The reading room
How cocktails work.
A few short pieces on the logic underneath the bar — the structures, the methods, and the glassware. Read them and the whole catalog starts to make sense on sight.
- 01 The six templates Six drinks, and how to read the rest Almost every cocktail ever poured is a variation on one of six ideas — and the two centuries of history that produced them.
- 02 Spirits The base spirit, and the four the catalog leans on Almost every drink is built on one base spirit. The catalog draws on twenty and leans hard on four — gin, whiskey, rum, vodka.
- 03 Bitters What a dash actually does Measured in dashes, not ounces, and in less than a fifth of the catalog — but leave the dash out of a drink that wants it and something tastes missing.
- 04 The methods Shaken or stirred, and how to know when to pick each one Whether you shake a drink or stir it isn’t a matter of taste. The drink dictates — and telegraphs it through its ingredient list.
- 05 Ice The ingredient that does its work and disappears Ice is in every cold drink, doing two jobs — chilling it and watering it to the right strength. In half the catalog it’s strained away; in the other half it stays, in a few forms.
- 06 Glassware Why the glass matters, and how it fits its drink Cocktail glasses aren’t just about style — each one is also doing a job. The four families, and what each is for.
- 07 Garnish What the different cuts do A garnish is the final ingredient, not just a decoration. Nearly every drink carries one, and more than two-thirds are citrus — cut a specific way, for a specific reason.
- 08 Building a bar Start with a bundle, not a bottle The fastest way to a bar that makes real drinks isn’t a long list of spirits — it’s a bundle of the right versatile ingredients. The few ingredients behind one drink you love will help you make two or three more.