Venue Manager at Archie Rose Bar in Sydney says, “It’s not the best book, but by far the book that had the most profound effect on me was Dale DeGroff’s The Craft of the Cocktail. It was given to me by a small time bartender, you’ve probably never heard of, Charlie Ainsbury in around 2005-2006. I still have it with its inscription and at the time I poured over it learning every drink in it. Maybe it was because it was my first, maybe because it opened my eyes, or maybe because it was given to me by a man I consider to be a demigod I love it. It’s lost its spine, it has many drink rings, but it’ll always be my most treasured.”
Get The Craft of the Cocktail: Everything You Need to Know to Be a Master Bartender, with 500 Recipes here.
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