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Looking for a retro cocktail book

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Looking for a retro/old fashioned cocktail recipe book. Any suggestions?

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  1. As far as particular book, no. BUT I do recommend going to your local thrift store--goodwill, etc I have accumulated a nice collection of vintage cookbooks, cocktail and otherwise. Not only will you probably find something cool, you'll find something inexpensive and be supporting a good cause at the same time.

    1. This book is the gold standard for bar books:


      This book will not give you a recipe for a Zombie but it will very clearly explain how to make all of the classic cocktails. It will also explain how each base liquor is made; and the differences between Scotch and bourbon, tequila and mezcal, Armagnac and Cognac, etc...

      1. I am really enjoying "Vintage Spirits and Forgotten Cocktails" by Ted Haigh.

        This is a "readable" cocktail recipe book, with a nice history of each drink it features. It is not a complete cocktail recipe book - rather, like the title suggests, it features 100 old-school drinks, some using obscure ingredients.

        It is spiral bound , which is good if you are making a cocktail, (as it lays flat on the bar or cupboard,) but not so good if you, like me, read it in bed while your significant-other complains about the "squeaky pages."

        Ted Haigh, this book, and the awareness of lost spirits, are part of the reason why long-lost ingredients like Creme Yvette, Batavia Arrack, and Swedish Punsch are back in production, and will soon be gracing our store shelves again.

        There was a thread for Bartender's Guides. Did you see it?

        1. +1 on Vintage Spirits and Forgotten Cocktails. It is a beautiful book as well. I bought it at The Boston Shaker based on his advice. Maybe support a little guy, rather than Amazon?

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          1. re: EvergreenDan

            +2 on Vintage Spirits and Forgotten Cocktails. I am a novice, though, so I don't know the majority of what's out there. I do know that I'm having a whole lot of fun with it, trying many of the drinks. I like his taste, and it's great to learn of new-to-me ingredients and then track some of them down. It's a nice-looking book too, and has lots of photos of cocktail accoutrements and memorabilia.