If you’re missing your favourite cocktail fix, why not try make it at home with one of these top cocktail books?
With all the bars and restaurants closed during lockdown, it’s hard not to miss your favourite hot spot for after-work drinks.
But just because the bars are closed, doesn’t mean we have to say goodbye to those much-loved cocktails we like to enjoy from time to time.
While we don’t all have a professional bartender living with us, there are ways and means of bringing a slice of their world into ours by trying the art of mixology out for ourselves.
To mark World Cocktail Day today, why not test your skills out with some of these top cocktail books?
Packed with tasty recipes and top tips, these reads are a great way to explore new flavours and ingredients.
With 41% of Scottish adults enjoying virtual drinks with their friends during lockdown according to a survey carried out by The Bacardi Group, you may even want to try teach your friends how to make some drinks on a Zoom call, too.
You could fix up a Mojito, a Daiquiri or a Margarita – Scot’s favourite drink to make up according to the survey.
You never know, you may just be on the way to becoming a pro by the time you host your next party.
Dr. Adam Elmegirab’s Book of Bitters (signed and personalised copy) by Adam Elmegirab
A local to the north-east of Scotland, Adam Elan Elmegirab runs The House of Botanicals in Aberdeen where he makes bitters, gin and a range of other spirits and liqueurs. In this book, he unveils the fascinating story of bitters and shares 50 different cocktail recipes to try them in. The book is also available in Italian.
£16.99, www.doctoradams.co.uk
The Curious Bartender Volume 1: Artistry & Alchemy Creating the Perfect Cocktail (signed) by Tristan Stephenson
The co-founder of eight award-winning bars, Tristian Stepehenson is the mastermind behind this popular drinks book. A must-read for any bartender, it is definitely worth getting your hands on this gem.
£10, www.thecuriousbartender.com
The Dead Rabbit Grocery And Grog Drinks Manual by Sean Muldoon, Jack McGarry and Ben Schaffer
The Dead Rabbit is one of the world’s best bars. Sitting at number 22 globally, the New York bar in lower Manhattan won the number one spot in 2016 and also holds a wide range of accolades. As well as sharing some of the bars highly-sought after drinks, it also touches on founder Sean Muldoon and bar manager Jack McGarry’s inspiring rags-to-riches story into getting involved in the cocktail world.
£17.99, amazon.co.uk.
Death & Co by David Kaplan and Nick Fauchald, David Kaplan and Alex Day
One of the world’s highest-profile bars, New York’s Death & Co has won numerous global awards. Featuring more than 500 of the bar’s most innovative drinks, this is one book budding mixologists will love.
£25.60, WHSmith
Good Things To Drink with Mr Lyan and Friends by Ryan Chetiyawardana
Dubbed the ‘King of cocktails’ by celebrity chef Marco Pierre White, My Lyan invites you to his stylish cocktail masterclass to indulge in learning how to make drinks fit for any occasion.
£20, Amazon
The Cocktail Guy by Rich Woods
One of the most iconic individuals on the bar scene, Rich Woods brings his innovative flair to the forefront of this book. Giving advice on how to master cocktail techniques, sharing how to flavour alcohol through infusions and addressing how to make your own bitters at home, this cocktail book may be rather technical, but it is full of surprises.
£16.99, Waterstones
Tequila Mockingbird by Tim Federle
The ultimate cocktail book for the literary obsessed, this number features 65 recipes paired with wry commentary on some of history’s best novels. It also includes bar bites, drinking games and illustrations, too.
£7.72, Blackwells
Free The Tipple: Kickass Cocktails Inspired by Iconic Women
This book pays tribute to sixty of the worlds most influential women from the 20th century to today. Cocktails inspired by Beyonce, Rihanna, Frida Kahlo, Serena Williams and Yoko Ono all feature.
£8.19, WHSmith.
The Savoy Cocktail Book by Guy Savoy and The Savoy Hotel
Featuring 750 of The Savoy’s most popular drinks recipes, this fascinating record of the cocktails which took London’s bar scene by storm is the perfect insight into the drinks world.
£14.99, Waterstones.
3-Ingredient Cocktails: An Opinionated Guide to the Most Enduring Drinks in the Cocktail Canon by Robert Simonson
Some of the best classic cocktails are created with just three ingredients. This book shows you how to create some of the greatest modern and classic drinks and features 75 delicious recipes for you to try out at home.
£14,49, Amazon.
