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. If you're able to use books for inspiration for a foundational drink, you can always build on the experience from there," said Wael Deek, the beverage director at Alice and Osteria 57in New York City. Of all the books I’ve got, and all of the drinks I’ve made, these two still rank up among my favorites. 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. Served in martini glasses, this type of alcoholic drink doesn’t usually include a sweetener, which makes them stronger. A fortified wine like vermouth, which can be sweet or dry, is added to the main spirit, along with a seasoning.

Now depending on what you’re looking for, or your knowledge level, this may or may not be exactly what you’re looking for.

It was our last stop after a long day of bar hopping, and we loved the vibe of the bar. Unpretentious and casual, but with fantastic drinks.

An essential for any bartender, Morgenthaler's book is also a terrific training tool for staff and a how-to for educating hospitality professionals. –Lynn House, national spirits specialist and portfolio mixologist for Heaven Hill Brands in Bardstown, KYThe photos inside are just as beautiful, and it will have you repeatedly saying: “I want one of those.” Jeffrey Morgenthaler's "Bar Book" is my favorite bartender guide to recommend for professional and at-home bartenders. Jeff's writing style and personality make the techniques and processes entertaining and approachable. — Jeff Bell, managing partner at Please Don't Tell in New York City, NY 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. Neither of these drinks are easy or inexpensive to make, and both require preparing some home made syrups. Most are very elaborate and require tools like a water circulator, vacuum sealer, immersion blender or even more obscure tools to be able to make the drinks.

It’s a great collection of classics, riffs on classics, and a pretty beefy collection of tiki drinks, which I always love to see. They are the Old Fashioned, Martini, Daiquiri, Sidecar, Whiskey Highball, and Flip. In each drink, every ingredient falls into at least one category. Core is the primary flavor; balance enhances the core with sweetness, acidity, or both; and seasoning adds another dimension and complements or contrasts with the core. It's very good for beginners and showcases all kinds of techniques. In addition, it helps readers think outside the box to create new drinks and explains everything clearly and logically. —Nico de Soto, master mixologist at Mace in New York City, NY Flips basically consist of any fortified wine or liquor shaken with a whole egg or cream, and sweetened with sugar. They are typically garnished with a dusting of nutmeg or another warming spice, and yields dreamily creamy drinks like the White Russian , Eggnog, and Pina Colada. 6. Sidecar Well, the Aviary book is just as impressive as the bar and the drinks themselves – it’s also just as expensive.I actually first heard about the book from Shingo Gokan, who is in it, while we were sitting in his bar the SG Club in Tokyo. The only downside? This book also wins the award for “the book you’re most likely to make zero recipes from.” I remember the first time I came into Jeff’s bar Pepe Le Moko and I said “have any drinks you’re really excited about right now?”