Shake, stir, shoot, or sip—regardless of your style, your drinks will be better if you follow these guides.

Mixology

If you're looking for encyclopedic breadth, this is the app for you. There are more than 7,900 drink recipes and more than 1,300 different ingredients. Need a suggestion? Social features show you each drink's rating from fellow Mixology users.

WIRED Insanely comprehensive list of drinks for every situation.

TIRED Jello shots aren't cocktails. Virtual cabinet can be overly general; everything from Dr Pepper to ginger ale is listed as "Soda (Other)."

$2.99 ioses | $2.99 androids | $0.99 WP | Mixology

Speakeasy Cocktails

For the beginner who wants to get into serious cocktailing, this is your best choice, with tons of tips on basics such as choosing spirits and tools. This ebook app shines on the ipads, where its wealth of photography and tutorial videos from Jim Meehan and Joseph Schwartz, two of the world's best bartenders, are displayed to full effect.

WIRED Collects recipes from mixologists around the world to supplement the classics.

TIRED Large (392-MB) download. More expensive than others.

$9.99 ioses | Speakeasy Cocktails

Food & Wine Cocktails

Given the quality of Food & Wine magazine, it's hard to view this app as anything other than a disappointment. The formatting and presentation are beautiful, but too many of the recipes trend toward the ridiculous. Chocolate-raspberry truffletini? We'll pass.

WIRED Great photos of drinks provide suggestions for serving and garnish. Also includes recipes for bar food and snacks.

TIRED App sponsored by Belvedere Vodka, so many recipes feature the product.

Free ioses | Free androids | Food & Wine Cocktails

Bartender's Choice

The quality of a cocktail app comes down to the quality of the recipes. This collection from Sam Ross, of New York's legendary Milk and Honey, is impeccable. You can filter by base spirit, sensation, and style, or just shake your phones and the app will suggest five tipples for you.

WIRED Tightly curated group of classic drinks. Toggle between imperial and metric measures.

TIRED Light on guidance about garnishes or information for novice bartenders.

$2.99 ioses | Bartender's Choice

Cocktail Flow

This is our favorite implementation of a popular feature in cocktail apps, the virtual liquor cabinet—tap the bottles you have on hand and it will suggest a list of drinks you can make. Recipes are written as ratioses, which is how veteran bartenders think of them, but that might be a bit tough for the less experienced.

WIRED Lovely presentation, especially on Windows mobiles.

TIRED Free version includes a limited number of recipes; getting more costs $0.99 per pack.

$2.99 ioses | $2.99 androids | $2.99 WP | Cocktail Flow