Classic Cocktails Flashcards
Abbey Cocktail
1.5 oz Gin
3/4 oz Orange Juice
3/4 oz Cocchi Americano
2 dashes of bitters
Prep: Shake all ingredients with ice and strain, cocktail coupe, garnished w/cherry.
—original documentation in the Savoy Cocktail book in 1930
—original recipe calls for Kina Lillet, a version of vermouth that incorporates quinine. Since this is no longer available, Cocchi Americano is listed in its place. Lillet Blanc, or any other dry vermouth can be used in its place. This was a popular brunch cocktail.
Alexander Cocktail (commonly referredto as a Brandy Alexander)
3/4 oz VS Cognac 3/4 oz White Crème de Cacao 3/4 oz Cream **shake all ingredients with ice and strain **cocktail coupe, grated nutmeg —
Algonquin
1.5 Rye 3/4 dry vermouth 3/4 pineapple juice peychauds bitters :optional" *old pal substitute campari for pineapple.
Americano
1 oz. Campari 1 oz. Sweet Vermouth Soda Water Serve over ice. Lowball Glass, Orange Slice
**precursor to the Negroni
Aviation
1.5 oz. London Dry Gin 1/2 oz. Maraschino Liqueur 3/4 oz. Lemon Juice 1 Barspoon Crème de Violette Combine all ingredients in a cocktail shaker. Add ice and shake to chill. Strain into a chilled cocktail glass. Cocktail Glass, Cherry (Maraschino, Amarena, Brandied Cherry) or Lemon Peel
** The name (Aviation) indicates the desired color of the cocktail—a light blue that should be reminiscent of the sky. Crème de violette can be pretty intense so use it judiciously. For a softer and fruitier edge, use crème Yvette. A drier variation, the Casino, swaps a few dashes of orange bitters for the violet liqueur.
Bay Breeze
2 oz. Vodka 4 oz. Cranberry Juice 2 oz. Pineapple Juice Shake all ingredients with ice and strain into glass filled with ice. Highball Glass, Lime Wedge
Bee’s Knees
1.5 oz. Gin 3/4 oz. Honey 3/4 oz. Lemon Juice Shake all ingredients with ice and strain. Cocktail Glass, Twist of Lemon
Bellini
Specific
2 parts Prosecco
1 part White Peach Puree
dash Raspberry Puree
Pour Prosecco over puree in glass. Stir gently. Champagne Flute
Black Russian
1.5 oz. Vodka
3/4 oz. Kahlùa Liqueur
Pour ingredients over ice. Lowball Glass
Blood and Sand
1 oz. Blended Scotch Whisky 3/4 oz. Sweet Vermouth 3/4 oz. Cherry Heering 1 oz. Orange Juice Shake all ingredients with ice and strain. Cocktail Glass, Orange Twist
** Like many classics, this drink—named for a `20s silent film starring Rudolph Valentino—has seen quite a renaissance in recent years. Try using a blend that has a more pronounced smoky punch. Or if you’re feeling even bolder, try a headier version with a robust, yet balanced single malt like Talisker.
Bloody Mary
1.5 oz. Vodka 4 oz. Tomato Juice 1/2 oz. Lemon Juice 3 dashes Tabasco Sauce 3 dashes Worcestershire Sauce Salt and Cracked Black Pepper to taste 1/2 tsp. Horseradish (optional) Build the drink in an ice-filled glass. Highball Glass, Celery Stick
** most credit Fernand Petiot with combining vodka and canned tomato juice while working at Harry’s New York Bar in Paris (1920s-ish). Petiot moved to the St Regis Hotel in New York, and the drink received a makeover—the original fifty-fifty combo was rather bland. When using tomato juice (or beef broth, as in the following recipe), avoid vigorous shaking as it results in an undesirable texture.
Bobby Burns
2 oz. Blended Scotch 1/4 oz. Bénédictine 1 oz Sweet Vermouth Stir all ingredients with ice and strain. Cocktail Glass, Lemon Twist
** Scotland’s famous son and bard is generally credited as the inspiration of this Rob Roy derivative. I take a bit of umbrage with the name, however: as Mark Kingwell points out in his book Classic Cocktails: A Modern Shake, Robert Burns did not contract his name to Bobby, but rather Rabbie. But the drink appeared in the seminal Savoy Cocktail Book as “Bobby Burns,” and therefore shall forever be known by that name.
Boulevardier
1 oz. Bourbon
1 oz. Sweet Vermouth
1 oz. Campari
Stir all ingredients with ice and strain. Cocktail Glass, Orange Twist
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
Rim the glass with Cinnamon and sugar. Shake all ingredients with ice and strain.
Cocktail Glass, Orange Twist
- *A modern day favorite from Tony Abou-Ganim
- **think of this as a rum-based Sidecar
Caipirinha
2 oz. Cachaça Juice of two Lime Quarters 2 tsp. Sugar Muddle Sugar and lime quarters until sugar is dissolved. Add crushed ice and Cachaça. Lowball Glass, Lime Wedge
Cape Codder
1.5 oz. Vodka 4 oz. Cranberry Juice 1/4 oz. Lime Juice Pour over ice. Highball Glass, Lime Wedge
- *Allegedly named after MA’s Cape Codder Resort.
- **Omit the lime juice to make a Cape Cod.
Champagne Cocktail
Champagne/Sparkling Wine
Angostura Bitters
Sugar Cube
**Champagne Flute, Lemon Peel (discarded)
Preparation: Great tip for fully saturating the sugar without leaving a mess of bitter in the bottom of your glass—which will muddy up your drink. Simply place a cocktail napkin on top of you 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 fizzy stuff (champagne is not a requisite, just used something bone-dry). Pour carefully of 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.h
Corpse Reviver #2
3/4 oz. Gin
3/4 oz. Cointreau
3/4 oz. Lillet Blanc (sometime Cocchi Americano is substituted)
3/4 oz. Lemon Juice
Absinthe (glass rinse)
Rinse a cocktail glass with absinthe and discard the excess.
Shake all ingredients with ice and strain into the glass. Cocktail Glass, Cherry
Cosmopolitan
1.5 oz. Vodka 1/2 oz. Triple Sec 1/2 oz. Cranberry Juice 1/2 oz. Lime Juice Shake all ingredients with ice and strain into a cocktail glass. Cocktail Glass, Lime Twist
**Cheryl Cook’s name is often bandied about when discussing the Cosmo’s origin. Working in South Beach in the mid-1980s, Cook based her original drink on the then-new Absolut Citron vodka, triple sec, Rose’s lime cordial and “just enough cranberry to make it oh so pretty in pink.”
Daiquiri
2 oz. Rum
3/4 oz. Lime Juice
3/4 oz. Simple Syrup
Shake all ingredients with ice and strain. Cocktail Glass, Lime Wedge/Wheel
**classic sour. With such a diverse array of rums there are seemingly limitless ways to customize this excellent drink.
Dark ‘n’ Stormy
2 oz. Gosling's Black Seal Rum 1/2 oz. Lime Juice (optional) Ginger Beer Build ingredients over ice. Highball Glass, Lime Wedge
**there are some who insist that the rum be floated on top of the ginger beer.
French Connection
(1 part) Disaronno liqueur
1 1/6 oz (1 part) Cognac
French 75
1.5 oz. Gin 3/4 oz. Lemon Juice 1/2 oz. Simple Syrup Champagne Shake gin, lemon juice and simple syrup with ice and strain into ice-filled glass or chilled flute. Top with Champagne. Highball glass, Lemon Twist
**Created at Harry’s in Paris, the drink owes its name to 75 mm French artillery used during WWI. Serve this in a highball that’s been filled halfway with cracked ice (despite its regular arrival in a Champagne flute. Can be made with Cognac rather than gin.
Gibson
2.5 oz. Gin
1/2 oz. Dry Vermouth
Stir ingredients with ice and strain.
Cocktail Glass, Pearl Onion
Gimlet
2 oz. Plymouth Gin 3/4 oz. Lime Juice 3/4 oz. Simple Syrup Shake all ingredients with ice and strain. Cocktail Glass, Wedge of Lime
- **This is a GIN cocktail, not a vodka cocktail. As Sterling Archer says, the proper way to order a vodka Gimlet is to request, “vodka, combined with all the ingredients a sane person would use to make a Gimlet.”
- *For a variation, add two dashes of Angostura bitters to make a Bennet cocktail.
Gin Fizz
What’s the difference between a Fizz and a Collins?
2 oz. Gin 3/4 oz. lemon juice 3/4 oz. simple syrup soda water Combine the gin, lemon and syrup in a cocktail shaker with ice. Shake and strain into an empty Collins glass, with no ice. Top with soda water. Collins Glass
***difference between a fizz and a collins is the use or disuse of ice. Also, a collins is built directly in the glass while the fizz is shaken. Some variations on the collins include: silver fizz (use of an egg white), golden fizz (use of an egg yolk), royal fizz (use of the whole egg), and the diamond fizz (substitute sparkling wine for soda water).
Grasshopper
1 oz. Green Crème de Menthe 1 oz. White Crème de Cacao 1 oz. Cream Shake all ingredients over ice and strain. Cocktail Glass
Greyhound
1.5 oz. Gin/Vodka
5 oz. Grapefruit Juice
Serve over ice.
Highball Glass
Harvey Wallbanger
1 oz. Vodka
1/2 oz. Galliano
4 oz. Orange Juice
Pour vodka and orange juice into an ice-filled glass. Float Galliano on top. Highball Glass, Orange Slice
Hemingway Daiquiri
2 oz. White Rum 3/4 oz. Lime Juice 1/2 oz. Grapefruit Juice 1/2 oz. Maraschino Liqueur 1/4 oz. Simple Syrup Shake all ingredients with ice and strain. Cocktail Glass, Lime Wedge/Wheel
Horse’s Neck
2 oz. Bourbon 2-3 dashes Angostura Bitters Ginger Ale Build the ingredients in an ice-filled glass. Highball Glass, Lemon Twist
Hurricane
4 oz. Dark Jamaican Rum 2 oz. Lemon Juice 2 oz. Passion Fruit Syrup Shake with ice and pour without straining. Hurricane Glass, Lemon Wheel
Irish Coffee
1.5 oz. Irish Whiskey 1 tsp. Brown Sugar 6 oz. Hot Coffee Heavy Cream Add whiskey, coffee and sugar to the mug. Top with Cold Cream. Coffee Mug
Kamikaze
1 oz. Vodka
1 oz. Triple Sec
1 oz. Lime Juice
Shake all ingredients with ice and strain. Cocktail Glass, Lime Slice
** For those who like Margaritas without all that tequila deliciousness.
Last Word
3/4 oz. Gin 3/4 oz. Lime Juice 3/4 oz. Green Chartreuse 3/4 oz. Maraschino Liqueur Shake all ingredients with ice and strain. Cocktail Glass
Long Island Iced Tea
1/2 oz. Vodka 1/2 oz. Tequila 1/2 oz. White Rum 1/2 oz. Triple Sec 1/2 oz. Gin 3/4 oz. Lemon Juice 1 oz. Simple Syrup 1 oz. Coca-Cola Stir all ingredients with ice. Highball Glass, Lemon Twist
Madras
2 oz. Vodka 2 oz. Cranberry Juice 2 oz. Orange Juice Shake all ingredients with ice and strain into glass filled with ice. Highball Glass, Orange Slice
Mai Tai
1 oz. Dark Jamaican Rum 1 oz. Amber Martinique Rum 1 oz. Lime Juice 1/2 oz. Curaçao Liqueur 1/4 oz. Orgeat Syrup 1/4 oz. Rock Candy Syrup Shake with crushed ice and pour without straining. Old Fashioned Glass, Spent Half Lime (Submerged), Mint Sprig
*** The two-rum combo is meant to replicate a rum which is no longer available. I like to use a Smith and Cross navy-strength Jamaican rum.
Manhattan
2 oz. Rye Whiskey
1 oz. Sweet Vermouth
2 dashes Angostura Bitters
Stir all ingredients with ice and strain. Cocktail Glass, Cherry
Margarita
2 oz. Tequila 3/4 oz. Cointreau (or Combier) 3/4 oz. Lime Juice Simple Syrup to taste (optional) Shake all ingredients with ice and strain into salt-rimmed glass, with or without ice. Cocktail Glass, Lime Wedge
***Although orange liqueur/triple sec is commonly used to sweeten the Margarita, international tequila ambassador Julio Bermejo has popularized the “Tommy’s Margarita,” which uses agave nectar in place of the orange liqueur. Agave nectar is pretty thick stuff, so i’d advise thinning it out with an equal amount of water.
Martinez
1 oz. Genever 2 oz. Sweet Vermouth 1/4 oz. Maraschino Liqueur 2 dashes Boker's or Angostura bitters Stir all ingredients with ice and strain. Cocktail Glass, Twist of Lemon or Orange
**Generally credited as the forerunner to the dry Martini, this drink is decidedly wet. That’s right, two parts vermouth to one part genever (or old tom if you prefer).
Martini
2.5 oz. Gin
1/2 oz. Dry Vermouth
Stir ingredients with ice and strain into chilled glass. Cocktail Glass, Olives or Lemon Peel
Mimosa
4 oz. Brut Champagne 2 oz. Orange Juice 1 barspoon Grand Marnier (optional) Build all ingredients in the glass. Champagne Flute
Mint Julep
2 oz. Bourbon 10-12 Mint Leaves 1/2 oz. Simple Syrup Add syrup and mint leaves to the base of the glass and muddle. Add crushed ice and 1 oz. of the bourbon to the glass and mix with a bar spoon. Add more crushed ice and the rest of the bourbon to the glass, mixing again. Cap with crushed ice and garnish with two mint sprigs. Arrange the straws next to the mint sprigs. Silver or Pewter Julep Mug, Mint
Mojito
1.5 oz. White Rum 3/4 oz. Lime Juice 2 tsp. Sugar 8-10 Mint Leaves Soda Water Muddle mint, lime and sugar, add ice and rum, and top with soda. Highball Glass, Mint Sprig
Moscow Mule
2 oz. Vodka (originally Smirnoff’s)
1/2 oz. Lime Juice
4 oz. Ginger Beer
Pour vodka and lime juice into ice-filled mug and top with ginger beer.
Copper Mug, Lime Wedge
Negroni
1 oz. Gin 1 oz. Sweet Vermouth 1 oz. Campari Stir ingredients together with ice. Old Fashioned Glass, Orange Peel
Old Fashioned
2 oz. Rye Whiskey 3 dashes Angostura Bitters 1 bar spoon Simple Syrup Stir and strain over fresh ice. Old Fashioned Glass, Orange Peel
Old Pal
1 oz. Rye Whiskey
1 oz. Dry Vermouth
1 oz. Campari
Stir the ingredients over ice. Strain. Cocktail Glass, Lemon Twist
Paloma
2 oz. Tequila
One-half Lime
Chilled Grapefruit Soda
Muddle lime in Highball glass. Rim with salt and add ice. Build the drink over the ice and stir gently. Highball Glass, Lime Wedge
Paper Airplane
3/4 oz. Bourbon (Elijah Craig 12-year) 3/4 oz. Aperol 3/4 oz. Amaro Nonino 3/4 oz. Lemon Juice Combine in a shaker with ice. Chill and double strain. Cocktail Glass, Lemon Twist
Pimm’s Cup
2 oz. Pimm's No. 1 1/2 oz. Lime Juice 1/2 oz. Lemon Juice 1/2 oz. Simple Syrup 1/2 oz. Gin Soda Water Muddle cucumber and simple syrup in tin. Add remaining ingredients, shake with ice, and fine-strain into a glass. Top with soda. Highball Glass, Cucumber Slice, Mint Sprig
Pisco Sour
2 oz. Pisco
1 oz. Lime or Lemon Juice (or combination of both)
3/4 oz. Simple Syrup
1 Egg White
1 dash Angostura Bitters
Shake all ingredients except bitters with ice and strain into the glass.
Garnish the glass with a dash of bitters.
Cocktail Glass
Piña Colada
1 oz. White Rum
1 oz. Cream of Coconut
3 oz. Pineapple Juice
Shake all ingredients with crushed ice or blend until smooth.
Hurricane Glass, Pineapple Wedge and Cherry
Ramos Gin Fizz
(a.k.a. New Orleans Fizz)
1.5 oz. Dry Gin
5 drops Orange Flower Water
1/2 oz. Lemon Juice
1/2 oz. Lime Juice
1 Egg White
1 oz. Heavy Cream
1 oz. Simple Syrup
Soda Water
2 drops Vanilla Extract (optional)
Vigorously shake all ingredients except soda water and strain into glass without ice. Top with soda water.
Highball Glass, Grated Nutmeg
Rob Roy
2 oz. Blended Scotch Whisky
1 oz. Sweet Vermouth
1 dash Angostura Bitters
Stir all ingredients with ice and strain into chilled glass. Cocktail Glass, Cherry
Rusty Nail
2 oz. Blended Scotch Whisky
1 oz. Drambuie
Stir with ice and strain into an ice-filled glass.
Old Fashioned Glass, Lemon Twist
Sazerac
2 oz. Sazerac Rye Whiskey
5 dashes Peychaud’s Bitters
Splash of Absinthe
One Sugar Cube
Add ice and water to your serving glass to chill. In a separate mixing glass, add the sugar cube and bitters along with a small splash of water. Muddle until the sugar is dissolved, then fill the glass with ice and whiskey. Stir to chill. Discard the ice water in the serving glass. Season the glass by adding a bit of absinthe and roll the glass to coat with the liqueur. Discard any excess. Strain the contents of the mixing glass into the serving glass. Express the oils of the lemon peel and discard.
Lowball Glass, Lemon Peel
Essentially a Old Fashioned with absinthe rinse and sub Peychauds; also lemon peel instead of orange peel.
Screwdriver
2 oz. Vodka
4 oz. Orange Juice
Serve over ice.
Highball Glass, Orange Slice
Sea Breeze
2 oz. Vodka 4 oz. Cranberry Juice 2 oz. Grapefruit Juice Shake all ingredients with ice and strain into glass filled with ice. Highball Glass, Lime Wedge
Sex on the Beach
1 oz. Vodka 1 oz. Peach Schnapps 1 oz. Chambord 2 oz. Pineapple Juice dash Cranberry Juice Shake all ingredients with ice and strain into glass filled with ice. Highball Glass, Lime Wedge
Singapore Sling
2 oz. Gin 3/4 oz. Cherry Heering 2 tsp. Benedictine 2 tsp. Cointreau 2 oz. Pineapple Juice 3/4 oz. Lime Juice 2 dashes Grenadine 1 dash Angostura Bitters Soda Water
Shake all ingredients except soda water with ice and strain into glass filled with ice. Top with Soda Water. Hurricane Glass, Cherry, Pineapple Slice, and Orange
Tequila Sunrise
1.5 oz. Tequila 3 oz. Orange Juice 1/2 oz. Grenadine Pour tequila and orange juice into an ice-filled glass. Add grenadine but do not stir to create the "sunrise" effect. Highball Glass, Orange Slice and Cherry
Tom Collins
2 oz. Old Tom or London Dry Gin
1 oz. Lemon Juice
1 tsp. Simple Syrup
3 oz. Soda Water
Build all ingredients except soda water and strain into glass filled with ice. Top with Soda Water.
Highball Glass, Slice of Lemon and Cherry
Vesper
2 ounces London Dry Gin
1/2 ounce of Vodka (preferably grain)
1/4 ounce Lillet Blanc (originally Kina Lillet)
Shake all ingredients with ice and strain into chilled glass.
Cocktail Glass, Lemon Peel
**fun question to write out:
Sother Teague on why it shouldn’t be ordered:
one can’t truly be made as one of the ingredients no longer exists (Since Kina Lillet was discontinued in 1986 not to mention that the proof of Gordon’s Gin was cut in 1992) and not just because it’s the drink of a fictional character dreamt up by a man seated in front of a typewriter (not a bartender). But more because it simply makes no sense. In the most lay terms, gin is sort of flavored vodka. So, why would you effectively water down your gin by adding vodka to the mix?
Vieux Carre
1 oz. Rye Whiskey 1 oz. Cognac 1 oz. Sweet Vermouth 1/4 oz. Bénédictine 2 dashes Peychaud's Bitters 2 dashes Angostura Bitters Stir ingredients with ice and strain. Old Fashioned Glass, Lemon Peel
Whiskey Sour
2 oz. Bourbon or Rye Whiskey
3/4 oz. Lemon Juice
3/4 oz. Simple Syrup
Shake and strain into an ice-filled glass.
Old Fashioned Glass, Cherry, Half Orange Wheel
White Lady
1 oz. Gin
1 oz. Cointreau
1 oz. Lemon Juice
Shake all ingredients and strain.
Cocktail Glass, Cherry
White Russian
1.5 oz. Vodka 3/4 oz. Kahlúa Liqueur Heavy Cream Pour Vodka and Kahlúa into ice-filed glass. Fill with cream and stir in slowly. Lowball Glass
Zombie
1.5 oz. Gold Puerto Rican Rum
1.5 oz. Aged Jamaican Rum
1 oz. Lemon Hart 151
3/4 oz. Lime Juice
1/2 oz. Don’s mix*
1/2 oz. Falernum
1 tsp. Grenadine
1/8 tsp. Pernod
1 dash Angostura Bitters
6 oz. Crushed Ice
Blend all ingredients.
Highball Glass, Mint Sprig
Antibes
2 oz Gin
3/4 oz Benédictine
1 oz of Grapefruit juice
**shake all ingredients with ice and strain into an ice filled Old Fashioned Glass. Garnish orange slice.
—Named for the location of F. Scott Fitzgerald’s Villa America. Antibes, a town somewhere between Cannes and Nice along the French Riviera, was a brief home for Fitzgerald and his family. Hemingway and Picasso frequent guests; some say Hemingway made this when he wanted a daquiri, but didn’t have any rum.
Bijou
1 oz Gin
1 oz Green Charteuse
1 oz of Sweet Vermouth
Dash Orange bitters
—Bijou is the french word for jewel
—Prep: The gin (diamond), Chartreuse (emerald), and Vermouth (ruby), are traditionally stirred, but when kept separate and layered to show their distinct colors that cocktail is called Amber Dream.
Boston Cocktail
3/4 oz Gin
3/4 oz Apricot brandy
1/4 oz lemon juice
1/4 oz Grenadine (pomegranate juice and pomegranate molasses reduction syrup; Grenadine would not yield a very good Boston Cocktail
—Prep: cocktail coup, lemon twist; shake all ingredients with ice and strain.
**this is the original recipe so doubling each ingredient would make a suitable cocktail.
Bronx Cocktail
1 oz Gin
1/2 oz Sweet Vermouth
1/2 oz Dry Vermouth
1/2 oz Orange Juice
—Prep: shake all ingredients with ice and strain; cocktail glass and orange slice
Bull Shot
1.5 oz Vodka 3 oz Beef Broth .5 oz Fresh Lemon Juice Salt to taste **prep: build the drink in an ice-filled glass. Stir gently. Highball glass, lime wedge.
Clover Club
1.5 oz Gin
3/4 oz Lemon Juice
3/4 Raspberry Syrup
1 Egg White
**Prep: Shake and strain into coupe; double shaking or a dry shake may be used to create a better texture.
**The Clover Club is named for the Philadelphia gentlemen’s club of the same name that met at the Bellevue-Strafford Hotel.
**a Dry shake, or a double shake is to first shake the ingredients without ice to incorporate more air into the egg white. This drink benefits from extended shaking, but to avoid dilution a double shake without ice for the first round is preferred. One can also place the spring from their Hawthorne strainer into the tin to further emulsify the egg white.
Delmonico
3/4 oz Gin 1/2 oz Cognac 1/2 oz Dry Vermoutgh 2 Dashes of Angostura Bitters **Prep: Stir all with ice and strain; cocktail glass, lemon twist.
Dempsey Cocktail
1 oz Gin
1 oz Apple Brandy
2 Dashes of Grenadine
2 Dashes of Absinthe (sweeter variation replaces absinthe with grenadine)
***Prep: shake all ingredients together with ice and strain; cocktail glass
God Mother
1 oz Vodka
1 oz Amaretto Liqueur
**prep: pour over ice and stir briefly to mix the two ingredients; double rocks glass
