Best Home Bar Tools– Looking to build out your home bar? These are the essentials that you’ll need. DAVID KAPLAN is 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). 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 The only vegetables book you'll ever need reveals hundreds of ways to cook nearly every vegetable under the sun. 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.

And if you’d rather follow a recipe? Then there are dozens of variations of each of these drink styles to choose from. What I love about this book is that there’s a little bit of everything, but it’s all generally very accessible.

You also wouldn’t buy a book with nothing but complex and obscure recipes if you just want to know how to make a decent Aperol Spritz for your friends. Unfortunately, the NoMad Hotel NYC closed recently, and took one of my favorite bars along with it. This isn’t the book I’d recommend to a total newbie, but if there’s someone in your life who is ready to up their drink game a bit? This is a wonderful addition to the library. 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. 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.

What I love about it is that there are unique and complex drinks in the book, but nearly all of them are very simple to make. 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, KYYou could certainly make the argument that many of them taste very similar with that combination of citrus, rum, and spicy falernum being common amongst many. It was the first realization that so many of the bars we’d been traveling around the world to visit actually have books where they not only share the methods to their madness, but give the real drink recipes for some of the best drinks in the world. Aviary does that in bar form. Take this drink from the now defunct Aviary NYC called “Boom Goes the Dynamite” for example: “Boon Goes the Dynamite”– Ironically this one isn’t even in the book. 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.

The Blood Orange is a martini variation that features blood orange infused sweet vermouth. Cole Wilson Keep in mind that what feels disjointed to one person might taste magnificent to the next, so experiment until you find your personal preferences. “If you like something, then you’re right,” Tarby says. These six basic formulas are just a start. Learn these six, then learn to tweak them to create your own recipes. Not every substitution will work across the board, but these formulas are a good cornerstone to more drinks. 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. 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.The only downside? This book also wins the award for “the book you’re most likely to make zero recipes from.” Its formula always includes a spirit, something sour and orange liqueur, such as triple sec or brand names Cointreau and Grand Marnier.