Category: Cocktails

There are (in general) 3 ways to “build” a cocktail – in a shaker, stirred in a mixing glass, and built directly in the glass they are going to be served in. Oh yeah, there’s a 4th way – in a blender (more on that when we make Frose). Anyway, the Old Fashioned is the classic “built in a glass” cocktail, this is an agave spirit (e.g. Tequila or Mezcal) variation on it. Enjoy. Credit where credit is due: https://www.liquor.com/recipes/the-zapatero/

Ingredients

• 1.5 oz of Mezcal or Tequila
• 0.5 oz of Bourbon
• 2 bar spoons or Orgeat (Almond) Syrup (substitute simple syrup as needed)
• 1 dash Angosturga bitters
• 1 dash chocolate bitters
• Garnish: orange peel, cocktail cherry, grated cinnamon

Add the spirits, syrup, and bitters to a rocks glass that is filled with ice. Stir until well chilled, garnish with a strip of orange peel, a cocktail cherry, and a sprinkling of grated cinnamon (use a cinnamon stick, grate w/ a microplane grater)

Add 2 oz. of rye, 1 oz. of lemon juice, 1 oz. of simple syrup, and a lot of ice to a mixing tin/cocktail shaker/glass. Close the container and shake for 30 seconds (until the outside of the tin is frosty). Strain into a rocks glass over ice. Pour 1/2 oz. of red wine over the back of spoon – this lets you “float” the red wine on top of the cocktail. Use a drinkable, fruity, red wine (like Malbec). Garnish with a lemon wedge and serve. When you drink this you should stir the wine in so you don’t drink it all of it at once.

Enjoy!

The Negroni, and its sister/variation the Boulevardier, is (are?) my favorite cocktails. It is simple, easy, and boozy (like me?). The ingredients are equal parts (typically 1 oz of each) of gin (or rye (or bourbon) for a Boulevardier, Campari, and sweet (red) vermouth. You can choose the gin (or rye/bourbon) that you like – experiment with different spirits! Same is true for the vermouth and even the Campari (sub out another bitter liqueur (amaro) like Amaro Montenegro. You can also play w/ the proportions – want a more bitter drink? Add more Campari. Sweeter? More vermouth.

To make the drink: pour the spirits into a mixing glass (or whatever), add a ton of ice and stir for 30 seconds until well chilled. You don’t want to shake a cocktail that only contains alcohol-containing ingredients – you’re trying to avoid shards of ice here. Pour into a cocktail glass – you can serve it up or on (big) rocks. Garnish with a strip of lemon or orange peel. Enjoy!