Reddit reviews The Curious Bartender Volume 1: The artistry and alchemy of creating the perfect cocktail

When I was learning (in a similar environment that OP described), I had a mentor teach me. I believe that is by far the best way to learn in any industry whether it be in the kitchen, behind the bar, on a construction site, etc.

In lieu of a mentor, there are several books worth picking up to bring up your knowledge, with the combination of internet research:

-Craft of the Cocktail

-Death & Co.

-Vintage Spirits and Forgotten Cocktails

-Bar Book: Elements of Cocktail Technique

-Imbibe!

-The Drunken Botanist

-The Curious Bartender

-The Joy of Mixology

Some helpful links:

-Kindred Cocktails

-The Spirits Business

-Good Spirit News

-Jeffrey Morgenthaler's Blog

-Jamie Boudreau's Blog: not updated but still has good info.

I know this isn't the answer you want to hear (I don't like it either), but coffee and alcohol just don't usually work together well. Take it from Tristan Stephenson's "The Curious Bartender":

> I am a massive coffee greek. The vast majority of this book was written under the effects of coffee's magical motivational qualities. So it is with great regret that I admit to a very well-considered belief – coffee and alcohol don't mix very well. Actually, it's not that they don't have the potential to mix well, it's just that most coffee-based cocktails break the first law of cocktail making – the drink must taste at least as good as its best ingredient.
>
> Many years ago, when I as still a fresh-faced bar-rookie, a guest asked me for the best Irish coffee I could make with the ingredients I had to hand. I extracted a perfect Americano using coffee beans roasted two weeks previously, mixed it with Bushmills 12-year-old whiskey, added some sugar and whipped up some fresh cream to go on top. The ingredients were near enough perfect, so it should have been an excellent drink. But the truth is that it was average at best. Both the whiskey and coffee cancelled out all the subtleties and nuances of each other. It would have been far better to serve the coffee and whiskey side by side.

From there, he goes on to describe the process and recipe for for his "Improved Coffee Cocktail", but for that you'll have to buy the book. It's a great book, too; I'd recommend it.

Sorry. It's from the Curious Bartender page 137.

If you like this, you'll love The Curious Bartender volumes 1 & 2 by Tristan Stephenson.

He does a classic and modern version of each cocktail utilising some really cool techniques and novel ideas.

Very inspiring in many ways and absolute gems to have in any mixology collection.

https://www.amazon.co.uk/Curious-Bartender-artistry-creating-cocktail/dp/1849754373