Whether you're stocking your first home bar, or you're a highly-skilled bartender at PDT in New York, there's always something new to learn in the world of craft cocktails. And what better way to learn than from the professionals that have dedicated their entire lives to the art of the bartending. Below is a list of what I consider to be the seven most essential books on bartending.

The Essential Bartender's Guide - Robert Hess (2008)

A manual, rather than a book. This text is filled to the brim with essential information about the techniques of bartending, stocking a bar and understanding what makes a great drink. It’s the perfect introduction to the world of bartending for aspiring home bartenders, and the definitive reference guide for professionals. A book written from a lifetime of Hess’s personal experience, The Essential Bartender’s Guide is the ultimate blueprint to understanding the art of the cocktail.

The Bar Book: Elements of Cocktail Technique - Jeffrey Morgenthaler (2014)

A natural progression from Hess’s Essential Bartender’s Guide. Morgenthaler’s, book is written exactly as one would make a cocktail, starting with juices, mixers and syrups then leading to ice, technique and garnishes, while introducing some helpful subtleties about each, that will leave you searching for a pen and paper. The book includes 60+ cocktails which conveniently demonstrate the concepts and techniques discussed throughout the book. The Bar Book, is truly a next-level guide on the art of mixology.

Imbibe!: From Absinthe Cocktail to Whiskey Smash, a Salute in Stories and Drinks to “Professor” Jerry Thomas, Pioneer of the American Bar - David Wondrich (2007)

To truly appreciate the craft of bartending, we must understand its history and how it’s evolved over time. In this exhaustively researched book, Imbibe!, pays its respects to legendary bartender and father of the American bar, Jerry Thomas. An entertaining discussion about the history of the American cocktail and the evolution of bartending over two centuries. This book includes recipes of classic punches, fizzes, slings and their interpretations using today’s ingredients. Imbibe! is an animated discussion worth being a part of.

Death & Co: Modern Classic Cocktails, with More than 500 Recipes - David Kaplan (2014)

Whether you’ve just begun your journey into bartending, or you’ve been doing it for years, Death & Co is sure to inform and educate. Featuring over 500 cocktails recipes from the Death & Co bar which opened in New York in 2006 and has been at the forefront of the craft cocktail movement. This book is chalked full of instruction about bartending techniques, stocking your bar, and the theory of creating drinks. If you’ve read and enjoyed Morgenthaler’s, The Bar Book, I highly recommend Death & Co, an illuminating read for anyone interested in bartending.

The Joy of Mixology: The Consummate Guide to the Bartender's Craft - Gary Regan (2003)

The Joy of Mixology offers a wealth of information about the art of mixology, including must-know recipes and valuable insights into tools & ingredients, but most importantly, Gary Regan introduces us to his system of categorizing drinks into different families, allowing anyone to better remember drink recipes and easily invent their own, removing one of the biggest burdens of bartending, remembering recipes. This book is a must-have for anyone looking to up their bartending game and begin experimenting with their own recipes.

The 12 Bottle Bar: A Dozen Bottles. Hundreds of Cocktails, a New Way to Drink- David Solmonson and Lesley Jacobs Solmonson (2014)

The 12 Bottle Bar, is the minimalist’s guide to bartending. Although, the book itself is over 400 pages, it provides a simple solution to stocking your home bar; an assortment of 12 bottles, upon which you can create over 200 cocktails, including many of the classics. The book’s main premise, is that everything in your bar should have a reason for being there. Something which we can easily lose sight of as our cabinet of cordials continues to overflow. Although, you may personally want to make a tiny tweak to two to their list of 12 bottles, the book is a good read with a great message.

Liquid Intelligence: The Art and Science of the Perfect Cocktail - David Arnold (2014)

The last book on the list for good reason. This book is for serious bartenders only. More of a thesis than a novel, within the pages of this text you’ll find experiments and studies on how the variations in temperature, carbonation, acidity and more can affect and enhance the quality of a cocktail, including specialized chapters on liquid nitrogen and centrifuges,...yes, centrifuges. This book will leave you questioning much of what you think you know about mixology. But, if you follow along, you may just find that your cocktails have never tasted better.