10 Unique Cocktail Books for the Discerning Drinker
Congratulations: you’ve exhausted the menu at your local dive bar and that swanky speakeasy. But what’s next? You’re not so old fashioned to reorder an old fashioned, and French 75’s are so 1975*. Instead, we’d be willing to bet that you’re looking for a drink that shakes things up. Or stirs. Maybe even clarifies. Whatever the case may be, you’ll be sure to find your new signature drink – and a tasty bite or two – in the pages of one of the following unique books.
Cocktails and Consoles: 75 Video Game Inspired Drinks to Level Up Your Game Night
It’s a barcade in a book! With 75 recipes inspired by your favorite gamer’s favorite games, you’re sure to level up your mixology stat in a flash. Drink outside the box with the Liquid Snake, inspired by Metal Gear Solid. Feel like royalty after a sip of the Princess Peach Bellini. Say Chell yeah to Portal’s The Cake Is a Lie! (Ok, one pun too many there.) Regardless, all levels are welcome.
It doesn’t matter if you’re a fan of classic platformers, cozy games, or punishing ones: every genre is rewarded with a delicious drink and vibrant illustrations to boot. Cocktails and Consoles is a playful homage to some of the most popular video games in history, and it’s sure to 1up your cocktail book collection.
Tequila Mockingbird (10th Anniversary Expanded Edition): Cocktails with a Literary Twist
Every copy of the tenth anniversary edition of Tequila Mockingbird comes with an accredited B.A. in English Lit. Ok, not really, but it’s been expanded so thoroughly that you’ll feel like you have one. Chock-full of wit, whimsy, and whiskey, this iconic bestseller’s back to serve up your favorite recipes with a smart new twist.
Exclusive to this revised edition are fifteen recipes and seven illustrations, along with an updated introduction, and newly refined recipes for literary lovers. Pair this selection with Gone with the Gin, Are You There God? It’s Me, Margarita, and Hickory Daiquiri Dock for maximum pun – er, fun.
Forbidden Cocktails: Libations Inspired by the World of Pre-Code Hollywood
The simmering heat of pre-code films is shaken up and poured out into a collection of 50 film-and-drink pairings. Andre Darlington (of Booze & Vinyl, Bar Menu, and Booze Cruise fame) serves up this essential guide to mixed drinks inspired by the most evocative movies of the era.
Classic film buffs and drink enthusiasts won’t have to censor their taste buds: the recipes in this book are as smooth as the movies themselves. And with more than 100 full-color & black-and-white photos throughout, the libations are packaged as handsomely as the stars on screen. This book even gives you the tools to make your next movie night an immersive one: pair The Divorcee with a Balanced Account, make it “happen one night” with It Happened One Morning, or suck down a Count Draiquiri while watching Dracula.
Cocktails with My Cat: Tasty Tipples for Feline Fanatics
We’re not kitten here – there’s finally a cocktail book dedicated to your favorite household pet! (Well, two, depending on where you stand on the aisle: since Natalie Bovis is an equal opportunity animal lover, you can also get your paws on Drinking With My Dog.) But for the feline fanatics among us, we’ve got a real treat…that doesn’t stink of chicken pate, for once.
With drinks like Bohemian Catsody & Bodega Rebel, the award-winning mixologist behind The Liquid Muse has gifted us a paw–sitively perfect cocktail book. Between its fun feline history, whimsical illustrations, and tasty tipples, Cocktails with My Cat will have you and your fluffy companion purring with glee.
Sip Me, Baby, One More Time: Cocktails Inspired By Pop Music’s Iconic Women
Soooo, tell me what you want, what you really, really want – to drink! Featuring recipes inspired by songs from Britney Spears, Beyoncé, Taylor Swift, and more, Sip Me, Baby, One More Time is a love letter to cocktails and pop divas alike.
Be prepared for this book to stay all up in your mind: Ashley Gibson (also known as @ashpoursdrinks) takes you through a playlist curated by emotion in each chapter and you won’t be sorry for taking the time to fall dangerously in love with each.
This book is straight out of your wildest dreams: with gorgeous drinks that don’t take a fortnight to mix, pop superstars you know all too well, and stylish chapters that act as curated playlists, this collection of bejeweled cocktails belongs with you on your bookshelf.
Backcountry Cocktails: Civilized Drinks for Wild Places
Space is limited when you’re headed outdoors, but this book is definitely worthy of taking up a slot in your pack. Whether you’re a fan of camping or glamping (or both), Backcountry Cocktails gives you a thrilling new way to experience classic cocktails and nature itself. The authors of The Cocktail Workshop bring you recipes that allow for foraging, freezing ahead, and even fishing (Crispy Cast-Iron Trout with Wild Greens, anyone?), all while giving you inspiration from New Hampshire’s stunning White Mountains.
Even cold snaps aren’t a deterrent: this celebration of outdoor entertaining is perfect for early spring hikes and mid-winter retreats. After reading, you’ll be sure to head straight for the woods for good times and good spirits.
Cocktails, A Still Life: 60 Spirited Paintings & Recipes
With cocktails you’ll want to sip straight off the page, Cocktails, A Still Life takes the “art” of drinking to the next level. Like walking through a delightfully boozy museum (without the upcharge at the gift shop), this book boasts sixty contemporary hand-painted images paired with cocktail recipes that taste as good as they look.
Fine art meets fine wine and more in this stunning creation from still-life artist Todd M. Casey, journalist Christine Sismondo, and author James Waller. The care and context given to each drink makes an already beautiful masterpiece into an incredibly useful guide, and readers will leave with their sensibilities and stomachs satisfied.
Eddie Muller’s Noir Bar: Cocktails Inspired by the World of Film Noir
If you read Dark City and accidentally spilled a tumbler of whiskey on the book in your reverie – first of all, shame on you. But second, that’s basically what you get when you combine that book with Eddie Muller’s noir expertise and a collection of darkly delicious cocktails. Thankfully, this version isn’t soaking wet.
In Eddie Muller’s Noir Bar, the suitably monikered “czar of noir” brings us modern noir-inspired cocktails, behind-the-scenes anecdotes, and insights on 50 film noir favorites. In the midst of movie stills, behind-the-scenes imagery, and stunning cocktail photography, it’s fairly hard to pick favorites, but here are a few fun ones to try:
- The Breaking Point & The Hemingway Daiquiri (watch drunk, edit nothing)
- The Blue Gardenia & Pearl Diver (Nat King Cole fans rejoice!)
- I Wake Up Screaming (don’t we all) & The Grable
- The Killers & Kitty Collins (Catty femme fatales? Me-OW!)
Drinking With Chickens: Free-Range Cocktails for the Happiest Hour
This bawk – excuse us, book – is perfect for anyone looking for a collection of accessible, bright, and beautiful cocktails. Kate Richards’ visual stylings and menagerie of chickens give us the perfect garden-to-glass collection of cocktails, including Cantaloupe Mint Rum Punch, Lilac Apricot Rum Sour, and Blackberry Sage Spritz.
With seasonally arranged drinks, made-for-Instagram aesthetics, and boozy birds galore, Drinking with Chickens is set to add a little extra happy to your latest happy hour.
*We don’t really stand by this slander, but the wordplay was almost as delicious as the drinks themselves. If you have a taste for either, Backcountry Cocktails and Sip Me, Baby, One More Time have phenomenal recipes for an Old Fashioned and a French 75, respectively.
