The Best Cocktail Books to Buy in 2021

Death & Co Welcome Home by Alex Day, Nick Fauchald, David Kaplan and Devon Tarby is the third book from the Death & Co crew who are mixologists of the highest order. Their lounge in the East Village of NYC remains a big draw and their off-the-charts creativity pushes the boundaries of what’s possible in a cocktail glass. An oversized, luxe gift book that’s both beautiful to look at and to use. 

Can I Mix You a Drink? by T-Pain and Maxwell Britten is everything you’d expect from the Grammy Award-winning artist— lots of fun surrounded by amazing libations. T-Pain has always had a fascination with cocktails whether he’s making them, singing or rapping about them or partnering with liquor companies. He knows his drinks and his cocktail recipes are all about having a good time.
 

The Japanese Art of the Cocktail by Masahiro Urushido features high-level mixology the Japanese way which means a precision and care seldom seen in cocktail guides. Urushido, one of the hottest bartenders in NYC, makes the drinks at the lauded Katana Kitten in NYC. This book is the perfect one to impress your friends.
 

Spirits of the Otherworld  by Allison Crawbuck and Rhys Everett may sound spooky but the recipes inside are really for fans of astrology, tarot, druidry and more. The book is loaded with great photography and short histories of various mystical arts. Each drink ties to a theme and you will have fun making them. A great surprise gift for the New Ager on your list. 

Witch’s Brew by Shawn Engel and Steven Nichols is a cocktail book that delivers on two fronts: for its inventive recipes and its use of magical ingredients. You will be able to create delicious drinks that can heal, energize, protect, and cleanse using your favorite spirits and other common ingredients. A must-have for adventurous drinkers. 

Tequila Mockingbird by Tim Federle has been around for a while and is one of Barnes & Noble’s bestselling cocktail books. How could it not be? It’s a bar guide for book lovers!! With a literary twist to add to your drink and some bar games for the book-obsessed, this is a cocktail guide like no other.  
 

The Essential Cocktail Book by Megan Krigbaum and the editors of Punch is, well, an essential cocktail guide for everyone. It’s one of my favorite cocktail books simply because it has so much information and go-to drinks that should be part of everyone’s repertoire. It would make the ideal pairing with any of the books already mentioned.

3-Ingredient Cocktails by Robert Simonson is last on this list, but definitely not least. It’s such a clever book concocted by one of the best cocktail writers on the planet. I view this as a necessary one for your drink library because there will come a time when you’re low on spirits (literally and figuratively) and three ingredients is all you have. Well, in this book, they’re more than enough! 
 

Cheese Sex Death by Erika Kubick is the most fun you can have with cheese that isn’t sprayed out of a can. I just love the content which blends a little info, a little humor and great photography. You can be totally into cheese or not, but you’ll learn a lot and enjoy the fun ways cheesemonger Kubick describes these bricks of golden deliciousness. This is the perfect gift to add to a food basket.  
 

Platters and Boards by Shelly Westerhausen sounds like a book about serving trays and wood but it’s all about how to have a spectacular spread of food for parties and entertaining. Now that we’re in the holiday season, a book like this really matters! While you could lay out some cheese and sausage and call it a day, this book is filled with ways to provide family and friends with a stylish appetizer experience. It’s a bestseller at Barnes & Noble.
 

Spectacular Spreads and  Beautiful Boards are two books by the entertaining and appetizer aficionado Maegan Brown. I’ve included her new book, Spectacular Spreads, and her old one, Beautiful Boards, because they both can be bought to create a boards and spreads library like no other. So many great ideas for every occasion.