The story of the cocktail --"the only American invention as perfect as the sonnet," according to H.L. Mencken --featuring 45 recipes for rediscovered classics and inspired originals. A cocktail-- the fascinating alchemy of simple alcohols into complex potables-- is an invention as unlikely as it is delicious, and an American innovation whose history marches in step with that of the Republic. In Spirits Sugar Water Bitters, nationally...