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KNOW WHO YOU ARE: One veteran drinker decides to quit floundering and find his best drink.
Published Jan. 16, 2012
No, really. For years I’ve wandered from sidecars to Sazeracs to Mojitos to mai tais in search of a go-to beverage that would conquer my mealy-mouthed indecision at bars. And frankly, I’m embarrassing myself. Ordering some random thing only to find that it comes with a little umbrella. Choosing a concoction that knocks me on my ass when I’m supposed to meet the principal of my kid’s school.
You know those sad chameleons who feign camaraderie by ordering the same thing as their drinking partners? That’s me. Port with my father-in-law, Guinness with my brothers. Every time Grandpa gets a Glenlivet on the rocks, so do I. Love drinking with him, except that, to my tongue, Glenlivet is like licking the floor of an old Scottish barn.
During my formative imbibing years, I took cues from Hollywood, which meant an inevitable White Russian phase around the time of The Big Lebowski. Blue Velvet led to Pabst Blue Ribbons, Rob Roy to Rob Roys. I even dipped my toe into a pool of absinthe after Moulin Rouge, and I hated that movie. Hated the drink, too.
You would think I might know what I was doing in a tavern after all these years of hanging out in them. I’ve covered bars for multiple publications, and I downed roughly 10,000 drinks before anyone thought of paying me a cent to do so. Instead, I’m flailing in a sea of choices while menacing mixologists with their handlebar mustaches and sleeve garters poke at my lifeboat with their tongs and try to drown me with 14 varieties of ice cubes.
“What you drink tells you who you are,” magazines like Esquire love to impart in that Esquire-ian way, but I don’t need a drink to tell me who I am. My wife is more than happy to do that. I just need a good cocktail—a fallback I can order anywhere and can make myself. Something strong but not debilitating. Familiar but not ordinary. Fun but not foolish, classy but not pompous. I refuse to be the guy who orders something so obscure he has to show the bartender the recipe.
My first step: Solicit suggestions from friends. Their advice ranged from predictable (lots of Manhattans, Tom Collinses, and old fashioneds) to deliciously vague (“three fingers of the best dark rum they have plus one ice cube”) to specific (“equal parts St.-Germain elderflower liqueur, Plymouth gin, and Campari, on the rocks with a dash of Angostura bitters”) to jokey (“Oh, girl, you know you want a Cosmo!”). My friends would not be much help.
I needed a professional, so I called Noah Rothbaum. The editor of Liquor.com and the author of The Business of Spirits, Rothbaum knows drinking like Newton knew gravity, but he’s not all high and mighty about it, creating laws and whatnot. “The people who know the least about cocktails and spirits are usually the ones who have the most rules,” he says. “Like, ‘You can’t have ice in that. You can’t add water.’ Why not? What’s going to happen? Is it like Pop Rocks and Coke?”
In other words: It’s your drink and it should make you happy. After an hour of trying to ascertain what makes me happy, Rothbaum suggested three possible libations, all simple, all classic, all delicious if made right. He promised that none would make me look silly or elicit sneers. They might even garner respect.
“Can I get a Horse’s Neck?” I asked the bartender at Lady Gregory’s, an Andersonville pub solemn enough to title its 50-page beverage list “The Drinks Bible.” The guy looked around, as though he suspected he was the butt of a joke. Flustered, I showed him the recipe on my Android. Ten minutes later, he delivered a sweating Tom Collins glass with Knob Creek bourbon, Fentimans ginger beer, a dash of bitters, ice, and a curled lemon peel. A refreshing, genial mix of sweet, sour, spicy, and oaky. But the bartender, as if embarrassed by our interaction, never returned. Another dude brought the check.
“Can I get a daiquiri?” I asked the barkeep at The Matchbox. He was a large gentleman in a small bar, tattooed and unimpressed, and my drinking buddy edged away from me. But The Matchbox’s reverence for genuine cocktails borders on mania, and Rothbaum had assured me the daiquiri qualifies. Not the slushy one with bananas: I got an old-school version with dark rum, lime juice, sugar, and water, in a martini glass rimmed with powdered sugar, and I liked it just fine. What I didn’t like was the look on my friend’s face, which said I might as well have just ordered an American Girl doll. “Sadly, people are embarrassed by daiquiris,” Rothbaum says. “They say things like, ‘What are we, on a cruise ship?’” If I have to convince people what I’m drinking is legit, then I need a new drink. Or a new drinking buddy.
When I asked the barman at the Sofitel’s Le Bar for a Moscow mule, he wrinkled his nose. “A what?”
He wandered off. Great. Here we go again. I was ready to call goddamn Rothbaum and demand three more suggestions when a tumbler appeared with a fresh lime perched over the edge of a clear, inviting concoction. Vodka, ginger, lime. Simple as that. The first sip was delicious, a tangy shock that rebooted my taste buds like jumper cables to a car battery. The second sip was a greedy gulp. “Did you use ginger beer or ginger ale?” I asked.
“Neither,” the bartender said. “I used puréed ginger. Pretty intense, huh?” He walked away, leaving me with my tumbler and that curious warmth you get when you meet someone and have the unshakable feeling he’s going to be a friend for a long time.
“I’ve been to Moscow,” a dyspeptic man grumbled at the end of the bar. “You know, they don’t drink that there.”
I just smiled and finished my drink.
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15 Go-To Cocktails: Gimlet
My uneasiness with Sundays is somewhat well-documented here, but starting the evening with one of these certainly seemed to calm my nerves a bit.
With a butternut squash lasagna in the oven and a loaf of homemade (or rather, husband-made) Tartine bread cooling on the counter, sitting on the couch with a chilly gin gimlet, some stewed eggplant dip and homemade crackers made Monday morning’s alarm clock and to-do list feel miles away.
I spent years avoiding cocktails like the gimlet because it generally appeared on the “Martinis” section of the menu – a section that usually consists of a list of sweet, over-the-top drinks that resemble anything but an actual martini. Martinis should be icy cold, strong, and small, and should include small amounts of ingredients that only enhance the flavor of the main ingredient (which should be the actual alcohol), not cover it up. Similar in size and consistency to a shot, but meant for prolonged sipping (not gulping).
The Gimlet is a perfect example of a martini, depending on how you make it (of course). A “real” gimlet has at least twice as much gin or vodka than the rest of the ingredients combined, depending on how sweet you like it. My substantial research (at least 15 minutes) tells me that the main variables are whether you use gin or vodka (with vodka being the current trend, gin the more traditional) and whether you use lime juice and simple syrup or Rose’s lime juice. Some recipes use no sweetness at all, just the alcohol and lime juice. You could dress it up with mint, cucumber, or other additions if you’re feeling particularly trendy, but this drink definitely doesn’t need it.
And in the realm of a go-to cocktail, this is certainly one of the easiest to always have on-hand. Even when we no longer live in Southern California and have delicious local limes year-round, I’m sure there will always be a bottle of lime juice in the fridge.
Sour, sweet, and best served as icy as possible, a gimlet is a perfect drink to order in any season, though on warm evening it’s particularly good. Serving it in a martini glass or champagne glass is fun if you’re in the mood, but it’s just as good in a normal cocktail glass. Also good to prepare oneself for dinner in front of the television on a Sunday night, I can say from experience.
Makes 1, easily scalable
- 2 oz. vodka or gin
- 1/2 oz. lime juice
- 1/2-3/4 oz. simple syrup
- Lime wedges for garnish (optional)
– Combine and shake ingredients Fill a cocktail shaker halfway with ice. Add the alcohol, lime juice, and simple syrup. Shake and taste, adjusting ingredients as desired. Strain into a cocktail glass and garnish with lime slices, if you want.
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I made them with yellow raspberries, which was cooler looking in my opinion. Deeelicious.
I wish I was over at your house for dinner every night. Cocktails AND lasagna AND eggplant dip AND fresh bread? I hope you and Brett have lower expectations for your visit up north.
As a major proponent of gimlets, I need to clear something up here. A real gimlet doesn’t have any vodka at all in it. A gimlet has gin. If it has vodka, then its a vodka gimlet not a gimlet.
And while I’m on a mini rant about cocktails, there shouldn’t be lists of martinis on a menu unless the list has martini, extra dry martini and dirty martini and pretty much nothing else. All that other crap is similarly not a martini.
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My name is Bowen and I'm a cooking instructor/food writer/home cook in Seattle, WA. I'm dedicated to community-based food systems that nourish people and planet alike, and this site is an extension of my kitchen - seasonal, fresh food and cocktails made with heart (and sometimes an indecent amount of olive oil) to share with friends and loved ones.
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Remember when house parties were almost always down in wood-paneled basements with a built-in bar and a DJ working the turntables under the hypnotic glow of a blue light?
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That’s the old-school ambience that New York-based social club SPiN: United by Ping-Pong will offer experience-seekers starting Friday night when the clubby spot officially opens in Center City.
Nestled beneath WeWork Coworking and Office Space on 15th Street just south of Walnut, SPiN (no cycling here) promises to be a 12,000-square-foot happy-hour haven complete with 17 state-of-the-art Ping-Pong tables, two bars serving craft beers and specialty cocktails, and a food menu that includes flatbreads and a yummy selection of sweet and salty sliders.
Bright, Instagram-friendly walls — actually, everything about this place is Instagram-friendly — will explode with graffiti murals courtesy of local artists. And while you won’t find blue lights at this nightly basement party, the selfie-obsessed will be drawn to SPiN’s signature red room that features a pretty, crimson Ping-Pong table and similarly hued couches doused with sanguine light as if they are sitting under the cherry moon.
No wonder the late rock star Prince was a fan of New York’s SPiN.
“There is an iconic moment on Jimmy Fallon when he talks about Prince killing him in Ping-Pong at SPiN,” company CEO Pieter Vanermen told me in a genuine effort to share, without boasting, a taste of the celebrities SPiN attracts. Vanermen, once a top executive at PayPal in Belgium, joined the SPiN family about three years ago at the request of board member Vince Herbert, CEO of Le Pain Quotidien, (Talk about friends in high places.)
The number of A-listers who frequent SPiN social clubs — Philadelphia makes the sixth in as many cities — is seemingly endless and includes Drake, Axl Rose, Scarlett Johansson, Edward Norton, Venus Williams, and Philly’s own Questlove. Of course there are more, but SPiN security is known for keeping the table-tennis-playing stars’ appearances on the low. However, at Friday night’s opening shindig, local stars abound: Current Sixer Rob Covington is hosting the party; rapper Schoolly D and model, actress, and professional Ping-Pong player Soo Yeon Lee are scheduled to attend. A few Philadelphia Eagles will likely show up, too.
SPiN is one part grassroots plus a lot of star power.
Back in 2006, filmmakers Franck Raharinosy — who once had his own fashion label sold at Barney’s New York — and Jonathan Bricklin — Susan Sarandon’s ex-boyfriend and son of automobile entrepreneur Malcolm — started hosting “naked Ping-Pong” parties in their TriBeCa loft.
Unlike Philadelphia’s naked bike ride, Ping-Pong players didn’t bat their balls sans clothes. Still, the twice-weekly game with the catchy name caught on with city’s powerful and popular and attracted Wall Street bankers (Andrew Gordon, former managing director of J.P. Morgan, who is also a current CFO of the company.) and fashion models (like Veronica Webb).
In 2009, Raharinosy and Bricklin — with the help of Sarandon and Gordon — opened the first SPiN in New York’s Flat Iron District. The mix of Ping-Pong and cool art appealed to backpackers and Suitsupply wearers and quickly became a hit. (I can see why. I played a bit when I visited the space and it was fun. Now imagine you’re sipping a craft beer while playing.)
Almost immediately, SPiN started to offer merchandise, especially apparel. Think soft, round T-shirts — with suggestively cute sayings like Balls Are My Business — sweatshirts, and jackets.
Like the other SPiN social clubs, Philadelphia’s will have its own SPiN-branded swag.
Ubiq, one of Philly’s top sportswear destinations, designed a limited-edition paddle and four-ball set.
And West Philadelphia-bred King Saladeen, who gained some notice at Miami’s annual premier exhibition Art Basel, will collaborate with SPiN to make clothing.
Saladeen, whose real first name is Raheem, spray-painted the backdrop of the merchandise area as well as the outside of a bathtub (another expected SPiN feature). Saladeen also did the bulk of the work on the club’s electric back mural. Other artists who spruced up the walls with street art were New York’s Dain and the Montreal-based duo Fluke & Zek.
SPiN plans to collaborate with community organizers to host Sunday brunches. And look out for local Ping-Pong champs to participate in scheduled games and tournaments. Ping-Pong pros will be available for lessons, too.
The SPiN experience promises to be fun, but it’s certainly not cheap.
During peak SPiN times, from 5 p.m. to 10 p.m. weekdays and till 2 a.m. on weekends, it will run you $22 per half hour, or $39 an hour, to rent a table. If you make reservations, and a table is set aside especially for you, that would be $59 per person per hour.
Although pricey, SPiN stands to do well in Philly, especially in this particular area of town, a crossroads where work meets play. Not only is SPiN located under a WeWork, but The Cheesecake Factory and The Verizon Store are neighbors. Add to that the wealth of boutique workout studios from SLT to Pure Barre in proximity and you have critical mass of potential Ping-Pong-playing millennials.
“We think we’ve struck the perfect blend between the corporate world and the creative world,” Vanermen said, adding that the Center City location beat out a few contenders in hipster centers like Fishtown and Northern Liberties.
“If you look at SPiN, it’s for everyone: all ages, all genders. Our clients range from accountants to street artists. This is really the perfect blend.”
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10 Cocktail and Food Pairings That Belong Together
Sure, you could have a glass of wine or beer with your meal but next time, consider a cocktail. Here, rising star mixologists featured in Food & Wine Cocktails 2015 (on sale now) share their favorite, sometimes unexpected and oddly specific, food and cocktail combinations.
Sure, you could have a glass of wine or beer with your meal but next time, consider a cocktail. Here, rising star mixologists featured in Food & Wine Cocktails 2015 (on sale now) share their favorite, sometimes unexpected and oddly specific, food and cocktail combinations.
Cheese and Negroni. “My favorite food and drink pairing? Other than beer and pizza? Negronis or Boulevardiers with a hard cheese, like Pecorino or a good Parmesan.” —Ryan Casey, Edmund’s Oast, Charleston, SC
Nachos and a Margarita. “I am a huge sucker for nachos. It’s what I crave on a regular basis. If you give me a Margarita and a plate of nachos, I think ‘good.’ There really couldn’t be a better pairing.” —Tyler Stevens, Teardrop Cocktail Lounge, Portland, OR
Beef jerky and a beer cocktail. “There’s a beer cocktail that I make that’s got a little bit of rye whiskey with sweet vermouth, apple juice, lemon juice and Miller High Life. It goes well with the housemade beef jerky.” —Gui Jaroschy, The Broken Shaker, Miami Beach
Oysters and a Martini. “Our house martini and a dozen Washburn oysters. We make our martinis with Martin Miller’s Westbourne gin, and dry vermouth and orange bitters made in house.” —Colin O’Neill, Oyster House, Philadelphia
Sushi and a French 75. “A lot of people say sparkling wine and sushi go really well together. So does sushi with a French 75—the gin version.” —Jason Patz, Williams & Graham, Denver
Duck and a sherry cobbler. “I love duck. But if I’m going to eat something that heavy and rich, I want something mildly palate cleansing. A sherry cobbler is great with duck: It’s citrusy but not overly boozy.” —Nick Bennett, Porchlight, New York City
Tacos and a spicy Paloma. “I used to work at a mezcal/tequila bar and I really loved how tequila cocktails pair with Mexican food. A spicy paloma goes really well with tacos and fresh tomatoes and jalapeños.” —Jeremy Oertel, Donna, Brooklyn
Melon and a Last Word. “I love Last Words with honeydew and cantaloupe. They’re really, really delicious together.” —Sara Justice, Franklin Mortgage & Investment Co., Philadelphia
Chocolate and mezcal. “It’s pretty tasty, I highly recommend it. Definitely on the darker side, for chocolate, and something with a little spice works nice too. Like chocolate with cayenne and a little bit of sea salt. It’s mind blowing.” —Jayara de Oliveira, Sportsman’s Club, Chicago
Dessert and a Sazerac. “A boozy, intense, subtly anise-y Sazerac goes really well with a vanilla or chocolate dessert. I’m a big fan of spirits after dinner and this pairing marries the best of both worlds.” —Jay Schroeder, Frontera Grill, Chicago
Easy Cocktails: 35 Simple, 3-Ingredient Drinks to Make at Home
[Photographs: Vicky Wasik, unless otherwise noted]
It can be fun to watch a bartender carefully add a litany of ingredients to a mixing glass: layers of different spirits, unusual liqueurs, custom tinctures, bizarre bitters. A bar is a great place to get familiar with unusual bottles and sample drinks that take a more effort than just opening the cupboard and filling a few jiggers.
At home, though, most of us want a drink we can assemble with what we have on hand; nothing that takes an overnight infusion or 12 different bottles.
If your home bar is really bare (and you're up for a trip to the grocery store for produce), you may want to start with our one bottle drinks series: all of those recipes are centered around just one spirit. But if you're a little more well-stocked, or you're considering one more bottle to add to your collection, the easy cocktails below are your new house drinks. All of them are made with three ingredients or fewer, bitters included. Optional garnishes don't count in the three items; feel free to get fancy or skip 'em altogether, depending on what you have on hand.
Three-Ingredient Cocktails: The Spirits
Gin Drinks
If you make it with vodka, call it a Kangaroo. But other than that, this classic is pretty darn flexible. You can have it dry, making jokes about looking at a bottle of vermouth, or you can actually use a little vermouth (try a fresh bottle and you might be surprised how great it is). Or you can make your martini the way we—and many of our favorite bartenders—prefer: two parts gin to one part vermouth, stirred until well chilled. In case you're wondering, here are our thoughts on the best gin for the job.
Sherry Martini
Like vermouth, sherry is a fortified wine. But unlike vermouth, it draws its distinctiveness from the funky powers of yeast and oxidation—and the wine itself—rather than added herbs and spices. Here, dry sherry adds its characteristic saline and nutty, bright, downright savory flavors to a simple martini. It doesn't really need a garnish, but a slice of jamon Iberico plays up the savory aspect even more.
Green Ghost
The Last Word is one of our favorite gin cocktails, but if you don't have maraschino liqueur on hand, you can still make this three-ingredient sibling. The herbal flavors of Chartreuse marry well with the botanicals in gin, and fresh lime juice makes it lively.
Obituary Cocktail
If you're friendly with the Martini, you might want to make the acquaintance of this drink: the Obituary starts with gin and dry vermouth, but adds in a little absinthe or pastis, for an anise flavor that brings the gin and vermouth's herbal aromatics to life.
[Photograph: Vicky Wasik]
If you're into cocktails at all, you've probably had a Negroni or twenty. You'll get the basic recipe clicking through, though you hardly need it: the drink is equal parts gin, Campari, and sweet vermouth. It's a cocktail that spawned a million easy variations, but you can also play around with the classic itself. Experiment with using a Navy-strength gin such as Perry's Tot: the boozier spirit has the muscle to grapple with the Campari. You may also want to try adjusting the ratios to your taste, or giving alternate amari like Gran Classico a try.
White Negroni
There's more than one way to make this sibling of the classic Negroni, and part of the fun is in the experimentation. If you can find Suze, Salers, or Bonal, those aperitifs will add a wonderful bitterness to the combo, but you can also try it with Cocchi Americano, as in this recipe. Some folks use rich, floral Lillet, while others turn to blanc/bianco vermouth. Your ratios will depend on which ingredients you choose, but tasting your way through the options is a pretty good way to spend an evening.
Frozen Negroni
Yes, it's basically a Negroni adapted for your blender. But this frozen drink is so good it's worth calling out here. For the best balance when frozen, the bittersweet Campari and sweet vermouth are dialed back a bit. The key to easy hosting and a frosty drink that doesn't immediately melt all the ice in your blender? Store a batch of the cocktail in your freezer overnight.
Auld Draper
[Photograph: Elana Lepkowski]
The hardest part of making this drink is tracking down a bottle of Byrrh, but now that most top-notch liquor stores carry it, even that shouldn't be too rough. What is Byrrh, anyway? It's a richly aromatic fortified red wine that contains quinine, making the flavor akin to a light port with a mildly bitter edge. (There's coffee and bitter orange in there too—it's delicious stuff!) Try it alone, then try it this way, with a little gin and orange bitters.
Back in the 1800s, sailors with the British Navy would treat their sea sickness with Angostura bitters. Straight bitters are kind of intense, so they'd mix it with gin to help it go down easier. And so the Pink Gin was born. This brown-hued version amps up the spice a little for a citrus- and clove-scented drink that's bitter and delicious.
Whiskey Drinks
Old Fashioned
The Old Fashioned is one of those drinks that proves that a cocktail doesn't need to be complicated to be good. Booze, sugar, and bitters are all you need: bourbon and rye are pretty standard, but you can also experiment with other spirits, especially good aged tequila or rum. Note that this recipe keeps its distance from fussy fruit and soda water. (Still, if you slip in a Luxardo cherry and an orange peel and gently press 'em with your muddler before adding the whiskey, we won't tell.)
Frisco Sour
Benedictine is sweet and herbal, and it's wonderful with whiskey. (You can stop there: just mix a few ounces of rye with a quarter ounce of Benedictine and a dash or two of bitters for a variation on the Old Fashioned: the Benedictine replaces the simple syrup and enlivens the cocktail, adding all sorts of herbal flavors.) But if you want something a little more bright and bracing, you'll need a lemon, too. In the Frisco Sour, spicy rye stars and the Benedictine adds interest, while the citrus cuts through and keeps things dry.
Boulevardier
It's probably the most well-known Negroni variation, but the Boulevardier deserves a spotlight of its own. This combo of whiskey with Campari and sweet vermouth is one of the most delicious simple drinks we know. Try it with both rye and bourbon and see which way you like it.
Man About Town
If I had to choose between a classic Negroni and a Boulevardier, I'd lean toward the brown-spirited one. If you feel the same way, I urge you to try this rye variation on the cocktail from Gramercy Tavern in New York. Instead of Campari, it calls for vegetal, bittersweet Cynar. It's a deep, rich drink, with a punch of rye spice and a lush, bitter finish.
Spicy rye meets sweet vermouth in this old-school cocktail; yeah, you can make it with bourbon, too, but in that case you'll want one with rye in the mashbill and a slightly higher proof. Angostura bitters bring each element together; you can garnish with a nice brandied cherry (no fluorescent red ones please!) or an aromatic lemon twist.
You don't need to use fancy (and pricey) single malt Scotch for this variation on the Manhattan; any decent blended Scotch will meld nicely with rich sweet vermouth and spicy Angostura. Not a big fan of vermouth? It could be that you've only tasted oxidized bottles. Grab a fresh one and be sure to keep it stored properly.
[Photograph: Jennifer Hess]
Ever had a Bee's Knees? It's a great simple gin sour made with honey. If you lean more toward bourbon than gin, though, give this a try: it's the same thing, more or less, but made rich with whiskey.
Blushing Betty
Have you ever tried slicing a juicy grapefruit in half, sprinkling it with sugar, and sliding it under the broiler? You end up with something tangy and bright, but also rich and caramelized—flavors we've captured in this simple drink. Even better there's no broiler work required: bourbon adds the toasty caramel notes that deepen the fresh grapefruit flavor nicely.
Moto Guzzi
I'm a little obsessed with Punt e Mes, an Italian vermouth that has a streak of unrelenting bitterness along with rich winey flavors. It's great stuff on its own, so it doesn't need much to make a great mixed drink. Paired with an equal measure of high-proof bourbon, it's the easiest Manhattan variation you can make, no extra bitters required.
Tequila Drinks
Knowing how to make a good margarita is an essential skill for any home drink-maker. Note: it does not start with a bottled mix. Instead, this perfectly balanced cocktail demands good blanco tequila, Cointreau, and fresh lime juice. (Some would say the salted rim is required and takes this over the three-ingredient limit, but I'd say that's up for debate.) Where's the sugar? Turns out you don't actually need any as long as you're working with good triple sec like Cointreau.
Rum and Cachaça Drinks
A little lime and sugar helps a bottle of rum shine; there's no need for any other fruit, and getting your blender involved makes an entirely different concoction. It's especially satisfying in warm weather, and can be a fabulous vehicle for exploring whatever new bottle of rum you track down.
Cuba Libre
It might seem like just a rum and Coke, but the Cuba Libre has more to offer, especially if you squeeze a lime in and then muddle the spent lime shell to get a little citrus oil in the mix. This easy drink is great with any aged rum, but it also shines with a funky, grassy rhum agricole instead.
Barbados Cocktail
[Photograph: Robyn Lee]
Gotta love a simple drink that really shines. Here, you'll bring together the deep molasses flavor of dark rum (we used Coruba) with spicy-tropical Velvet Falernum and fresh lime. It's a little boozy, a little sweet, and plenty bright thanks to the lime.
Dark & Stormy
This spicy-sweet-boozy-tart drink is a vacation classic: just be sure to pick up a bunch of limes, a bottle of rich Gosling's Black Seal Rum, and some spicy ginger beer when you roll into the beach town of your choice. This version is served in pretty layers, but you'll want to stir before serving so that you don't get a mouthful of straight lime.
Caipirinha
Turn on the samba music and break out the cachaça for this easy Brazilian drink. All you need to do is crush up some fresh lime quarters with sugar and add in the booze, then shake with ice 'til it's frosty-cold.
Vodka Drinks
Great Gatsby
Lillet Blanc is a floral and citrusy aperitif that's wonderful with grapefruit; here it gets fresh juice and a little vodka to cut through the fruity flavors. Drink it with pre-dinner snacks or pair it with biscuits and marmalade at brunch.
Moscow Mule
Even if you're not a huge fan of vodka, this classic drink is worth considering for summer parties. It's a cool and crisp combo of the vodka and fresh lime, sweetened and spiced with a long pour of ginger beer. Copper mugs are the standard serving vessel, but we won't judge if you use one half of your cocktail shaker (or a regular glass.)
Brandy Drinks
[Photograph: Carey Jones]
Why are Margaritas—just sours made with tequila, Cointreau, and lime—so much more popular than Sidecars, which are the same thing, except with cognac and lemon? We're not sure, but if you like a good Margarita, we urge you to give the brandy version a try. It's warm and mellow and delicious, especially if you use a nice cognac.
Japanese Cocktail
You may have heard that cognac is on the rise in the cocktail world today, but this drink is no newbie. (You could read about it back in 1862 when Jerry Thomas wrote his guide for bartenders.) The drink is rich and nutty, thanks to the mix of smooth cognac and orgeat (a tasty almond syrup), plus bitters. If you can't find orgeat near you, you can order it online or make your own at home.
Aperitifs, Amari, Sparkling Wine, and More.
Adriatique
[Photograph: Robyn Lee]
Sometimes it feels like every cocktail is just a tiny variation on another. But then you come across a drink like this one, from Boston bar star Jackson Cannon, and it's like having a new category of cocktail for the very first time. Amaro Montenegro and Aperol provide a bittersweet core that extends the flavors of fresh orange juice; it's the perfect pre-dinner drink to get your appetite going. Since this isn't too high in alcohol, you might want to mix up a pitcherful.
Campari Spritz
This slightly beefier version of an Aperol Spritz is meant to be served with appetizers like cured meats and olives—so it's no surprise that an olive garnish tastes delicious between sips. Warning: this drink may leave you pining for a vacation in Italy.
Courting Two Sisters Cocktail
If you're making this drink, step one starts by examining your bottles of vermouth. If they've been around since your birthday party two years ago, step two involves dumping the contents down the drain. In a three-ingredient cocktail, you want the good, fresh stuff. (Check out this piece to find out the best way to store vermouth.) Then it all comes together: juicier red and crisper blanc vermouth, plus a touch of anise from the absinthe, mingled together and stirred till refreshingly cold. This is a great pre-dinner drink.
Sparkling Suze Cocktail
[Photograph: Elana Lepkowski]
When you're trying out a new cocktail ingredient, it's nice to keep it simple so you can really get a sense of what the stuff tastes like. Suze, a bittersweet, slightly vegetal French aperitif, is practically a cocktail in a bottle, so it doesn't need much. St Germain elderflower liqueur highlights the apertif's floral side, and Cava adds a little fruity fizz.
Grapefruit and Ginger Sparkler
Hosting brunch? You could always make mimosas but this easy combo is a little more fun, doctoring up affordable bubbly (cheap-ish Prosecco, Cava, or Cremant is fine) with Domaine de Canton ginger liqueur. Fresh grapefruit juice puts its bright and bitter talents to work, preventing the balance from tipping too sweet.
Negroni Sbagliato
Maybe you've heard the story—this drink's a bungled version of the classic, made with bittersweet Campari, rich sweet vermouth, and whoops! Prosecco instead of the gin. It's perfect for a day when you're not quite ready for stiffer spirits.
Bitter Mimosa
Do you like your drinks a little bitter? Then you should probably have Cynar in your home bar. You can start by subbing it into any drink that calls for Campari, or give this easy brunch drink a try. It's bright like a classic orange juice mimosa, but instead of being sweet and fruity, grapefruit and Cynar give the cocktail brightness, bitterness, and a touch of mystery.
Maggie Hoffman served as Drinks Editor and then Managing Editor of Serious Eats from 2010 to July 2016. She is currently working on a cocktail book.
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Cocktails for the Coupe
Not all cocktails are intended to be served in a coupe, that classic short-stemmed glass, but these—from a Manhattan to a daiquiri—are.
Salt Air Margarita
Chef José Andrés uses Sucro, a powdered emulsifier beloved by avant-garde chefs, to make the salty foam topping. It's available at tienda.com.
The earliest known printed recipe for the Manhattan was published in O. H. Byron's 1884 Modern Bartenders' Guide, which cites two versions: one made with French vermouth, the other with Italian.
Flor De Jalisco
The margarita-like Flor de Jalisco is a nod to Joaquin Simo's friend Sam Kershaw, a Scottish bartender who's obsessed with using jams and other fruit preserves as cocktail ingredients.
"This is the drink I would choose instead of dessert after a big meal," says Coltharp. Fruity, spicy Redbreast Irish whiskey is excellent with the blackberries.
Bitter Peach
While playing with leftover ingredients one night, Jamie Boudreau combined grappa and peach puree. The mixture was sweet, so he added Aperol, a bitter orange liqueur, then Champagne, resulting in this well-balanced cocktail.
Hemingway Daiquiri
In his 2001 book Straight Up or On the Rocks, William Grimes claims that Ernest Hemingway "often worked his way through about a dozen of these lime slurpees, sometimes ordering doubles, which became known as Papa Dobles."
This drink pays homage to the orchards and vineyards of British Columbia's fertile Okanagan Valley.
Corpse Reviver No. 1
"I've long loved this pre-Prohibition classic because of its dark, woody notes of apple and bittersweet wine," says Jackson Cannon. He came up with this version—which substitutes Armagnac for the usual brandy and Calvados for the applejack—to please a guest who wanted a more "top-shelf" drink.
The light, fragrant Feng Shui harmoniously combines flavors from around the world: lychee from southern China, sake from Japan, thyme from the Mediterranean and gin from Holland.
Blackberry-Pineapple Sidecar
At The Penthouse in Los Angeles, cocktail consultant Ryan Magarian often focuses on flavor combinations first, then searches for classic cocktail recipes to match. Here he began with the delicious combination of blackberry and pineapple.
This savory pear sour honors an English schoolmaster who reputedly discovered the Williams pear (a.k.a. the Bartlett pear) around 1765.
Amaro Lucano is a slightly bitter herbal Italian liqueur that Philip Ward says tastes a bit like chocolate. Combined with rich tawny port and smoky mezcal, it's a terrific digestif.
Bartender Phil Ward at Pegu Club in New York City named this herbaceous variation on a margarita after the smaller of two jiggers that Pegu Club staffers use to pour each drink precisely.
Dominicana
Sasha Petraske taught Richard Boccato this White Russian variation when Boccato worked for him at Milk & Honey. Boccato makes it with Caffé Lolita coffee liqueur.
Green with Envy
Teais an ingredient in almost all of the specialty drinks and many of the Asian-street-food-inspired dishes at Poleng Lounge in San Francisco.
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