Cookimprov: Cocktail Creations: Frameworks for Inspired Mixology

CookImprov: Cocktail Creations reinvents the cocktail book, freeing home bartenders and seasoned pros from rigid recipes and teaching them to mix freely and improvise boldly.

Inside, visual, flexible frameworks reveal the underlying patterns of mixology. Readers learn how spirits, citrus, sweeteners, liqueurs, bitters, and aromatics work together and why certain combinations swing. Once the principles click, classic cocktails become starting points for variation and invention.

Foundational frameworks cover the drinks most worth knowing, including Martinis, Manhattans, Margaritas, Mojitos, Daiquiris, Negronis, and Old Fashioneds, showing how each opens into dozens of variations. The Manhattan framework becomes a Rob Roy and a Martinez; the Margarita shares its logic with the Cosmopolitan.

Thirty-nine framework spreads move from timeless classics into specialty territory. The frameworks travel globally from Italian spritzes and Spanish sangria to Japanese sake, Korean soju cocktails, and Indian masala chai. From there, explore tiki drinks, egg cocktails, nightcaps, sparkling and smoked drinks, tea and coffee libations, and a dedicated section on zero-proof creations. Advanced sections decode clarified cocktails, custom syrups, infusions, tinctures, and bitters, alongside a method for reverse-engineering a memorable drink from a night out. Four companion guides break down garnishes, equipment and glassware, building a home bar, and substituting by flavor. Each spread pairs a visual chart with concise guidance that builds instinct.

Readers develop a sense for what a drink needs and adjust on the fly. Whether hosting friends or experimenting solo, they move from following recipes to inventing their own.

Original full-color illustrations by Lou Baker-Smith evoke the spirit of each drink, leaving the details for readers to improvise. Hardcover with lay-flat binding, built to stay open on a bar. It follows the series' debut, CookImprov: Fresh Foundations, which earned a starred Kirkus review, an IBPA Award, and a BookLife/Publishers Weekly Editor's Pick.

For anyone curious to create their own cocktails, from the newcomer to the seasoned pro ready to go deeper. Made for people who love putting a drink in someone's hand. A natural gift for holidays, housewarmings, and hosts.

Binding Type: Hardcover
Publisher: Open Frame Press
Published: 11/17/2026
ISBN: 9798998790232
Pages: 92