The United States of Cocktails is a celebration of the cocktail history of every state in America. After traveling around the U.S., 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 bound to come in handy whether or not you are crossing state lines. Diving into the colorful stories behind the creation of drinks we love, this special leather-bound edition includes more than 100 recipes along with a 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

Over the course of our history, Americans have engaged in debates about alcohol and its place in our society. Government programs and policies have ranged from promoting drink-related industries to warning of the health dangers of drinking and driving, to outright prohibition of alcohol manufacturing and sales. Few issues have generated such passion among citizens in addition to government interest. Alcohol-related records in the holdings of the National Archives--posters, government-created films, patent drawings, artifacts, and petitions--explore the surprising role of the federal government in regulating, promoting, investigating, and prohibiting alcohol production, sale, and consumption.