An exploration of the beloved cocktails, spirits, and bars that define each state in America

The United States of Cocktails is a celebration of the cocktail history of every state in America. After traveling around this great nation and sampling many of the drinks on offer, cocktail authority Brian Bartels serves up a book that is equal parts recipe collection, travelogue, historical miscellany, bartender’s manual, and guide to bar culture today—with bar and drink recommendations that are sure to come in handy whether or not you are crossing state lines. Delving into the colorful stories behind the creation of drinks we love, this book includes more than 100 recipes alongside spirited analysis of each state’s unique contributions to cocktail culture. Filled with colorful illustrations, The United States of Cocktails is an opinionated and distinctively designed love letter to the spirits, bars, and people who have created and consumed the iconic drinks that inspire us and satisfy our thirst.

Brian Bartels is the author of The Bloody Mary Book, published in March 2017 with Ten Speed Press. His writing has appeared in Town and Country, Garden and Gun, Fiction Writers Review, the Missouri Review (Interview with Sam Shepard), and China Grove Press. He is currently working on a screenplay, a wedding gift for a friend, and a novel about Facebook. When not writing, he spends most of his time operating Settle Down Tavern in Madison, WI.