Stirred cocktails are spirit-forward drinks that consist of a base spirit, a sweetener, and modifiers such as bitters, spirits, liqueurs, or fortified wines. Stirred cocktails may be served up or on the rocks with ice. These drinks may need a bar spoon, but never a shaker.
The Brandy Alexander was a famous drink during the ’70s, and when carefully prepared, it can be a blast. Its origin came from the classic version, but mostly forgotten, of the Alexander cocktail and combines brandy instead of gin with creme de cacao and cream. The recipe appeared first in Hugo Ensslin’s 1916 book called “Recipes for Mixed Drinks.” But, the cocktail was likely born at Hotel Rector, New York City’s premier pre-Prohibition lobster chateau. The authentic Alexander cocktail consisted of equal parts gin, crème de cacao liqueur, and cream. Over time, other spirits are used, as a replacement for the gin, brandy being most popular. The recipe has also slowly become boozier, with modern recipes usually calling for one-and-a-half times as much base spirit. Other liqueurs in place of crème de cacao are used in modern Alexander riffs. If the egg is used as a garnish, it’s important to obtain an emulsion by shaking it hard. It then generates a smooth mouthfeel and frothy head. The Alexander (or Brandy Alexander) prepared below is a cocktail consisting of cognac, cocoa liqueur (crème de cacao), and cream.
The Americano is a soft introduction to the unique and bitter taste of Campari. It is a fascinating drink with a long and rich history, and it was the first cocktail noted in the James Bond novels. This is an iconic and entertaining aperitif that you can enjoy before any meal. The Americano is James Bond’s first drink order in “Casino Royale”, the 1953 book by Ian Fleming that kicked off the series, and the cocktail again makes an impression in later novels. The Americano was first served in the 1860s at Gaspare Campari’s bar in Milan, Italy. The drink, which highlights Campari and sweet vermouth in equal parts topped with sparkling water, is an effortless take on the Milano-Torino, which contained Campari and sweet vermouth, sans water. It’s thought that the name originated from its popularity among American tourists. The name was affixed after the Prohibition era, when Americans absconded to Europe in droves, thirsty for good drinks. The Americano is an IBA official cocktail composed of Campari, sweet vermouth, and for the sparkling version, club soda and garnished with a slice of lemon. The cocktail was first served in creator Gaspare Campari’s bar, Caffè Campari, in the 1860s. The Americano is also thought to be the precursor to the Negroni. As the story goes, the Negroni was invented in Florence by the Italian Count Camillo Negroni in the early 20th century, when he asked a barkeep to tweak his Americano by replacing the soda water with gin.
Cocktails come in all shapes, sizes, and styles, but most include one base spirit accented by other ingredients. That is the case with Angel’s Face recipe, an original cocktail from Brooklyn bartender Jay Zimmerman that mixes gin and applejack, plus apricot liqueur. The story of the Angel Face cocktail began in 1930 when Harry Craddock published its splendid collection of recipes: the Savoy Cocktail Book. The main source of inspiration for this drink is the notorious gangster of the American Prohibition (Angel Face). Others state that the cocktail is dedicated to Rick Blaine, the legendary star of Casablanca, starring Humphrey Bogart, considered that the film came out in 1942. Gin is a traditional base ingredient that seldom joins forces with applejack. Applejack is a kind of apple brandy that dates back to the late 1600s when the American colonists turned their apple harvests into hard cider, discovering they had something a lot stronger. They increased the cider’s alcohol content by leaving barrels outside overnight to freeze resulting in a high-proof spirit they dubbed “applejack.” The Angel Face is a cocktail made from gin, apricot brandy, and Calvados in equal amounts.
The Aviation is a classic gin cocktail from the 20th century, and it first appeared in Huge Enslinn’s book Recipes for Mixed Drinks in 1916 in New York City. In the following decades, the drink disappeared because one of the drink’s primary ingredients, crème de violette liqueur, vanished from the market during the 1960s. Nevertheless, the aviation cocktail is a fantastic classic cocktail with a long and rocky past. It is a gorgeous cocktail to glance at and the most famous recipe to feature crème de violette. The floral taste is also stunning, and it needs just a few ingredients. The mixture of gin, cherry, violets, and lemon offers a fascinating scent, that is unique in the cocktail world. The Aviation is a traditional cocktail made with gin, maraschino liqueur, crème de violette, and lemon juice. Some recipes omit the crème de violette. The cocktail combines gin, maraschino liqueur, and fresh lemon juice alongside that crème de violette, creating a unique, floral cocktail. Gin provides a sturdy base, while maraschino liqueur lends its trademark bittersweet cherry notes, and lemon adds necessary acidity. Crème de violette is exceedingly flower-like, so it’s important to use it sparingly and measure your ingredients.
The Sidecar is a classic drink that features cognac, orange liqueur, and fresh lemon juice. If you enjoy the Sidecar, you should meet its less known cousin, the Between the Sheets. The cocktail first appeared in New York Bar in Paris, where the acclaimed bartender Harry MacElhone, apparently made it in the 1920s. He has also contributed several other classics to the boozy realm, including the White Lady and the Old Pal, so drinkers are forever in his debt. Most people name this cocktail Between the Sheets, though you may hear it referred to as a Maiden’s Prayer (when made with gin instead of rum) as well. By either name, it’s a cool drink in which rum and brandy get together for some fun. If you enjoy the notorious Sidecar, be sure to give this one a try. The brandy and rum blend is often seen in classics such as the Boston Sidecar and Embassy cocktails. The Between the Sheets is a cocktail consisting of white rum, cognac, triple sec, and lemon juice. The Between the Sheets starts as a Sidecar but diverges with a measure of light rum and skips the custom sugared rim.
The boulevardier cocktail is an alcoholic drink composed of whiskey, sweet vermouth, and Campari. Its creation is ascribed to Erskine Gwynne, an American-born writer who founded a monthly magazine in Paris called Boulevardier, which appeared from 1927 to 1932. The drink was also popularized after it was included in Harry MacElhone’s 1927 book “Barflies and Cocktails.”
The cocktail features brandy, dry curaçao, maraschino liqueur, lemon juice, simple syrup and Angostura bitters with a sugar rim and lemon twist garnish. This recipe, to be used at the new New Orleans bar Jewel of the South, is not very far removed from the one first printed by the bartender Jerry Thomas in his seminal 1862 cocktail manual.
The Casino is an IBA official cocktail made with gin, maraschino liqueur, orange bitters and fresh lemon juice. The Casino, which appeared in Harry Craddock’s 1930 Savoy Cocktail Book, falls into a category of cocktails called Daisies. Each of these drinks includes a spirit, citrus, and a flavored sweetener.
The Clover Club Cocktail is a cocktail consisting of gin, lemon juice, raspberry syrup, and an egg white. The egg white is not added for the purpose of giving the drink flavor, but rather acts as an emulsifier. The Clover Club Cocktail is a drink that pre-dates Prohibition in the United States, and is named for the Philadelphia men’s club of the same name, which met in the Bellevue-Stratford Hotel at South Broad and Walnut Streets in Center City. The Clover Club was chartered in 1882.
Daiquiri is a family of cocktails whose main ingredients are rum, citrus juice, and sugar or other sweetener. Add the rum, lime juice and the sugar syrup to a shaker with ice, and shake until well-chilled. The Daiquiri was supposedly invented in 1898 in the eponymous mining town of Daiquiri on the southeastern tip of Cuba by an American mining engineer named Jennings Cox. It was introduced in the United States a decade later, when a U.S. Navy medical officer brought the recipe from Cuba to Washington, D.C.
The martini is a cocktail made with gin and vermouth, and garnished with an olive or a lemon twist. A dry martini is made with little to no vermouth. Ordering a martini “extra dry” will result in even less or no vermouth added. By the Roaring Twenties, it became a common drink order. Over the course of the 20th century, the amount of vermouth steadily dropped.
The gin fizz is a classic mixed drink made with gin, lemon, simple syrup and soda water that is much like a whiskey fizz. The main difference is in the base spirit. The first printed recipe for a Gin Fizz appeared in the 1876 edition of “The Bar-tenders Guide” by Jerry Thomas and the drink rose to mass popularity starting in the 1900’s.
The Hanky-Panky is a cocktail made from gin, sweet vermouth, and Fernet-Branca, an Italian digestivo which is the star of this recipe. It was created by Ada Coleman, head bartender at the Savoy Hotel, London somewhere between 1903 and 1923. It was served initially to Sir Charles Henry Hawtrey (1858 to 1923), an actor and writer.
A John Collins is a cocktail, a long drink stirred with ice and topped with soda—made from London dry gin (or Bourbon whiskey), lemon juice, sugar and carbonated water. The cocktail was attested in 1869, but may be older. This is, essentially, a tall version of the Whiskey Sour and is perfect for any occasion. It’s an excellent everyday drink that can be poured in just a few minutes.
The Last Word is a gin-based prohibition-era cocktail originally developed at the Detroit Athletic Club by a bartender named Frank Fogarty. The Last Word consists of equal amounts of gin, green Chartreuse, maraschino liqueur and freshly pressed lime juice, which are combined in a shaker with ice. The cocktail has a pale greenish color, primarily due to the Chartreuse.
A Manhattan is a cocktail made with whiskey, sweet vermouth, and bitters. While rye is the traditional whiskey of choice, other commonly used whiskies include Canadian whisky, bourbon, blended whiskey, and Tennessee whiskey. Popular history suggests that the drink originated at the Manhattan Club in New York City in the mid-1870s, where it was invented by Iain Marshall for a banquet hosted by Jennie Jerome.
The Martinez is a classic cocktail that is widely regarded as the direct precursor to the Martini. It serves as the basis for many modern cocktails, and several different versions of the original exist. The true origin of the Martinez cocktail is unclear. Two early stories attribute the making of a cocktail named the Martinez to bartender Jerry Thomas at the Occidental Hotel.
A Mary Pickford is a Prohibition Era cocktail made with white rum, fresh pineapple juice, grenadine, and Maraschino liqueur. It is served shaken and chilled, often with a Maraschino cherry. Named for Canadian-American film actress Mary Pickford (1892–1979), it is said to have been created for her in the 1920s by either Eddie Woelke or Fred Kaufmann at the Hotel Nacional de Cuba.
The sweetened combination of gin, orange juice, grenadine and the dash of absinthe makes a really nice drink. The Monkey Gland was created in the 1920s by Harry MacElhone, owner of Harry’s New York Bar in Paris, France. Most recipes for the monkey gland suggest adding a splash of absinthe or one of its many substitutes to the shaker to create a nice fruity cocktail.
A Negroni is an Italian cocktail, made of one part gin, one part vermouth rosso, and one part Campari, garnished with orange peel. It is considered an aperitivo. Outside of Italy, an orange peel is often used in place of an orange slice. While the drink’s origins are unknown, the most widely reported account is that it was first invented in Florence by the dauntless Italian Count Camillo Negroni in the early 20th century.
The old fashioned is a cocktail made by muddling sugar with bitters and water, adding whiskey or bourbon, and garnishing with orange slice and a cocktail cherry. It is traditionally served in an old fashioned glass, which predated the cocktail. Developed during the 19th century (around 1806) and given its name in the 1880s, it is an IBA Official Cocktail.
The combination of gin and apricot brandy was quite common in the early days of the cocktail. It’s a pleasant taste because the brandy adds a sweet fruit contrast against the gin’s botanical flavoring and drier profile. The orange juice complements both of those, bridging the gap and adding a bright citrus touch that is very enjoyable. The earliest known in-print recipe for the Paradise Cocktail was written by Harry Craddock in 1930.
Planter’s Punch is an is an IBA Official Cocktail made of a simple mixture of rum, citrus, sugar and spice. This classic drink has been quenching thirsts since the late-1800s, but its origins are murky. The cocktail has been said to have originated at the Planters Hotel in Charleston, South Carolina, but actually originated in Jamaica. Recipes vary for the Planter’s Punch so feel free to give the drink your personal spin.
A Porto flip is a type of drink which is typically made with brandy, ruby port, and one egg yolk. It’s a classic cocktail that use any combination of raw egg (either egg yolk, egg whites, or a whole egg), heavy cream, or simple syrup to create a creamy, froth-topped concoction. The Porto Flip was first recorded by Jerry Thomas in his 1862 book The Bartender’s Guide: How to Mix Drinks.
The Ramos Gin Fizz is a tall, creamy, citrusy classic with sky-high foam. It’s made with gin, lemon, lime, cream, simple syrup, orange blossom water, egg white, and soda water to top-up. The cocktail was invented by bar owner Henry C. Ramos in 1888 and it was served at his bar, the Imperial Cabinet Saloon and first named the New Orleans Fizz.
A Rusty Nail is made by mixing Drambuie and Scotch whisky and can be served in an old-fashioned glass on the rocks, neat, or “up” in a stemmed glass. Versions of the drink can be made using any aged spirit, though blended Scotch whisky is traditional. The cocktail recipe is often credited to the clever bartenders at the 21 Club in Manhattan sometime in the early 1960s.
The Sazerac is a local variation of a cognac or whiskey cocktail originally from New Orleans, named for the Sazerac de Forge et Fils brand of cognac brandy. The drink is most traditionally a combination of cognac or rye whiskey, absinthe, Peychaud’s Bitters, and sugar. The cocktail, which is a close cousin to the Old Fashioned, has been kicking around in one form or another since as early as 1838 and was trademarked in 1900 by Sazerac Co.
The sidecar is a cocktail traditionally made with cognac, orange liqueur, plus lemon juice. In its ingredients, the drink is perhaps most closely related to the older Brandy Crusta, which differs both in presentation and in proportions of its components. The exact origin of the sidecar is unclear, but it is thought to have been invented around the end of World War I in either London or Paris. The drink was directly named for the motorcycle attachment, which was very commonly used back then.
The Stinger is a lesser-known classic cocktail made with just two ingredients—brandy (often Cognac) and crème de menthe—served either neat in a cocktail glass or over ice in a rocks glass. The cocktail’s origins can be traced to the United States in the 1890s, and the beverage remained widely popular in America until the 1970s. It was seen as a drink of the upper class, known as a “society” drink.
The Tuxedo is composed of gin, dry Vermouth, orange bitters, maraschino and Absinthe. It’s very similar to the imperial cocktail, which adds maraschino to the combination of gin and dry vermouth. Related to the martini, the Tuxedo has had many variations since its inception in the 1880s. The cocktail is named after the Tuxedo Club in Orange County, New York where it was first mixed.
The Vieux Carré is an IBA official cocktail made with rye whiskey, cognac, sweet vermouth liqueur, Bénédictine, and Peychaud’s bitters. The cocktail is a slightly sweet, spiced, and warming drink with herbal, citrus, and smoky notes. The recipe was first stirred to life during the 1930s by Walter Bergeron, a bartender at New Orleans Carousel Bar.
White Lady is a classic cocktail that is made with gin, cointreau or Triple Sec, fresh lemon juice and an optional egg white. It belongs to the sidecar family, made with gin in place of brandy. The White Lady cocktail was invented by famed bartender Harry MacElhone in 1919 while he was working at Ciro’s Club in London. He originally used crème de menthe, but replaced it with gin later in 1929.
The Black Russian is a simple, two-part cocktail mixing vodka and Kahlúa, a coffee liqueur made with rum, sugar, and arabica coffee. The drink was invented in the late 1940s by bartender Gustave Tops at the Hotel Metropole in Brussels in honor of Perle Mesta. The name is a simple connection to the ingredients: Kahlúa is black, while vodka is commonly associated with Russia. The dark and mysterious cocktail would have been emblematic of the time, with the Cold War having been just forming. The Black Russian is a cocktail of vodka and coffee liqueur. It contains two parts vodka to one part coffee liqueur, per IBA specified ingredients. Traditionally, the drink is made by pouring the vodka over ice cubes or cracked ice in an old-fashioned glass, followed by the coffee liqueur. A slight variation is to do a 50-50 mix if you want, totally up to you and how you’re feeling and how much you love that coffee flavor. To make it even more delicious, opt for vanilla-flavored vodka for a touch of sweetness. A dash of orange bitters is completely optional per se, but it helps put this simple drink over the top.
A Bloody Mary is a cocktail containing vodka, tomato juice, and other spices and flavorings including Worcestershire sauce, hot sauces, garlic, herbs, horseradish, celery, olives, salt, black pepper, lemon juice, lime juice and celery salt. Its origins aren’t exactly clear, but the likely backstory points to the mid-1930s and Fernand “Pete” Petiot, a bartender at King Cole Bar at the St. Regis hotel in New York City.
A champagne cocktail is an alcoholic cocktail made with sugar, Angostura bitters, Champagne, brandy and a maraschino cherry as a garnish. A recipe for the cocktail appears as early as “Professor” Jerry Thomas’ Bon Vivant’s Companion (1862), which omits the brandy or cognac and is considered to be the “classic” American version. It is also one of the IBA official cocktails.
Consists of equal parts gin, lemon juice, curaçao (commonly Cointreau), Kina Lillet (now usually replaced with Cocchi Americano, as a closer match to Kina Lillet than modern Lillet Blanc), and a dash of absinthe. The corpse reviver no. 2 is a popular classic cocktail and arguably the best-tasting of all the corpse reviver drinks.
A cosmopolitan, or informally a cosmo, is a cocktail made with vodka, triple sec, cranberry juice, and freshly squeezed or sweetened lime juice. While the cocktail is widely perceived to be a more modern creation, there is a recipe for a Cosmopolitan Daisy which appears in Pioneers of Mixing at Elite Bars 1903–1933, published in 1934.
French 75 is a cocktail made from gin, champagne, lemon juice, and sugar. It is also called a 75 Cocktail, or in French simply a Soixante Quinze. The drink dates to World War I, and an early form was created in 1915 at the New York Bar in Paris—later Harry’s New York Bar—by barman Harry MacElhone. The combination was said to have such a kick that it felt like being shelled with the powerful French 75mm field gun.
A French Connection is a cocktail made with equal parts Cognac and Amaretto liqueur, a sweet Italian liqueur made from almonds and stone-fruit pits. The French Connection is a two-part drink that first appeared in the early 1970s and was titled for the 1971 Gene Hackman film of the same name. The cocktail’s creator is unknown, so it’s unclear who to thank for this tasty concoction.
The Golden Dream is cocktail made with Galliano and Cointreau. It is classed as an “after dinner” drink. Add all ingredients to a shaker with ice and shake until well-chilled. The Golden Dream was popular during the 60s and 70s and originated at the Old King Bar in Miami, mixed by Raimundo Alvarez.
A Hemingway Special is an all day cocktail based on the Floridita Daiquiri. It is made with rum, lime juice, maraschino liqueur, and grapefruit juice and served in a double cocktail glass. The popular classic cocktail is named after the writer Ernest Hemingway (1899-1961), whose novels propelled him to worldwide fame.
Irish coffee is a cocktail consisting of hot coffee, Irish whiskey, and sugar, stirred, and topped with cream. The coffee is drunk through the cream. The drink was later made famous by Pulitzer Prize-winning “San Francisco Chronicle” columnist Stanton Delaplane, who frequented the Buena Vista Cafe in San Francisco during the 1950s.
The Mai Tai is a cocktail based on rum, Curaçao liqueur, orgeat syrup, and lime juice. It is one of the characteristic cocktails in Tiki culture. The cocktail has invented by Victor J. Bergeron in 1944 at his restaurant, Trader Vic’s, in Oakland, California, US. The name was allegedly taken from maitaʻi, the Tahitian word for “good” or “excellence”, although the drink is usually spelled as two words, sometimes hyphenated or capitalized.
A margarita is a cocktail consisting of tequila, orange liqueur, and lime juice often served with salt on the rim of the glass. The drink is served shaken with ice, blended with ice, or without ice. Some say the cocktail was invented in 1948 in Acapulco, Mexico, when a Dallas socialite combined blanco tequila with Cointreau and lime juice for her guests.
Mint julep is a mixed alcoholic drink, or cocktail, consisting primarily of bourbon, sugar, water, crushed or shaved ice, and fresh mint. The term “julep” is generally defined as a sweet drink, particularly one used as a vehicle for medicine. The Mint Julep gained prominence in the southern United States during the 18th century, and it first appeared in print in 1803.
A Sea Breeze is a cocktail containing vodka with cranberry juice and grapefruit juice. The cocktail is usually consumed during summer months. The drink may be shaken in order to create a foamy surface. The cocktail was born in the late 1920s, but the recipe was different from the one used today, as gin and grenadine were used in the original Sea Breeze.
A Sex on the Beach is an alcoholic cocktail containing vodka, peach schnapps, orange juice and cranberry juice. The drink is built over ice in a highball glass and garnished with an orange slice. Sometimes they are mixed in smaller amounts and served as a shot. The origin is uncertain, many suggest the cocktail may have been invented when a bartender combined a Fuzzy Navel (peach schnapps and orange juice) with a Cape Codder (vodka and cranberry juice).
The Singapore Sling is a gin-based sling cocktail from Singapore developed sometimes before 1915. The earliest published version of the recipe appeared in “The Savoy Cocktail Book”, a 1930 classic written by Harry Craddock. It was initially called the gin sling – a sling was originally a North American drink composed of spirit and water, sweetened and flavored.
The tequila sunrise is a cocktail made of tequila, orange juice, and grenadine syrup. It’s served unmixed in a tall glass. The cocktail is named for its appearance when served—with gradations of color resembling a sunrise. The original tequila sunrise contained tequila, creme de cassis, lime juice, and soda water, and was served at the Arizona Biltmore Hotel where it was created by Gene Sulit in the 1930s or 1940s.
The Vesper or Vesper Martini is a cocktail that was originally made of gin, vodka, and Kina Lillet. In a cocktail shaker, combine gin, vodka, and Lillet Blanc or dry vermouth. The formulations of its ingredients have changed over time. The Vesper was made famous by James Bond. The drink was invented and named by Ian Fleming in the 1953 James Bond novel Casino Royale.
The Zombie is a Tiki cocktail made of fruit juices, liqueurs, and various rums. In a cocktail shaker, pour the light and dark rums, pineapple and citrus juices, passion fruit syrup, simple syrup, and bitters. Add the high-proof rum now, or reserve it for a float. Fill the shaker with ice. The Zombie is a classic Tiki drink by legendary bartender and restaurateur Donn Beach, of Don the Beachcomber.
The history of this cocktail tracks from a recipe created in the late 1950s by Italian bartender Benito Cuppari while working on the Cristoforo Colombo cruise liner. Initially served in half a pineapple shell this was elevated to a souvenir ceramic pineapple and quickly evolved the ship’s signature cocktail. The Barracuda cocktail is an old classic in the history of mixology, one of those simple, aromatic, and velvety sparkling drinks. The warm flavor of rum combines beautifully with pineapple and lime and, the touch of prosecco is there to close the loop. The Barracuda is an alcoholic cocktail based on gold rum, Galliano liqueur, pineapple juice, fresh lime juice and topped with Prosecco. The ingredients for making the Barracuda cocktail are readily available. Although the Barracuda cocktail has a medium-high alcohol content, it is an excellent aperitif, thanks to its aromas and smooth rhythm. In this symphony, you will find a thousand tips, but be careful because, in the end, it is an aperitif cocktail. It is tricky since alcohol is not so perceptible on the palate: a sort of boosted fake Mimosa. No more than two before dinner.
The Bee’s Knees is a rejuvenating Prohibition-era cocktail, pleasant on spring and summer afternoons. It is a simple mixture of gin, lemon juice, and honey syrup, and the recipe is easy to make at home. Frank Meier, an Austrian-born bartender, is the author of this cocktail at the Hotel Ritz Paris in the 1920s. Changing from sugar to honey creates a slightly richer variant of the gin sour. The replacement was made because honey is better to mask the unpleasant taste and aroma of the gin. The honey comes in the way of homemade honey syrup, a simple combination of honey and water that adds complexity and sweetness. The lemon juice complements that sweetness with fresh and tart acidity and it brings the cocktail into balance. A Bees Knees is a Prohibition Era cocktail made with gin, fresh lemon juice, and honey. It is served shaken and chilled, often with a lemon twist. The name comes from prohibition-era slang meaning “the best”. The unique name is a convention of the time: The phrase “bee’s knees” was popular slang used to call something excellent or outstanding. With today’s variety of gins, the bee’s knees is a cocktail with many options.
The Canchanchara is made with Cuban aguardiente, honey, and fresh lime juice. The cocktail is said to be the oldest known cocktail in Cuba, dating back to (or before) the Ten Years War in the late 19th century when Cuban guerrillas, known as mambises, began the fight against Spain for independence.
The espresso martini is a cold, coffee-flavored cocktail made with vodka, espresso coffee, and coffee liqueur. The now-classic drink was invented by British bartender Dick Bradsell at Fred’s Club in London, in 1980. Bradsell complied, mixing vodka with espresso and coffee liqueur, and the Espresso Martini was born.
The French martini was invented in the 1980s at one of Keith McNally’s New York City bars. It next appeared on the drinks menu at McNally’s Balthazar in SoHo in 1996. There are many variations to the French Martini. Some replace the vodka with gin, which offers a botanical twist to the cocktail.
A lemon drop is a vodka-based cocktail that has a lemony, sweet and sour flavor, prepared using lemon juice, triple sec and simple syrup. The drink was invented sometime in the 1970s by Norman Jay Hobday, the founder and proprietor of Henry Africa’s bar in San Francisco, California. Some variations of the drink exist, such as blueberry and raspberry lemon drops.
The Old Cuban is an IBA official cocktail and is made with aged rum, fresh lime juice, simple syrup, Angostura bitters, mint leaves, and topped with champagne brut. The cocktail takes inspiration from the Mojito, but it features a few important tweaks that result in a unique flavor experience. The Old Cuban was created in 2001 by famed mixologist Audrey Saunders.
The Paper Plane is cocktail made with equal parts Bourbon whiskey, Aperol, the amaro Amaro Nonino, and lemon juice. The Paper Plane is an IBA official cocktail and was developed around 2007 by Sasha Petraske and Sam Ross for their former colleague Toby Maloney’s Chicago bar The Violet Hour. The Paper Plane is a modern variation on the Last Word, a classic, equal-parts drink composed of gin, lime, maraschino liqueur and green Chartreuse.
The Penicillin is an cocktail made with whisky, ginger, honey syrup, and fresh lemon juice. Its name derives from the drug penicillin hinting to the medicinal properties of some of its ingredients. The Penicillin cocktail was created by Sam Ross in the mid-2000s, when he was working at New York City’s famous Milk & Honey bar. Now, the cocktail is served around the world.
A South Side or Southside is an alcoholic beverage made with gin, lime juice, simple syrup and mint. A variant, the Southside Fizz, adds soda water. Its origins are subject to speculation but the recipe can be traced back to at least 1916, when it appeared in Huge Enslinn’s book “Recipes for Mixed Drinks” as the South Side Fizz. The drink may have been the preferred beverage of Al Capone.
A Spritz is an Italian wine-based cocktail, commonly served as an aperitif in Northeast Italy. It consists of prosecco, digestive bitters and soda water. Since 2011 Spritz is an IBA official cocktail, initially listed as “Spritz Veneziano” then simply as “Spritz”. Aperol traces its roots back to Padua, Italy. The aperitivo was created in 1919 while the Spritz was born during the period of the Habsburg domination in Veneto in the 1800s.
The Tipperary is a cocktail made with Irish whiskey, sweet red Vermouth, green Chartreuse, and Angostura bitters. Though perhaps less mainstream than some of its fellow classic cocktails, the Tipperary has been around for quite some time. It first appeared in the 1916 printing of “Recipes for Mixed Drinks” by Hugo R. Ensslin.
Made with tequila, lime juice, and agave nectar or simple syrup and orange bitters served in a cocktail glass. It is distinct from the margarita in its omission of orange liqueur and its preferred substitution of agave Nectar to highlight the natural agave notes in Tequila. Tommy’s margarita was conceived in San Francisco in 1990 by Julio Bermejo at his parents’ restaurant called Tommy’s.
The Trinidad Sour is a cocktail made with Angostura bitters, orgeat syrup(a sweet nut-based syrup), lemon juice, and rye whiskey. The orgeat, lemon juice helps balance the herbal intensity of the bitters, making the Trinidad Sour a delight. The cocktail recipe was invented by Las Vegas bartender Giuseppe Gonzalez.
The Ve.n.to cocktail is made with white smooth grappa, lemon juice, honey mix (made with chamomile infusion if desired), chamomile cordial, and optionally egg white. The dots in the name emphasize the origin of the Grappa. They unite two of the most famous Grappa regions in one word. “Ve” stands for Venezia, or Venice and “to” stands for Trentino Alto Adige.
A boilermaker is the drink consisting of a glass of beer mixed with a shot of whiskey. This straightforward whiskey and beer concoction, wherein the whiskey is dropped into the beer, found favor in the 1800s among factory workers—possibly those who fabricated the boilers of locomotive engines, hence the name.
B&B stands for Bénédictine D.O.M. and Brandy. Creating the drink is as simple as combining the two ingredients. This is one of the best classic cocktails, ideal for an after-dinner drink or nightcap. The producers of Bénédictine also create a pre-mixed B&B which is good. However, if you have a favorite brandy of your own, you will find a made-from-scratch B&B the better choice. One of the best classic cocktails served on ice. A B&B is often served on the rocks. Some drinkers prefer it straight up and others like it slightly warmer. It is almost always served in a brandy snifter, which grabs the aroma and improves the enjoyment of drinking it. The brandy brings dryness to the sweetness of Benedictine whose full texture hides the tongue with sweet flavors. This original and classic B and B drink’s light herbal flavor is a sensual experience as its long and soft after taste. Any cocktail that uses a liqueur mixed by monks has got to be good. It is warm, smooth, and has a slight herbal taste from the Benedictine. It starts somewhat sweet, and ends with a comforting warmth. While there are other Benedictine cocktails, none can be compared to the B&B in taste and smoothness.
Blow My Skull Off is an alcoholic punch drink obtained by two pints of boiling water, sugarloaf, lime, or lemon juice, one pint of ale or porter, one-pint rum, and half a pint of brandy. Blow My Skull is an alcoholic punch drink that originated in mid-19th century Australia. As listed in The English and Australian Cookery Book by Edward Abbott, it calls for two pints of boiling water, sugar loaf, lime or lemon juice, one pint of ale or porter, one pint rum, and a half a pint of brandy.
A Brandy Alexander is a brandy-based dessert cocktail made of cognac, crème de cacao, and cream. It is a deviation from an earlier, gin-based cocktail called the Alexander. The cocktail known as Alexander today can contain gin or brandy. Ice cream can be added for a frozen Brandy Alexander. It’s not too sweet, although it is indulgent, and the simple recipe finds a perfect balance between just three ingredients. The recipe is found in Hugo Ensslin’s 1916 book Recipes for Mixed Drinks but was likely born at Hotel Rector, New York City’s premier pre-Prohibition lobster palace.
The Perfect Brandy Manhattan is a variation of the classic Manhattan cocktail, made with brandy instead of whiskey and using equal parts sweet and dry vermouth. Add in a dash or two of Angostura bitters, for an excellent, classic cocktail. This type of brandy is popular in Wisconsin and Minnesota. Comparing the flavor profiles of bourbon and brandy needs a little bit of expertise. The fermented wines when making brandy create a huge impact on the flavor as the grapes and fruits can vary. Bourbons tend to be sweeter due to the residual sugar during fermentation.
The brandy sour is a mixed alcoholic cocktail believed to be the unofficial national cocktail of Cyprus. With other forms of the brandy sour cocktail, the Cypriot type is a distinct mixture, which only shares the basic brandy and lemon flavorings with other variants. Both brandy and lemons are among Cyprus’s top exports, and both have distinctive Cypriot traits.
The Chicago Cocktail is a brandy-based mixed drink named after the city of Chicago, Illinois. It appeared in multiple cocktail manuals dating back to the 19th century. The main ingredients are brandy, triple sec, and bitters. Some versions do call for the Champagne to be added.
Curaçao Punch is a cocktail from Harry Johnson’s New and Improved Bartender’s Manual (1882). It’s a forgotten punch that combines robust rum and brandy with an old-fashioned orange liqueur.
The Diki-Diki is a cocktail drink with calvados, Swedish Punsch, and grapefruit juice. It first appeared in the 1920s when it was popular in London’s higher-end American Bars. Nowadays is more commonly served as a Tiki drink. The initial recipe calls for shaking the ingredients with ice in 2:1:1 proportions. Over time later variations have modified the ratio to greater highlight the calvados as the base ingredient (4:1:1). The Diki-Diki is presently served primarily in Tiki bars. A tiki bar is a themed drinking place that serves decorated cocktails, especially rum-based mixed drinks such as Mai Tai and Zombie cocktails.
Four Score is an English cocktail drink with three parts brandy, two parts Lillet, and one part yellow Chartreuse. All ingredients should be stirred with ice, then strained into a cocktail glass which can be decorated with a lemon twist. This cocktail was invented by Joe Gilmore in 1995, for Sir Winston Churchill’s 80th birthday.
The Hennchata is a cocktail made from Hennessy cognac and Mexican rice horchata agua fresca. The Hennchata consists of 4 oz horchata plus 1.5 oz of Hennessy V.S. served with a straw in a thick-walled. The drink was invested by Jorge Sánchez of Gilroy, and served in a Mexican restaurant in downtown San Jose. Since its debut in 2013, an average of 85 a day have been sold, with more than 17,000 in a year. Thus the restaurant has become the biggest seller of Hennessy bottles in Northern California. LVMH managers have visited and invited Sanchez to red-carpet events.
An Incredible Hulk is a vivid green-colored cocktail made in equal parts of the fruit liqueur Hpnotiq and Hennessy brand cognac poured over ice. It is called after the green comic book superhero, the Hulk. The drink was created during a Hpnotiq launch event in New York City. A Hpnotiq worker saw many women but few men drinking his company’s liquor because of the blue color. Victor Alvarez, a bartender at the restaurant, mixed Hennessy with Hpnotiq to cut the fruity flavor, resulting in a green drink that quickly became a hit.
A Jack Rose is a cocktail made from applejack, grenadine, and lemon or lime juice. It was popular in the 1920s and 1930s, but the origin is ambiguous. References track the drink back to the early 20th century. A 1905 article in the National Police Gazette notes the drink and credits a New Jersey bartender named Frank J. May as its inventor. The Jack Rose is one of six basic drinks detailed in David A. Embury’s The Fine Art of Mixing Drinks. It was also a favorite drink of author John Steinbeck.
The Corpse Reviver family of named cocktails are occasionally drunk as alcoholic hangover cures of potency to be able to revitalize even a dead person. This recipe is a variation created by Gilmore in 1954.
The Rabo de Galo is a delicious stirred drink formula in Brazil. Translated as cocktail, is popularly enjoyed as a 50/50 mixture of cachaça and either vermouth or, in São Paulo, Cynar. The history of the Rabo de Galo dates back to the 1950s with the inauguration of the Cinzano factory in São Paulo. It is also known as Traçado, the Portuguese word for mixed, or in some places everything you have in the bar.
The 20th Century is a gin cocktail invented in 1937 by C.A. Tuck. The drink is named after the 20th Century Limited express train which ran between New York City and Chicago from 1902 until 1967. The ingredients may seem strange, but the gin’s dry nature and botanical flavor profile pair perfectly with Lillet blanc, a light aromatized wine. This recipe is very similar with the Corpse Reviver cocktail recipe with crème de cacao stepping in for the orange liqueur.
A bijou is a mixed cocktail composed of gin, vermouth, and chartreuse. This beverage invented by Harry Johnson is called bijou because it combined the colors of three jewels: gin for diamond, vermouth for ruby, and chartreuse for emerald. The bijou was widespread for several decades however, it disappeared after Prohibition.
The Blackthorn is a sloe gin-based cocktail that emerged in the early 20th century. The blackthorn is the name for Prunus spinosa, the plant whose fruit is called sloes. Those fruits are infused in gin to create sloe gin, from where the cocktail name. The name Blackthorn was assigned to many cocktails, all of which are using sloe gin as their base. The cocktail is tasty and intriguing, with sweet, savory, and spicy hints of cloves and cinnamon.
Bloody Margaret is a version of the cocktail Bloody Mary, made with gin instead of vodka. In the United States is also known as Red Snapper.
A breakfast martini is a cocktail made with gin, marmalade, orange liqueur, and lemon juice (in place of vermouth). The drink was invented in 1996 by bartender Salvatore Calabrese at a hotel in London. It is similar to a White Lady cocktail, with gin, orange liqueur and freshly squeezed lemon juice; some variants of it even call for an egg white, though that is not included in the original recipe.
The Bronx is a cocktail with a unique balance of sweet, tart, botanical and boozy. It is a Perfect Martini with orange juice added and equal parts sweet and dry vermouth. It was ranked number three in “The World’s 10 Most Famous Cocktails in 1934” after the Martini and the Manhattan. As with other mixed drinks invented before prohibition in the United States, more than multiple stories attributed to the invention of this cocktail.
A Damn the Weather is a Prohibition-Era cocktail made with Gin, sweet vermouth, orange juice, and a sweetener like Triple Sec or Curaçao. It is served shaken and chilled, often with a slice of orange or other citrus fruit. The cocktail was invented to hide the scent and flavor of poor-quality homemade spirits, like bathtub gin. The original recipe was added in the Harry Craddock’s 1930 The Savoy Cocktail Book.
The Gibson is a cocktail made with gin and dry vermouth and often garnished with a pickled onion. It is very similar to the martini, the only difference is the garnishing with an onion instead of an olive. The exact origin of the Gibson is unclear, some pre-Prohibition recipes all omit bitters and some of them garnish with onion. Other recipes garnish with citrus twists or use no garniture at all.
Gin Pahit is a cocktail made with gin and Angostura bitters. First appeared in colonial Malaya and is commonly associated with the British colonial era. The name suggests bitter gin in Malay. The use of Angostura Bitters gives the whole glass a slight pink hue. It is a good aperitif to enjoy with dinner and a great way to use your favorite bottles of gin.
My Fair Lady is a gin cocktail created to honor Julie Andrews’s first night in the musical My Fair Lady. It’s made by mixing gin, lemon juice, and triple sec and adding a dash of bitters.
The Old Etonian is a gin cocktail popular in London, around the 1920s. The cocktail takes its name from Eton College and the college’s alumni, often referred to as Old Etonians. The Garden Hotel in London is a place that had mastered the Old Etonian cocktail during that era.