Vintage cocktail books - a timeline

Since Richard Cook wrote the first known dedicated book in the English language recording drinks recipes in 1827 there has followed an awful lot of cocktail recipe books, many such titles having numerous editions. Navigating these tomes is essential to understanding the origin and development of the classic cocktails that appear on bar menus around the world to this day.

Fortunately, manly thanks to EUVS Vintage Cocktail Books, many of these works are now free to read on-line. Follows a timeline of some of the most important vintage cocktail books with links to read many of them online and even download.

1827 - Oxford Night Caps[online] by Richard Cook (Oxford, England)
The first known book on mixed drinks written in English, as the name suggests this was written by Richard cook, a resident at Oxford University, for students. A collection of drinks enjoyed at the university halls and residences in the early 1800s, it was originally published in 1827 as a pamphlet but grew into a book over three subsequent editions: 1835, 1847, 1871, 1931

1862 - The Bar-tender's Guide, and Bon-vivant's Companion - A Complete Cyclopedia of Plain And Fancy Drinks (1st edition)[online] by Jerry Thomas
The first known book specifically aimed at bartenders.

1863 - Cups and Their Customs[online] by G. E. Roberts

1869 - Steward and Barkeepers Manual[online][repro editions] by J. Haney

1869 - Cooling Cups and Danty Drinks (1st edition)[online] by William Terrington (London, England).

1871 - Gentleman's Table Guide[online] by E. Ricket and C. Thomas (London, England).

1872 - Cooling Cups and Danty Drinks (2nd edition)[online] by William Terrington (London, England).

1874 - American Bar-Tender or the Art and Mystery of Making Drinks[online] by E. A. Simmons (New York, USA)

1876 - The Bar-tender's Guide; How to Mix Drinks; or The Bon-vivant's Companion (2nd edition)[online] by Jerry Thomas (New York, USA).

1878 - American and Other Drinks by Leo Engel (England)

1879 - Intoxicating Drinks, Their History and Mystery[online] by J. Kirtion

1879 - The Modern Bartender's Guide by O.H. Byron

1882 - Harry Johnson's Bartender's Manual or How To Mix Drinks of the Present Style ("New & Improved")[online] [repro editions] by Harry Johnson (New York, USA)

1884 - Scientific Bar-Keeping[online]

1884 - Behind The Bar - The Complete Bartender Art of Mixing Plain and Fancy Drinks[online] (Royal Publishing Co., Philadelphia, USA)

1884 - The Modern Bartender's Guide[online] by O.H Byron (New York, USA).

1884 - How To Mix Drinks-Bar-Keeper's Handbook[online] by George Winter

1885 - New Guide for the Hotel, Bar, Restaurant and Chef[online] by Bacchus & Cordon Bleu

1887 - The Bar-tender's Guide; How to Mix Drinks; or The Bon-vivant's Companion (3rd edition)[online] by Jerry Thomas (published posthumously New York, USA).

1887 - Dishes and Drinks by "an old Bohemian"

1887 - American & Other Drinks[online] by C. Paul

1888 - Good Things by Godall & Backhouse

1888 - The Bartender Or How To Mix Drinks by H. Lamore

1888 - Harry Johnson's Bartender's Manual or How To Mix Drinks of the Present Style ("New & Improved")[online] by Harry Johnson (New York, USA)

1891 - Cocktail Boothby's American Bar-Tender (first edition) [online] by William T. Boothby (San Francisco, USA)

1891 - Wehmann's Bartenders Guide[online] by Henry J.Wehmann
Noted for containing the second known reference to a Martini

1892 - The Flowing Bowl - What And When To Drink[online][repro edition] by 'The Only William' Schmidt (New York, USA)

1895 - The Mixicologist or How To Mix All Kinds Of Fancy Drinks ("revised edition")[online]by C. F. Lawlor (Cincinnati)

1895 - Modern American Drinks - How to Mix and Serve All Kinds of Cups and Drinks[online][repro edition] by George J. Kappeler

1895 - American Bar Tender[online] by R. C. Miller (Saint Paul, Minnesota, USA)

1896 - Bariana: Recueil de toutes boissons americains et anglaises [repro edition] by Louis Fouquet (Paris, France). This is the second known French cocktail book.

1896 - Fancy Drinks and Popular Beverages [online] by 'The Only William' Schmidt (New York, USA)

1900 - Harry Johnson's Bartenders' Manual or How To Mix Drinks or the Present Style (The New and Improved Illustrated" edition) [online] [repro edition] by Harry Johnson (New York, USA)

1900 - Cocktail Boothby's American Bartender (second edition)[online] by by William T. Boothby (San Francisco, USA)

1900 - Modern American Drinks[online & repro edition] by George J Kappeler (New York, USA)

1902 - Fancy Drinks [online] by Frederic Lawrence Knowles.

1902 - The Cocktail Book: A Sideboard Manual For Gentlemen [online & repro edition] by Bishop & Babcock Company.

1903 - The Flowing Bowl[online] by Edward Spencer, London, England

1903 - Daly's Bartenders Encyclopedia[online] by Tim Daly, USA
Noted for Daly's reference to Martinis served frappe, the second known Marguerite Cocktail recipe, and his "Bottle of Martini Cocktail" recipe stating that "this is supposed to be a very dry cocktail" so the first suggestion of a "Dry Martini".

1904 - Drinks As They Are Mixed[online] "by leading bartenders" edited by Paul E Lowe (Chicago, USA)

Nov 1904 - Stuart's Fancy Drinks And How To Mix Them[online][repro edition] by Thos. Stuart (New York, USA)

1904 - American-Bar Recettes des Boissons Anglaises et Américaine[online] (American Bar Drinks and Recipes of the English American) by Frank P Newman (Paris, France)
Written by a bartender at the Ritz, this 1904 edition of a book, originally printed in 1900, is notable for its inclusion of the first-known recipe for a "Dry Martini Cocktail".

1904 - Applegreen's Bar Book[online] by John Applegreen (Chicago, USA)
Contains a recipe for both a "Martini Cocktail" and a ""Martini Cocktail, Dry" as well as a "Crisp Cocktail" that is basically an equal parts Dry Martini with a twist.

1905 - Consolidated Library of Modern Cooking and Household Recipes, volume 5[online] by Christine Terhune Herrick and M. Harland

1905 - The Hoffman House Bartender's Guide - How to Open a Saloon and Make It Pay[online] by Charles S. Mahoney (New York, USA)

1906 - Louis' Mixed Drinks[online] By Louis Muckensturm (Boston, USA)
Noted for being the first book in the English language to use the name "Dry Martini" for a recipe combining gin and dry vermouth. The first known mention was in French - see 1904.

1906 - Modern American Drinks - How to Mix and Serve All Kinds of Cups and Drinks by George J Kappeler (New York, USA)

1908 - The World's Drinks and How To Mix Them Standard Authority ("latest edition")[repro edition] by Hon. Wm. "Cocktail" Boothby (San Francisco, USA)

1908 - Jack's Bar Manual 1st Edition by Jacob Abraham Grohusko (New York, USA)

1908 - The Hoffman House Bartender's Guide by Charles S. Mahoney (New York, USA)

1909 - Drinks : How To Mix And How To Serve[online - note wrong date on Archive.org] edited by Paul E Lowe (Chicago, USA)

1909 - The Reminder - Up-to-date Bartenders' Vest Pocket Guide (3rd edition) mainly by Jacob A. Didier (Birnghamton, New York, USA)
Notable for the first appearence in a recipe book of a cocktail named Affinity.

1909 - Recipes of American and Other Iced Drinks mainly by Charlie Paul (London, England)

1910 - Jack's Bar Manual 2nd Edition by Jacob Abraham Grohusko (New York, USA)

1910 - Jack's Bar Manual 3rd Edition by Jacob Abraham Grohusko (New York, USA)

1910 - The Hoffman House Bartender's Guide - How to Open a Saloon and Make It Pay by Charles S. Mahoney (New York, USA)

1910 - The Barkeeper's Manual (2nd Edition) by Raymond E Sullivan

1911 - Beverages De Luxe, edited by Geo. R. Washburne and Stanley Bronner (Louisville, USA)

1912 - The Hoffman House Bartender's Guide [repro edition] by Charles S. Mahoney (New York, USA)

1913 - Bartender's Manual by the Bartender's Association of America.

1913 - Straub's Manual of Mixed Drinks by Jacques Straub (Chicago, USA).

1913 - The Cocktail Book - A Sideboard Manual for Gentlemen - New Revised Edition published by L. C. Page & Company, Boston, USA.

1914 - Drinks[repro edition] by Jacques Straub (Chicago, USA).

1914 - The World's Drinks and How To Mix Them Standard Authority (second edition) by Hon. Wm. (Cocktail) Boothby (San Francisco, USA)

1916 - Jack's Bar Manual 4th Edition by Jacob Abraham Grohusko (New York, USA)

1916 - Recipes for Mixed Drinks (1st Edition) Hugo R. Ensslin (New York, USA)
Noted for: first Aviation recipe and first equal parts Alexander recipe

1916 - Cocktail Ology by Count Benvenito Martini
Noted for: Oriental cocktail origin.

1917 - The Ideal Bartender[repro edition] by Tom Bullock (St. Louis, Missouri, USA)

1917 - Recipes for Mixed Drinks (2nd Edition)[repro edition] by Hugo R. Ensslin (New York, USA)
Noted for: The last major pre-Prohibition cocktail book.

1920 - Drinks[repro edition] by Jacques Straub (Chicago).

1920 - What to Drink[online] by Bertha E. L. Stockbridge (New York)

16th January 1920 - U.S. Prohibition starts
America was the main driver in the evolution of cocktail so Prohibition (following the 18th Amendment 16th January 1919) obviously had a dramatic effect on bartending and the cocktail books published during the period.

May 1922 - Cocktails: How to Mix Them[vintage edition] by Robert Vermeire

1922 - Harry's ABC of Mixing Cocktails

1923 - "Harry" of Ciro's ABC of Mixing Cocktails by Christopher & Co. (London, England)

1924 - Manual del Caninero

1925 - About Town Cocktail Book (Vancouver, Canada)

1925 - Drinks-Long and Short by Nina Toye, Arthur H. Adair (W. Heinemann, London). Noted for the first appearance of the Champs-Élysées cocktail.

1926 - Harry's ABC of Mixing Cocktails (4th Edition) by Harry MacElhone.

1927 - Here's How! by Judge Jr.

1927 - Here's How! Revised Edition (content almost entirely different to above) by Judge Jr.

1927 - Barflies and Cocktails by Harry McElhone (Paris, France)

1928 - Here's How Again! by Judge Jr.

1928 - Giggle Water - How to make home-made mixed drinks, cordials, wines, etc.[online] by Charles S Warnock.

1928 - The Bon Vivants Companion or How To Mix Drinks[online] by Professor Jerry Thomas (who died in 1885) edited with an introduction by Herbert Asbury.

1929 - Cocktails de Paris Presentes Par RIP

1929 - Here's How Again! by Judge Jr.

1929 - Libro de Cocktail

1929 - Sideboard Manual for Gentlemen

1930 - The Art of Drinking - What and How by Dexter Mason (published by Farrar & Rinehart Inc., New York City)

1930 - Cocktails by Jimmy Late Of Ciro's London (published by David McKay Company Inc. New York)

1930 - Noble Experiments[online] by Judge Jr.

1930 - The Savoy Cocktail Book (1st Edition)[repro edition][vintage edition] by Harry Craddock (London, England)

1930 - Swallows : "Cocktail Bill" Boothby's World Drinks and How to Prepare Them by Hon. WM. T. Boothby (San Francisco, USA)

1930 - The Home Bartender's Guide and Song Book[online] by Charlie Roe and Jim Schwenck (Experimenter Publications Inc., New York City, USA)

1930 - "Harry" of Ciro's ABC of Mixing Cocktails (9th Impression) [online] by Dean & Son (London, England)

1931 - Old Waldorf Bar Days[online][repro edition] by Albert Stevens Crockett (New York, USA)

1932 - Sloppy Joe's Bar Season 1931-1932[online] (Havana, Cuba)

1932 - The Green Cocktail Book[online] By "Jimmy" late of Ciro's London (published by T. Warner Aaurie Ltd, London)

1933 - Bar La Florida Cocktails (1st edition)[repro edition]

1933 - What'll You Have? By Julien J. Proskauer[repro edition]

1933 - Hollywood Cocktails[online] (Buzza-Cardozo, Hollywood, California, USA). Published in November 1933, just prior to the end of U.S. Prohibition, page 1 has the telling phraise "Whenever it Becomes Legal to Serve"

1933 - Odell's Book of Cocktails and Fancy Drinks (Fourth Edition[online]

1933 - Jack's Bar Manual 5th Edition[online] by Jacob Abraham Grohusko (New York, USA)

1933 - Hollywood Cocktails[online] (Buzza-Cardozo, Hollywood, USA)

5th December 1933 - U.S. Prohibition ends
On December 5, 1933, the 21st Amendment was ratified, repealing the 21st Amendment and ending Prohibition. Bartenders and publishers were quick to supply a thirsty nation, leading to a profusion of new cocktail books.

1934 - Pioneers of Mixing at Elite Bars 1903-1933 by Charles C Mueller (New York, USA) [repro edition available].

1934 - Harry Johnson's New and Improved Bartender's Manual and a Guide for Hotels and Restaurants (revised edition)[online] by Harry Johnson (New Jersey, USA)

1934 - What Shall We Drink[online] by Magnus Bredenbek
This has chapters on how to mix cocktails and the serving of red and white wine.

August 1934 - My New Cocktail Book (2nd Edition)[online] by G. F. Steele (New York, USA)

1934 - The World's Drinks And How To Mix Them[online][repro edition] by William Boothby

1934 - Official Mixer's Manual (1st edition)[online][repro edition] [vintage edition] by Patrick Gavin Duffy (New York, USA)

1934 - Bottoms Up[online] by Jean Robert Meyer (New York, USA)

1934 - Here's How to be Healthy[online] by Bengamin Gayelord Hauser (Tempo Books Inc., New York City, USA)

1934 - The Old Waldorf-Astoria Bar Book (2nd edition) by A. S. Crockett

1934 - 1700 Cocktails for the Man Behind the Bar by R. de Fleury.

Oct 1934 - Here Is Something That Will Interest You (1st edition) [online] by The Victoria Wine Co., London.

1935 - Old Waldorf-Astoria Bar Book (3rd edition "with amendments due to repeal of the 18th")[[online & repro edition] by Albert Stevens Crockett (New York, USA)

Nov 1935 - Here Is Something That Will Interest You (reprint) [online] by The Victoria Wine Co., London.

1935 - For Home Use - Angostura Bitters (third edition) [online] by Henderson & Co. (London) Ltd.

1935 - Along The Wine Trail : an anthology of wines and spirits [online] by G. Selmer Fougner. Published by The Stratford Company, Boston, Massachusetts, USA.

1935 - Bar la Florida Cocktails [online].

Dec 1935 - So Red The Nose or Breath in the Afternoon [online] by Sterling North and Carl Kroch, USA.

1936 - The Artistry of Mixing Drinks (1st edition) [online] by Frank Meier (Paris)

1936 - Mille Misture[online] by Elveio Grassi (Italy)

1936 - Burke's Complete Cocktail and Tastybite Recipe)[online]by Harman Burney Burke (USA)

1937 - The UKBG's Approved Cocktails[online]

1937 - Café Royal Cocktail Book - Coronation Edition [online][repro edition] by W. J. Tarling

1937 - The How and When (1st Edition) by Hyman Gale & Gerald F. Marco

Nov 1937 - Famous New Orleans Drinks and How to Mix 'em (1st printing) [repro edition][vintage edition] by Stanley Clisby Arthur (New Orleans, Louisiana, USA).

Dec 1937 - Here Is Something That Will Interest You (3rd edition) [online] by The Victoria Wine Co., London.

Dec 1937 - Famous New Orleans Drinks and How to Mix 'em (2nd printing) [repro edition] by Stanley Clisby Arthur (New Orleans, Louisiana, USA).

1937 - Bar La Florida Cocktails [online]

Aug 1938 - Famous New Orleans Drinks and How to Mix 'em (3rd printing) [online][repro edition] by Stanley Clisby Arthur (New Orleans, Louisiana, USA).

1939 - The Gentleman's Companion (Volume II) An Exotic Drinking Book or Around The World With Jigger, Beaker And Flask [online] by Charles H. Baker Jr. (New York, USA)

1939 - Just Cocktails (1st Edition) by W.C. Whitfield. Published by The Three Mountaineers Inc.., this book is distinguished by its wooden cover and leather lace binding.

Jun 1940 - The Official Mixer's Manual (1st edition) [online] by Patrick Gavin Duffy (New York, USA)[repro edition] [vintage edition]

1940 - The How and When (2nd Edition) by Hyman Gale & Gerald F. Marco.[vintage edition] This book is important due to the "Tropical Specialties" section introduced in this edition.

1941 - Crosby Gaige's Cocktail Guide and Ladies Companion by Crosby Gaige (New York, USA) [vintage]

1941 - Here's How by W.C. Whitfield[vintage edition]

1941 - Toasts Around the World Cocktail Book by Hiram Walker and Sons

1945 - The How and When (3rd Edition) by Hyman Gale & Gerald F. Marco

1946 - The Rowing Bartender Two Hemisphere Drinks For Home and Bar[online] by Bill Kelly (California, USA)

1946 - The Stork Club Bar Book[online][vintage edition] by Lucius Beebe (New York, USA)

1946 - Trader Vic's Book of Food and Drink[vintage edition] by Victor Bergeron
Regarded as being the first Tiki book.

1948 - The Fine Art of Mixing Drinks (1st edition)[repro edition] [vintage edition] by David Embury

1948 - Shaking with Eddie by Eddie Clarke (London, England)

1948 - El Arte del Cantinero Los Vinos Y Los Licores[online] by Hilario Alonso Sanchez (Cuba)

1949 - Esquire's Handbook for Hosts[vintage edition]

1949 - Livre de Cocktails by Emile Bauwens

1949 - The How and When (4th Edition) by Hyman Gale & Gerald F. Marco

1950 - The Cocktail Bar [vintage edition] by Charles (Published by W. Foulsham and Co London)

1951 - Bottom's Up [repro edition] by Ted Saucier

June 1953 - The U.K.B.G. Guide to Drinks (first edition)[online] by The United Kingdom Bartenders' Guide (London, England)

1954 - King Cocktail - Shake Again with Eddie[online] by Eddie Clarke (London, England).

1954 - Practical Bar Management[online] by Eddie Clarke (London, England)

October 1955 - The U.K.B.G. Guide to Drinks (second edition)[online] by The United Kingdom Bartenders' Guide (London, England)

1963 - Shaking in the 60's[online] by Eddie Clarke (London, England)