This list of cocktail-related books is a work in progress, so please do let us know if you have additional resources or information we should include. After each entry are known sources of the work, for many of the older ones free downloadable copies, and commentary from Dinah on her research experience with this resource. For sources prior to 1950 we've attempted to locate confirmation of the book's definite existence at that time, usually through Library of Congress Copyright records, contemporary reviews or advertising, or similar sources from the year of publication.
Section 1: 1861 and before (Gothic Age of Cocktail Drinking)
Section 2: 1862–1894 (Golden Age of Cocktail Drinking)
1895–1919 (Old School of Bartending)
- 1895. Bartenders' Association of New York City. Official Hand-Book and Guide. New York: Bartenders' Association of New York City.
- Available as a PDF from EUVS (and same copy from Internet Archive).
- 1895. Green, Herbert W. Mixed Drinks: A manual for bar clerks. "Up to date." With full explanations on the subject of wines, liquors, cordials, etc. and other important information. Indianapolis: Frank H. Smith.
- Available as a PDF from EUVS.
- 1895. Kappeler, George J. Modern American Drinks: How to mix and serve all kinds of cups and drinks. 1) New York: The Merriam Company. 2) Akron, Ohio: Saalfield Pub. Co.
- Available as a PDF from EUVS (and same copy from Internet Archive; edition published by the Merriam Company) and from HathiTrust (edition published by Saalfield Pub. Co.)
Available in a quality reproduction from Cocktail Kingdom, with a new introduction by Ted “Dr. Cocktail” Haigh. - The book's existence in 1895 is confirmed by an item in The American Stationer, referencing the Merriam Company edition, in August 1895 and its entry in the Library of Congress' Catalog of Copyright Entries for that year, but that entry does not clear up the confusion about whether the edition from Saalfield Pub. Co. was available at that time. (Also of note is an item in the August 1895 edition of The American Bookmaker which describes the cover of the Merriam edition.) I begin to suspect that's a reprint from 5-15 years later, but have no proof yet, though the fact that the Saalfield edition includes an ad in the back for a different book with a 1909 entry in Publishers' Weekly lends support. The Merriam edition being earlier is further supported by yet another Saalfield edition with "1900" on the title page.
Specifically defines jigger in ounces and pony in terms of that jigger, bless him. “By a mixing-glass is meant a large soda-glass, holding twelve ounces; it is handier and gives better satisfaction than a goblet. A jigger is a measure used for measuring liquors when mixing drinks; it holds two ounces. A pony holds half a jigger.” - 1895. Miller, R.C. The American Bar-Tender: A treatise on the manufacture and service of drinks, and a manual for the manufacture of cordials, etc. St. Paul, Minn.: R.C. Miller.
- "Published by R.C. Miller, Manager, Windsor Hotel Bar."
Available as a PDF from EUVS. - c.1895. Lawlor, C.F. The Mixicologist: Or, how to mix all kinds of fancy drinks. Containing clear and reliable directions for mixing all the different beverages used in the United States, embracing juleps, cobblers, cocktails, punches, durkees, "rickeys," etc., etc., in endless variety, with some recipes on cooking, and other general information. An up-to-date recipe book. Cincinnati, Ohio: Lawlor & Co.
- Available as a PDF from EUVS.
Though the above-linked PDF says "Revised Edition" on the cover, the press quotes on the page before the index are from the year 1895; which is of note because I have a no-longer-available reproduction from Mud Puddle Books which is listed on the copyright page as "Standard Edition reentered with Librarian at Washington 1899", has an additional biographic detail of the author on the title page, and which has the same press quotes, only now bearing the year 1897.
I have not yet been able to locate a listing in the Catalog of Copyright Entries for 1895 or 1896. - 1896. Davies, Frederick and Seymour Davies. Drinks of All Kinds: Hot and cold. For all seasons. London: John Hogg.
- Available as a PDF from Internet Archive and from EUVS.
- 1896. Fouquet, Louis. Bariana: Recueil pratique de toutes boissons Americaines et Anglaises. Paris: Emile Duvoye.
- Available as a PDF from EUVS.
Also available, most helpfully, as Mixellany's 2009 annotated and translated edition from Amazon. Annotations and translations are by Charles Vexenat.
Vexenat notes in the foreword: “It was important to me to stick to Louis’ precise measurements and translate them as accurately as possible. To preserve them for everyone as they were originally intended, I found that I had to convert them into millilitres to get a consistency from one to another.”
“1 liqueur glass = 30 ml
1 Madeira glass = 60 ml”
He tested and decided on using an Angostura bottle’s amount as his basis for “a dash”.
Vexenat lists a “liqueur glass” at just 15 ml in recipe #35 Brandy Punchet, though he said (a more believable) 30 ml in the foreword. - 1896. "The Only William" (Schmidt, William). Fancy Drinks and Popular Beverages: How to prepare and serve them. New York: Dick & Fitzgerald.
- Available as a PDF from EUVS (copy 1) and also from EUVS (copy 2).
Existence of the book in 1896 is confirmed by its listing in Publishers' Weekly in April of that year. - 1898. Anonymous. Before & After Dinner Beverages and a Few Sandwiches. New York: The Meriden Company.
- Put out by a silversmith company, hence the many illustrations of barware.
Available as a PDF from HathiTrust and from EUVS.
The book's existence in 1898 is confirmed by its advertisement that year in The New York Times. - 1898. Anonymous. Cocktails, and How To Make Them. Providence: Livermore & Knight Co.
- Available as a PDF from EUVS.
The book's existence in 1898 is confirmed by its listing in the Library of Congress' Catalog of Copyright Entries. - 1898. Haywood, Joseph L. Mixology: The art of preparing all kinds of drinks. "An All Right Book" Comprehensive, simplified, up-to-date. Wilmington, Del.: Press of the Sunday Star.
- Available as a PDF from EUVS (and same copy from Internet Archive).
The book's existence in 1898 is confirmed by its listing in the Library of Congress' Catalog of Copyright Entries. - c.1898. Anonymous. Anleitung zur Bereitung Amerikanischer Eis-Getränke etc. und Kochrecepte für die feine Küche unter Verwendung unserer Special-Bodega-Marken. Frankfurt: Jacob Mayer, for The Continental Bodega Company.
- Available as a PDF from EUVS.
- 1899. Hegenbarth, Max. Hegenbarth's Getränke-Buch: Eine sammlung zeitgemässer vorschriften zur herstellung von bowlen, punsch u. sonstigen mischgetränken; mit besonderer berücksichtigung der in- und ausländischen kaffeehaus- sowie der apfel- und fruchtwein-getränke. Plauen-Dresden: Max Hegenbarth's Verlag.
- Available as a PDF from EUVS.
- 1899. Larsen, Niels. Les Boissons Américaines: Ou, la Manière de préparer les coktails, cobblers, coolers, crustas, daisies, egg noggs, fixes, fizzes, flips, juleps, sours, slings, smashes, limonades, sangarees, punches, grogs, toddies, pousse-cafés, cups, etc., etc. 156 recettes. Paris: Alcan-Lévy.
- Available as a PDF from EUVS.
The book's existence in 1899 is confirmed by its listing in Bibliographie de la France. - 1899. Miksa, Aczél. American-Bar: Útmutató az amerikai hűsítő és hevítő italok készítéséhez. Budapest: Klauber Ignácz.
- Available as a PDF from EUVS (who describe this as "rare first edition of the first Hungarian cocktail manual").
- 1899. Spencer, Edward. The Flowing Bowl: A treatise on drinks of all kinds and of all periods, interspersed with sundry anecdotes and reminiscences. London: G. Richards.
- Weirdly, for its early date and comparative fame, not available online as far as I've seen. Must be out there somewhere; it is held in lots of libraries and Lowell Edmunds has said he's seen it.
- 1900. Boothby, William T. Cocktail Boothby's American Bartender: A twentieth century encyclopedia for all students of mixology (2nd ed., rev. & enl.). San Francisco: The San Francisco News Co.
- Existence of the book in 1900 confirmed by its entry in the Library of Congress' Catalog of Copyright Entries.
John C. Burton, an expert on Boothby, says there were two printings in 1900 and the second is from which came the handwritten papers mentioned in the 1891 reprint notes above. He notes that both printings from 1900 have 371 entries, but that the first printing's cover says "Copyright Secured and Right of Translation Reserved" and "Sold by all News dealers throughout the English Speaking World", while the second printing's cover says "Second Edition Revised and enlarged". The first printing, per Burton, has identical content to his 1891 book (though less advertising), while the second has the following content added: miscellaneous drinks, taxes on liquors, and tips. This second printing also includes an ad for Harry Johnson's book. - 1900. Johnson, Harry. The New and Improved Illustrated Bartenders' Manual, or, How to Mix Drinks of the Present Style: Containing valuable instructions and hints by the author in reference to the management of a bar, a hotel and a restaurant : also a large list of mixed drinks, including American, British, French, German, Italian, Russian, Spanish, etc., with illustrations and a comprehensive description of bar utensils, wines, liquors, ales, mixtures, etc., etc.
- Existence noted by EUVS, but no online copy available for this edition through them or anywhere else I could find. WorldCat lists copies of this edition held in many libraries, though I recommend careful reading of the catalog record to be sure that it is the 1900 edition before making a special trip.
Available as a quality reproduction in paperback from Cocktail Kingdom, with a new introduction by Robert Hess.
Confusing note on p. 107: “30. Rules in Reference to a ‘Gigger’
In all my recipes for the various drinks, you will find the term ‘wine glass’ indicating the article to be used in which to mix drinks. The wine glass is only used for compiling these recipes; but for measuring the mixture, etc., the proper article to be used is what is called a ‘gigger,’ otherwise considerable liquor would be wasted in case of a rush of business. The use of the ‘gigger’ also enables one to get the drinks at once the way the customers desire to have them, either strong or medium, for there is no man in the business who can pour out of a bottle a certain quantity of liquor by guessing at it, especially when the bottles used are only half filled or nearly empty.
The ‘gigger’ is of silver-plated metal, and is shaped like a sherry glass without the long stem. It is durable and almost impossible to break, and is used by all first-class bartenders, except only a few experts in the art of mixing drinks who have had such experience and practice that they can measure accurately by eyesight alone, without even using a glass for measuring.”
I went with 2 oz wineglass or ‘gigger’, per Andrew "the Alchemist" Willett and a recipe from Johnson in Wondrich’s Imbibe. - 1900. Maloney, James C. The 20th Century Guide for Mixing Fancy Drinks. Chicago?
- Available as a PDF from EUVS (and same copy from Internet Archive and from HathiTrust).
Existence of book in 1900 confirmed by its entry in the Library of Congress' Catalog of Copyright Entries.
Note page 58: "A pony glass will hold three-quarters ounce. A wine glass will hold two ounces." - 1900. Newman, Frank. American-Bar: Recettes des boissons Anglaises & Américaines telles qu'on les prépare. Paris: Société Française d'Imprimerie et de Librairie.
- Available as a PDF from EUVS.
- 1901. Anonymous. Mamma’s Recipes For Keeping Papa Home. New York: Oct. C. Blache & Co.
- Existence of book in 1901 confirmed by its entry in the Library of Congress' Catalog of Copyright Entries.
Marcovaldo Dionysos lists Albert Seifert as author, but I haven't found documentary confirmation of that yet.
Other versions under this title were issued by other liquor distributors as noted by Gaz Regan and Ferdinand Meyer V, and confirmed by a 1907 copyright entry under yet another publisher. - 1901. Anonymous [but attributed to Frederic Lawrence Knowles]. The Cocktail Book: A sideboard manual for gentlemen. Boston: L.C. Page & Company.
- Available as a PDF from EUVS.
Existence of the book at the end of 1900 is confirmed by its entry in the Library of Congress' Catalog of Copyright Entries.
Note that R.L. Paget was a pseudonym of Frederic Lawrence Knowles, explaining some of the variable attribution for the many editions of this work. - 1902. Anonymous. Fancy Drinks: How they are mixed. Cleveland: The Bishop & Babcock Company.
- Available as a PDF from EUVS.
Publisher described as "originators of beer drawing and cooling apparatus". Their various bar and backroom setups (including ice machines) are well illustrated throughout the book. - 1902. Anonymous [but attributed to Frederic Lawrence Knowles]. The Cocktail Book: A sideboard manual for gentlemen. London: John Macqueen.
- Available as a PDF from EUVS.
Existence of the book in 1902 is confirmed by its listing in The English Catalogue of Books. - 1902. Fouquet, Louis. Bariana: Recueil pratique de toutes boissons Americaines et Anglaises. Paris: Emile Duvoye.
- Available as a PDF from EUVS.
- 1902. Paul, Charlie. American and Other Iced Drinks: Recipes. London: McCorquodale.
- Available as a PDF from EUVS.
EUVS copy includes a typewritten recipe for "Conde Cocktails" (1:1:1 dry & sweet vermouth, old tom gin, maraschino) pasted into the front and dated April 6th, 1908. - 1903. Daly, Tim. Daly's Bartenders' Encyclopedia. Worcester, MA: T. Daly.
- Available as a PDF from Google Books (same scan also available from HathiTrust) and from EUVS (same scan also available from Internet Archive and from HathiTrust).
Existence of book in 1903 confirmed by its entry in the Library of Congress' Catalog of Copyright Entries for that year.
Measures are not defined in any terms which allow identification of size in ounces. Wine-glass, Pony glass, Jigger (but not used in combination with the prior two). Also Sherry Glass used in where fractions of the whole serving glass is the measure.
In the absence of anything definitive, I followed Andrew "the Alchemist" Willet's recommendation to treat wineglass and jigger as both 2 oz. - 1903. Hegenbarth, Max. Hegenbarth's Bowlen, Punsch, und Kaffee-haus Getränkebuch: Eine Sammlung zeitgemässer Vorschriften zur Herstellung von kalten, warmen und sonstigen Mischgetränken. Mit besonderer Berücksichtigung der in- und ausländischen Kaffeehaus-Getränke der "american drinks", sowie Äpfel- und sonstiger Frucht- Bowlen und Punsche. Dresden-Plauen: Max Hegenbarth's Verlag.
- Available as a PDF from EUVS.
- 1903. Roundell, Mrs. Charles [Julia Anne Elizabeth Tollemache] and Harry Roberts. The Still-Room. (IV: The Country Handbooks, ed. by Harry Roberts). London; New York: J. Lane, The Bodley Head.
- Available as a PDF from EUVS (or the same scan from Internet Archive).
Existence of the book in 1903 is confirmed by its listing in The Publishers' Trade List Annual for that year. - 1903. Spencer, Edward. The Flowing Bowl: A treatise on drinks of all kinds and of all periods, interspersed with sundry anecdotes and reminiscences. London: Grant Richards.
- Available as a PDF from EUVS.
Existence of the book in 1903 is confirmed by its listing in The Bookseller in October of that year. - 1903. Wilkes, Don. The Bachelor Book: A goodly collection of recipes for compounding divers delectable mixtures, with toasts proper to the ceremonial drinking of the same. To which is added some chafing dish menus right seemly for the creation and appeasement of appetite; also a chapter on the art of carving in good company, a dissertation on the philosophy of clothes in modern life, and finally some minor offences. London: A.J. White.
- Available as a PDF from EUVS.
The existence in 1903 of this "wretched brochure" is confirmed by the negative commentary on it in the April 1903 issue of The Temperance Record, which describes it as having "been sent by the manufacturers of a patent medicine to every member of the Stock Exchange". - 1904. Applegreen, John. Applegreen's Barkeeper's Guide: Or, how to mix drinks (Second edition, revised). Chicago: The Hotel Monthly.
- Cover embossed as "Applegreen's Bar Book".
Available as a PDF from EUVS.
Existence of the book in 1904 is confirmed by advertising in the January 1904 issue of The Hotel Monthly. - 1904. Lowe, Paul E. Drinks as They are Mixed: A manual of quick reference, containing upwards of 300 recipes for mixing and serving drinks. An invaluable companion to all who are engaged in the liquor business. Including toasts and sentiments for all occasions. Illustrated. Chicago: Frederick J. Drake & Co.
- Available as a PDF from EUVS.
Existence of a book in 1904 by this title and from this publisher is confirmed by a listing in The Publishers' Trade List Annual, but the entry cites the author as E. Kern but the book's entry in the Library of Congress' Catalog of Copyright Entries for that year lists it correctly under Paul E. Lowe. - 1904. Massachusetts Daughters of the American Revolution. Col. Timothy Bigelow Chapter, Worcester. A Book of Beverages : Being recipes secured from those housewives most notable for their skill in the preparation of choice & delectable beverages for winter nights and summer noons. Worchester, Mass. (possibly printed in Boston): The Merrymount Press for the author.
- Available as a PDF from EUVS, from HathiTrust, and from Internet Archive.
Existence of book in 1904 confirmed by its entry in the Library of Congress' Catalog of Copyright Entries for that year. - 1904. Newman, Frank P. American-Bar: Boissons Anglaises & Américaines telles qu'on les prépare (Deuxième édition, revue et augmentée, contenant 325 recettes). Paris: Société Française D'Imprimerie et de Librairie.
- Available as a PDF from EUVS.
Available in a quality reproduction from Cocktail Kingdom, with a new introduction by Fernando Castellon. - 1904. Southworth, May E. One Hundred and One Beverages. San Francisco: Paul Elder & Co.
- Available as a PDF from EUVS.
The book's existence in 1904 is confirmed by its listing in the Library of Congress' Catalog of Copyright Entries. - 1904. Stuart, Thomas. Stuart’s Fancy Drinks and How to Mix Them. New York: Excelsior Publishing House.
- Available as a PDF from EUVS and from Internet Archive (same scan of this one also available from HathiTrust). Note that the latter PDF seems to have pagination issues, which I am pretty sure may be from the original; pages 20 and 21 are reversed.
Though widely cited as dating from 1896, this book's copyright is 1904. The error is due, it seems, to a reference on the title page to the publisher's filing date for second-class mailing with USPS, a filing which is referenced with the 1896 date in other books from the same publisher which came out in a variety of years.
The book's existence in 1904 is confirmed by its listing in the Library of Congress' Catalog of Copyright Entries. Copyright was affirmed on December 22, 1904.
No definition of measurements in the book. Once again I go with the 2 oz wineglass and 1 oz pony. - 1905. Anonymous. Bebidas Americanas, Refrescos y Licores. Barcelona: Colección de Libros Modernos.
- Available as a PDF from EUVS.
The book's existence at this time is confirmed by its listing in the January 1906 Bibliografia Española. - 1905. Anonymous. The Gorham Cocktail Book: Cocktails how to make them. New York: Gorham Manufacturing Co.
- Available as a PDF from EUVS (same copy also from HathiTrust).
- 1905. Mahoney, Charley. The Hoffman House Bartender’s Guide: How to Open a Saloon and Make It Pay. New York: Richard K. Fox Publishing Company.
- Available as a PDF from EUVS and from HathiTrust.
The book's existence in 1905 is confirmed by its listing in Publishers' Weekly in December of that year (which, interestingly, describes it as "An enlarged edition of the author's 'The new bartender's guide.'") - c.1905. Anonymous. "Red Top Rye Guide": or, How to make fine, fancy or mixed drinks. Cincinnati: Ferdinand Westheimer & Sons.
- Available as a PDF from EUVS.
No date in the work. David Wondrich, in Imbibe!, attributes this to c.1905. - 1906. Muckensturm, Louis. Louis' mixed drinks, with hints for the care & serving of wines. Boston/New York: H.M. Caldwell.
- Available as a PDF from HathiTrust (and the same scan is also available from Google Books).
Available in a quality reproduction from Cocktail Kingdom, with a new introduction by Phil Duff.
Existence of book in 1906 confirmed by its entry in the Library of Congress' Catalog of Copyright Entries for that year. - 1906. Phillips, A. Lyman. A Bachelors Cupboard: Containing crumbs culled from the cupboards of the great unwedded. Boston/London: John W. Luce & Co.
- Available as a PDF from EUVS (and the same copy from Google and from Internet Archive) and from HathiTrust.
The book's existence in 1906 is confirmed by its listing in the Library of Congress' Catalog of Copyright Listings for that year. - 1907. Newman, Frank P. American-Bar: Boissons Anglaises & Américaines telles qu'on les prépare (Troisième édition, revue et augmentée, contenant 327 recettes). Paris: Société Française D'Imprimerie et de Librairie.
- Available as a PDF from EUVS.
- 1908. Boothby, William "Cocktail Bill". The World’s Drinks and How to Mix Them. San Francisco: W.T. Boothby.
- The 1908 edition's cover, which was provided to us by Jeffrey Masson, shows a younger Boothby facing left and has 1908 on it in red letters. Boothby expert John C. Burton confirmed that this edition has Boothby facing left and is 139 pages long.
The cover of the 1908 edition is different from that of c.1912, but, per Burton, the latter still lists the copyright date as 1908 despite having additional content. (The copy held at San Francisco Public Library is missing its cover, but based on this additional content is the later, c.1912 printing.)
The book's existence in 1908 is confirmed by its listing in the Library of Congress' Catalog of Copyright Listings for that year. - 1908. Grohusko, J. A. (Jacob Abraham) Jack's Manual; A treatise on the care and handling of wines and liquors, storing, binning, and serving; recipes for fancy mixed drinks and when and how to serve. New York: E.V. Brokaw & Bro.
- The book's existence in 1908 is confirmed by its listing in the Library of Congress' Catalog of Copyright Entries.
- 1908. Steedman, M.E. Home-made Beverages and American Drinks. London: The Food and Cookery Publishing Agency.
- Available as a PDF from EUVS (they list this as 1922, presumably because of a penciled in date as no printed date appears in the book, but I found an ad for the book "newly published" in the August 1908 issue of The Epicure.)
- 1909. Gasparó, Jorge. Guia Practica del Cantinero (Bar-Tender). Monterrey, NL: Cerveceria Cuauhtemoc.
- Available as a PDF from EUVS.
Existence of the book is confirmed by a mention in the 1909 Diario Oficial: Organo del gobierno constitucional de los Estados Unidos Mexicanos. - 1909. Seutter, Carl A. Der Mixologist: Illustriertes internationales getränke-buch (first edition). Leipzig: P.M. Blühers Verlag.
- Available as a PDF from EUVS.
The book's existence in 1909 is confirmed by its listing in Hinrichs' Halbjahrs-katalog der im deutschen Buchhandel erschienenen Bücher, Zeitschriften, Landkarten from that year. - c.1909. Golfrin, Carlos. Manual del Cantinero: Bebidas económicas. De los vinos naturales. Vinos generosos. Vinos de pasas. Vinos de frutas. Sidras. Cervezas. Limonadas. Licores de mesa y jarabes. Aperitivos. Helados. Sorbetes y granizados.- Bebidas americanas.- Frutas en aguardiente. Barcelona: F. Granada y Comp.
- Available as a PDF from EUVS (and they believe this copy is from 1909; there is no date inside).
- 1910. Grohusko, J. A. (Jacob Abraham) Jack's Manual: On the vintage and production, care and handling of wines, liquors, etc. A handbook of information for home, club, or hotel. Recipes for fancy mixed drinks and when and how to serve. New York: McClunn & Co.
- Available as a PDF from Internet Archive (or same scan from EUVS or from HathiTrust).
The book's existence in 1910 is confirmed by its listing in the Library of Congress' Catalog of Copyright Entries. - 1910. Moreno, E. Manual del Cantinero: Cocktelero Perfecto. Mexico: Maucci Hermanos.
- Available as a PDF from EUVS.
- 1911. Doménech, Ignacio. El Arte del Cocktelero Europeo: Manera de preparar los cocktails, ponches y demás bebidas exóticas. Contiene más de 300 recetas. Madrid: Imprenta Helénica.
- Existence of the book in 1911 is confirmed by its listing in Bibliografía Española for that year.
- 1911. Golfrin, Carlos. Manual del Cantinero. Barcelona: F. Granada y Comp.
- Existence of this book in 1911 is confirmed by its listing in Bibliografía Española Índices de 1911.
- 1911. Washburne, George R. and Stanley Bronner. Beverages de Luxe. Louisville: Wine and Spirit Bulletin.
- Available as a PDF from EUVS (and same copy from Internet Archive).
The book's existence in 1911 is confirmed by its listing in the Library of Congress' Catalog of Copyright Entries. - 1912. Anonymous. Wehman Bros. Bartenders' Guide: How to mix drinks. New York: Wehman Bros.
- Available as a PDF from EUVS.
The book's existence in 1912 is confirmed by its listing in the Library of Congress' Catalog of Copyright Entries. - 1912. Banning, Kendall. The Squire's Recipes: Being a reprint of an odd little volume as done by Kendall Banning. Chicago: Brothers of the Book.
- Reprint of a hoax edition of 150 copies from Christmas of 1911 which were artificially aged to appear to be from 1784.
Available as a PDF from EUVS and from HathiTrust (the latter with bookplate as presented by Kendall Banning; same scan also available from Google).
Existence of the book in 1912 is confirmed by its listing in the Library of Congress' Catalog of Copyright Entries. - 1912. Bishop, W.T. Bartenders' Manual 1913. Rockford, IL: Bartenders' Association of America.
- Available as a PDF from EUVS.
Existence of the book in 1912 is confirmed by its listing in the National Agricultural Library Monthly Bulletin. - 1912. Doménech, Ignacio. El Arte del Cocktelero Europeo: Manera de preparar los cocktails, ponches y demás bebidas exóticas (second edition). Madrid: Imprenta Helénica.
- Available as a PDF from EUVS.
- 1912. Grohusko, J. A. (Jacob Abraham) Jack's Manual: On the vintage and production, care and handling of wines, liquors, etc. A handbook of information for home, club or hotel. Recipes for fancy mixed drinks and when and how to serve. Third Edition. New York: J.A. Grohusko.
- Available as a PDF from Internet Archive (or same copy from EUVS, who have it mistakenly listed as from 1910).
The book's existence in and publication date of 1912 is confirmed by its listing in the Library of Congress' Catalog of Copyright Entries. - 1912. Mahoney, Charley. The Hoffman House Bartender’s Guide: How to Open a Saloon and Make It Pay. New York: Richard K. Fox Publishing Company.
- Available for online reading from Drinkology.
- Available in a quality reproduction from Cocktail Kingdom, with a new introduction by Jim Meehan.
Existence of an edition from this year is confirmed by its entry in the Library of Congress' Catalog of Copyright Entries for that year. - 1912. Paul, Charlie. Recipes of American and Other Iced Drinks. London: McCorquodale.
- Described, under the heading "Preface to the First Edition", as a reproduced collection of recipes "of a well-known Expert whose knowledge and experience it was felt could not well be improved upon", with an added section of recipes of non-alcoholic drinks. This same introduction appears with various dates under it ranging from 1902 in the Cocktail Kingdom reproduction, to 1912 in a EUVS copy, to a partially cut off "915" in the HathiTrust scan. WorldCat also lists editions in 1909 and 1916. As I have only seen the date in its original typesetting as early as 1912, I have placed the book under that year.
Available as a quality reproduction from Cocktail Kingdom, with a new introduction by Dale DeGroff.
Available as a PDF from EUVS (1912 printed inside, though also they have one they identify as 1916 but doesn't have a date inside) and from HathiTrust. - c.1912. Boothby, William "Cocktail Bill". The World’s Drinks and How to Mix Them.
- The cover of this edition shows a middle-aged Boothby facing right and has "Latest Edition" in red letters rather than "1908".
Available as a PDF from EUVS.
Available as a set of our photographs of all pages of the copy held by San Francisco Public Library.
Available as a quality reproduction from Cocktail Kingdom, with an introduction by Boothby expert John C. Burton. Note that though this work has the cover of the 1908 edition, it also includes the addendum "Some New Up-to-Now Seductive American Cocktails", which suggests to me that it better reflects the later date. Unlike the copy at SFPL which I photographed, this reproduction includes a "Tips" section (p. 140-143) between "Witty, Wise and Otherwise" and the Nathan-Dohrmann Co. advertisement which precedes "Some New Up-to-Now Seductive American Cocktails". This "Tips" section is not present in the EUVS version either.
Burton describes the difference between this and the 1908 edition as follows: "The 'Latest Edition' stops at page 139 with the exact content then continues with an ad for Nathan–Dohrmann Co. and proceeds to the 'SOME NEW -UP-TO NOW SEDUCTIVE AMERICAN COCKTAILS' an additional 12 pages. ... Back outside cover is ad for COATES PLYMOUTH GIN."
David Wondrich concurs with Burton that this dates early in the second decade of the 20th century, with the following strong clues to that timing: "The book has to be after January, 1912, when Fighting Bob Evans died (it refers to him as 'late') and before the war really bit, as it makes no acknowledgment of it and has plenty of ads for imported European goods." On Burton's suggestion I am currently searching in the San Francisco Chronicle in that timeframe in hopes of locating possible advertising for the book by Boothby.
Burton's copy of this edition is particularly significant. He notes, "Hand written in this book it states a jigger is 1 1/2 oz. and a pony is a small bar glass. This is the book that included the handwritten pages I allowed Anchor to put in their [reproduction of Boothby's 1891] edition. ... It appears to be the same handwriting." Given the nature of the notes and provenance of the book, this strongly suggests that those measures are Boothby's own. - 1913. Straub, Jacques. Drinks. Chicago: R. Francis Welsh Publishing Co.
- Available as a PDF from HathiTrust.
- 1913. Leybold, John and Hans Schönfeld. Lexikon der Getränke (circa 3000 Erklärungen von Getränken verschiedener Nationen). Köln.
- Available as a PDF from EUVS.
Entry in 1914 Hinrichs' Halbjahrs-katalog der im deutschen Buchhandel erschienenen Bücher, Zeitschriften, Landkarten suggests publisher is Beyer & Schmeisser. - 1913. Montague, Harry. The Up-To-Date Bartenders' Guide: A valuable ready reference guide to the art of mixing drinks, containing all the standard and popular drinks, with a choice selection of appropriate toasts. Baltimore: I. & M. Ottenheimer.
- Available as a PDF from EUVS (or same copy from HathiTrust and from Google).
- 1914. "A. Connoisseur". The Art of Mixing Them. Chicago: Felix Mendelsohn.
- Available as a PDF from EUVS.
- 1914. Rawling, Ernest P. Rawling's Book of Mixed Drinks: An up-to-date guide for mixing and serving all kinds of beverages, and written expressly for the man who entertains at home. San Francisco: Guild Press.
- Available as a PDF from EUVS.
Existence of this book in 1914 is confirmed by its entry in the Library of Congress' Catalog of Copyright Entries for that year. - 1914. Straub, Jacques. Drinks (Vest Pocket Size). Chicago: Hotel Monthly Press.
- Available as a PDF from Internet Archive and from HathiTrust (and that same latter scan can also be downloaded from Google Books).
Available as a quality reproduction from Cocktail Kingdom, with a new introduction by David Wondrich.
Existence of this edition in 1914 is confirmed by its entry in the Library of Congress' Catalog of Copyright Entries for that year.
I assume a 2 oz jigger and a 1 oz pony in the absence of a definition in the book. - 1914. Washburne, George R. and Stanley Bronner. Beverages de Luxe. Louisville: Wine and Spirit Bulletin.
- Available as a PDF from EUVS (and same copy from Internet Archive and from HathiTrust) and from Google.
The book's existence in 1914 is confirmed by its listing in the Library of Congress' Catalog of Copyright Entries. - 1916. Ensslin, Hugo R[ichard]. Recipes for Mixed Drinks. New York: Fox Printing House.
- The book's existence in 1916 is confirmed by its listing in the Library of Congress' Catalog of Copyright Entries.
David Wondrich notes that the "Cuban Cocktail" in this edition is renamed the "Bacardi Cocktail" in the 1917 2nd edition. - 1916. Grohusko, J. A. (Jacob Abraham) Jack's Manual: On the vintage & production, care & handling of wines, liquors, &c. A handbook of information for home, club or hotel. Recipes for fancy mixed drinks and when and how to serve. Fourth Edition. New York: J.A. Grohusko.
- Available as a PDF from EUVS (and same copy from Internet Archive) and from HathiTrust.
The book's existence in 1916 is confirmed by its listing in the Library of Congress' Catalog of Copyright Entries. - 1916. Mahoney, Charley. The Hoffman House Bartender’s Guide: How to Open a Saloon and Make It Pay. New York: Richard K. Fox Publishing Company.
- Existence of an edition from this year is confirmed by its entry in the Library of Congress' Catalog of Copyright Entries for 1916.
- 1917. Bullock, Tom. The Ideal Bartender. St. Louis: Buxton & Skinner Printing and Stationery Co.
- Available as PDF from EUVS and from HathiTrust.
Available as a quality reproduction from Cocktail Kingdom, with a new introduction by Ian Burrell.
The book's existence in 1917 is confirmed by its listing in the Library of Congress' Catalog of Copyright Entries. - 1917. Ensslin, Hugo R[ichard]. Recipes for Mixed Drinks, 2nd Edition. New York: Fox Printing House.
- Available as a quality reproduction from Cocktail Kingdom, with a new introduction by David Wondrich.
The book's existence in 1917 is confirmed by its listing in the Library of Congress' Catalog of Copyright Entries. - 1919. Hopkins, Albert A. Home Made Beverages: The manufacture of non-alcoholic and alcoholic drinks in the household. New York: The Scientific American Publishing Company.
- Available as a PDF from EUVS (and same copy from Internet Archive) and from HathiTrust (and same copy from Google).
The book's existence in 1919 is confirmed by its listing in the Library of Congress' Catalog of Copyright Entries.
Section 4: 1920-1933 (Prohibition)
Section 5: 1934–1951 (Years of Reform)
Section 6: 1952–1968 (Era of the Rat Pack)
Section 7: 1969–1989 (Dark Age of Cocktail Drinking)
Section 8: 1990–2004 (Revival of Cocktail Drinking)
Section 9: 2005–present (Era of Old School Innovation)
Thanks to the following for their helpful bibliographies, collections of resources, or other assistance: the Internet Archive (donate here to support their wonderful work!); librarians everywhere but especially Marvin Taylor and Kelly Turner; David Wondrich, whose work is a constant inspiration and whose source notes in the 2015 edition of his book Imbibe provide valuable context for many works, in addition to the other notes he has kindly permitted me to share here; Lowell Edmunds, whose page "Pre-1910 Bartender's Manuals and Other Books Containing Cocktail Recipes: A Bibliography" was indispensable; Anistatia Miller, Jared Brown, and Exposition Universelle des Vins et Spiritueux, whose comments as well as collection have proven most helpful; Andrew "the Alchemist" Willett, for his "Books on Drink: A History (with ratings)" page as well as his posts; Joerg Meyer, for his unfailing enthusiasm as well as his rare mixology book list; Rabelais fine books on food & drink, for their detailed catalog notes; Erik Ellestad for his uniquely thorough experimentation with the Savoy Cocktail Book and general knowledge of measurements and substitutions; Jeffrey Masson, for his Boothby knowledge; the Difford's Guide team, for their balanced judgment; Paul Clarke, for his good will and hard work on behalf of his fellow drink nerds; Marcovaldo Dionysos, for his ready wit and extensive book list; John C. Burton, for kindly sharing his extensive bibliography and knowing more about "Cocktail Bill" Boothby than anyone.
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Sadly some books once held by libraries have been stolen from us all. Library thieves suffer in an even lower circle of Hell than vile people who sneak out of bars without paying, those who snap their fingers to get the bartender's attention, and non-tippers. If you, in your youthful foolishness, committed such a sin, in order to be absolved you must put that book in a well-padded envelope and slip it into the book drop to return it to our common resources.
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