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.
Tucker Herbert is a sommelier-trained cook and host who has invented hundreds of cocktails. Most were developed while traveling or entertaining at his home in the Hollywood Hills, inspired by the tastes of friends gathered around his table.
He is the author of the CookImprov series, which teaches cooking and mixology through visual frameworks instead of recipes. The first book, CookImprov: Fresh Foundations, earned a starred Kirkus review, an IBPA Award, and a BookLife/Publishers Weekly Editor's Pick. CookImprov: Cocktail Creations brings the same approach to the bar, teaching balance, flavor, and technique so readers can improvise with what they have.
Tucker studied across four continents while earning degrees from Stanford and UCLA Anderson. He built a career in strategy consulting and healthtech, where he honed his ability to break complex topics into clear, flexible structures.
At heart, he is a pattern geek who believes structure propels invention, and that exploring flavors can completely change how we see each other. Creativity is a muscle worth exercising. Follow his cocktail experiments across social media: @cookimprov.
"Every aspect of the book encourages ambition and experimentation worth toasting." — Booklife by Publishers Weekly, Editor's Pick
"Herbert's written guidance and intuitive layouts demonstrate how a Manhattan is also a Rob Roy and a Martinez, as well as the close relationship between a Cosmopolitan and a Margarita. While base ingredients vary, Herbert demystifies the balance between liquor and flavors: the sweet, the sour, and the bitter." — Booklife by Publishers Weekly
"An outstanding cookbook with an intriguing concept and exceptional design and illustrations." — Kirkus Reviews (starred review), on CookImprov: Fresh Foundations
"Even a more experienced cook will find some twist they may not have considered previously." — Booklife by Publishers Weekly, on CookImprov: Fresh Foundations
"Tucker Herbert created a book that teaches you to think rather than to follow. The frameworks click almost immediately, and once they do, you can't unsee them." — MeiMei Fox, New York Times bestselling author
