From the co-founder of Ampersand Distilling Company, a collection of cocktail recipes that relies on just five bottles to build your bartending style with ease and confidence.

Think of it as the capsule closet for cocktails. Five bottles around which your inner bartender can emerge with skill, savvy and a little flare for the dramatic when it’s called for.

Playwright, columnist, and co-founder of Ampersand Distilling Company, Jessica Schacht knows we all contain multitudes and believes with a little curation and mastery of the basics, we can succeed at elevating the everyday and cultivating a good cocktail hour.

The bottles: gin, whiskey, sweet and dry vermouth, and Campari (plus bonus recipes for bubbly). The setting: living room, backyard, window seat, and the wild beyond. The mixologist? Oh, that’s you.

In this beautifully photographed collection, Jessica Schacht, co-founder of Ampersand Distilling Company, presents her take on classics (like the G & T, the Old Fashioned, the Martini, and the Negroni), collections (sours, punches, and such), and contemporaries (a few inventive new drinks to pique your creativity). There’s a chapter of zero-proofs in part inspired by the abundance of new alcohol-free spirits on the market now, and another dedicated to keeping your vacation drinks game classy, from the airplane to the B&B to the beach.

In addition to the recipes The Five-Bottle Bar supplies a solid foundation in bartending basics (tools, techniques, thoughts on glassware and garnishes), the condensed history of spirits, and tips for setting up your minimalist bar cart.

Jessica Schacht is the cofounder of the multigenerational family-run Ampersand Distilling Company and author of the History Glass column in the Cowichan Valley Voice. When she’s not whipping up new recipes for the distillery, you can bet she’s tending to her garden or walking in the woods. She is grateful to live in the Cowichan Valley in the home she shares with her husband and sons.

Jessica Schacht's profile page

"What a great way to give the home bartender some awesome cocktail recipes without breaking the bank and keeping it approachable. Simple, yet delicious cocktails for anyone who wants to make drinks at home.” —Shaun Layton, Co-Owner, Como Taperia

"Co-founder of award-winning Ampersand Distilling, Jessica Schacht demystifies the art of cocktail making by showing how five bottles in your bar is all you need. With panache and sophistication, Jessica demonstrates how her simple but stylish cocktail recipes will turn anyone into an expert at-home bartender.” —Marianne Scott, author of The Distilleries of Vancouver Island

"The Five-Bottle Bar harks back to the era of at-home entertaining and the romance of a well-made cocktail at the end of a long day; Jessica captures that era perfectly and breaks down the barriers that tend to exist in the hocus pocus of modern mixology and creates a beautifully presented testament to a bygone time of sharing cocktails with friends at home.” —Shawn Soole, Lounge Manager, Clive’s Classic Lounge