25 Cocktails

Question 1

VIEUX CARRÉ

Answer 1

4 dashes Dale DeGroff's Pimento Aromatic Bitters
2 tsp Bénédictine
.75 oz Sweet vermouth
.75 oz Cognac
.75 oz George Dickel Rye Whiskey

Garnish:
1 Cherry
Glass: Cocktail

Add all the ingredients to a mixing glass and fill with ice.

Stir, and strain into a cocktail glass.

Garnish with a cherry.

Question 2

Old Fashioned

Answer 2

2 ounces bourbon or rye whiskey (use something good, but not over-the-top)
1 teaspoon superfine sugar (or 1 sugar cube)
2-3 dashes of bitters; Angostura is traditional and works well; Fee Brothers’ Whiskey Barrel-Aged Old Fashioned Bitters are better

Question 3

Martinez

Answer 3

INGREDIENTS
1 1/2 ounce Old Tom gin
1 1/2 ounce sweet vermouth (I like Carpano Antica in this)
1 teaspoon maraschino liqueur
2 dashes orange bitters
Lemon twist, for garnish

Question 4

Martini

Answer 4

2 ounces dry gin
1 ounce dry vermouth
1 dash orange bitters (optional, but highly recommended)

Question 5

Manhattan

Answer 5

4 ounces rye whiskey
2 ounces sweet vermouth
4 dashes Angostura bitters
Garnish: 2 Maraschino cherries

Question 6

The Brooklyn Cocktial

Answer 6

INGREDIENTS
2 ounces rye or other whiskey
1 ounce dry vermouth
1/4 ounce maraschino liqueur
1/4 ounce Amer Picon, or a few dashes Angostura or orange bitters

Question 7

Daiquiri

Answer 7

2 ounces light rum (you can also use gold rum, but dark rum can be too heavy)
3/4 ounce fresh-squeezed lime juice (about 1/2 of a lime)
1 teaspoon sugar

Question 8

Classic Margarita

Answer 8

Lime wedge, plus 2 lime wheels for garnish
1 tablespoon coarse salt, for glass rims
4 ounces high quality blanco tequila (see note above)
2 ounces Cointreau
1 1/2 ounces fresh juice from 2 limes

Question 9

Sidecar

Answer 9

2 ounces VSOP cognac, armagnac or good California brandy
1 ounce Cointreau
3/4 ounce fresh lemon juice, to taste
superfine sugar, for garnish (optional)

Question 10

French 75

Answer 10

INGREDIENTS
2 ounces gin
1 ounce freshly squeezed lemon juice
2 teaspoons sugar
Champagne or sparkling wine
Garnish: long thin lemon spiral and cocktail cherry

Question 11

Jack Rose

Answer 11

2 ounces Laird's Applejack
3/4 ounce grenadine, preferably homemade
3/4 ounces fresh squeezed juice from 1 lemon
1 dash Peychaud's bitters
Lemon twist

Question 12

The Sazerac

Answer 12

INGREDIENTS
1 teaspoon sugar
3 or 4 dashes Peychaud’s Bitters
a few drops water
2 ounces rye whiskey (such as Sazerac Rye)
1 teaspoon Herbsaint, Pernod, pastis, or absinthe
lemon peel

DIRECTIONS
1.
Chill an Old Fashioned glass or small tumbler in your freezer.

2.
In a mixing glass, combine sugar, Peychaud’s Bitters, and a few drops of water. Mix until sugar is dissolved, and add rye. Add plenty of ice, and stir for about 30 seconds.
3.
Pour Herbsaint, pastis, or absinthe into your chilled glass, and rotate glass until the inside is well coated; discard the excess. Strain the liquid from your mixing glass into the serving glass. Twist a piece of lemon peel over the drink. Indulge.

Question 13

Ramos Fizz

Answer 13

2 ounces gin
1 ounce cream
1 egg white
1/2 ounce lemon juice
1/2 ounce lime juice
2 teaspoons sugar, to taste
2-3 drops orange flower water
Seltzer

Question 14

Min Julep

Answer 14

to 3 ounces bourbon, to taste
1 teaspoon sugar, to taste, dissolved in 1 teaspoon water (or use 2 tsp. simple syrup)
8 to 10 leaves fresh mint
Mint sprigs, for garnish
Crushed ice

Question 15

WhuiWh

Answer 15

2 ounces whiskey
1 ounce fresh-squeezed lemon juice
1 teaspoon sugar
1 egg white (optional—use if you’re feeling mildly adventurous, or need a drink with a little more gravitas)

Question 16

Mai Tai

Answer 16

2 ounces Jamaican rum (Appleton Extra is a good choice; for a bit more authentic flavor, substitute 1 once of St. James 15-year Hors D’Age rum for 1 ounce of the Appleton)
Juice of 1 medium lime, about 1 ounce (save the shell for garnish)
1/2 ounce curaçao
1/4 ounce orgeat
1/4 ounce rock-candy syrup (simple syrup with a drop or two of vanilla extract)
mint for garnish

Question 17

Planters punch

Answer 17

3 ounces Coruba dark Jamaican rum (if you can’t find Coruba, substitute another dark, heavy rum)
1 ounce simple syrup (equal parts sugar and water, mixed until dissolved)
3/4 ounce fresh lime juice
3 dashes Angostura bitters

Question 18

Pisco Sour

Answer 18

3 ounces pisco
1 ounce fresh-squeezed lime juice
3/4 ounce simple syrup (see note)
1 fresh egg white
1 dash Angostura or Amargo bitters

Question 19

Tom Collins

Answer 19

2 ounces gin
Juice of 1/2 a lemon
1 teaspoon sugar (preferably superfine)
Chilled club soda

Question 20

The Last Word

Answer 20

3/4 ounce gin
3/4 ounce fresh-squeezed lime juice
3/4 ounce maraschino liqueur
3/4 ounce green Chartreuse