Home Bartending & Mixology Basics: A Practical Guide to Techniques, Tools, and Classic Cocktails

A good cocktail at a bar can easily cost $14-$18. The same drink made at home, once you know the three techniques behind nearly every classic, costs closer to $2-$3 a pour - and you control exactly how it tastes. A genuinely practical guide that teaches the small number of patterns behind almost every classic cocktail, then applies them across the five spirit families most home bars are built around. Inside, you'll find: - The four essential tools and four glass types that cover almost every classic cocktail - How to stock a home bar with eight core bottles, and why breadth beats variety early on - The three techniques behind nearly all mixology: shaking, stirring, and building - The "sour formula" ratio that lets you balance almost any cocktail by taste - Fifteen classic recipes across whiskey, gin, rum, tequila, vodka, and sparkling wine - How to build your own signature cocktail once you know the underlying patterns - Mocktail versions of every classic, plus batch recipes for parties Written for complete beginners who want to understand the why behind a good drink, not just follow a recipe card. Scroll up and start building your bar.