ALEX DAY is the the co-owner of the Los Angeles-based Proprietors LLC, a fullservice hospitality company (Death & Co, Nitecap, Walker Inn, Honeycut, the Normandie Club, and more). Neither of these drinks are easy or inexpensive to make, and both require preparing some home made syrups. This means that unlike a NoMad or Dead Rabbit book, which will undoubtedly ask you to go to the liquor store before you make anything, you’ll be able to open it up on a random Friday night and find plenty of drinks to make with ingredients you already have. Once you’ve mastered the six, you’ll have a deep understanding of when to stir and when to shake, what you can add and what to take out. Death & Co’s Camellia Julep is made with cacao nib-infused pear brandy, instead of bourbon. Cole Wilson

This makes it one of the most accessible books on the list. It also will give you a great appreciation for how small changes can have a big impact on a drink.The classic vodka martini and gin martini are made the same way, with dry vermouth and a lemon peel or olives for the seasoning. A negroni combines Campari and gin for the spirit, sweet vermouth for balance and an orange wedge for the seasoning. And the Manhattan uses rye whiskey, sweet vermouth and bitters. And once you know the formula for say a standard daiquiri, you’re then able to take that knowledge and create any number of variations of your own. Rather what you’ll find is a wonderful book of a few hundred interesting, unique, and delicious drinks. The photos inside are just as beautiful, and it will have you repeatedly saying: “I want one of those.” Chevron icon It indicates an expandable section or menu, or sometimes previous / next navigation options.

These ‘templates’ each feature a core ingredient, balancing components and seasonings that have been swopped out and expanded upon to create just about all the drinks we know and love today. Chevron icon It indicates an expandable section or menu, or sometimes previous / next navigation options. Chevron icon It indicates an expandable section or menu, or sometimes previous / next navigation options.For this alcoholic beverage, you’ll need a spirit, a sweetener, something sour and something sparkling, like club soda or champagne. For example, you can take a gin gimlet, swap the lime juice for lemon and add club soda. Now you have a Tom Collins. Best Home Bar Tools– Looking to build out your home bar? These are the essentials that you’ll need. While the newer Dead Rabbit book I mentioned above is probably a better fit for most home bartenders (there are more recipes, and many of them are a bit easier to make), I’d be remiss if I left out their original book: The Dead Rabbit Drinks Menu. And if you’d rather follow a recipe? Then there are dozens of variations of each of these drink styles to choose from. Well, Jeffrey Morgenthaler wrote the definitive guide on drinking etiquette in Drinking Distilled. Don’t want to sound like a douchebag and make your bartender hate you? Read this book.