The Elemental Mixology book contains thousands of historic, classic and recent drinks - arranged and prepared according to the principles of traditional, American mixology. There are also sections on glassware, tools, liquor selection and the history of mixed drinks. The drink recipes are presented by genre, sub-genre, family, degree of fanciness and by base alcohol. This lets the reader look for drinks without knowing names - or whether they even exist. Drinks can also be found simply using the index. If this book were presented as original work, one could reasonably argue that its substance is little more than the systematic presentation of pre-prohibition American mixological tradition. If this book were presented as nothing more than the systematic presentation of traditional American mixology, one could reasonably point out that some of its substance is not found in the old books. Think of this book as being essentially true to the old tradition - especially had it continued past 1920.