1-20 Flashcards
4th Regiment
1 ounce rye whiskey
1 ounce sweet vermouth
1 dash each orange bitters, Peychaud’s bitters, and celery bitters
Preparation: Shake all ingredients with ice and strain into a cocktail coupe.
Presentation: Lemon peel
History: The universally accepted first documentation of this cocktail is in Drinks (1914) by Jaques Straub, who instructs the bartender to shake the ingredients. This interesting book begins with an in-depth guide to wine service and vintage characteristics of the most popular French wine regions in the early 20th century.
Preparations & Variations: Bartenders often make their own proprietary variations of this cocktail by varying the amount of bitters. It would be rare for a bartender to shake this cocktail today.
Abbey Cocktail
1 1/2 ounces gin
3/4 ounce orange juice
3/4 ounce Cocchi Americano
2 dashes bitters
Preparation: Shake all ingredients with ice and strain.
Presentation: Cocktail coupe, garnished with cherry
History: This cocktail was first documented in the original printing of The Savoy Cocktail Book in 1930. Though its origin is unknown, many believe it was created during Prohibition, around the bathtub gin culture. This was a popular brunch cocktail.
Preparations & Variations: The original recipe called for Kina Lillet, which incorporated quinine. Since this is no longer available, Cocchi Americano is listed in its place. Lillet Blanc or any other dry vermouth can also be used.
Absinthe Frappe
1 1/2 ounces absinthe
1/2 ounce sugar syrup
6–8 mint leaves
Preparation: Muddle mint at the bottom of the glass, add absinthe and sugar syrup on top, and pack full with crushed ice.
Presentation: Frappé, absinthe, or Old Fashioned glass, garnished with mint and served with a straw
History: This drink was created and first served at the Old Absinthe House in the French Quarter of New Orleans in 1874. Prepared as a cobbler, it was essentially a riff on the traditional absinthe serve of four parts water to one part absinthe. The historic Old Absinthe House was patronized by the likes of Oscar Wilde, Mark Twain, and General Robert E. Lee and still has its original green marble absinthe fountain, which is built into the bar but sadly out of order today.
Preparations & Variations: The sugar syrup can range in concentration per the desired level of sweetness. Some recommend shaking the ingredients and straining the cocktail over fresh ice, and others like to blend the ingredients with ice to make a modern-day frappé.
Adonis
2 ounces Fino Sherry
1 ounce sweet vermouth
2 dashes orange bitters
Preparation: Stir all ingredients briefly in a mixing glass with ice and strain.
Presentation: Cocktail coupe, garnished with orange twist
History: This cocktail is named for the burlesque show Adonis (1884), considered the first Broadway musical. Created at the Waldorf Astoria, it is the sweet vermouth counterpart to the Bamboo.
Preparations & Variations: Like the Bamboo, the Adonis provides a foundation for bartenders to build a variety of Sherry-based cocktails.
Alexander cocktail
3/4 ounce VS Cognac
3/4 ounce white crème de cacao
3/4 ounce cream
Preparation: Shake all ingredients with ice and strain.
Presentation: Cocktail coupe, garnished with grated nutmeg
History: The first documentation of an Alexander Cocktail was in 1910 in J. A. Grohusko’s Jack’s Manual on the Vintage and Production, Care and Handling of Wines and Liquors. The recipe called for three parts rye whiskey and one part Benedictine, served over one ice cube. In 1916, New York author Hugo Ensslin included a version in Recipes for Mixed Drinks that called for equal parts gin, white crème de cacao, and sweet cream. The Savoy Cocktail Book, published in 1930, listed three variations on that drink.
Preparations & Variations: The Savoy Cocktail Book includes The No. 1, with two parts gin and one part each of crème de cacao and cream; The No. 2, listed above and commonly referred to as the Brandy Alexander; and Alexander’s Sister, with equal parts gin, crème de menthe, and cream. The last of these would not likely be garnished with nutmeg.
Algonquin
1 1/2 ounces rye
3/4 ounce dry vermouth
3/4 ounce pineapple juice
2 dashes Peychaud’s bitters (optional)
Preparation: Shake all ingredients with ice and strain.
Presentation: Cocktail coupe; bitters can be incorporated in the drink or reserved to garnish the foamy surface
History: The Algonquin Hotel on 44th Street in Manhattan was one of the meeting places for the cultural icons of the Prohibition era and preceding years. When it was built in 1902, it was known as a “dry hotel” and did not serve alcohol until after Prohibition. However, the famous Algonquin Round Table was the daily lunch spot for the self-proclaimed Vicious Group from 1919 to 1929. At the group’s core were Harpo Marx, Dorothy Parker, Alexander Woollcott, Charles MacArthur, Art Samuels, and a few flasks full of Gin Martinis. This group of writers, actors, and cultural icons welcomed more and more to their table, and the tradition of a boozy lunch in a dry hotel spawned important artwork from the age of Prohibition.
Preparations & Variations: The decision of whether to strain the pulp from the pineapple juice, and whether to stir or shake, can drastically change the profile of this cocktail. Shaking pulpy pineapple juice will lead to a frothy, foamy drink, with the sugars more pronounced upon first taste. The alternate method produces a drier, more savory result. The original recipe says to shake and strain. Fresh juice is recommended over canned.
Americano
1 ounce Campari
1 ounce sweet vermouth
Soda water
Preparation: Serve over ice.
Presentation: Glass dependent on amount of soda water, garnish with orange slice
History: The first Americano was served at Caffé Campari in the 1860s under the name Milano-Torino, to identify the origin of the Campari and sweet vermouth. Gaspare Campari’s creation was later renamed the Americano for Primo Carnera, the Italian boxer who was the first non-American to win the US heavyweight boxing championship.
Preparation & Variations: The original vermouth in the Americano was Punt y Mes, made in Turin by the Carpano family. The brand was purchased by Fernet Branca in 2001—which would make the cocktail a Milano-Milano. While the vermouth brand can vary, the amount of soda is more significant. Some use a splash; some don’t use any at all. Others build the drink long with a few ounces of soda. It’s best to ask guests which they prefer.
Antibes
2 ounces gin
3/4 ounce Bénédictine
1 ounce grapefruit juice
Preparation: Shake all ingredients with ice and strain into glass.
Presentation: Old Fashioned glass, garnished with orange slice
History: Antibes, a town between Cannes and Nice along the French Riviera, was briefly home for F. Scott Fitzgerald and his family. Ernest Hemingway and Pablo Picasso were among his many guests there. Some say that this is a drink that Hemingway put together when he wanted to drink a Daiquiri but didn’t have any rum.
Preparations & Variations: Another, milder version of this cocktail calls for simple syrup in place of Bénédictine and is served up like a Daiquiri, garnished with a sprig of mint. However, the use of Bénédictine seems much more in line with Hemingway’s cocktail preferences.
Aviation
1 1/2 ounces London Dry Gin
3/4 ounce lemon juice
2 dashes Maraschino liqueur
2 dashes Crème Yvette
Preparation: Combine all ingredients in a cocktail shaker. Add ice and shake to chill. Strain into a chilled cocktail glass.
Presentation: Cocktail glass, garnished with cherry or lemon peel
History: The Aviation was actually created well before Charles Lindbergh’s unprecedented nonstop transatlantic flight in 1927. In Hugo Ensslin’s Recipes for Mixed Drinks (1916), he included his proprietary recipe for the sky-colored Aviation. In The Savoy Cocktail Book (1930), Harry Craddock published a recipe that omitted the Crème Yvette.
Preparation & Variations: The recipe above is Hugo Ensslin’s original from 1916. Many believe that Craddock omitted Crème Yvette from his 1930 recipe because of its scarcity in Europe. In the US, Crème Yvette was produced in Philadelphia until 1969, then went out of production until its revival in 2009. Still, many bartenders prefer to omit a violet liqueur from the Aviation. It is correct to refer to this cocktail as the Aviation No. 2.
Other variations include the Blue Moon, which leaves out the Maraschino; the Moonlight, in which the lemon and Maraschino are replaced by lime and Cointreau; and the Casino, in which Crème Yvette is replaced by a few dashes of orange bitters.
Bamboo
1 1/2 ounces Fino Sherry
1 1/2 ounces dry vermouth
2 dashes Angostura bitters
2 dashes orange bitters
Preparation: Combine all ingredients in a mixing glass and stir with ice briefly, to chill. Strain into glass.
Presentation: Cocktail coupe, garnished with orange and/or lemon twist
History: While the Bamboo was enjoyed in the US as early as 1901, it was created a decade earlier in Yokohama, Japan, at the Grand Hotel. Opened by a few American military officers, the Grand Hotel was an effort to bring a bit of home overseas. The creator of the Bamboo, Louis Eppinger, ran the Grand Hotel bar for over 15 years, until he passed. He had learned bartending under “The Professor” Jerry Thomas in San Francisco. The cocktail grew to such fame that pre-mixed versions were bottled and sold across the US.
Preparations & Variations: Many of today’s top bartenders like to add a hint of sugar syrup to add texture, an adjustment credited to Joaquín Simó of Pouring Ribbons in New York. It is important to not over-stir this cocktail; it should be made cold, but not diluted. Chilling both the mixing glass and the serving glass before icing down the ingredients is recommended.
Bee’s Knees
1 1/2 ounces gin
3/4 ounce honey
3/4 ounce lemon juice
Preparation: Shake all ingredients with ice and strain.
Presentation: Cocktail glass, garnished with twist of lemon
History: Born during Prohibition out of the need to cover up the off-flavors and aromas of poorly made and often adulterated spirits, the Bee’s Knees was at the center of bathtub gin culture. There is not a particular place or person associated with the cocktail’s origin, but only a name that was Prohibition-era slang for “the best.”
Preparations & Variations: The honey will not incorporate if added alone and undiluted. It can be diluted with an equal part of hot water or hot simple syrup, depending on its sweetness. The syrup should find the perfect sugar/acid balance when combined with lemon juice. Be sure to keep the honey syrup chilled if preparing it in advance.
Bellini
2 parts Prosecco
1 part white peach purée
Dash raspberry purée
Preparation: Pour Prosecco over purées in glass. Stir gently.
Presentation: Champagne flute
History: The Bellini was created by Giuseppe Cipriani at his original Cipriani’s in Venice, Italy, sometime before the beginning of WWII but after 1934, when the bar opened. The name is said to be derived from the fact that the color of the cocktail matched that of a saint’s toga in a 15th-century painting by Giovanni Bellini. Ernest Hemingway was known for drinking copious amounts of these, as was Orson Wells. The drink became available year-round at the Cipriani bars in Venice and New York when a smart French businessman started a company to ship fresh white peach purée to both locations.
Preparations & Variations: The peach component of this cocktail varies wildly. From peach schnapps to artificial syrups, peach nectar, juices, and the occasional frozen purée, it is rarely made with a truly fresh peach purée. The original version was made with white peaches, but yellow peaches have often been substituted. Other variations include the Rossini, made with strawberry purée; the Tintoretto, made with pomegranate juice; and the Puccini, made with half peach purée and half mandarin juice.
Bijou
1 ounce gin
1 ounce green Chartreuse
1 ounce sweet vermouth
Dash orange bitters
Preparation: Stir all ingredients with ice and strain.
Presentation: Cocktail coupe, garnished with a twist of lemon
History: Bijou is the French word for “jewel.” This is an 1890s recipe that was first documented in the 1900 New and Improved Bartender Manual by Harry Johnson. One of the great bartenders of the 19th century, Johnson had worked and owned bars in San Francisco, Chicago, Boston, and New York. His 1900 book, its third edition, includes notes on proper etiquette for bar patrons, instructions for how to serve and wait on guests, and information on a variety of spirits, liqueurs, beverages, and tools. It is considered the first true bartender manual.
Preparations & Variations: The gin (diamond), Chartreuse (emerald), and vermouth (ruby) are traditionally stirred, but when kept separate and layered to show their distinct colors, the cocktail is called an Amber Dream.
Black Russian
1 1/2 ounces vodka
3/4 ounce Kahlùa liqueur
Preparation: Pour ingredients over ice.
Presentation: Lowball glass
History: This cocktail was born in Belgium at the Hotel Monopole in Brussels. Bartender Gustav Tops allegedly created it for the American ambassador to Luxembourg who was staying at the hotel, Perle Mesta, who was also a socialite of the era, providing the inspiration for Irving Berlin’s Call Me Madam and gracing the cover of Time magazine in 1949.
Preparations & Variations: The many published variations of the drink include the Dirty, Tall, or Australian Black Russian, which elongates the cocktail with Cola in a highball glass; the Black Magic, which adds a squeeze and a twist of lemon to the original; the Black Irish Russian, which adds a head of Guinness; or the White Russian, which adds cream or milk. Working with a more intensely flavored coffee liqueur and perhaps a flavored vodka like citrus or vanilla might also prove interesting.
Blood and Sand
3/4 ounce Scotch whisky
3/4 ounce sweet vermouth
3/4 ounce Cherry Heering
3/4 ounce orange juice
Preparation: Shake all ingredients with ice and strain.
Presentation: Cocktail glass, garnished with orange twist (flamed)
History: The Blood and Sand first appears in print in The Savoy Cocktail Book (1930) and is said to be named for the 1922 Rudolph Valentino silent film Blood and Sand, which is about Spanish bullfighting. The original recipe makes no recommendation for the type or brand of Scotch whisky.
Preparation & Variations: Some of the recipes published after the original call for blood orange juice. There are also recipes altered to include a half ounce each of Cherry Heering and sweet vermouth and one ounce each of Scotch and orange juice, rather than equal parts of all four. In modern cocktail bars, the drink is sometimes made using specific single malts instead of blended Scotch, or simply by floating a peaty single malt on top.
Bloody Mary
1 1/2 ounces vodka
4 ounces tomato juice
1/2 ounce lemon juice
1/2 teaspoon horseradish
3 dashes Tabasco sauce
3 dashes Worcestershire sauce
Salt, to taste
Cracked black pepper, to taste
Celery salt, to taste
Preparation: Build the drink in a mixing glass and roll with ice to mix and chill.
Presentation: Highball glass. The celery stick is mandatory, but everything else is optional.
History: A few people claim to have developed this brunch staple. Fernand Petiot originally claimed to have created it in 1921 at the New York Bar in Paris (before it became Harry’s New York Bar). However, according to the St. Regis Hotel in New York, where he later bartended at the King Cole Room, Petiot said he merely initiated the modern Bloody Mary in 1934. The simple vodka and tomato juice mixture was already a known drink served at the 21 Club.
Preparation & Variations: The Bloody Mary may be the all-time most varied cocktail. Everyone makes it differently, using unique blends of spices, sauces, pickles, juices, bitters, and spirits. This recipe lists the most common components, though it is just a foundation for continued variation.
Bobby Burns
1 1/4 ounces blended Scotch whisky
3/4 ounce sweet vermouth
1 dash of orange bitters
1 dash of absinthe
Preparation: Stir all ingredients with ice and strain.
Presentation: Cocktail glass, garnished with lemon twist
History: This drink has two origin stories. It first appeared in The Savoy Cocktail Book (1930), by Harry Craddock, where he offers a recipe with slightly different proportions and calls it a commemoration of Robert Burns, a famed Scottish poet and countryman. He says the drink is most popularly enjoyed on St. Andrew’s Day (January 25), Burns’s birthday. In 1931, Alberto Crockett published the Old Waldorf Bar Days, containing the recipe above. He offers Craddock’s story of origin but also notes a cigar salesman by the same name who frequented the Waldorf Bar. Gary Reagan, one of today’s great cocktail historians, uncovered a 1923 photo of a cigar shop sporting the branding of Robert Burns Cigars, giving substance to Crockett’s story.
The popular recipe used today and including Drambuie is taken from David Embury’s The Fine Art of Mixing Drinks (1953), where he writes, “While Benedictine is often added, the use of Drambuie is preferable to Benedictine as it is made with a Scotch Whisky base.” He calls it an interesting variation on the Rob Roy.
Preparations & Variations: This drink has come a long way from its first published version to what is often served today. Not once is the shortbread cookie accouterment mentioned in any of these cocktail books, but it is probably a nice addition—and particularly excellent alongside some proper blue cheese.
Boothby Cocktail
1 1/2 ounce whiskey (bourbon or rye)
3/4 ounce sweet vermouth
2 dashes Angostura’s bitters
2 dashes orange bitters
1 ounce Champagne
Preparation: Stir the first four ingredients into the glass and top with Champagne.
Presentation: Cocktail coupe, garnished with orange peel
History: This cocktail’s namesake is William Boothby, an iconic San Francisco bartender (and later assemblyman) who worked at several of the city’s fine institutions, notably the Palace Hotel, Parker House Bar, and the Silver Palace. Anchor Distilling Company recently published a reprint of his 1908 bartending manual, complete with a recipe for the Boothby Cocktail (which never actually appeared in any of his original publications).
Preparations & Variations: The Boothby Cocktail is a Manhattan variant, sometimes called the Boothby Manhattan.
Boston Cocktail
3/4 ounce gin
3/4 ounce apricot brandy
1/4 ounce lemon juice
1/4 ounce grenadine
Preparation: Shake all ingredients with ice and strain.
Presentation: Cocktail coupe, garnished with lemon twist
History: This cocktail first appears in the initial edition of the Old Mr. Boston De Luxe Official Bartender’s Guide, published in 1935.
Preparations & Variations: The original recipe, above, would today be considered a pretty small cocktail. Doubling each ingredient is more suitable. The grenadine referenced is a pomegranate juice and pomegranate molasses reduction syrup—Rose’s Grenadine would not yield a very good Boston Cocktail. The ratio of grenadine to lemon juice can vary based on the sweetness and sourness preferred in the cocktail. Quality apricot brandy is important here. Rothman & Winter Orchard Apricot Liqueur and Marie Brizard Apry are two widely available high-quality examples.
Boulevadier
1 ounce bourbon
1 ounce sweet vermouth
1 ounce Campari
Preparation: Stir all ingredients with ice and strain.
Presentation: Cocktail glass, garnished with orange twist
Bartender Comments: Bourbon takes center stage instead of gin in this cocktail made in the Negroni mold. This rendition carries some deeper bass notes, which may knock this drink outside of the aperitif category; in any case, you are a sommelier, so try one soon (if you have not already). Origins point to Harry McElhone’s 1927 publication Barflies and Cocktails. Adjust the amount of whiskey to suit your palate.
Bronx Cocktail
1 ounce gin
1/2 ounce sweet vermouth
1/2 ounce dry vermouth
1/2 ounce orange juice
Preparation: Shake all ingredients with ice and strain.
Presentation: Cocktail glass, garnished with orange slice (optional)
History: The Bronx Cocktail’s first documentation is in William Boothby’s 1908 The World’s Drinks and How to Mix Them, where he cites Billy Malloy of Pittsburgh as creator. Magnus Bredenbek’s 1934 What Shall We Drink? gives credit to a Bronx restauranteur, Joseph Sormani, for naming the drink after finding it in Quaker City, PA, and suggests the drink would have stayed there if not for Sormani. In his New York Times obituary in 1947, Sormani was credited with creating the Bronx.
Waldorf Astoria historian Albert Stevens Crockett, however, asserts that the cocktail was created by Johnnie Solon, a pre-Prohibition bartender at the Waldorf Astoria. He says it was a variation on a popular cocktail served at the hotel called a Duplex, made from equal parts French and Italian vermouth, shaken with a squeeze of orange.
Harman Burke’s 1934 Burke’s Complete Cocktail and Drinking Recipes ranks the Bronx Cocktail as the third most popular drink in the world behind the Martini and the Manhattan.
Preparations & Variations: Three versions are mentioned in both Hugo Ensslin’s Recipes for Mixed Drinks and Harry Craddock’s The Savoy Cocktail Book. The original is listed above. For the Dry Bronx, muddle three slices of orange and one slice of pineapple in the shaker. Add one part each gin and French vermouth and shake with ice. The Golden Bronx is the same as the Bronx with the addition of an egg white.
Harman Burke’s book states that the original recipe was a bit stronger, consisting of four parts gin and one part each of sweet and dry vermouth and orange juice. Boothby’s book, however, calls for equal parts Plymouth Gin, French vermouth, and Italian vermouth with a bar spoon of orange juice, two dashes of orange bitters, and a squeeze from an orange peel.
Brooklyn Cocktail
1 1/2 ounces rye whiskey
1 1/2 ounces dry vermouth
Dash Maraschino liqueur
Dash Amer Picon bitters
Preparation: Stir all ingredients with ice and strain.
Presentation: Served up or on the rocks, garnished with lemon twist, orange twist, or both
History: The Brooklyn Cocktail made its first print appearance in Jack’s Manual (1908) by J. A. Grohusko, a famous New York City bartender in the years before Prohibition. The origin of the cocktail is unknown; while Grohusko may not be the creator, he is certainly the first to record it.
Preparations & Variations: The above recipe is the original from 1908, but it is virtually impossible to reproduce. Amer Picon is a French bitter based heavily on orange peel, gentian root, quinine, and sugar syrup. It was 38% ABV when this recipe was created but is now bottled at 21% ABV, quite a bit sweeter, and very difficult to find outside of Europe.
To replace Amer Picon, some bartenders will make an orange tincture by steeping orange peel in neutral grain spirit, while others mix two parts Ramazzotti with one part Combier, one part orange bitters, and orange peels, allowing this to rest for a few days. Torani Amer, produced by San Francisco-based Torani, is a perfect replacement for Amer Picon, as it is made with the same ingredients and at the same alcoholic strength as the original bitter.
Variations on the cocktail revolve around the proportion of each ingredient and the brands used. Many recommend a higher proof whiskey like Rittenhouse bonded rye for a slightly drier version, and a lower proof like Old Overholt for a rounder rendition. Others like to blend the whiskeys, or use something different altogether.
One of the most surprising variations comes from The Savoy Cocktail Book (1930). It recommends using Canadian Club and shaking the cocktail.
Bull shot
1 1/2 ounces vodka
3 ounces beef broth
1/2 ounce fresh lemon juice
Salt, to taste
Preparation: Build the drink in an ice-filled glass. Stir gently.
Presentation: Highball glass, garnished with lime wedge
History: Also known as the Bloody Bull Shot, this cocktail appeared sometime between 1949 and 1956. Smirnoff claims to be the creator.
Preparations & Variations: Many variations exist. Some add Worcestershire and Tabasco sauces, black pepper, celery salt, and even tomato juice, making the cocktail more akin to the Bloody Mary.
To stock beef broth behind the bar, purchase small cans of Campbell’s beef broth or dissolve bouillon cubes in hot water. Using canned broth will allow for quick service and minimal prep without waste. Bouillon cubes will yield a liquid that needs to be cooled to room temperature before using, requiring prep at the beginning of the shift and more waste in discarding leftovers.
This cocktail most often appears in old taverns and inns. Visit JG Melon if you’re in Manhattan—there is always an open can of beef broth on the bar.
Cable Car
Cable Car
1 1/2 oz. Captain Morgan Spiced Rum
3/4 oz. Marie Brizard Orange Curaçao
1 oz. Lemon Juice
1/2 oz. Simple Syrup
Shake all ingredients with ice and strain. Cinnamon rimmed cocktail glass, Orange Twist
History: This cocktail was created by Tony Abou-Ganim as a modern take on the Sidecar. It commemorates the Straight Room in the Drake Hotel in San Francisco.
Preparations and Variations: The recipe has always called or Captain Morgan, however there are many more quality spiced rums on the market now compared to over 20 years ago. The sweetness of this drink can be tinkered with by adjusting the amount of Orange Curaçao and Simple Syrup.
Caipirinha
2 ounces cachaça
Juice of two lime quarters
2 teaspoons sugar
Preparation: Muddle sugar and lime quarters until sugar is dissolved. Add crushed ice and cachaça.
Presentation: Lowball glass, garnished with lime wedge
Bartender Comments: A tricky recipe, as limes will vary in the amount of juice they will yield. Look for limes that are on the pale side of green with a thin skin; they should have some give to them. That being said, taste as you go to make sure everything is in balance. For a richer profile, use a coarse sugar in the raw.
Cape Codder
1 1/2 ounces vodka
4 ounces cranberry juice
1/4 ounce lime juice
Preparation: Pour ingredients over ice.
Presentation: Highball glass, garnished with lime wedge
Bartender Comments: Allegedly named after MA’s Cape Codder Resort. Omit the lime juice to make a Cape Cod.
Champagne cocktail
Champagne or other sparkling wine
Angostura bitters
Sugar cube
Preparation: See below.
Presentation: Champagne flute, garnished with lemon peel (discarded)
Bartender Comments: As with all cocktails that have been around for any length of time, this one has several competing recipes. Noted cocktail guru Naren Young has a great tip for fully saturating the sugar without leaving a mess of bitters in the bottom of your glass to muddy up the drink. Simply place a cocktail napkin on top of the flute and adorn with the sugar cube. Liberally apply the bitters to said cube, then fold the napkin in half and deposit the sugar in the flute. Top with dry sparkling wine—whether or not you use Champagne, choose something bone dry. Pour carefully or you’ll end up with a mess on your hands. Finish by expressing the oils from a lemon peel over the surface of the drink and then toss the peel in the bin, not the drink.
Champs Elysees
1 1/2 ounces Cognac
1/2 ounce lemon juice
1/2 ounce green Chartreuse
1/2 ounce simple syrup
Dash of Angostura bitters
Preparation: Shake all ingredients with ice and strain.
Presentation: Cocktail glass, garnished with lemon twist
History: This cocktail first appeared in Harry Craddock’s The Savoy Cocktail Book (1930), which does not specify the type of Chartreuse. The book’s recipe is for a six-person cocktail, converted here to a single serving.
Preparations & Variations: Substituting yellow Chartreuse can be interesting; a slightly larger amount can be used.
Clover club
1 1/2 ounces gin
3/4 ounce lemon juice
3/4 ounce raspberry syrup
1 egg white
Preparation: Shake and strain into the glass. Double shaking or a dry shake may be used to create better texture.
Presentation: Cocktail coupe
History: The Clover Club is named for the Philadelphia gentlemen’s club of the same name, which met at the Bellevue-Strafford Hotel. The club, founded in 1882, is said to have operated through the 1920s. The cocktail is mentioned in Mary Deacon’s The Clover Club of Philadelphia (1897), and the recipe first appears in the 1917 The Ideal Bartender, by Thomas Bullock.
Preparations & Variations: A dry, or double, shake is to first shake ingredients without ice to incorporate more air into the egg white. This drink benefits from extended shaking, and a double shake minimizes dilution. Placing the spring from a Hawthorne strainer into the tin will also further emulsify the egg white.
To make a simple raspberry syrup, vigorously mix one pint of raspberries and one pint of sugar. Let the mixture stand for 15 to 20 minutes, then add a pint of hot water and stir to incorporate. Strain and let cool, or blend the mixture and then strain. The syrup should be clear.
The recipe in The Ideal Bartender calls for white vermouth instead of lemon juice. Another popular variation is to use grenadine, créme de cassis, or Chambord in place of the raspberry syrup.
Collins
2 ounces bourbon or gin
3/4 ounce lemon juice
3/4 ounce simple syrup
Chilled club soda
Preparation: Shake the spirit, lemon juice, and syrup with ice and strain into an ice-filled glass. Top with club soda.
Presentation: Highball or Collins glass, garnished with orange slice or cherry
History: Credit for creating the John Collins is often given to a bartender of the same name who worked at Limmer’s Old House in Mayfair, London, in the 1860s. Historian Dave Wondrich asserts that the original recipe would have been introduced to New York in the 1850s and was probably similar to the gin punches served in London. The John Collins is a single-serving cocktail based on those old punches, which were made of gin, lemon juice, maraschino liqueur, and soda water.
The first printed recipe appeared in The Steward and Barkeeper’s Manual (1869), part of the Haney Trade Manual series. It called for powdered sugar, lemon, Old Tom Gin, and soda water.
Preparations & Variations: Today, a John Collins is often served with bourbon or another American whiskey. The cocktail originally used genever, and when Old Tom Gin was introduced, the Tom Collins was born. It would be correct to only make a Tom Collins with Old Tom Gin, and to make a John Collins with any other type of gin or American whiskey. The best course of action, however, is to make what the guest wants.
