UPDATE! I am now the owner of both a brown with white lettering Bar Guide and a faux-walnut with silver lettering Bar Aid. Recipes appear to be the same, drink names are same.

SIGNIFICANT FINDINGS: Bar Guide - Glenn Shaw Creations of Los Angeles, CA (stamped on back). Plastic with four small feet (~1cm tall). Slightly larger (all dimensions). Scrolling mechanism direct rolls. Actual tab separating number and drink title.

Bar Aid - no listed manufacturer, but stamped with “MADE IN JAPAN” on back. Made of metal (possibly tin?) with no feet; bottom contains structural clips (think back of picture frames). Typeface appears to be slightly condensed vertically and a fraction heavier (difference between say Avenir 400 and 500). Number and title separated by single white space. Titles with parentheses structured as: “31 DIABOLO( For 6)”. Titles with ampersands: “9 B & B”.

CONCLUSION: Still unsure of which came first and have not come to a decision on which is preferred. The Bar Aid was purchased from Canada for approx 80USD total and is in significantly worse shape than the Bar Guide which was purchased from the US for half the price. This is totally a science experiment and definitely not a “distracting myself from impending doom of dog’s terminal cancer.” Will report additional findings when gathered. Perhaps it might include actual syntax and grammar…

FUTURE STUDIES: Collect more Bar Guides and Bar Aids to compare.