Tom Macy's Essential Classics Cocktail Recipes

Question 1

Old Fashioned

Answer 1

2 oz rye or bourbon
teaspoon demerara syrup - or another sugar
2 dashes Angostura bitters
1 dash orange bitters (optional)
4-5 drops baking spice bitters (optional)
lemon and orange peel for garnish

In a chilled mixing glass, combine the whiskey, sugar, and bitters. Fill it with ice and stir for 18-25 seconds. Strain the cocktail into a chilled rocks glass over ice - preferably one large cube. Express the oils of the lemon and orange peels and add them into the glass.

Alternatively, combine all ingredients in a rocks glass. Stir them with ice, garnish and serve.

Question 2

Manhattan

Answer 2

2 ½ oz rye whiskey - or bourbon
1 oz sweet vermouth - ¾ oz for bourbon
2 dashes Angostura Bitters

Combine all ingredients in a chilled mixing glass. Fill with ice, stir for 18-25 seconds. Then strain into a chilled coupe or martini glass. Garnish with a cherry, if you have one.

A Manhattan is also mighty fine served on the rocks.

Question 3

Martini

Answer 3

This is my preferred recipe, with gin. Broadly speaking, when using gin in the 40-45% ABV range use ¾ oz dry vermouth, for 45-50% go for the full 1 oz.

2½ oz gin
¾-1 oz dry vermouth
1 dash orange bitters - optional, but highly recommended.

Combine all ingredients in a chilled mixing glass. Fill with ice, stir for 18-30 seconds, then strain into a chilled coupe or martini glass. Garnish with an expressed lemon peel (my preference) or an olive(s).
​
For a Vodka Martini….
Simply replace gin with vodka, decrease the vermouth to ½ oz, and forgo the orange bitters.

Question 4

Daiquiri

Answer 4

2 oz white rum
¾ oz lime juice
¾ oz simple syrup
lime disc with some flesh on it (optional) - here’s an example

Combine all ingredients in a shaker, except for the lime disc. Fill with ice, shake for 8-10 seconds and fine strain into a chilled coupe glass. Express the oils of the disc and any juice over the top (shouldn’t be more 4-6 drops), swirl the disc in the glass once to integrate and discard.

Question 5

Margarita

Answer 5

2 oz blanco tequila
1 oz Cointreau
¾ oz fresh lime juice
½ oz simple syrup - or to taste
salt for rim, optional

Combine all ingredients in a shaker, fill with ice. Shake for 8-10 seconds and strain into a rocks glass over fresh ice that has been rimmed with salt (optional), or serve straight up if you prefer. No garnish necessary, though a lime wheel or wedge is common.

Question 6

Negroni

Answer 6

1½ oz gin - I recommend Tanqueray
1 oz sweet vermouth - I recommend Cinzano
1 oz Campari
orange peel - for garnish

Combine all ingredients in a chilled mixing glass. Fill with ice, stir for 18-25 seconds and strain into a chilled rocks glass over ice - preferably one large cube. Express the oils of the orange peel and add it into the glass.

Or you can prepare it right in the rocks glass you’ll be drinking from. Just combine all the ingredients, add the ice, and stir.

Question 7

Whiskey Sour

Answer 7

2 oz bourbon or rye whiskey
¾ lemon juice
¾ oz simple syrup
¼ oz egg white - optional
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Combine all ingredients in a shaker, if using egg white, "dry shake” without ice first for about 3 or 4 seconds.  Then add ice and shake again very hard for 8-10 seconds.  Strain into a chilled rocks glass, over fresh cubes. Garnish with an orange half wheel and cherry, aka "cherry flag", if you like.
​
This cocktail is also great served straight up.

Question 8

Gimlet

Answer 8

2 oz gin
½ oz lime juice
¾ oz simple syrup
2 lime “eighths” (¼ of a lime cut in half)

In a shaker, muddle the lime wedges in simple syrup. Add gin, lime juice, and fill with ice. Shake for 8-10 seconds and strain into a rocks glass over fresh ice. Or serve up if you prefer. Garnish with a lime wheel.

Question 9

Mint Julep

Answer 9

2½ oz bourbon
½ oz simple syrup or scant ½ oz demerara syrup
10-12 mint leaves - no stems
2 mint sprigs for garnish

In a julep cup or rocks glass, muddle the mint leaves with the simple syrup and whiskey - be careful not to “over-muddle”. Fill 3/4 of the way with crushed ice, or the smallest ice cubes you have.

Stir/swizzle for about one whole minute. The goal is to melt the ice as much as possible while keeping the mint at the bottom. Continue to add more ice as along the way as needed. When finished, top with more crushed ice so it forms a mound above the cup/glass. Garnish with the mint sprigs and serve with short straws.

Question 10

Tom Collins

Answer 10

2 oz gin
¾ oz lemon juice
¾ oz simple syrup
chilled soda water
​
Combine gin, lemon juice and simple syrup in a shaker.
Fill a chilled collins/highball glass with ice.
Fill shaker with ice, shake for 3-4 seconds.
Pour in 2-3 ounces of soda water in collins glass.
Strain cocktail into glass.
Top with more soda, if needed/desired.
Garnish with an orange half wheel - if desired.

Question 11

French 75

Answer 11

1 oz gin
½ oz lemon juice
½ oz simple syrup
2-3 oz chilled Brut Champagne or another dry sparkling wine.
lemon peel for garnish.
​
Combine gin, lemon and simple syrup in a shaker, fill with ice. Shake for 6-8 seconds and strain into a champagne flute. Top with the Champagne or sparkling wine. Garnish with the expressed lemon peel.

Question 12

Sazerac

Answer 12

2 oz rye whiskey (or 1½ oz rye and ½ oz cognac)
teaspoon demerara syrup or ¼ oz simple syrup
4 dashes Peychaud’s bitters
1 dash Angostura bitters
splash of absinthe - about ¼ oz.
lemon peel for garnish

Fill a rocks glass with ice and set it aside to chill.
In a chilled mixing glass, combine all ingredients, except the absinthe, fill with ice and stir for 10-12 seconds.
Dump the ice out of the chilling rocks glass and add the splash of absinthe. Swirl the glass around - or toss it up in the air - so that the absinthe fully coats of the sides of the glass, then dump it out (or drink it!).
Stir the cocktail a few more times and strain it into the rocks glass. Do not add any ice!
Hold the lemon peel 4-6 inches above the glass (yes, this actually makes a difference) and express its oils over the drink. the lemon peel while. Discard the peel, do not place it in the glass.

Question 13

Mai Tai

Answer 13

1 ½ oz aged Jamaican rum (2 oz if not using Smith & Cross)
½ oz Smith & Cross rum
¾ oz lime juice
½ oz orange curaçao
½ oz Orgeat Works Latitude 29 Orgeat - or another orgeat
¼ teaspoon cane syrup (or ½ teaspoon simple syrup) or to taste.

Combine all ingredients in a shaker. Fill with ice. Shake for 6-8 seconds, or so, and strain into a rocks glass over crushed ice. Garnish with a mint sprig. Additional tiki flair optional, but encouraged.

Question 14

Side Car

Answer 14

2 oz cognac
1 oz Cointreau
¾ oz lemon juice
teaspoon simple syrup, or to taste - optional

Combine all ingredients in a shaker, fill with ice. Shake for 8-10 seconds and strain into a chilled coupe or martini glass that has a thick half rim of sugar (optional, but recommended). Garnish with an expressed orange peel.

Question 15

Mojito

Answer 15

2 oz white rum
¾ oz lime juice
1 oz simple syrup
10-12 mint leaves - picked off the stem
chilled soda water
mint sprigs for garnish

In a shaker, muddle the mint leaves in the simple syrup. Add the rum, lime juice and fill with ice. Shake for 8-10 seconds and strain into a highball or collins glass over cracked ice (with one or two full sized cubes). top with 1-2 oz soda water. Briefly stir with a straw to mix. Garnish with the mint springs.

Question 16

Pisco Sour

Answer 16

2 oz pisco
¾ oz lemon juice (lime works too, or a combination of both)
¾ oz simple syrup
½ oz egg white (about ½ an egg white )
5-6 drops Angostura bitters - for garnish

Combine all ingredients except the bitters in a shaker. Fill with ice and shake as hard as you possibly can for 8-10 seconds. To maximize foam, use one of the techniques listed below. Strain into a chilled coupe or stemmed cocktail glass. Let it sit for 5-6 seconds so the egg white can set a bit. Then lightly dash the bitters on top. Do so as ornately or haphazardly as you desire.

Question 17

Cosmopolitan

Answer 17

2 oz citrus vodka or traditional vodka
¾ oz Cointreau
¾ oz lime juice
¾ oz cranberry juice (such as Ocean Spray)
¼ oz cane syrup (or 2 teaspoons simple syrup)

Combine all ingredients in a shaker. Fill with ice, shake for 6-8 seconds and strain into a chilled coupe or martini glass. Express the oils from the orange peel, stir with the peel, and garnish. Traditional vodka works great in a Cosmo too. Maybe use a lemon peel instead of an orange for garnish if using traditional vodka.

With Unsweetened Cranberry Juice
2 oz citrus vodka or traditional vodka
½ oz Cointreau
½ oz lime
½ oz unsweetened cranberry juice (such as Just Cranberry)
½ oz simple syrup

Question 18

Vieux Carré

Answer 18

1¼ oz rye whiskey
1 oz Cognac
scant 1 oz sweet vermouth (about ⅞ oz)
teaspoon Benedictine
2 dashes Angostura bitters
2 dashes Peychaud's bitters
lemon peel for garnish

Combine all ingredients in a chilled mixing glass. Fill with ice, stir for 15-25 seconds and strain into a chilled rocks glass over ice, preferably one large cube. Express the oils from the lemon peel and garnish.

Alternative preparation: Combine all ingredients in a chilled rocks glass, add ice, stir, and garnish.

Question 19

Corpse Reviver #2

Answer 19

¾ oz gin
¾ oz lemon juice
¾ oz Cointreau
¾ oz Lillet Blanc, Cocchi Americano or a 50:50 split of each
1 dash absinthe
cherry for garnish, optional

Combine ingredients in a shaker. Fill with ice, shake and strain into a chilled coupe or stemmed cocktail glass. Garnish with a cherry, if desired.

Question 20

Paloma

Answer 20

2 oz blanco tequila
5 oz Q Grapefruit Soda (or another grapefruit soda)
scant ½ oz simple syrup - omit if using another grapefruit soda
2 lime wedges
pinch of salt (about ⅛ - ¼ teaspoon)

In a collins glass add the tequila, simple syrup, and fill with ice. Add the pinch of salt, squeeze in the juice from the first lime wedge. Gently fill with the grapefruit soda. Briefly stir to integrate. Squeeze in the second lime wedge. I like to add a final sprinkling of salt, but that’s optional. I like it salty.

Question 21

White Russian

Answer 21

1½ oz vodka - chilled in the freezer for best results
1 oz heavy cream
1 oz coffee liqueur

Combine in a rocks glass over ice and stir for 10 seconds or so. Shaking a White Russian is nice too, and certainly gets it colder. Though I prefer the concentrated edge that it gets from stirring.

Question 22

Moscow Mule

Answer 22

Classic with Ginger Beer

2 oz vodka
chilled 4-5 oz ginger beer
two lime wedges

In a rocks glass or copper mug, add the vodka and fill with ice. Squeeze in the juice of the two lime wedges and top with ginger beer. Garnish with a lime wheel and ginger candy (if you happen to have them on hand).

With Homemade Ginger Syrup
2 oz vodka
¾ oz ginger syrup
½ oz fresh lime juice
2 lime wedges
chilled soda water

Combine vodka, ginger syrup and lime juice in a shaker and squeeze in one of the limes wedges. Fill with ice, shake for 6-8 seconds and strain into a rocks glass or copper mug over fresh ice. Squeeze in the second lime wedge and top with 1½-2 ounces of soda water.

Question 23

Caipirinha

Answer 23

2 oz cachaça
¾ oz simple syrup
half a lime cut into quarters

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In a sturdy rocks glass, muddle the limes in the simple syrup. Don’t worry about extracting every drop of juice, just be sure hit each piece at least once.
Fill the glass with ice, preferably use cubes on the smaller side. You may even want to crack one or two of them.
Add the cachaça and briskly stir until everything is well integrated.
​

Question 24

Martinez

Answer 24

2 oz aged old tom gin
1 oz sweet vermouth
½ teaspoon Maraschino
dash Angostura bitters
dash orange bitters
lemon peel for garnish
​
Combine all ingredients in a chilled mixing glass.  Fill with ice, stir for 18-25 seconds, then strain into a chilled coupe or martini glass. Garnish with an expressed lemon peel (an orange peel is nice too).

Question 25

Piña Colada

Answer 25

Blender:
2 oz white rum - chilled in the freezer, if possible.
¼-½ oz overproof Jamaican rum - optional
1 oz pineapple juice - or 5-6 fresh pineapple chunks
1 oz Coco López - or another Cream of Coconut
¼ oz lime juice
1½ cups ice

Combine all ingredients in a blender. Blend on high for about 10 seconds, or until ice is thoroughly blended. Pour into a collins or wine glass. Garnish with a pineapple wedge and cherry if you like, plus whatever else you want to throw on there. Serve with a wide-mouth straw.

No blender:

Simply reduce the Coco López and pineapple juice to ¾ oz (or 3-4 pineapple chunks), keep the lime and rum the same and I wouldn’t use any more than ¼ oz Jamaican rum, if you use any at all.

Question 26

Hemingway Daiquiri

Answer 26

2 oz white rum
¾ oz lime juice
½ oz grapefruit juice
½ oz maraschino
¼ oz cane syrup (or 2 teaspoons simple syrup)

Combine all ingredients in a shaker, if using raw sugar stir it with the citrus juice for 30 seconds first. Fill with ice and shake for 8-10 seconds and strain into a chilled coupe glass. Express the oils from a grapefruit peel, stir in with peel, and discard.

Question 27

Pimm’s Cup

Answer 27

1½ oz Pimm's
½ oz gin
½ oz lemon juice
½ oz simple syrup
3 cucumber discs - or ¼ oz cucumber juice, see below
1½ oz chilled soda water - or so 

In a shaker or mixing glass, muddle the cucumber slices with the simple syrup.
Add the Pimm’s, lemon juice, gin and fill with ice. Stir (yes, stir this one) and fine strain into a wine or highball glass over fresh ice.
Top with the soda water and briefly stir to integrate.
Garnish with a cucumber slice, mint sprig and whatever else you feel like - strawberries, orange slices, lemon wheels, assorted berries, what have you.

Question 28

Last Word

Answer 28

1 oz gin
1 oz Green Chartreuse
1 oz maraschino
½ oz lime juice
½ oz lemon juice

Combine all ingredients in a shaker, fill with ice. Shake for 12 seconds (a bit longer than normal) and strain into a chilled coupe glass. Garnish with a cherry, if desired.

Question 29

Jack Rose

Answer 29

2 oz apple brandy (preferably Laird’s 100 proof)
scant ½ oz lemon juice
scant ½ oz lime juice
¾ oz grenadine

Combine all ingredients in a shaker and fill with ice. Shake for about 8 seconds and strain into a chilled coupe or martini glass.

Question 30

Gibson and Dirty Gibson

Answer 30

2½ oz gin or vodka
¾ oz dry vermouth
teaspoon onion brine -  optional
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Combine all ingredients in a chilled mixing glass.  Fill with ice, stir for 18-25 seconds, strain into a chilled coupe or martini glass. Garnish with cocktail onions.

Dirty: same proportions as dirty Martini but with onion brine instead of olive brine.

Question 31

Gin Gin Mule / Ginger Rogers

Answer 31

2 oz gin
1 oz ginger syrup
¾ oz fresh lime juice
8-10 mint leaves
soda water
mint sprig and lime wheel for garnish (optional)

In a shaker, muddle the mint in ginger syrup, add remaining ingredients except for soda water, fill with ice, shake and strain into a highball glass or copper mug over fresh ice. Top with 1-2 ounces of soda water. Garnish with a mint sprig and lime wheel.

Question 32

White Lady

Answer 32

2 oz gin
1 oz Cointreau - on another high quality orange liqueur.
¾ oz lemon juice
½ oz simple syrup

Combine all ingredients in a shaker, fill with ice. Shake for 8-10 seconds and strain into a chilled coupe glass. Garnish with an expressed lemon peel.

Question 33

Hanky Panky

Answer 33

1½ oz gin
1½ oz sweet vermouth
¼ oz Fernet Branca
orange peel for garnish

Combine all ingredients in a chilled mixing glass. Fill with ice, stir for 15-25 seconds and strain into a chilled coupe of stemmed cocktail glass. Express the oils from the orange peel and garnish.

Question 34

Tommy’s Margarita

Answer 34

2 oz blanco tequila
¾ oz fresh lime juice
heavy ½ oz light agave syrup

Combine all ingredients in a shaker, fill with ice. Shake for 8-10 seconds and strain into a rocks glass over fresh ice that has been rimmed with salt (optional), or serve straight up if you prefer. No garnish necessary, though a lime wheel or wedge is common.

Question 35

Irish Coffee

Answer 35

2 oz Irish whiskey
½ oz rich demerara/brown sugar syrup, or 1 tablespoon demerara/brown sugar
4-5 oz hot coffee
lightly whipped cream

In a warmed mug, or Irish Coffee mug if you have one, combine the whiskey, sugar and coffee and briefly stir. Top with a float of lightly whipped cream, see below. Garnish with freshly grated cinnamon - use a cinnamon stick and microplane, or sprinkle with powdered cinnamon.

The Cream Float - For 1 Cocktail

2-3 oz heavy cream - the colder the better.
¼ -½ oz simple syrup or ½ -1 tablespoon powdered sugar - optional
2-3 dashes (⅛ teaspoon) vanilla extract - optional

Combine in a shaker and shake briskly, with no ice, for 6-8 seconds. You can do this ahead of time and chill it in the refrigerator. Colder cream sets better, and doesn’t bleed into the drink as easily. Gently pour the cream over a spoon with a wide end - like this one - until the cream covers the entire surface of the drink and is about an inch thick.

You can also prepare the cream in a mixing bowl or something similar - particularly if you’re extrapolating the recipe to serve a group. But for smaller rounds, a shaker really does work great. Both for whipping and pouring.

To amp up the temperature a few more degrees, use one of these methods before floating the cream:

microwave for 90 seconds or so.
Express the oils from the orange peel and discard, if using. Garnish with

OR

Combine all ingredients in a small pot, cover, and heat on the stove until bubbling. Pour into a mug and garnish.

OR

Combine bourbon, lemon juice and syrups in a mug and top with boiling water. Garnish.

Question 36

Bramble

Answer 36

2 oz gin
¾ oz lemon juice
¾ oz simple syrup
¼ oz creme de mure
blackberries for garnish

Combine the gin, lemon and simple syrup in a frozen rocks glass. Fill with crushed ice and stir, or just plunge the spoon to the bottom of the glass 5 or 6 times while twisting it. It doesn’t need much. Top with a little more crushed ice. Pour the mure into a jiggle and slowly pour it around the top of the drink, covering as much ground as possible. Let the mure trickle down on it’s own, don’t mix it in. Garnish with the blackberries and a straw.

Question 37

Silver Gin Fizz and Gin Fizz

Answer 37

2 oz gin
¾ oz lemon juice
¾ oz simple syrup
heavy ¼ oz egg white or about ⅓ of an egg white
chilled soda water

Combine gin, lemon, juice, simple syrup and egg white in a shaker and “dry shake” without ice first for about 6 seconds.
Add 2-3 ice cubes into highball glass (preferably 8 ounces or so).
Pour 1-2 ounces of soda water into glass.
Fill shaker with ice and shake very hard for 4-6 seconds.
Strain cocktail into glass.
Top with more soda, if needed/desired.
Express the oils of a lemon peel over the top and garnish with the peel.

Gin Fizz=just one simple shake and no egg

Question 38

Rum Old Fashioned

Answer 38

2 oz amber/dark rum, or rum blend of your choice
teaspoon demerara syrup - or another type of sugar
2 dashes Angostura bitters
1 dash orange bitters - optional
1 small dash baking spice bitters
orange and lime peel for garnish

Build in rocks glass

Question 39

Boulevardier and Old Pal

Answer 39

1½ oz bourbon (I prefer Rye)
1 oz sweet vermouth
1 oz Campari
orange peel - for garnish

Old Pal:

1½ oz rye
¾ oz dry vermouth
¾ oz Campari
lemon peel - for garnish

Question 40

Clover Club

Answer 40

1 ½ oz gin
½ oz dry vermouth
½ oz lemon juice
½ oz raspberry syrup or 3 raspberries plus ½ oz simple syrup, or to taste.
½ oz egg white (about ½ an egg white )

​
Combine all ingredients in a shaker, if using fresh raspberries muddle them first with the simple syrup. “Dry shake” without ice first for about 6 seconds. Then add ice and shake again very hard for 8-10 seconds. Strain into a chilled coupe glass, using a fine strainer if you muddled raspberries. Garnish with a raspberry.

You can skip the dry shake step if you have decent sized ice cubes - around 1 x 1 inches or from a common ice cube tray - and you shake like your life depends on it.​

Question 41

Vesper

Answer 41

2½ oz gin
¾ oz Lillet Blanc
½ oz vodka

Combine all ingredients in a chilled mixing glass. Fill with ice, stir for 18-25 seconds, and strain into a chilled coupe or martini glass. Garnish with an expressed lemon peel.