Kaplan & Fauchald Death & Co: Modern Classic Cocktails

Last updated: October 13, 2023


From a famed New York City cocktail lounge comes this mixology book, which combines more than 500 drink recipes with tips on troubleshooting common bar issues. You'll get a definitive education on everything from buying and mixing to mastering techniques.

We looked at the top Mixology Books and dug through the reviews from some of the most popular review sites. Through this analysis, we've determined the best Mixology Book you should buy.

Product Details

Key Takeaway: Go beyond recipes — here's a mixology book that offers a complete cocktail education on buying, mixing and more.

In our analysis of 19 expert reviews, the Kaplan & Fauchald Death & Co: Modern Classic Cocktails placed 3rd when we looked at the top 6 products in the category. For the full ranking, see below.

From The Manufacturer

The definitive guide to the contemporary craft cocktail movement, from one of the highest-profile, most critically lauded, and influential bars in the world. Death & Co is the most important, influential, and oft-imitated bar to emerge from the contemporary craft cocktail movement. Since its opening in 2006, Death & Co has been a must-visit destination for serious drinkers and cocktail enthusiasts, and the winner of every major industry award—including America’s Best Cocktail Bar and Best Cocktail Menu at the Tales of the Cocktail convention. Boasting a supremely talented and creative bar staff—the best in the industry—Death & Co is also the birthplace of some of the modern era’s most iconic drinks, such as the Oaxaca Old-Fashioned, Naked and Famous, and the Conference. Destined to become a definitive reference on craft cocktails, Death & Co features more than 500 of the bar’s most innovative and sought-after cocktails. But more than just a collection of recipes, Death & Co is also a complete cocktail education, with information on the theory and philosophy of drink making, a complete guide to buying and using spirits, and step-by-step instructions for mastering key bartending techniques. Filled with beautiful, evocative photography; illustrative charts and infographics; and colorful essays about the characters who fill the bar each night; Death & Co—like its namesake bar—is bold, elegant, and setting the pace for mixologists around the world.

Expert Reviews


What reviewers liked

We love that this is such a technical book, but it never veers away from the personable nature that the original Death & Co bar was known for, offering highlights of favorite regulars and breakdowns of how to get around tough situations (such as sub-par ice). We also like how the writers let you into their own learning process, with their “Goldilocks Experiments” with classic cocktails, letting the reader in on how to make one that is “just right.”
Context is given to every liquor used, why and how to cut garnishes into different shapes, why you might use different shaped glassware to mix drinks, and which shaped glassware to serve them in. Furthermore, there is instruction for how to go about making up your own cocktails, which makes this book useful for the beginner and experienced home bartender alike.
- EATER
Think of it like a science book for the practice of Mixology. There's some solid theory - descriptions of the various spirits and components of a cocktail, along with experimental knowledge gained through practice.
Exhaustive, comprehensive and informative. It's rare that a book can appeal to readers of all skill levels. Within these pages, you'll find a wealth of information for everyone from seasoned professionals to hobbyist home bartenders.
One of the best cocktail books of all time, and surely deserves placement in your house or bar or wherever you display those pretty totems that make you seem a lot cooler than you truly are.

What reviewers didn't like

The only problem with this book is that, for those of us with a 12-bottle (or less) bar, the overwhelming majority of these drinks are quite cost prohibitive.
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