It’s quite humorous to think back on all the years I

despised the taste of alcohol. It wasn’t until I was

27 years old that I tasted the first drink I could

tolerate. Guess what the drink was… Are you ready?

Red Bull and Vodka. Nearly 15 years later, I would

say my amateur taste buds have greatly evolved. I

spent a decade trying to force down sips of cheap

vodka sodas at bars, and I just couldn’t get into

it. It wasn’t until my thirties, when I learned

what a craft cocktail was, that I became obsessed. I

was mind-blown to see the creativity and time that

went into creating just one drink. I was instantly

hooked on the aroma, flavor profile, and the art of

fancy garnishing on the final pour. Although I do

not claim to be a professional mixologist, I have

become a self-taught enthusiast who simply wants to

show others like myself how fun this can be with

an easy-to-understand cocktail guide that doesn’t

overcomplicate it. With this menu you will be able

to craft beautiful libations and impress your guests

with smooth flavor profiles, in the comfort of your

home. Before we get into the crafting, there are some

terms you will need to know before we get started.

On the next page, I will go into what spirits you

will need to create the drinks in this guide, along

with my brands of preference. You can follow along

on social media for tips, tricks, and videos. Watch

these drinks come to life at @siphappensmixology.

​

While crafting the cocktails for this book, I wanted

to avoid turning it into an Encyclopedia Britannica

but had a really hard time narrowing down the number

of drinks. I had so many favorites, and I just

couldn’t bear to knock any of them off the list!

I had so many favorites and I just couldn’t bear

to knock any of them off the list. A few friends

recommended that I divide the drinks by seasonal

flavors and split up the book into two versions. The

cocktails with herbal notes, floral flavors, seasonal

fruit, and citrus bases went into this version,

Spring & Summer. The second version contains cocktail

recipes that are smokier, richer, bourbon-based,

and holiday-inspired. These are more seasonally

appropriate for Autumn & Winter.