For people who are hoping to improve their skills, as well as those looking to become more versed in mixing drinks, now is an excellent time to learn. With thousands of options to pore over, here is a short list of bartending guides and cocktail books that are great whether you’re a seasoned professional or just getting started.

1

A Spot at the Bar
Michael Madrusan and Zara Young

A Spot at the Bar highlights the feeling that you get with you are in a great bar and is full of great recipes and notes on proper steps of service.
2

BAR L.M.
Lindsay Matteson

BAR L.M. is for bartenders and cocktail aficionados who enjoy creating, imbibing, and sharing their bartending expertise with their guests. Veteran bartender Lindsay Matteson offers readers tips for improvising and recreating 30 original cocktails through recipes and paintings.
3

Cocktail Techniques
Kazuo Uyeda

Cocktail Techniques covers Japanese bartending basics, from techniques to recipes in clear language, with accompanying photos, so that even a novice home bartender can learn the basics of Japanese bartending.
4

Cocktail Codex: Fundamentals, Formulas, Evolutions
Alex Day, Nick Fauchald, and David Kaplan

The Cocktail Codex is a James Beard Foundation and Tales of the Cocktail Spirited award-winning, comprehensive guide on the craft of mixing drinks. The unique "root cocktails" approach of Alex Day, Nick Fauchald, and David Kaplan give bartenders of every level the tools to understand, execute, and improvise both classic and original cocktails.
5

Liquid Intelligence: The Art and Science of the Perfect Cocktail
Dave Arnold

Winner of the 2015 James Beard Foundation Award for Best Beverage Book and the 2015 IACP Jane Grigson Award, Liquid Intelligence: The Art and Science of the Perfect Cocktail, is a revolutionary approach to making better-looking, better-tasting drinks. Dave Arnold and his collaborators investigate temperature, carbonation, sugar concentration, and acidity to enhance classic cocktails.
If your thirst for libation knowledge is still not quenched, check out the collection of books by The Avaiary Group for next level cocktail creations.
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