Cocktail Learning

We've grown accustomed to getting our dinner inspiration from a smattering of mediums, finding recipes everywhere from books to television to fine art.

Now, cocktail recipes are receiving a multiplatform overhaul. These new sources capture your favorite drinks in nontraditional–and delicious–ways:

For the interactive learner: There's a lot more than recipes inside the new digital book Speakeasy Cocktails ($10; click here to buy). Forty videos featuring noteworthy barkeeps demonstrate technique, while images of ingredients, tools and drinks offer additional tips for stirring up a proper libation.

For the visual learner: Less utilitarian and more anecdotal is An Illustrated Guide to Cocktails ($25; click here to buy) from Elizabeth Graeber and Orr Shtuhl. In the slim volume, the D.C.-based illustrators tackle a handful of classics such as the Jack Rose and the Blood & Sand, and pairs backstories with whimsical hand-drawn color illustrations.

For the progressive learner: At Silver Lining, a new New York bar, the menu is laid out with sections organized around base ingredients. Each drink offered builds progressively within its category; for example, the menu smartly highlights the minute differences between a daiquiri, a brandy shake and a gimlet.