Vintage Bar Books and Must-Have Cocktail Books

[MK]

Tell us which vintage bar books you have. You can include modern books about vintage spirits....as long as they're good.

Old Mr. Boston 1935 & 1972
Official Mixer's Manual by Patrick Gavin Duffy 1934 reprinted in 1940
Bartender's Guide by Trader Vic 1948
The Old Waldorf-Astoria Bar Book 1935 reprinted 1998
Meet Me in The Bar 2003
Esquire Drink Book 1956
Vintage Cocktails from 1920-1960 1999
Atomic Cocktails 1998
The Cocktails of the Ritz Paris 2003
Classic Cocktails by Salvatore Calbrese 1997
Blithe Spirits 1988
Savoy Cocktail Book.

...and a few miscellaneous odd and ends not worth mentioning.

Which do you have?

 

[CigarMan]

Not sure what copyright/edition it is, but I too have a Mr. Boston's

 

[Brad Bowers]

Not a bar book, per se, but perhaps the finest book paen ever written to the martini and the cocktail hour, The Hour, by historian Bernard deVoto. A must-read for anyone who enjoys a classic cocktail.

Brad

 

[Mike1939]

I keep Esquire's Handbook for Host (1953) near the bar. The chapter on drinks has never let me down.

 

[scotrace]

I have Mr. Boston, and the Playboy Bartender's Guide.

 

[kiltie]

The Playboy Guide is the only one I have, with the understanding that it's pretty classic in it's offerings and is also an all around good primer. Not to mention you can score one in a nice hardback for ten bones just about any time.

 

[Guttersnipe]

I have...

Mr Boston Bartender's Guide: 70th Anniversary Edition (2005)
which is a revised version that's more true to the original 1935 edition.

The Bartenders Black Book (2004)
This one is decidedly unclassic, but is a current standard which I used when I was a bartender.

 

[Miss 1929]

We have a nice clean old copy of the Savoy and will never need another book. If only I could find all the ingredients listed...

 

[BinkieBaumont]

My three favourites. The Hollywood Cocktail book is great for the pictures, The Savoy is interesting, as an Historical piece, but I have to agree with Miss 1929 the ingredients are rather strange, I do love the Vogue Cocktail book quick simple recipes , and most have only 3 ingredients, and its so small your guests won't even know you are looking, at it for inspiration!

 

[PADDY]

Savoy Cocktail Book

Bagged a copy at MFA in Boston. Nice old vintage illustrations too.

 

[Absinthe_1900]

Clisby Arthur's Famous New Orleans Drinks.

The Gentleman's Companion Both books and the slipcase

A couple of Trader Vic's books from the 40s

And these oldies.

 

[kiltie]

I saw the Mr. Boston book at an antique store today; looked to be a 1941 printing. It was in pretty good shape, maybe a little fuzz at the clothbound corners and general fading on the front. The asking price was $15. I didn't have a chance to give it the once over ( prior appointment, and I just happened to notice it on the way out...). Worth it? Let it go? Anyone here dying to have it? Do I want it?

 

[MK]

.

It is a decent price.

 

[Ethan Bentley]

It is a decent price.

I'd very inclined to agree, it is a really good book. Some time and effort has gone into writing it. I've had a few from eBay (for me and some as presents) and $15 is about right, even more so for the older editions.

First edition is 1935? (Off the top of my head)

 

[Absinthe_1900]

The 1917 version of The Ideal Bartender by Tom Bullock
is on archive dot org.

 

[PADDY]

Must have COCKTAIL BOOKS on your shelf...

Sitting here on my deck, under the sun, with an Aviation Cocktail in my hand (you have 'no idea' the fond memories this cocktail brings back to me 'every' time I drink it).
So, as the blackbirds chase each other during this mating season in my garden, and I tap away at the keyboard of my net book (customised by my good pal Jon), I'm thinking, 'WHAT' coctail books do the other members 'on here' who LOVE VINTAGE COCKAILS, have on their bookshelves?


On your shelf, Paddy suggests you have:

Savoy Cocktail Book (193*) - I use this baby so much!! real 'old school.'
Mr Boston Bartender's Guide, 1931 (lots of revised editions, but if you can get one from the 30's or 40's for a reasonable price, go for it!!).
Shake em Up, 1930
What'll you have? 1933
Boothby's World Drinks (and how to make em) 1934
Cocktails by Jimmy, (late of Ciros) 1930
The Cocktail Book (a sideboard manual for gentlemen) 1926
Cheerio! (punches and cocktails) 1928
Old Waldorf Astoria Bar Book 1935
A lifetime collection of 688 recipesfor drinks, 1934
Chicago Bartender's Bar Guide, 1945
And I have just bought a second hand HOLLYWOOD COCKTAILS book, which although modern in publication, has been put together to reflect cocktails used in Golden Era movies, such as Casablanca and The Thin Man. (so a fun book and nice pics from those movies!).


*(all available as reprints from Amazon.com)
__________________

 

[Ethan Bentley]

hey PADDY, nice collection.

I 100% agree with Old Mr Boston, although I am a fan of cocktail books, if we were talking about esssential I think I would have less than in you list, unless each one has a good reason; which they may do.

Two essentials for me would be:
Mr Boston and
Larousse Cocktails

Simply because out of the 30+ books I have those are the two I consistently use. Mr Boston, excellent classic cocktail, Larousse; easy to use, good pictures, background info and techniques, modern-day drinks.

I think perhaps this is a slight aside but, I think, one worth considering.

 

[BinkieBaumont]

My three favourites. The Hollywood Cocktail book is great for the pictures, The Savoy is interesting, as an Historical piece, but I have to agree with Miss 1929 the ingredients are rather strange, I do love the Vogue Cocktail book quick simple recipes , and most have only 3 ingredients, and its so small your guests won't even know you are looking, at it for inspiration!

 

[Ethan Bentley]

Slight correction, after double-checking it appears that I have over 100 books on drink/cocktails. None the less the two mentioned are two of the best.

 

[PADDY]

I love the little old fashioned touches...

Such as referring to what we call a 'lime' as a 'green lemon.' (Think I'll refer to Brits as 'Green Lemons' rather than limeys!! think it'll catch on? ).

Also, some of the little stories that accompany some of the drinks, and also the illustrations!