The most recommended books on spirits and cocktails
Mixologists and experts list their favourite books, from travel tales to alcohol encyclopedias
Jerry Thomas’ Bartenders Guide (1862) is widely considered the first-ever cocktail book to be published, followed by The Savoy Cocktail Book in 1930. Both catered to fellow bartenders and simply featured recipes with no real style or structure. David Embury’s The Fine Art of Mixing Drinks (1948) was the first book to give readers a chance to peruse and appreciate a cocktail book.
Even today, spirit aficionados and experts agree there is no fixed approach to reading about spirits and cocktails. The best way to get started is to dip your toes in what interests you, whether it’s cocktail history, a deep dive into a spirit of your choice or picking inspiring memoirs, and take it from there.
“Spirits are a very interesting category of books. There are so many stories waiting to be discovered beyond the technical aspects of cocktail recipes. As consumers, we’re so well-travelled today, and know so much more about spirits that it needs to reflect in our reading choices as well," says Vikram Achanta, co-founder of 30 Best Bars and author of Shaker Sutra, one of India’s first cocktail books.
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“I recommend starting with something light like The History of the World in 6 Glasses. This breezy book follows the author Tom Standage’s journey of trying beer, wines, rum, tea, coffee and Coke across the world," says Ajit Balgi, founder, The Happy High Bar Consultants & Bartending Academy in Mumbai.
Maybe start with an encyclopedia, suggests Gagan Sharma, a certified sommelier and founder of education solutions provider Indulge India. “More specifically, The Ultimate Encyclopedia of Wine, Beer, Spirits and Liqueurs by Walton Stuart to build a solid foundation about the most important spirit categories," he says, and also recommends Oz Clarke and Margaret Rand’s Grapes and Wines for its humorous tone of explaining things.
Arijit Bose, the man behind Bar Spirit Forward and Wine in Progress in Bengaluru and Bar Outrigger in Goa, recommends English author Michael Jackson’s books on beer and whisky. “His books are engaging and have the right amount of information to get you started. If you want to learn about bars and making drinks, go for Gary Regan’s The Joy Of Mixology," he suggests. For the sheer joy of reading, he recommends David Wondrich, the former drinks columnist for Esquire and Daily Beast, and drinks historian Anistatia Miller.
Wines are one of the easiest spirits to find reading inspiration from, thanks to their long history and dedicated experts writing exhaustively about the spirit. Among these, Sonal Holland, India’s only master of wine, particularly recommends wine legend Jancis Robinson’s World Atlas of Wine as well as the 24-Hour Wine Expert. “While the World Atlas is considered as the Bible of wine books, 24-Hour Wine Expert is written specifically for beginners that can take anyone curious about wines from zero to hero in one day," Holland says.
Her most interesting recommendation, though, is Gerard Basset’s Tasting Victory. Basset is known as one of only three people in the world to have the Master of Wine and Master Sommelier titles to his name. “Both of these are the most coveted and difficult titles to achieve in the world and this book is sort of his memoir where he talks about his personal journey. Basset has left an indelible mark on everyone in the wine world, including me, with his insights and humbleness during our meetings," she says. Other recommendations include Benjamin Lewis’ Wine Myths and Reality, Madeline Puckette’s Wine Folly, Karen McNeil’s Wine Bible and Aldo Sohm’s Wine Simple.
For the sheer joy of reading, Bose recommends books by David Wondrich, the former drinks columnist for Esquire and Daily Beast and drinks historian Anistatia Miller, both of whom have written prolifically about spirits. “I also personally like Charles Baker’s The Gentleman’s Companion that combines food, travel and drinks from the Prohibition Era. An underrated category is picking up books written by popular bars such as The Savoy Cocktail Book, Death & Co Cocktail Book and Speakeasy: The Employees Only Guide To Classic Cocktails."
Some of the most internationally well-known mixologists today are also certified authors with a body of work that is well worth diving into. Bose recommends books by contemporaries such as Holly Graham’s Cocktails of Asia, Ryan Chetiyawardana’s Good Things To Drink and Matt Whiley’s The Modern Cocktail to understand the current scene in the bartending world today.
Balgi bats for Indian titles such as Achanta’s Shaker Sutra and The Can’t Go Wrong Book of Mocktails by Shatbhi Basu, widely regarded as India’s first female mixologist.
Another book that Achanta received as a farewell gift from Minakshi Singh of Delhi’s popular bar Sidecar fame when she quit Tulleeho in 2008 is Bill Yenne’s Guinness: The 250 Year Quest For The Perfect Pint that details the history of Ireland’s most popular stout beer.
To round off, he suggests his favourite. “I love books that take me on a journey, something that Iain Banks’ Raw Spirit does exceptionally well in his search for the perfect dram across multiple distillery visits through Scotland."
5 most commonly recommended books
The Joy of Mixology by Gary Regan
Liquid Intelligence by Dave Arnold
Cocktail Codex by Alex day, Nick Fauchald, and David Kaplan
Whisky: The Definitive World Guide by Michael Jackson
Wine Folly by Madeline Puckette
Also read: Why classic cocktails will never go out of style
Priyanko Sarkar is a Mumbai-based writer covering the F&B industry.
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