Cocktail Concoctions & Connections

The Classic Bourbon (Joe) Rickey

1.5 ounces Bourbon
Juice of 1/2 lime
Club Soda
Lime Wheel garnish

Fill a highball glass with cracked ice. Squeeze the lime half over the ice and drop the lime in. Add the bourbon and top with club soda. Stir to combine. Note that other Rickey family members can be created by changing up the base spirit. Use gin for a Gin Rickey; rum for a Johnny Rickey; or add a touch of maple syrup to the Joe Rickey for an Autumn Rickey.

The Mai Tai

1 ounce lime juice
0.5 ounce Orange Curaçao
0.25 ounce Orgeat Syrup
0.25 ounce 1:1 Simple Syrup
1 ounce aged Jamaican Rum
1 ounce aged Martinique Agricole Rhum

Shake all the ingredients with ice and pour into a double rocks glass. Top with more crushed ice and garnish with mint and a lime wheel or other creative fruity decorations. Note that the difference between a rum and a rhum is more than mere spelling. Rum is produced from molasses and rhum is distilled from fresh-pressed sugar cane juice. Your Mai Tai can be adjusted to include rums and rhums of your own particular taste.

The Manhattan

2 ounces Rye Whiskey
1 ounce Sweet Vermouth
2-3 dashes of aromatic bitters
Cherry garnish

Pour Rye, Sweet Vermouth and bitters into a mixing glass with ice. Stir well and strain into a chilled coupe glass. Garnish with a cherry. If you reduce the Sweet Vermouth to 0.5 ounce and add 0.5 ounce of Dry Vermouth, you will have what is called a “Perfect” Manhattan.

Da Bronx

2 ounces Gin
1 ounce Orange Juice
0.5 ounce Sweet Vermouth
0.5 ounce Dry Vermouth
Optional dash of orange bitters
Orange slice or twist garnish

Add ingredients to a shaker with ice. Shake well and strain into a chilled martini glass. Garnish with the orange slice or twist.

The Brooklyn

2 ounces Rye Whiskey
1 ounce Dry Vermouth
0.25 ounce Maraschino Liqueur 
0.25 ounce Amer Picon
Cherry garnish

Combine all the ingredients in a mixing glass with ice. Stir well and strain into a chilled coupe glass. Garnish with the cherry. Because the Amer Picon amaro is very hard to get in the US, bartenders have come up with several suggested replacements. In lieu of the Amer Picon, consider several dashes of orange and aromatic bitters, or another amaro such as Cio Ciaro, Ramazzotti, or Montenegro.

The Queens

2 ounces Gin
1 ounce Pineapple Juice
0.75 ounce Sweet Vermouth
0.5 ounce Dry Vermouth
Pineapple wedge or lemon twist garnish

Pour ingredients into a shaker with ice. Shake well and strain into a martini glass. Garnish with the pineapple wedge of lemon twist.

The Staten Island Ferry

2 ounces Coconut Rum
4 ounces Pineapple Juice
Pineapple wedge or fruit of choice garnish

Put ingredients in a shaker with ice. Shake well and strain over ice filled tulip or highball glass. Garnish with fruit.

The Greenpoint

2 ounces Rye Whiskey
0.5 ounce Yellow Chartreuse
0.75 ounce Sweet Vermouth
2 dashes of aromatic and orange bitters
orange twist garnish

Combine all the ingredients in a mixing glass with ice. Stir well and strain into a chilled coupe glass. Garnish with orange twist.

The Last Word

0.75 ounces Gin
0.75 ounces Green Chartreuse
0.75 ounces Maraschino
0.75 ounces Lime Juice
cherry and lime garnish

Combine all the ingredients in a mixing glass with ice. Stir well and strain into a chilled coupe glass. Garnish with orange twist.

The Passion Old Fashioned

2 ounces Kentucky Bourbon
0.5 ounces Cointreau
1 tsp Cardamon Clove Syrup
Dashes of Orange and Aromatic Bitters
Cherry and Charred Orange Peel Garnish

Combine ingredients in a mixing glass with ice. Stir and strain into rocks glass with 1 large cube. Garnish with cherries and a charred orange peel.

The Wisconsin Brandy Old Fashioned

2.5 ounces Brandy
1 sugar cube or tsp fine sugar
2 dashes of aromatic bitters
2 orange slices
2-3 Maraschino Cherries
Wash of choice (7-Up, Squirt, Club Soda)

Add 1 cherry, 1 orange slice, sugar and bitters to rocks glass. Muddle gently. Add ice and Brandy. Top with wash of choice. Garnish with remaining cherries and orange slice.

The Milano-Torino (Mi-To)

2 ounces Campari
2 ounces Sweet Vermouth
Garnish: orange slice

Pour the Campari and Sweet Vermouth into an ice-filled highball glass, stir and garnish.

The Americano

1.5 ounces Campari
1.5 ounces Sweet Vermouth
Club soda, to top
Garnish: orange twist

Fill a highball glass with ice, then add the Campari and sweet vermouth. Top with the club soda and stir gently to combine. Garnish with an orange twist.

The Negroni

1 ounce gin
1 ounce Campari
1 ounce sweet vermouth
Garnish: orange peel or slice

Add the gin, Campari and sweet vermouth to a mixing glass filled with ice, and stir until well-chilled. Strain into a rocks glass filled with large ice cubes. Garnish with an orange peel.

The Stone Fence

2 ounces dark or amber rum
hard cider 
apple slice or wedge for garnish (optional)

Fill a tall (Collins) glass halfway with ice cubes. Add the rum. Fill to the top with hard cider. Give it a gentle stir to mix. Add an apple slice or wedge for garnish.

Fish House Punch

0.75 ounce dark rum
0.75 ounce Cognac
0.75 ounce peach brandy
0.5 ounce Simple Syrup
0.25 ounce fresh lime juice
0.25 ounce fresh lemon juice
lime and lemon slices for garnish

Fill a cocktail shaker with ice. Add all of the remaining ingredients except the garnish. Shake well; strain into an ice-filled rocks glass. Garnish with the lime slice and lemon slices.

The Flip (Crambambull, Hotch Pot, Bellow Stop, Yard of Flannel)

12 ounces brown ale (or other dark beer of choice)
2 ounces dark rum (or brandy)
1 ounce molasses
1 whole egg
grated nutmeg for garnish

Pour the ale into a saucepan and heat over low to medium low heat until warm and steaming, not boiling. In another container, combine the rum, molasses, and egg and beat vigorously with a fork or whisk until frothy looking. Pour the beer into the rum and egg mixture in a slow steady stream, beating with a fork the whole time to prevent the egg from heating too quickly. Serve in a large mug (or two smaller mugs) and garnish with a sprinkle of nutmeg. 

The Rattle-Skull

1 ounce Rum
1 ounce Brandy
0.75 ounce lime juice
0.5 ounce brown sugar syrup
Bottle of Porter beer

In a chilled pint glass, combine rum, brandy, lime juice and syrup. Add a little bit of beer and lightly stir to incorporate. Top with remaining beer. Garnish with nutmeg.

Mojito

0.5 ounce simple syrup or another sweetener
Fresh mint
2 ounces white or aged rum
0.75 ounce fresh lime juice
Club Soda

Muddle sweetener and several mint leaves in a cocktail shaker. Add rum and lime juice. Fill shaker with ice, cover, and shake vigor. Strain into a tall Collins glass filled with ice. Top off with club soda; garnish with lime and mint.

Cuba Libre

½ lime
2 ounces light rum, preferably Cuban
4 ounces Coca-Cola

Squeeze the juice of the half a lime into a Collins glass or highball glass. Add ice cubes and pour the rum into the glass. Fill with the cola and gently stir. Garnish with more lime.

Papa Doble Daiquiri

3 ounces white rum
0.5 ounce maraschino liqueur
0.5 ounce grapefruit juice (fresh)
0.75 ounce lime juice (fresh)
Optional: 0.25 ounce simple syrup
Garnish: lime wheel lime

Pour the rum, maraschino liqueur, and grapefruit and lime juices into a shaker with ice. Add the simple syrup if desired. Shake well. Strain into a chilled cocktail glass. Garnish with a lime wheel. 

Modern Sazerac

2.5 ounces Rye Whiskey
0.5 oounce Simple Syrup
4 dashes of Peychaud’s Bitters
2 dashes of Angostura Bitters
0.5 ounce Absinthe Rinse
Lemon Peels

Chill cocktail glass with ice. Pour absinthe in the glass, swirl to coat.

Muddle in a mixing glass: Lemon peel, 2 dashes of Angostura bitters, 4 dashes of Peychauds bitters, and either 1 sugar cube, 0.5 oz of simple syrup, or 0.5 tsp of sugar (I used brown sugar). Add 2.5 oz of Rye and ice and stir. Discard ice from the absinthe-rinsed cocktail glass. Strain mixture into glass. Squeeze a lemon peel over the top and add as garnish.

Peychaud’s Original

2.5 ounces Cognac
0.5 ounce Simple Syrup
4 dashes of Peychaud’s Bitters
Lemon Peel

Combine the Cognac, Simple Syrup and bitters in an ice filled mixing glass. Stir well and strain into a cocktail glass. Garnish with lemon.

Boulevardier

1.5 ounces Bourbon
1 ounce Sweet Vermouth
1 ounce Campari

Stir with ice and strain over 1 large ice cube. Garnish with an orange wedge.

Old Pal

1.5 ounces Rye
1 ounce Dry Vermouth
1 ounce Campari

Stir with ice and strain over 1 large ice cube. Garnish with a lemon peel.

Corpse Reviver #2

Absinthe wash
1 ounce Gin
1 ounce Cointreau
1 ounce Lillet
1 ounce Lemon Juice

Wash glass with absinthe. Stir other contents with ice. Strain and pour into Martini glass. Garnish with lemon twist.

Sidecar

2 ounces Cognac
1.5 ounces Cointreau
1 ounce lemon juice

Shake all the ingredients in a cocktail shaker with ice. Strain into a chilled, sugar-rimmed Martini glass. Garnish with orange slice.

Monkey Gland

A dash of absinthe
2 ounces gin
1 ounce fresh orange juice
¼ ounce grenadine
Orange peel twist

Coat the inside of a chilled cocktail glass, like a coupe or Martini glass, with a dash of absinthe and pour out any surplus liquid. Pour the gin, orange juice, and grenadine into a cocktail shaker with ice cubes and shake until chilled. Use a cocktail strainer to pour the drink into your absinthe-coated glass. Garnish with an orange peel twist.

White Lady

2 ounces dry gin
½ ounce Cointreau or orange liqueur
½ ounce fresh lemon juice
1 egg white

Pour the ingredients into an ice filled shaker and shake until chilled. Strain into a chilled coupe glass or a similar stemmed cocktail glass. Garnish with a lemon twist.