The history of swing, the story of Prohibition, the inspiration for tiki, and the secret life of absinthe. Cocktail-O-Matic is the killer-diller guide to all things cocktail. Not just a step-by-step guide to the care and handling of the classics'the Manhattans, martinis, Bronxes, sidecars and more'it's the story of how those cocktails came to be. From Esquivel to Trader Vic, James Bond to Frank Sinatra, mambo to Space Age Bachelor Pad, Cocktail-o-matic is the little black book of swank. Includes more than one hundred recipes for the aspiring mixologist.