INGREDIENTS:

• 4 Large mint leaves
• Juice of half a small lime
• 1 Tbsp Agave nectar
• 4 oz Seedless watermelon
• 1.5 oz Bacardi Rum

Garnish: Lemon twist.

Glass: Rocks

PREPARATION:

In a shaker muddle the mint leaves, lime juice, agave nectar and watermelon. Add the rum and fill with ice. Shake and strain into a rocks glass and garnish with a lemon twist.

TYPE OF VEEV AVAILABLE:

VeeV Açaí Spirit

HOW YOU SHOULD DRINK IT:

• Straight
• It can be used in many cocktails that are traditionally made with vodka or white rum.

Fast Facts:

• VeeV is the world’s first Açaí spirit.
• It is also the only certified carbon neutral spirits company in the world.
• The brand donates $1 to the Rainforest Preservation for every bottle sold.

France and California are sworn enemies when it comes to wine. But in the kitchen of San Francisco’s famed restaurant Jardinière, they not only get along but also actually work together. The chief negotiator behind this truce is James Beard Award-winning chef Traci des Jardins. Since her establishment opened in 1997, des Jardins has won acclaim for her delicious hybrid of the two cuisines.

This dual citizenship of course extends to the restaurant’s impressive wine list, but Jardinière has also been on the leading edge of San Francisco’s mixology scene. Some of the city’s finest bartenders have worked there, including Thad Vogler and current bar manager Brian MacGregor. So it should come as no surprise that the chef is also into cocktails and spirits.

“My standard is a Margarita,” says des Jardins. And her test for new bartenders is to see how well they can mix up the drink. “It makes them somewhat nervous,” she admits. Her home bar is naturally stocked with a selection of tequilas, like Ocho Plata, Partida Blanco and 7 Leguas Reposado. “I realized there was a whole other world that didn’t involve Jose Cuervo,” she says.

The chef is also “pleasantly surprised at how food-friendly tequila is.” Not convinced? Try her delicious Black Mission fig and blistered padrón pepper salad with MacGregor’s spicy watermelon-and-tequila Coa Fresca. The pairing may just inspire you to find some inner peace.

Black Mission Fig and Padrón Pepper Salad

Contributed by Traci des Jardins

INGREDIENTS:

• 3 tablespoons Sherry vinegar
• 1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
• .33 cup Extra-virgin olive oil
• Salt and pepper
• 8 Black Mission figs, halved
• 1 bunch Arugula, washed and de-stemmed
• 8 Mint leaves, torn in half
• 1 bunch Chives, minced
• 24 to 30 Padrón peppers
• Garnish: .25 cup Chopped toasted almonds

PREPARATION:

Whisk together the sherry and mustard in a bowl and slowly add the olive oil while whisking. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Combine the figs, arugula, mint and chives in a separate large bowl, dress with the vinaigrette and season to taste with salt and pepper. Sauté the peppers in a medium pan over high heat until slightly blistered. Add the peppers to the bowl and toss to combine. Arrange salad on four individual plates and garnish with the chopped almonds.

Coa Fresca

Contributed by Brian MacGregor

INGREDIENTS:

• 3 Watermelon chunks
• 1.5 oz Blanco tequila
• .5 oz Martinique sugar cane syrup
• .75 oz Lime juice
• Dash Thai Chile Tincture*
• Glass: Bucket

PREPARATION:

Muddle the watermelon in a shaker. Add the remaining ingredients and fill with ice. Shake, and strain into a bucket glass filled with fresh ice.

*Thai Chile Tincture

Place a handful of hot chile peppers in a mason jar and fill with Wray & Nephew White Overproof Rum. Seal the jar and let stand four days. Strain into a clean bottle.

(Images courtesy of images©2010frankenyimages.com)

INGREDIENTS:

• 2 oz 1738 Accord Royal Rémy Martin Cognac
• 1.5 oz Sancerre or sauvignon blanc wine
• .5 oz Simple syrup (one part sugar, one part water)
• 2 oz Club soda
• 6 Green grapes

Garnish: Green grapes

Glass: Tall

PREPARATION:

Muddle the grapes and simple syrup in the bottom of a shaker. Add the cognac, wine and ice. Shake and then strain the drink into a tall glass filled with fresh ice. Top with club soda and garnish with grapes.

TYPES OF BUFFALO TRACE AVAILABLE:

Buffalo Trace Kentucky Straight Bourbon Whiskey
Buffalo Trace White Dog Mash #1

HOW YOU SHOULD DRINK IT:

• Straight
• On the rocks
• With a bit of water
• With club soda
• With ginger ale
• In cocktails (Mint Julep, Old Fashioned, Presbyterian, Horse’s Neck, Ward Eight, Brown Derby)

FAST FACTS:

• While the company has been making bourbon for over 140 years, the Buffalo Trace brand was introduced in 1999 and the distillery was renamed.
• While the still house doesn’t have any computers there are three different types of stills.

INGREDIENTS:

• 4 Fresh cilantro sprigs
• 2.5 oz Water
• 1 oz Lemon juice
• 1 oz Simple syrup (one part sugar, one part water)

Glass: Rocks

PREPARATION:

In a rocks glass, muddle the four sprigs of cilantro. Fill the glass three-quarters with ice. Top with the water, lemon juice and simple syrup. Stir. If you’re not a fan of cilantro try the recipe with mint, basil or any soft herb.

The dog days of summer are almost over. But between long weekends and vacations, it’s been a busy four weeks. So just in case you’ve missed anything, here are some of Liquor.com’s best cocktails and spirits features from the past month.

The Hot List:

Coconut water has made the jump from health-food-store specialty item to supermarket best-seller. Sure, it’s full of electrolytes and potassium and has no fat, but how do you make cocktails with it? Find out how bartenders are using the healthy ingredient in drinks.

One for the Road:

While trendy new boutique hotels get a lot of attention for their cocktail menus, some of the best hotel bars are actually in historic establishments. From New York to San Francisco, our story features seven of the best old-school watering holes.

Behind the Drink:

Drink like Ernest Hemingway: Read rum expert Wayne Curtis’ fascinating history of Papa’s signature cocktail, the Hemingway Daiquiri.

Raising the Bar:

On most nights, you can find Ryan Fitzgerald behind the bar at Beretta, San Francisco’s famed Mission District restaurant. He’s won acclaim for his cocktails and has developed a reputation as a bartender’s bartender. Find out more about him in this profile written by mixologist Alex Day.

Summer Whiskey Cocktails:

While it’s common to warm up on a brisk fall day with a dram of whiskey, the spirit also works well in cool, summery cocktails. We asked master mixologist and Liquor.com advisor Dale DeGroff for a couple of his favorite hot-weather whiskey drink recipes.

(Image courtesy of Historic Photos of Ernest Hemingway, Turner Publishing)

INGREDIENTS:

• 1 oz Bombay Sapphire Gin
• 2-3 oz Pomegranate juice
• 2 oz Brut champagne

Glass: Flute or coupe

PREPARATION:

Add the gin and the pomegranate juice to a cocktail shaker and fill with ice. Shake until well-chilled. Strain into a chilled flute or small coupe. Top with the champagne.

TYPES OF CAMPARI AVAILABLE:

Campari

HOW YOU SHOULD DRINK IT:

• On the rocks
• With club soda
• In cocktails (Americano, Negroni)

FAST FACTS:

• Every year Campari sells 2.9 million cases in over 190 countries.
• The spirit is flavored with a secret combination of herbs, spices and fruit peels.

TYPES OF STOLI AVAILABLE:

Stolichnaya 80 proof
Stolichnaya 80 proof (Kistal)
Stolichnaya Gold
Stolichnaya 100
Stolichnaya Elit
Stoli Blackberi
Stoli Blueberi
Stoli Citros
Stoli Ccranberi
Stoli Ohranj
Stoli Peachik
Stoli Razberi
Stoli Strasberi
Stoli Vanil

HOW YOU SHOULD DRINK IT:

• Straight
• In cocktails (Martini, Gimlet, Vesper, Screwdriver, Bloody Mary, Cape Cod, Greyhound, Madras, Moscow Mule, White Russian)

FAST FACTS:

• Stoli was the first brand to sell flavored and super-premium vodkas in America.
• In the 1970s the brand was imported to the United States by Pepsi, which was able to sell its soda in the Soviet Union.

How do you drink all afternoon and not keel over? Sure, there are lots of strategies and theories that promise to increase your tolerance, but the real answer can be found in your glass. Let us introduce you to the elegant Spritz: This traditional Continental low-alcohol cocktail is perfect for a leisurely late-summer party.

“It’s designed to be an aperitivo,” says Dushan Zaric, a Liquor.com advisor and co-owner of popular New York City bars Employees Only and Macao Trading Co. “So you can have two or three without getting blasted.” The refreshing drink combines liqueur and sparkling wine with a good slug of club soda. (Zaric recommends using liqueurs that aren’t particularly strong, around 40- or 50-proof, rather than stronger 80-proof liqueurs, whose flavors can be overwhelming in a Spritz.)

To help you get started, Zaric shared with us a pair of excellent Spritz recipes from his forthcoming book Speakeasy: The Employees Only Guide to Classic Cocktails Reimagined, which he wrote with his longtime business partner Jason Kosmas. (The book comes out in early October, but you can pre-order it now.) Mix up the classic Aperol Spritz (pictured above), which has soft bitter-orange and rhubarb flavors, or the bold and assertive Campari Spritz, whose herbaceous flavors Zaric likes to pair with antipasti including mozzarella, olives and prosciutto di Parma. Now that sounds like a party.

Aperol Spritz

Contributed by Dushan Zaric and Jason Kosmas

INGREDIENTS:

• 4.5 oz Brut prosecco
• 2.5 oz Aperol
• 1 oz Club soda
• Garnish: Lime wheel
• Glass: Collins

PREPARATION:

Pour the prosecco into a Collins glass filled with ice. Add the Aperol and lime wheel, and top with club soda.

Campari Spritz

Contributed by Dushan Zaric and Jason Kosmas

INGREDIENTS:

• 2 oz Brut prosecco
• 1 oz Club soda
• 2 oz Campari
• Garnish: Large green olive
• Glass: Rocks

PREPARATION:

Pour the prosecco into a rocks glass filled with ice. Add the club soda, followed by the Campari. Stir gently and garnish with an olive.

INGREDIENTS:

• 1.5 oz Bols Genever
• .75 oz Benedictine
• .75 oz Yellow Chartreuse
• .75 oz Lemon juice

Glass: Large cocktail

PREPARATION:

Add all the ingredients to a shaker and fill with ice. Shake hard and strain into a chilled large cocktail glass.

INGREDIENTS:

• Tangerine, peeled
• 2 oz Cabo Wabo Reposado Tequila

Garnish: Kaffir lime leaf

Glass: Highball

PREPARATION:

Muddle a peeled tangerine in a shaker. Add tequila and ice. Shake 20 times and strain into a highball glass filled with fresh ice. Garnish with kaffir lime leaf.

TYPES OF EVAN WILLIAMS AVAILABLE:

Evan Williams Red Label (available outside the US)
Evan Williams Blue Label (available at the visitor center)
Evan Williams Green Label
Evan Williams White Label
Evan Williams Black Label
Evan Williams Honey Reserve
Evan Williams Single Barrel Vintage
Evan Williams Egg Nog
Evan Williams 1783
Evan Williams Single Barrel 2000

HOW YOU SHOULD DRINK IT:

• Straight
• On the rocks
• With a bit of water
• With club soda
• With ginger ale
• In cocktails (Mint Julep, Old Fashioned, Presbyterian, Horse’s Neck, Ward Eight, Brown Derby)

FAST FACTS:

• Evan Williams is the second most popular Kentucky straight bourbon in the US.
• On the brand’s website (www.evanwilliams.com) is an archive of print advertisements going back to the 1970’s, including some from the “Get Older. Get Better. Get Evan Williams.” campaign.
• Evan Williams has an online store selling a range of branded products, including a pocket knife and a hot sauce.
• Evan Williams was Kentucky’s first distiller. He started making whiskey back in 1783.

They are your go-to source for the best new bourbon, the perfectly mixed Martini and the down-low on the intriguing character at the end of the bar. But wouldn’t you like to know where bartenders go to drink, where they hang out in the wee hours after their shifts end? Wonder no more, dear reader. We consulted some trusted industry contacts—Simon Ford, Liquor.com contributor and award-winning bartender; Jacques Bezuidenhout, tequila expert and mixologist; and Damian Windsor, who tends bar at LA’s renowned Roger Room—to compile a list of bartender-approved watering holes across the country.

Daddy-O, 44 Bedford Street, New York, 212 414 8884:

On many nights this cozy Greenwich Village bar turns into a party for bartenders who work around New York City. A relative newcomer to the neighborhood, it’s got a timeless charm with a long, comfy banquette, a dark wood bar and a great selection of top-shelf spirits.
What to Drink: Sloe Gin Fizz (Plymouth Gin, Plymouth Sloe Gin, lemon juice, simple syrup, egg white, club soda)

Downtown Cocktail Room, 111 Las Vegas Boulevard South, Las Vegas, 702 880 3696:

The Downtown Cocktail Room is a speakeasy-style bar in a city not known for its subtlety. It’s off the Strip, but bartenders are happy to make the journey, since the Room is one of the few places you can get a well-made drink in Vegas.
What to Drink: Downtown Dill Bloody Mary (house-made dill Bloody Mary mix, Plymouth Gin, cucumber)

The Passenger, 1021 Seventh Street Northwest, Washington, D.C., 202 393 0220:

Bartending brothers Derek and Tom Brown run this not-quite-a-year-old hotspot. Fellow barkeeps might appreciate the absence of a menu—all drinks are made to order—and the Columbia Room, a special “cocktail club and laboratory” for students of the art of mixology.
What to Drink: Gran Clasico Negroni (Old Raj Gin, Gran Classico Bitter, Carpano Antica Formula Vermouth)

R Bar, 1176 Sutter Street, San Francisco, 415 567 7441:

After a long night behind the stick, San Francisco mixologists retire to the R Bar. While the establishment stocks many spirits and the cocktails are great, the house drink is a simple glass of bitter Fernet-Branca. The intensely herbaceous Italian liqueur is a favorite among the city’s bartenders.
What to Drink: Fernet-Branca

The Summit Bar, 133 Avenue C, New York:

Run by two bar-and-restaurant veterans, Greg Seider and Hamid Rashidzada, The Summit has quickly established itself as a hangout for the East Village’s many mixologists. It draws others from farther afield with its inventive creations.
What to Drink: Breaking the Law (Ilegal Mezcal Reposado, Dimmi, lime juice, chipotle chile agave syrup, orange bitters, cucumber)

Tony’s Saloon, 2017 East 7th Street, Los Angeles, 213 622 5523:

With its Raymond Chandler looks, sophisticated cocktails and big liquor selection, this historic downtown bar (pictured above) would appeal to any drinks lover. You’ll find your local bartenders here for pingpong on the last Tuesday of each month.
What to Drink: Old Fashioned (bourbon, sugar cube, bitters, orange peel)

TYPES OF CRUZAN RUM AVAILABLE:

Cruzan Banana Rum
Cruzan Black Cherry Rum
Cruzan Citrus Rum
Cruzan Coconut Rum
Cruzan Guava Rum
Cruzan Mango Rum
Cruzan Pineapple Rum
Cruzan Raspberry Rum
Cruzan Rum Cream
Cruzan Vanilla Rum
Cruzan Aged Light Rum
Cruzan Aged Dark Rum
Cruzan Single Barrel Rum
Cruzan 151° Rum
Cruzan Black Strap Rum
Cruzan 9

HOW YOU SHOULD DRINK IT:

• Straight
• With cola
• In cocktails (Mojito, Pina Colada, Dark and Stormy, Daiquiri, Mai Tai, Planter’s Punch, Zombie)

FAST FACTS:

• Master distiller Gary Nelthropp’s family has lived in St. Croix for eight generations. He is the third generation of Nelthropp’s to be running the distillery.
• The brand claims to have created the industry’s first single-barrel rum.

INGREDIENTS:

• 1.5 oz Hibiki 12-Year-Old Whisky
• 1 tsp Sweet vermouth
• .25 oz Cherry brandy

Garnish: Maraschino cherry

Glass: Martini

PREPARATION:

Shake all the ingredients with ice. Strain into a chilled Martini glass and garnish with a maraschino cherry.

This recipe was originally published in Japanese Cocktails.

TYPES OF ESPOLON AVAILABLE:

Espolón Tequila Blanco
Espolón Tequila Reposado

HOW YOU SHOULD DRINK IT:

• Straight
• With a Sangrita
• In cocktails (Margarita, Paloma, Bloody Maria)

FAST FACTS:

• Espolón is produced at the San Nicolas Distillery in the Los Altos region of Jalisco, Mexico.
• The tequila brand was created in 1998 and was first exported to the United States in 2000. After a three-year hiatus the spirit was recently reintroduced to the US market.

INGREDIENTS:

• 1.5 oz Dubonnet Rouge
• .5 oz Grand Marnier
• 1 oz Fresh blood orange juice

Garnish: Orange slice

Glass: 5 oz Martini

PREPARATION:

Add all the ingredients to a shaker and fill with ice. Shake well and strain into a chilled Martini glass. Garnish with an orange slice.

Already schooled in the heart-healthy virtues of pomegranate juice, the antioxidant power of açai berries and the lower glycemic index of agave nectar, mixologists have turned their attention to the next hip super-ingredient: coconut water. Not to be confused with the rich cream of coconut that you’ve enjoyed in a Piña Colada, which is made by adding thickeners and sugar to coconut milk, coconut water comes from young, green coconuts and is actually good for you. A tall, cool glass of it has zero fat and just 60 calories, and is full of electrolytes and potassium, making it the sip du jour among hardbody celebs like Madonna and Demi Moore.

It also works well in cocktails. Todd Thrasher, bartender at Restaurant Eve in Alexandria, Va., discovered coconut water while visiting El Salvador about six years ago. Since then, he has created several original cocktails using the ingredient, even harvesting his own coconut water from green coconuts behind the bar. “The flavor of coconut water is really delicate. It’s something you don’t want to hide,” says Thrasher, who tends to mix it with white spirits. Try his refreshing Tum Yummy Swizzle, which combines coconut water with vodka, ginger liqueur and lemongrass.

While coconut water is just now getting popular in the US, it’s the number-one non-alcoholic beverage in Brazil (other than water), according to Steve Luttmann, founder of Leblon Cachaça. And the South American country’s number-one liquor is, of course, cachaça, making the two perfect partners in an innovative Caipirinha (pictured above).

Few of us can hope to party with Demi Moore and Madonna, but with coconut-water cocktails, at least we can drink like them.

Leblon Coco Caipirinha

Contributed by Leblon Cachaça

INGREDIENTS:

• Half a lime, cut into wedges
• 2 tsp. Superfine sugar
• 2 oz Leblon Cachaça
• Vita Coco 100% Pure Coconut Water
• Garnish: Lime wheel
• Glass: Old fashioned

PREPARATION:

Muddle the lime and sugar in a shaker. Add the Leblon Cachaça, fill with ice and shake well. Pour, unstrained, into an old fashioned glass and top with Vita Coco. Garnish with a lime wheel.

Tum Yummy Swizzle

Contributed by Todd Thrasher

INGREDIENTS:

• 1 oz 42Below Vodka
• .5 oz Domaine de Canton
• 3.5 oz Coconut water mix*
• Garnish: Crushed candied ginger
• Glass: Highball

PREPARATION:

Add all the ingredients to a highball glass filled with crushed ice and swizzle. Garnish with a sprinkle of crushed candied ginger.

*Coconut Water Mix

INGREDIENTS:

• 1 quart Coconut water
• 1 cup Coconut milk (unsweetened)
• 4 oz Agave nectar
• .25 cup Grated fresh ginger
• 2 Lemongrass stalks, chopped
• 10 Kaffir lime leaves

PREPARATION:

Bring the coconut water and milk to a boil in a medium saucepan over high heat. Add the agave nectar, stir until dissolved and reduce heat to medium-low. Add the remaining ingredients and simmer for 15 minutes. Remove from heat, allow to cool completely and strain through a fine sieve. Store in the refrigerator for up to 2 days.

INGREDIENTS:

• 2 oz Charbay Meyer Lemon Vodka
• 1 oz Fresh lemon juice
• .5 oz Simple syrup (one part sugar, one part water)
• 3 Finger pinch fresh mint
• Splash club soda

Glass: Cocktail

PREPARATION:

Pour all the ingredients, except the club soda, into a shaker. Add large, cold ice and shake vigorously. Open the shaker and add a splash of club soda. Strain the drink into a chilled cocktail glass.

TYPES OF DRAMBUIE AVAILABLE:

Drambuie

HOW YOU SHOULD DRINK IT:

• Straight
• On the rocks
• With club soda
• In cocktails (Rusty Nail)

FAST FACTS:

• The Drambuie recipe was created for Bonnie Prince Charlie, who led a Scottish uprising against the British crown in the 1740s.
• The liqueur is made up of a blend of herbs, spices, Scottish heather honey and both Highland and Speyside malts. The exact recipe is a secret.

Just about every new high-end resort and sleek boutique hotel touts its menu of signature cocktails and extra-large liquor selection. But many of the best hotel bars are actually in some of the country’s most venerable establishments. Get a true taste of history at these storied watering holes.

Bar Marmont, Chateau Marmont, 8171 West Sunset Boulevard, Hollywood, Calif., 323 650 0575:

Chateau Marmont has long been a playground for Hollywood’s elite, and the Bar Marmont is no exception. Over the years it’s had many lives, including as a glam-rock club in the 1970s and as home to the fabulous French eatery La Toque in the ‘80s. These days, the cocktails are just as top-notch as the clientele.

What to Drink: Sun Goddess (Belvedere Vodka, Lillet, lemon juice, grapes, mint)

Harry Denton’s Starlight Room, Sir Francis Drake Hotel, 450 Powell Street, San Francisco, Calif., 415 395 8595:

Just off Union Square, past the Beefeater doorman and up 21 floors to the top of the regal Sir Francis Drake Hotel is this swingin’ venue. The San Francisco institution is named after its one-of-a-kind host and offers 360-degree views and classic cocktails.

What to Drink: Harry’s Martini (Tanqueray No. Ten Gin, St-Germain, dry vermouth, orange juice)

J-Bar, Hotel Jerome, 330 East Main Street, Aspen, Colo., 970 920 1000:

Open since Colorado’s silver-mining boom in the late 1800s, J-Bar was converted into a soda fountain during Prohibition, but that didn’t stop the liquor from flowing—the drinks just became a little more creative. Enter the Aspen Crud, basically a bourbon milkshake. The refurbished saloon is now a celebrity hangout.

What to Drink: Aspen Crud (house-made French vanilla ice cream, bourbon)

King Cole Bar, The St. Regis, 2 East 55th Street, New York, 212 339 6857:

Small, sedate and exuding the understated opulence of classic New York, the King Cole Bar is known for its fine cocktails and huge Maxfield Parrish mural (pictured above) depicting, of course, Old King Cole. The hotel is also where, according to legend, the Red Snapper, cousin of the Bloody Mary, was perfected.

What to Drink: Red Snapper (Belvedere Vodka, tomato juice, lemon juice, spices)

Oak Bar, The Hermitage Hotel, 231 Sixth Avenue North, Nashville, Tenn., 615 345 7116:

Named after Andrew Jackson’s estate, The Hermitage Hotel opened in 1910. Its gentlemanly Oak Bar, a study in dark wood and leather, has long been a favorite of Nashville natives and well-to-do visitors.

What to Drink: Tennessee Two-Step (George Dickel Tennessee Whisky No. 12, Gentleman Jack Rare Tennessee Whiskey)

Round Robin & Scotch Bar, Willard InterContinental, 1401 Pennsylvania Avenue Northwest, Washington, D.C., 202 637 3748:

This power brokers’ favorite is more than 150 years old and has hosted everyone, including Mark Twain and Walt Whitman. But it was homesick, bourbon-loving Senator Henry Clay of Kentucky who muddled the bar’s first Mint Julep—now its signature cocktail.

What to Drink: Southern Style Mint Julep (Maker’s Mark Bourbon, sugar, mint, branch water)

Sazerac Bar, The Roosevelt New Orleans, 123 Baronne Street, New Orleans, 504 648 1200:

This legendary New Orleans bar was once the regular haunt of Governor Huey P. Long, who had a suite on the 12th floor of the hotel. The Roosevelt recently underwent a $170-million renovation, and the Sazerac Bar looks as stunning as it did in 1923 when it opened.

What to Drink: Sazerac (Sazerac Rye Whiskey, Peychaud’s Bitters, Herbsaint)

INGREDIENTS:

• 1.5 oz Ketel One Vodka
• 1 oz Fresh lime juice
• 1 oz Simple syrup (one part sugar, one part water)
• 3 Cucumbers slices
• 4 Mint leaves

Garnish: Mint leaf

Glass: Highball

PREPARATION:

Muddle the mint, cucumber and simple syrup in a shaker. Add Ketel One Vodka, lime juice and fill with ice. Shake and strain into a highball glass filled with fresh ice. Garnish with a mint leaf.

TYPES OF PYRAT AVAILABLE:

Pyrat Pistol
Pyrat XO Reserve
Pyrat Cask 1623

HOW YOU SHOULD DRINK IT:

• Straight
• On the rocks
• With cola
• In cocktails (Mojito, Pina Colada, Dark and Stormy, Daiquiri, Mai Tai, Planter’s Punch, Zombie)

FAST FACTS:

• Pyrat’s sister brands are Patron Tequila and Ultimat Vodka.
• To age its rums, Pyrat uses both barrels made from French Limousin oak and barrels made from toasted American oak.
• The brand blends together rums from all over the Caribbean. All the spirits used by Pyrat have been produced in a traditional pot still.

INGREDIENTS:

• 1 oz Beefeater Summer Edition Gin
• 3 oz Cranberry juice
• Fresh lime juice

Garnish: Lime wedge

Glass: Tall

PREPARATION:

Add all the ingredients to a tall glass filled with ice. Stir and garnish with a lime wedge.

TYPES OF TANTEO AVAILABLE:

Tanteo Jalapeño Tequila
Tanteo Chocolate Tequila
Tanteo Tropical Tequila

HOW YOU SHOULD DRINK IT:

• Straight
• With a Sangrita
• In cocktails (Margarita, Paloma, Bloody Maria)

FAST FACTS:

• The base for all three Tanteo spirits is 100 percent Blue Agave blanco tequila.
• Tanteo is currently available in New York, New Jersey and online.

Go to the farmers’ market or a grocery store these days, and you’ll see an abundance of perfectly ripe vegetables. Right now is, of course, the height of the summer growing season. But once you’ve had your fill of eating vegetables, you should try drinking them. (Don’t worry, we’re not talking about blending up a health-food shake.)

While countless cocktails call for fresh fruit or fruit juice, bartenders are now routinely crossing the produce aisle in search of vegetables to give their drinks more savory notes. The veggies can be muddled, juiced or even pickled for garnishes.

Cool, refreshing cucumber has become an increasingly popular ingredient in all types of drinks (not to mention a key flavor in the Scottish Hendrick’s Gin). It works really well paired with fresh, sweet celery and organic vodka in the Celery Cup No. 1, created by H. Joseph Ehrmann, a Liquor.com advisor and owner of famed San Francisco bar Elixir.

Whether you’re making a Bloody Mary, a Caesar or a Red Snapper, tomato juice is a bar staple. But with delicious fresh tomatoes so readily available, it seems a shame to open a can or bottle. Allen Katz, Liquor.com advisor and Director of Mixology & Spirits Education for Southern Wine & Spirits of New York, suggests you muddle halved cherry tomatoes instead. (Slices of larger tomatoes will work as well but are definitely messier.) Mix up a round of his spicy Fresh Red Snappers while you savor the last few weeks of summer.

Celery Cup No. 1

Contributed by H. Joseph Ehrmann

INGREDIENTS:

• 1 (2-inch) piece Celery (use a piece closer to the heart for sweetness)
• 1 small handful Cilantro (about a quarter cup)
• 1 (1-inch) piece English cucumber
• 1 oz Fresh lemon juice
• 1.5 oz Square One Cucumber Vodka
• .75 oz Agave nectar
• .5 oz Pimm’s No. 1
• Garnish: Celery stalk
• Glass: Tall

PREPARATION:

In a shaker, muddle the cucumber, celery, cilantro and lemon juice to a pulp. Add the vodka, agave nectar and Pimm’s, and fill with ice. Shake hard for 10 seconds and strain into a tall glass filled with fresh ice. Garnish with a leafy celery stalk from the heart.

Fresh Red Snapper

Contributed by Allen Katz

INGREDIENTS:

• 5 to 7 Cherry tomatoes (use both red and yellow)
• 2 oz Plymouth Gin
• .5 oz Fresh lemon juice
• 5 drops Tabasco Chipotle Pepper Sauce
• 5 drops Worcestershire Sauce
• Ground black pepper
• Celery salt
• Garnish: Cherry tomato on a cocktail pick
• Glass: Collins

PREPARATION:

Cut the tomatoes in half, add them to a shaker and muddle. Add the gin, lemon juice, Tabasco and Worcestershire and fill with ice. Shake, and strain into a Collins glass filled with fresh ice. Dust lightly with pepper and celery salt to taste. Garnish with a cherry tomato on a cocktail pick.

TYPES OF MAKER’S MARK AVAILABLE:

Maker’s Mark

HOW YOU SHOULD DRINK IT:

• Straight
• On the rocks
• With a bit of water
• With club soda
• With ginger ale
• In cocktails (Mint Julep, Old Fashioned, Presbyterian, Horse’s Neck, Ward Eight, Brown Derby)

FAST FACTS:

• Maker’s Mark is Kentucky’s oldest continuously run distillery.
• Every bottle of Maker’s Mark is hand dipped in red wax making no two bottles exactly alike.
• Visitors to the distillery can dip their own bottle.

INGREDIENTS:

• .5 oz Fresh lemon juice
• .5 tsp Superfine sugar
• 2 oz Partida Reposado Tequila
• .5 oz Grand Marnier
• Club Soda

Glass: Cocktail

PREPARATION:

In a cocktail shaker, stir together .5 oz fresh lemon juice and .5 teaspoon superfine sugar. Add 2 oz Partida Reposado Tequila and .5 oz Grand Marnier. Fill with ice, shake well and strain into a chilled cocktail glass. Top with a small splash of club soda.

TYPES OF SQUARE ONE SPIRITS AVAILABLE:

Square One Organic Vodka
Square One Cucumber Vodka
Square One Botanical Spirit

HOW YOU SHOULD DRINK IT:

• Straight
• In cocktails (Martini, Gimlet, Vesper, Screwdriver, Bloody Mary, Cape Cod, Greyhound, Madras, Moscow Mule, White Russian)

FAST FACTS:

• It’s organic. Square One Vodka is made from 100% organic rye and water fresh from the Teton Range in Wyoming.
• Really, it’s organic. There are no GMO yeasts, chemical additives or synthetic de-foaming agents used in the production of Square One Vodka.
• Seriously, we’re talking really organic here. Even the brand’s labels are a paper-free blend of bamboo, sugarcane and cotton.
• The Square One Botanical Spirit is flavored with pear, rose, chamomile, lemon verbena, lavender, rosemary, coriander and citrus peel.

INGREDIENTS:

• 1.25 oz Basil Hayden’s Bourbon
• .25 oz Absinthe
• 4 Dashes bitters
• Splash soda water

Garnish: Lemon wedge

Glass: Pint

PREPARATION:

Add the absinthe to a pint glass and swirl it around so it thoroughly coats the glass. Pour off the excess absinthe. Add the Basil Hayden’s Bourbon and bitters to the glass. Squeeze and drop in the lemon wedge. Fill the glass three-quarters full with ice and stir the contents swiftly for 20 seconds. Top with soda water.

Ernest Hemingway needed a bathroom.

Or so the story goes. The novelist had stopped into Havana’s El Floridita bar, not far from the hotel where he lived during much of the 1930s. On his way out, he noticed the bartender setting up Daiquiris. Never one to walk past a drink, Hemingway took a sip. Not bad, he said, but he preferred them with no sugar and double the rum. The bartender made one as specified, and then named the drink after him.

A bar. A man. A drink. “Those are the facts,” writes drink historian Ted Haigh in Vintage Spirits and Forgotten Cocktails, “and from there the story goes straight to hell.”

The bartender may have called this drink the Papa Doble, which, with some ingredient additions, morphed into the Hemingway Daiquiri (or possibly the Hemingway Special or El Floridita #4). The exact history is a matter of considerable contention among cocktail sleuths, who have been poring over the clues ever since Hemingway walked out of the bathroom.

But of course, there’s what really matters: Is this a good drink?

Turns out, trusting Hemingway on cocktail quality is like trusting an NFL linebacker on how to make pasta. His concern was more about quantity than quality—Hemingway proudly claimed the El Floridita house record of 16 double Daiquiris. Of course he didn’t want sugar in his Daiquiri; those 16 drinks, if traditionally made, would have involved nearly two cups of sugar. If the alcohol didn’t kill him, the sugar certainly would.

Hemingway’s sugarless Daiquiri never really caught on the way the Dry Martini did. Try one: You’ll find it surprising that something can be so bland and so undrinkably tart at the same time. But it evolved over the years into something much better.

Argue all you want about the composition and history of a true Hemingway Daiquiri; I just figure it’s a traditional Daiquiri with a Bohemian streak—the sugar reduced at one point and grapefruit juice and maraschino liqueur added at another point to give a bit of depth and sweetness.

However it got there, it’s a fine drink.

The Hemingway Daiquiri

Contributed by: Wayne Curtis

INGREDIENTS:

• 2 oz Light rum
• .75 oz Fresh lime juice
• .5 oz Fresh grapefruit juice
• 1 tsp Sugar
• 1 tsp Maraschino liqueur
• Glass: Cocktail

PREPARATION:

Add all ingredients to a cocktail shaker and fill with ice. Shake, and strain into a chilled cocktail glass.

Wayne Curtis writes about drinks for The Atlantic Monthly and is author of And a Bottle of Rum: A History of the New World in Ten Cocktails.

(Image courtesy of Historic Photos of Ernest Hemingway, Turner Publishing)

INGREDIENTS:

• 1.5 oz Don Julio 1942 Tequila
• .75 oz Bianco vermouth
• Dash orange bitters

Garnish: Orange peel

Glass: Martini

PREPARATION:

Add the Don Julio 1942 Tequila, bianco vermouth, bitters and ice to a cocktail shaker. Shake well. Strain the mixture into a chilled martini glass. Garnish with an orange peel.

TYPES OF PERNOD ABSINTHE AVAILABLE:

Pernod Absinthe

HOW YOU SHOULD DRINK IT:

• In cocktails (Absinthe Frappé, Corpse Reviver No. 2, Death in the Afternoon, Sazerac)
• With a bit of water

FAST FACTS:

• While Pernod’s absinthe is not hallucinogenic, it’s not for the faint of heart-it’s 136-proof.
• The brand calls itself the “original absinthe,” since its founder Henri-Louis Pernod helped create the first commercial absinthe distillery in 1798.
• The spirit is flavored with three-main ingredients: wormwood, fennel and star anise.
• Absinthe was banned in the United States in 1912. Pernod reintroduced its spirit to America in 2007 after it became legal again.

TYPES OF ZACAPA AVAILABLE:

Zacapa Rum 23
Zacapa XO Rum

HOW YOU SHOULD DRINK IT:

• Straight
• With cola
• In cocktails (Mojito, Pina Colada, Dark and Stormy, Daiquiri, Mai Tai, Planter’s Punch, Zombie)

FAST FACTS:

• Zacapa’s rum is aged in warehouses 8,000 feet above sea level where the temperature is about 62 degrees year round. Master Distiller Lorena Vásquez calls the facility the “house above the clouds.”
• While most rums are made from molasses, Zacapa is produced from fresh crushed sugarcane.

Ask for a frozen Daiquiri or a Piña Colada in a fine cocktail bar and you’ll most likely get a dirty look or a lecture on why these drinks have been banished from the menu. But in fact, not that long ago, every great bar had a blender.

Fred Osius is often credited as the father of the blender. Not only did he perfect the technology, but he also convinced celebrity Fred Waring to invest in his company. Their first product, the Miracle Mixer, came out in 1937. A year later, after a marketing campaign that would put George Foreman to shame, there were, according to the company, 35,000 Waring blenders in restaurants, hotels, clubs and bars across the nation.

While the machines were used to crush and mix all types of things, they were particularly good for making frosty drinks. Don the Beachcomber, who opened the world’s first tiki bar in 1933 in Los Angeles, was a big fan, and before World War II, Waring partnered with rum brand Ron Rico to promote the frozen Daiquiri. Drinkers across America were soon sipping chilly concoctions.

But over the last 50 years, blended drinks slowly began to disappear from high-end establishments and became synonymous with cruise ships, all-inclusive resorts and cheap joints in Las Vegas and New Orleans.

Thanks to a few new brave bars and a resurgence of interest in tiki cocktails, the blender might just get a second chance. And it’s time for bartenders to once again embrace this forgotten bar tool and create cocktails that even the haughtiest of gourmets will appreciate. “Classic blended drinks can be serious drinks,” says Giuseppe Gonzalez, who recently opened Painkiller on the Lower East Side of Manhattan with his best friend Richie Boccato. “We want to serve good drinks in a fun way and in a fun atmosphere.”

Long live blended cocktails!

Painkiller Piña Colada

Contributed by Giuseppe Gonzalez and Richie Boccato

INGREDIENTS:

• 1.5 oz Aged Puerto Rican rum
• 1.5 oz Pineapple juice
• 1.5 oz Coconut cream
• 2 Pineapple chunks
• Garnish: Shredded coconut
• Glass: Cored pineapple or Hurricane

PREPARATION:

Add all the ingredients to a blender and 6 to 10 ice cubes. Blend until smooth and pour into a cored pineapple or Hurricane glass. Top with shredded coconut.

Strawberry Daiquiri

Contributed by Giuseppe Gonzalez and Richie Boccato

INGREDIENTS:

• 1.5 oz Aged Puerto Rican or Jamaican rum
• .75 oz Fresh lime juice
• 1 oz Rich simple syrup (2 parts sugar, 1 part water)
• 1 Strawberry
• Garnish: Lime wheel and strawberry
• Glass: Margarita or Wine goblet

PREPARATION:

Add all the ingredients to a blender and 6 to 10 ice cubes. Blend until smooth and pour into a Margarita glass or wine goblet. Garnish with a lime wheel and a strawberry.

Simon Ford is an award-winning bartender and director of trade outreach and brand education for Pernod Ricard USA. He’s always on the hunt for a good cocktail.

INGREDIENTS:

• 1 oz Drambuie
• 1 oz Dewar’s White Label Scotch Whisky

Glass: Rocks

PREPARATION:

Add the Scotch and Drambuie to a rocks glass filled with ice and stir.

INGREDIENTS:

• .75 oz Dubonnet Rouge
• 1 oz Vodka
• .75 oz Triple sec
• 2 oz Cranberry juice
• Splash lime juice

Garnish: Lime twist

Glass: Cocktail

PREPARATION:

Shake all the ingredients with cracked ice and strain into a cocktail glass. Garnish with a twist of lime.

TYPES OF BELVEDERE VODKA AVAILABLE:

Belvedere Vodka
Belvedere Black Raspberry
Belvedere Orange
Belvedere Citrus
Belvedere IX
Belvedere Intense
Belvedere Silver Limited Edition

HOW YOU SHOULD DRINK IT:

• Straight
• In cocktails (Martini, Gimlet, Vesper, Screwdriver, Bloody Mary, Cape Cod, Greyhound, Madras, Moscow Mule, White Russian)

FAST FACTS:

• Belvedere produces its vodka just outside of Warsaw, Poland, but it’s flavored in the south of France.
• Belvedere uses both fruit peels and whole fruit to flavor its vodka. The fruit or peel is macerated and then soaked in the spirit. The alcohol is then re-distilled in an Alembic pot still.

INGREDIENTS:

• 2 Dashes Angostura Bitters
• .25 oz Fresh lemon juice
• .75 oz Maple syrup
• 2 oz Maker’s Mark Bourbon
• Old Speckled Hen Beer

Garnish: Half an orange wheel

Glass: Highball

PREPARATION:

Add all the ingredients, except the beer, to a shaker and fill with ice. Shake and strain into a highball glass filled with fresh ice. Top with beer and garnish with half an orange wheel.

Ryan Fitzgerald is a bartender’s bartender. At San Francisco’s beloved Mission District restaurant Beretta, he can be found slinging drinks, dishing banter and generally holding court. Passionate and concise, humble and pointedly truthful, he’s committed not only to the craft of mixology, but to genuinely connecting with his customers.

When talking about cocktails or spirits, Fitzgerald speaks with the same clarity that defines his mood outside of the bar. There’s wit and honesty that comes with what is all too clearly an expert’s knowledge, but also an ease that makes none of it precious.

A native of Southern California, born to parents who met working in restaurants, Fitzgerald grew up surrounded by the sounds, flavors and culture of restaurant life. After a move to San Francisco in 1998, it was no surprise that traditional 9-to-5 jobs left him feeling dissatisfied and bored. He soon found a position as a barback at Little Baobab, working his way up to bartender, while also taking shifts behind the bar at the Foreign Cinema. Those early jobs, Fitzgerald explains, “were a great education—wine, food, service. I learned a ton and soon I was hooked on learning more.”

Fitzgerald’s career really took off in the fall of 2005, when he had an opportunity to join the opening staff of Tres Agaves. He then left to tend bar at Bourbon & Branch, where he worked for a year and a half before joining Beretta. He’s quick to give credit to those he has had the pleasure of working and drinking with. “I’ve learned nearly all I know from them,” he says.

Erick Castro, the former general manger of San Francisco’s Rickhouse, practically glowed when asked about Fitzgerald. No matter the occasion of your visit to Beretta, Castro says, “you can always rely on him to whip up something that precisely suits your mood.”

Fogerty

Contributed by Ryan Fitzgerald

INGREDIENTS:

• 2 oz Wild Turkey Rye Whiskey
• .5 oz Campari
• .25 oz Cassis
• 2 dashes Regans’ Orange Bitters No. 6
• Garnish: Orange peel
• Glass: Cocktail

PREPARATION:
Add all the ingredients to a mixing glass and fill with ice. Stir, and strain into a chilled cocktail glass. Garnish with orange peel.

Alex Day is a bartender and co-owner of Proprietors LLC, a design and beverage-programming company based in Los Angeles and New York.

TYPES OF HINE COGNAC AVAILABLE:

H by HINE
Hine Rare VSOP
Hine Cigar Reserve
Hine Antique XO
Hine Triomphe
Hine Mariage
Hine Talent
Hine-1957
Hine-1975
Hine-1981 EL
Hine-1983 EL
Hine-1960/1975/1983

HOW YOU SHOULD DRINK IT:

• Straight
• In cocktails (French 75, Sidecar, Brandy Alexander, Between the Sheets)

FAST FACTS:

• Hine is one of the few houses to regularly sell vintage cognacs, which are only made during the best harvests, and so-called “early landed” cognacs, which have been aged in Britain.
• Britain’s Queen Elizabeth is a big fan of Hine. She’s been buying the house’s cognac since 1962.

INGREDIENTS:

• 2 oz Antiguo Reposado Tequila
• 1 oz Agave nectar
• 1 oz Club soda
• 1 Grapefruit wedge, cut in half
• 2 Lime wedges
• 3 Mint leaves

Garnish: Grapefruit wedge, lime wedge and mint sprig
Glass: Rocks

PREPARATION:

Muddle the grapefruit, limes and mint leaves in a shaker. Add ice, the agave nectar, club soda and Antiguo Reposado Tequila. Stir the mixture well and strain into a rocks glass. Garnish with a grapefruit wedge, lime wedge and mint sprig.

HOW YOU SHOULD DRINK IT:

• On the rocks
• With sparkling water
• With champagne
• With white wine
• In cocktails (St-Germain cocktail, Sangria Flora, Cuzco Fizz, St. Rita, Pear Tree Martini,  Manzarita, Montparnasse, St. Honore 75, St-Germain Gin and Tonic, Can-Can Martini)

FAST FACTS:

• Don’t hold on to your St-Germain forever. Since it’s made without preservatives, a bottle should be finished within six months.
• Looking for an easy and tasty cocktail? Next time you pour yourself a glass of dry white wine or champagne add a shot of St-Germain.

INGREDIENTS:

• 4 oz Tomato juice
• 2 oz Bulldog Gin
• .5 oz Lemon juice
• Half a garlic clove, minced
• 1 Tbsp. Prepared horseradish
• 1 Tbsp. Balsamic vinegar
• 1 Tsp. Worcestershire
• 3 Dashes celery salt
• 3 Dashes ground black pepper
• 4-7 Dashes Tabasco (to taste)

Garnish: See below

Glass: Highball

PREPARATION:

Add all the ingredients to a highball glass and stir. Garnish with any of the following: a celery stalk, pickled okra, a dill pickle spear, an asparagus spear, a skewer with 3 olives, a skewer with 3 cherry tomatoes or a carrot stick.

The last 150 years have brought us many excellent things with which to while away the idle hours: recorded music, motion pictures, Twitter, Wii, the drama-rich doings of Lindsay Lohan. We’ve got air conditioning now, which–although it cuts down on one traditional recreation— cursing bitterly at the weather—has made life indoors more tolerable. For those of us whose recreation includes savoring an alcoholic beverage, that century-and-a-half has supplied such innovations as the Martini, the Piña Colada and the Irish Car Bomb.

We’ve lost a few things, too, and I’m not referring to dignity and literacy. (I’m a drink writer and we don’t talk about that kind of stuff.) In this case, I mean the Sherry Cobbler. It’s not a particularly amusing name for a drink, but beggars can’t be choosers, especially not sweltering ones. People back in the 1830s, when the Cobbler first turned up, didn’t have air conditioning, or even Vornado fans. This drink was all they had when things got repulsive out (well, OK, it and the Mint Julep). While we like to think that back then, before there were cars and traffic lights and iWhatnots, you could be as drunk as a boiled owl and still go about your day, there were a few poor souls who couldn’t.

For them, since there’s nothing more endrunkening than a Julep, there was the Cobbler. A good-sized splash of sherry, which has all the flavor of booze but less than half the horsepower, a little sugar and a slice or two of orange, shaken up with ice like the Devil himself was whipping you on. Don’t forget the straw! (In fact, it was probably the Sherry Cobbler that got us using those things in the first place.) Nothing more refreshing has ever been created. I’ll take a good Cobbler over the Wii and Lindsay Lohan any day. Although if I could have all three…

Sherry Cobbler

Contributed by David Wondrich

INGREDIENTS:

• .25 oz Simple syrup (one part sugar, one part water)
• 3 oz Dry Amontillado sherry (Lustau)
• 1 Half orange wheel
• Garnish: Orange wheel
• Glass: Highball

PREPARATION:

Add all the ingredients to a cocktail shaker and fill with ice. Shake brutally (this will muddle the orange), and strain into a highball glass filled with fresh ice. Pierce another orange wheel with a straw and insert both into the drink. (Note: If using a sweeter sherry, use less sugar in the simple syrup.)

David Wondrich is the author of the award-winning book Imbibe! and Esquire magazine’s Drinks Correspondent. He is also a Liquor.com advisor.

Come summertime, rooftop imbibing ranks right up there with our other favorite seasonal pastimes, barbecuing and swimming in the ocean. At one of these five high-altitude establishments, you’re assured a well-crafted cocktail and an amazing view. We’ll see you upstairs.

Area 31 Terrace Bar, EPIC Hotel, 270 Biscayne Blvd. Way, Miami, Fla., 305 424 5234:

Miami has its fair share of sexy outdoor nightspots, but Area 31 at the EPIC Hotel has an edge on the competition: great cocktails and a killer view. The drinks were created by Jacques Bezuidenhout, Kimpton Hotels’ talented master mixologist. Have one while taking in the sights.

What to Drink: Passionada (Partida Blanco Tequila, passion fruit, mint, club soda)

POV Roof Terrace, W Hotel, 515 15th Street NW, Washington, D.C., 202 661 2478:

The red velveteen banquettes at the W Hotel’s POV Roof Terrace, across from the White House, are some of the capital’s most coveted seats. Famed New York City bar owner Sasha Petraske runs POV (pictured above), which features classic cocktails made from scratch and hand-cracked ice.

What to Drink: The Presbyterian (Jim Beam Rye, house-made ginger soda, lime juice)

ROOF, theWit Hotel, 201 N. State Street, Chicago, Ill., 312 239 9501:

On nice summer evenings, ROOF, the 7,000-square-foot bar on theWit Hotel’s 27th floor, is packed with revelers. Guests gather around stylish fire pits to snack on artisanal pizzas and sip cocktails made by Jonny Abens while gazing at the Loop’s skyline below.

What to Drink: Sex on the Roof (Ketel One Citroen, St-Germain, Aperol, lemon juice, orange juice)

Salon de Ning, The Peninsula Hotel, 700 Fifth Avenue, New York, N.Y., 212 903 3097:

New York has many rooftop bars to choose from, but we like the Salon de Ning on the 23rd floor of the posh Peninsula Hotel in midtown. The bar has two large outdoor terraces, fine cocktails and views of historic 5th Avenue.

What to Drink: Ruby Red Breeze (Absolut Ruby Red, cranberry juice, grapefruit juice, lychee puree, mint)

West End Tavern, 926 Pearl Street, Boulder, Colo., 303 444 3535:

Bourbon is the star at the West End Tavern, which stocks more than 60 different ones. And mixologist Sage Swink whips up drinks showcasing the spirit’s light and summery side. The rooftop deck, which offers sweeping views of Boulder’s majestic Flatiron rock formations, is open all year.

What to Drink: Black Bulleit (Bulleit Bourbon, blackberries, lemon, agave nectar, limoncello, rose essence)

INGREDIENTS:

• 2 oz Evan Williams Single Barrel 2000
• 1 oz Italian vermouth (Carpano Antica Formula)
• 2 Dashes bitters (Fee Brothers Whiskey Barrel Aged Bitters)

Garnish: Lemon twist

Glass: Cocktail

PREPARATION:

Stir all the ingredients with ice until exceedingly well-chilled. Strain into a chilled cocktail glass and garnish with a lemon twist.

TYPES OF TANQUERAY AVAILABLE:

Tanqueray London Dry Gin
Tanqueray No. Ten
Tanqueray Rangpur Gin
Tanqueray Sterling Vodka

HOW YOU SHOULD DRINK IT:

• With tonic
• In cocktails (Martini, Gimlet, Gibson, Gin Gin Mule, Fizz, Tom Collins, Negroni, Martinez, Corpse Reviver , Vesper, White Lady, Ramos Fizz, Singapore Sling, Aviation, Red Snapper, Pegu, Clover Club, Bronx, Southside)

FAST FACTS:

• Tanqueray, according to company legend, was Frank Sinatra’s favorite gin.
• In 2000, the brand released the first super-premium gin: Tanqueray No. Ten. The spirit is flavored with juniper as well as fresh lemons, limes and grapefruits.

INGREDIENTS:

• 1.5 oz Don Julio Reposado Tequila
• 2 oz Cream of coconut
• 3 oz Pineapple juice
• 2 oz Fresh lime juice
• 5 Dashes aromatic bitters

Garnish: Cherries and coconut shavings

Glass: Coconut shell

PREPARATION:

Add Don Julio Reposado Tequila, cream of coconut, pineapple juice, fresh lime juice, bitters and ice to a blender. Blend until smooth. Pour contents into a hollowed out  coconut shell. Garnish with cherries and coconut shavings.

TYPES OF CHIVAS AVAILABLE:

Chivas 12-Year-Old
Chivas 18-Year-Old Gold Signature
Chivas Regal 25-Year-Old
Royal Salute 21-Year-Old
Royal Salute, The Hundred Cask Selection
Royal Salute 38-Year-Old

HOW YOU SHOULD DRINK IT:

• Straight
• On the rocks
• With a bit of water
• With club soda
• With ginger ale
• In cocktails (Rob Roy, Whisky Smash, Blood and Sand, Rusty Nail)

FAST FACTS:

• Chivas Regal was requested backstage by Frank Sinatra at many of his performances.
• The Strathisla Distillery, home to Chivas Regal, is the oldest working distillery in Scotland’s Highlands.
• In 1843, the Chivas Brothers were awarded a royal warrant to supply their Scotch whisky to Queen Victoria.

INGREDIENTS:

• 2 oz Chopin Vodka
• .5 oz Cherry juice
• 4 Raspberries
• 3 Blackberries
• 6 Cranberries
• .33 oz Noilly Prat Red

Garnish: Raspberry, blackberry and cranberry on a skewer
Glass: Stemless wine

PREPARATION:

Muddle the berries in a shaker. Add the Chopin Vodka, cherry juice and vermouth. Shake the ingredients without ice. Add ice and stir briefly. Strain the mixture into a stemless wine glass and garnish with a raspberry, blackberry and cranberry on a skewer.

Ten years ago, I was working at the Blackbird Bar in midtown Manhattan and was trying to get a guest to like whiskey. The challenge inspired me to create the Whiskey Peach Smash—a chilly combination of bourbon, peaches, mint and lemon. Not only did the customer love the drink, it also made me realize that whiskey isn’t just a winter libation.

For many people, the Mint Julep that they have on Derby Day in May is their last venture into brown spirits until the next winter’s Manhattans. But just because the temperature rises doesn’t mean you should banish your whiskies to the back of the liquor cabinet. In fact, bourbon and rye cocktails like the Ward 8 and the Whiskey Sour were served all year historically.

But what kind of whiskey works best in a cool summer drink? Most bartenders have come to the conclusion, after wrestling with Scotch, that sweeter American whiskey is more cocktail friendly. I love Scotch, but at the same time it is great to see leading bartenders around the world embracing American straight whiskies, especially in mixed drinks. Mixability is one reason that brands like Four Roses Bourbon and Rittenhouse Rye continue to grow in popularity.

So dig out your bourbon bottles and cool down with my Whiskey Peach Smash and Hawaiian Stone Sour.

Whiskey Peach Smash

Contributed by: Dale DeGroff

INGREDIENTS:

• 1 Small peach, pitted and cut into quarters
• 2 Lemon wedges
• 1 oz Special syrup*
• 1.5 oz Bourbon
• 1 Mint sprig
• Garnish: Mint sprig and peach slice
• Glass: Rocks

PREPARATION:

Muddle the peach and lemon in a shaker with the special syrup. Add the bourbon, mint sprig and ice, and shake well. Double strain into a rocks glass filled with fresh ice. Garnish with a mint sprig and a peach slice.

*Special Syrup

Combine one part honey syrup (2 parts honey mixed with 1 part water) and two parts agave syrup (2 parts agave nectar mixed with 1 part water).

Hawaiian Stone Sour

Contributed by: Dale DeGroff

INGREDIENTS:

• 1.5 oz Bourbon
• .75 oz Fresh lemon juice
• .75 oz Simple syrup (one part sugar, one part water)
• 1 oz Unsweetened pineapple juice
• Garnish: Pineapple slice and cherry
• Glass: Old fashioned

PREPARATION:

Add all the ingredients to a shaker and fill with ice. Shake, and strain into an old fashioned glass filled with fresh ice. Garnish with a pineapple slice and a cherry.

Master mixologist Dale DeGroff is the author of The Essential Cocktail and The Craft of the Cocktail. He is also a Liquor.com advisor.

TYPES OF CASA DRAGONES AVAILABLE:

Joven Tequila

HOW YOU SHOULD DRINK IT:

• Sipped neat

FAST FACTS:

• Casa Dragones is a blend of platinum tequila and a small amount of extra añejo tequila. It’s made from 100 percent blue agave.
• The small batch tequila is currently only available in Mexico and in New York, Miami and Los Angeles.
• The spirit comes in a stunning, handcrafted bottle made from pure, lead-free crystal.

TYPES OF SMIRNOFF AVAILABLE:

Smirnoff No. 21
Smirnoff Black Ice
Smirnoff Blue Label
Smirnoff Blueberry Twist
Smirnoff Citrus Twist
Smirnoff Cranberry Twist
Smirnoff Green Apple Twist
Smirnoff Lemon Twist
Smirnoff Orange Twist
Smirnoff Raspberry Twist
Smirnoff Red Label
Smirnoff Silver Label
Smirnoff Ice
Smirnoff Vanilla Twist
Smirnoff Strawberry Twist
Smirnoff Maracuja Twist
Smirnoff Lime Twist
Smirnoff Black Cherry Twist
Smirnoff Watermelon Twist

HOW YOU SHOULD DRINK IT:

• Straight
• In cocktails (Martini, Gimlet, Vesper, Screwdriver, Bloody Mary, Cape Cod, Greyhound, Madras, Moscow Mule, White Russian)

FAST FACTS:

• Smirnoff sells over 25 million 9-liter cases every year and is the best selling vodka in the world.
• Smirnoff was the first company to use charcoal as a filter for vodka.

INGREDIENTS:

• 1.5 oz Plymouth Gin
• .75 Lillet Blanc
• .75 Campari
• .25 Benedictine
• .25 Cointreau
• Club soda

Glass: Old fashioned

Garnish: Orange twist

PREPARATION:

Add all the ingredients, except club soda, and ice to a mixing glass. Stir very well and strain into an old fashioned glass full of fresh ice. Top with club soda and garnish with an orange twist.

Whether you’re planning a picnic, pool party or beach excursion, there are few things that taste better than a well-made cocktail sipped outdoors. But taking your mixology outside requires a few special tools. From shatterproof glasses and a travel bar set to a tasty summer cocktail recipe, we’ve found everything you need to drink alfresco.

Swirl Wine and Cocktail Tumblers ($8/set of four):

No matter what kind of cocktail you make, it shouldn’t be served in a paper cup. Try Takeya’s 16-ounce Swirl tumblers, which are lightweight and shatterproof. While they’re made from clear plastic and not glass, they’re still impressive, and affordable enough that you won’t care if you lose one.

Metrokane Flip-Top Cocktail Shaker ($30):

When you’re making drinks on the road, you need a no-fuss shaker. We like Metrokane’s 24-ounce Flip-Top Cocktail Shaker, which has a one-piece lid/strainer and is dishwasher safe for easy cleanup.

Mini Travel Bar Set ($45):

No room to pack a shaker? Don’t worry. This compact bar set comes with a flask for your spirit of choice and a funnel for easy filling, two collapsible cups, ice tongs, a metal stirrer and even a corkscrew. Just get a mixer and some ice, and you’re in business.

Sport-Brella ($60):

Get relief from the blazing afternoon sun or a sudden rain shower with the jumbo Sport-Brella. It’s eight feet wide and sets up in seconds. It even comes with ground stakes, so it won’t be blown away by a gust of wind.

Tivoli SongBook ($200):

It wouldn’t be a party without music. Pick up Tivoli’s sleek SongBook, which can run on six AA batteries and is covered in a weather-resistant rubber coating. It has a built-in radio tuner and, of course, works with your iPod.

Bitter Lemon Cooler:

The perfect summer cocktail is one that’s both refreshing and easy to make. We asked our own Allen Katz, Liquor.com advisor and Director of Mixology & Spirits Education for Southern Wine & Spirits of New York, for one of his favorite warm-weather recipes. His Bitter Lemon Cooler won’t disappoint.

Bitter Lemon Cooler
Contributed by Allen Katz

INGREDIENTS:

• 1.5 oz Dry vermouth
• 1 oz Gin
• .25 oz Natural grenadine
• .25 oz Fresh lemon juice
• Bitter lemon soda or lemon-flavored club soda
• Garnish: Lemon wheel
• Glass: Collins

PREPARATION:

Add all the ingredients except the soda to a cocktail shaker and fill with ice. Shake, and strain into a Collins glass filled with fresh ice. Top with bitter lemon soda or lemon-flavored club soda and garnish with a lemon wheel.

TYPES OF MARTELL AVAILABLE:

Martell VS
Martell VSOP
Martell Noblige
Martell Cordon Bleu
Martell XO
Martell L’Or
Martell Creation
Martell L’Art
Martell L’Or De Jean

HOW YOU SHOULD DRINK IT:

• Straight
• In cocktails (French 75, Sidecar, Brandy Alexander, Between the Sheets)

FAST FACTS:

• Passengers on the maiden voyage of the Queen Mary in 1936 were served Martell Cognac.
• Can’t make it to France? You can take a virtual tour of the cognac house on the brand’s website.

INGREDIENTS:

• 1 oz Aperol
• Juice of half a lemon
• .5 oz Simple syrup (one part sugar, one part water)
• .5 oz Egg white
• 2 oz Brut Champagne

Garnish: Wide strip of orange zest

Glass: Martini

PREPARATION:

Add the Aperol, lemon juice, simple syrup and egg white to a cocktail shaker and fill with ice. Shake until well-chilled and frothy. Pour the Champagne into a Martini glass. Strain the Aperol mixture into the glass. Pinch the strip of orange zest to release its oil into the glass and then lay it atop the foam.

This cocktail originally appeared in The Bubbly Bar.

INGREDIENTS:

• 1 (750 ml) Bottle crisp white wine (pinot gris)
• 1 cup Sweet grapes
• 2 Ripe peaches, pitted and cut into eight wedges
• .5 cup Grand Marnier
• 1 Orange, thinly sliced (not peeled)
• 1 Lime, thinly sliced (not peeled)

Glass: Wine

PREPARATION:

Add all the ingredients to a pitcher and refrigerate for 2-4 hours before serving.

After five days of seminars, countless parties and too many drinks to remember, this year’s Tales of the Cocktail came to an end late last weekend. Tales at its best can be an incubator for small trends that later turn into national phenomena. So, what did we learn at the spirited convention? After careful consideration and consultation with our all-star team of advisors, here are a few of the most interesting things we spotted.

Beyond the Big Three:

London, New York and San Francisco helped bring back the cocktail, and as a result the cities have had a large presence at Tales in the past. While there were plenty of bartenders from the big three, there seemed to be even more bartenders from other cities this year. We met mixologists from around the globe, including Pittsburgh, Austin and even Brisbane, Australia. To top it off, Murray Stenson of Seattle’s Zig Zag Café was named American bartender of the year.

The Return of Rum:

For many years, the spirit of Tales was gin. While the juniper-flavored alcohol still had a big presence, “rum was one of the stars of the show,” says master mixologist and Liquor.com advisor Dale DeGroff. There were several seminars about the liquor, including one on rum-running and another on tiki drinks. Another popular spirit was mezcal. “It was just all over the place,” says Dushan Zaric, Liquor.com advisor and co-owner of New York bars Employees Only and Macao Trading Co. How far has it come? Mayahuel, the Big Apple temple to all things agave, was named the world’s best new cocktail bar.

Tales of the Whiskey:

Despite the festival’s name, this year some of the most popular events involved whiskey straight-up. “The hordes overwhelmed the space,” says Liquor.com advisor Allen Katz of the tasting rooms. One reason was the impressive group of master distillers, including Barry Crockett from Jameson and Harlen Wheatley from Buffalo Trace, and master blenders, including Colin Scott from Chivas Regal and Shinji Fukuyo from Suntory. It didn’t hurt that they were pouring some of their best spirits, too.

TYPES OF RÉMY MARTIN AVAILABLE:

Rémy Martin Grand Cru
Rémy Martin VSOP
Rémy Martin 1738 Accord Royal
Rémy Martin Club
Rémy Martin XO Excellence
Rémy Martin Extra
Rémy Martin VSOP Premier Cru
Rémy Martin Xo Premier Cru
Rémy Martin Vintage 1988
Rémy Martin Louis XIII

HOW YOU SHOULD DRINK IT:

• Straight
• In cocktails (French 75, Sidecar, Brandy Alexander, Between the Sheets.)

FAST FACTS:

• Rémy Martin has been referenced by many rappers, including Dr. Dre, Ja Rule and Notorious BIG.
• The brand was first imported to the United States in 1937.

INGREDIENTS:

• .5 oz Campari
• 2.5 oz Gin
• 1.5 oz Grapefruit juice

Garnish: Lime wedge

Glass: Martini

PREPARATION:

Add all the ingredients to a cocktail shaker and fill with ice. Shake well and strain into a chilled martini glass. Garnish with a lime wedge.

TYPES OF FINLANDIA VODKA AVAILABLE:

Finlandia Vodka
Finlandia Cranberry Fusion Vodka
Finlanida Lime Fusion Vodka
Finlanida Mango Fusion Vodka
Finlanida Wild Berries Fusion Vodka
Finlanida Grapefruit Fusion Vodka
Finlanida Tangerine Fusion Vodka
Finlanida Blackcurrent Fusion Vodka

HOW YOU SHOULD DRINK IT:

• Straight
• In cocktails (Martini, Gimlet, Vesper, Screwdriver, Bloody Mary, Cape Cod, Greyhound, Madras, Moscow Mule, White Russian)

FAST FACTS:

• The Scandinavian vodka is made from six-row barley and water from a centuries old glacial spring.
• Finlandia was one of the first imported vodkas sold in the US. It’s now owned by Brown-Forman, which also owns Jack Daniel’s, Chambord and Woodford Reserve.

INGREDIENTS:

• 1.5 oz Don Julio Blanco Tequila
• 2 oz Pomegranate juice
• .5 oz Fresh lime juice
• .5 oz Simple syrup (one part sugar, one part water)

Garnish: Lime wedge

Glass: Highball

PREPARATION:

Add all the ingredients to a cocktail shaker and fill with ice. Shake well and strain the mixture into a highball  glass filled with fresh ice. Garnish with a lime wedge.

TYPES OF BOLS GENEVER AVAILABLE:

Bols Genever

HOW YOU SHOULD DRINK IT:

• Straight
• On the rocks
• With a bit of water
• In cocktails (John Collins, Holland Gin Cocktail, Improved Holland Gin Cocktail, Hot Holland Gin Toddy, Holland Gin Julep, Holland Gin Daisy)

FAST FACTS:

• Bols has been making genever in Holland since 1664.
• While English gin is now very popular in America, back in the 19^th century the malty Dutch version (genever) was a best seller. Many of the cocktails that are currently made with gin were originally made with genever.
• Bols Genever was reintroduced to America in 2008.

If your July was like ours, then the last four weeks have flown by in a blur. So just in case you’ve missed anything, here are some of Liquor.com’s best cocktails and spirits features from this past month.

Gourmet Shot:

What’s the secret to a great summer party? Refreshing Margaritas and gourmet bacon-and-tomato guacamole. Celebrity chef Rick Bayless shares a couple of his favorite fiesta recipes with us.

Behind the Cocktail:

Bars from New York to Hawaii serve the Mai Tai, a classic tiki cocktail. Read the fascinating story of how this faux-Polynesian drink became a tropical staple.

Big Easy Classics:

Can’t make it to New Orleans any time soon? Put on some Kermit Ruffins and mix up a round of classic NOLA cocktails, like the Sazerac, Ramos Gin Fizz and Brandy Milk Punch.

Spice It Up:

The Caribbean compatriots rum and spice have been mixed together in hot drinks and punches since at least the late 17th century. But now there’s a bounty of new spiced rums adding diversity to this suddenly booming category.

American Made:

Even though July 4th is over, you can still drink like a patriot. Taste these five excellent American-made spirits—from California vodka and Pennsylvania gin to Louisiana rum.

INGREDIENTS:

• 1.5 oz Flor de Caña 4-Year-Old Rum
• 1 oz Guava juice
• 1 oz Orange juice
• .5 oz Lemon juice
• .3 oz Simple syrup (one part sugar, one part water)

Garnish: Orange slice and candied cherry

Glass: Tom Collins

PREPARATION:

Add all the ingredients to a cocktail shaker and fill with ice. Shake well for 20-30 seconds. Strain the mixture into a Collins glass filled with fresh ice. Garnish with an orange slice and candied cherry.

TYPES OF CANADIAN CLUB AVAILABLE:

Canadian Club 6-Year-Old Premium
Canadian Club Reserve 10-Year-Old
Canadian Club Classic 12-Year-Old
Canadian Club Sherry Cask
Canadian Club 100 Proof
Canadian Club Black 20-Year-Old
Canadian Club 30-Year-Old

HOW YOU SHOULD DRINK IT:

• Straight
• On the rocks
• With a bit of water
• With club soda

FAST FACTS:

• The Ontario based brand continued to produce whisky during America’s Prohibition and many of the bottles were smuggled into the United States.
• Canadian Club, according to the brand, was a favorite of mobster Al Capone.
• Some say the original recipe for the Manhattan cocktail was made with the spirit.

INGREDIENTS:

• 4 oz Karlsson’s Gold Vodka
• Ice

Garnish: Fresh-cracked black pepper

Glass: Rocks

PREPARATION:

Pour the vodka into a rocks glass filled with ice. Garnish with black pepper.

From the Tom Collins to the simple but classic G & T, gin is the spirit of summer. But if you haven’t noticed, the gin selection at your local liquor store has recently gotten a lot bigger, with a variety of bottles from around the world. Here are four new ones to try in your favorite summer cocktail.

Beefeater Summer Edition Gin ($20):

Industry stalwart Beefeater recently launched a special limited-edition gin for summer, which is flavored with elderflower, black currant and hibiscus, in addition to the brand’s standard nine botanicals. The lighter and softer spirit has less juniper flavor and more herbal and fruity notes, which makes it great for mixing.

Broker’s Gin ($22):

Judging by the old-school design of the Broker’s gin label, you’d swear it’s been around for centuries. But the spirit was created just 12 years ago and was introduced to the United States a couple of years later. This brand has been expanding distribution slowly across the country. Broker’s is a fine example of a London dry gin and would taste great with a splash of tonic.

G’Vine Nouaison ($35):

This brand-new French gin—flavored with both traditional botanicals like juniper and coriander, and nontraditional botanicals like grapevine flowers, green cardamom, ginger and nutmeg—is bursting with rich floral and spice notes. It’s not just the botanicals that are unusual: Traditionally, gin is made from a grain spirit, but the base of G’Vine Nouaison is distilled from grapes.

Oxley Gin ($50):

Small-batch Oxley is trying to set itself apart from the pack. The brand uses a unique cold-distillation process in which the gin is infused with botanicals at sub-freezing temperatures. This supposedly ensures fresher and more natural flavors. What we can tell you is that the gin has a pleasant sweetness and big juniper and floral notes.

TYPES OF CABO WABO AVAILABLE:

Cabo Wabo Blanco
Cabo Wabo Reposado
Cabo Wabo Anejo

HOW YOU SHOULD DRINK IT:

• Straight
• With a Sangrita
• In cocktails (Margarita, Paloma, Bloody Maria)

FAST FACTS:

• Cabo Wabo was one of the first 100 percent blue agave tequilas available in the United States.
• The Red Rocker started the brand because he was looking for a house spirit for his bar in Cabo San Lucas, Mexico.
• A few years ago, Hagar sold 80 percent of the brand to Skyy Spirits for $80 million.

TYPES OF CAOL ILA AVAILABLE:

Caol Ila 10-Year-Old
Caol Ila 12-Year-Old
Caol Ila 18-Year-Old

HOW YOU SHOULD DRINK IT:

• Straight
• On the rocks
• With a bit of water
• With club soda

FAST FACTS:

• Caol Ila’s Distillery Manager Billy Stitchell is the fourth generation of his family to make the peaty whisky.
• Caol Ila is an essential part of the Johnnie Walker Black blend.

INGREDIENTS

• 1.25 oz Grey Goose Vodka
• Fresh lemonade
• .5 oz Chambord or premium raspberry liqueur

Garnish: Honeydew melon balls

Glass: Highball

PREPARATION:

Fill a chilled highball glass with crushed ice and add the Grey Goose Vodka. Top with lemonade to just below the rim and then add the Chambord. Garnish with honeydew melon balls.

Here’s another entry for your locavore lexicon: “bar garden.”

Across the country, bartenders are following chefs out into the field (or at least the backyard) to cultivate and harvest their own ingredients, including everything from cucumbers to limes. Perhaps it was inevitable, the result of an increasing focus on fresh fruits, vegetables and herbs as well as the DIY culture that prevails in barrooms these days. If you’re going to bother making your own vermouth, you might as well start by growing your own herbs.

In fact, that’s exactly what San Francisco bartender Thad Vogler plans to do. This summer, Vogler, who opened the bar at Camino and the J Lounge at Jardinière, will open Bar Agricole. The centerpiece of his new establishment will be a 500-square-foot biodynamic garden planted with citrus fruit trees and herbs like hyssop and savory. The urban oasis will help Vogler offer cocktails composed completely of artisanal and, when possible, biodynamic ingredients.

The garden at Bar Agricole will stand out even in San Francisco, where a mild climate and the popularity of farm-to-table dining has encouraged a number of bartenders to take up gardening. But the grow-your-own trend is also moving east, to, of all places, New York’s chicly gritty East Village. This spring, Greg Seider and Hamid Rashidzada, co-owners of The Summit Bar, staked out a plot in a local community garden to grow ingredients for their fresh herb- and vegetable-heavy cocktails. The bar is even building a greenhouse to extend the growing season.

“We wanted to be more sustainable,” Seider explained recently as he shook up an Off to the Races, a Julep-like drink with muddled shiso leaves. (Pictured above.) Passion for top quality ingredients is in The Summit Bar’s DNA: Seider honed his culinary approach at Minetta Tavern and Mercer Kitchen, and Rashidzada worked for years at restaurants like Matsugen and Mercer Kitchen. “This is pretty much where all this stuff comes from: the kitchen,” Seider says.

TYPES OF BOMBAY SAPPHIRE AVAILABLE:

Bombay Sapphire

HOW YOU SHOULD DRINK IT:

• With tonic
• In cocktails (Martini, Gimlet, Gibson, Gin Gin Mule, Fizz, Tom Collins, Negroni, Martinez, Corpse Reviver , Vesper, White Lady, Ramos Fizz, Singapore Sling, Aviation, Red Snapper, Pegu, Clover Club, Bronx, Southside)

FAST FACTS:

• While most gins steep their botanicals directly in the alcohol, Bombay uses a special Carterhead still to flavor the spirit when it’s in a vapor state.
• The Bombay Sapphire Foundation annually awards a £20,000 prize for outstanding glass design.

INGREDIENTS:

• 2.5 oz The Macallan Fine Oak 10-Year-Old Whisky
• .75 oz Martini & Rossi Sweet Vermouth
• Dash Angostura Bitters

Garnish: Lemon zest and maraschino cherry

Glass: Martini

PREPARATION:

Add all the ingredients to a mixing glass and fill with ice. Stir and strain into a chilled Martini glass. Garnish with a lemon zest and a maraschino cherry.

INGREDIENTS:

• 1.5 oz 10 Cane Rum
• .5 oz Luxardo Maraschino Cherry Liqueur
• 1 oz Fresh grapefruit juice
• .5 oz Fresh lime juice
• .5 oz Simple syrup (one part sugar, one part water)

Garnish: Lime wheel and black cherry on a skewer

Glass: Cocktail

PREPARATION:

Combine all ingredients in a shaker. Add ice and shake vigorously. Strain into a chilled cocktail glass. Garnish with a lime wheel and black cherry on a skewer.

TYPES OF ABSOLUT AVAILABLE:

Elijah Craig 12-Year-Old
Elijah Craig 18-Year-Old Single Barrel

HOW YOU SHOULD DRINK IT:

• Straight
• On the rocks
• With a bit of water
• With club soda
• With ginger ale
• In cocktails (Mint Julep, Old Fashioned, Presbyterian, Horse’s Neck, Ward Eight, Brown Derby)

FAST FACTS:

• Heaven Hill claims that Elijah Craig was the first small batch bourbon ever created.
• The brand is named for Reverend Elijah Craig who is said to have stumbled upon the idea of aging bourbon in charred oak when he stored his alcohol in fire damaged barrels.

What would a summer party be like without frosty Margaritas and guacamole and chips? We shudder to think, but not that long ago they were far from staples. One of the people you should thank for their mass popularity today is celebrity chef Rick Bayless, who has tirelessly promoted Mexican food and drinks for decades. His long-running PBS show, Mexico – One Plate at a Time, is in its seventh season, and his seventh cookbook, Fiesta at Rick’s, just came out this month. Not to mention his award-winning Chicago restaurants Frontera Grill and Topolobampo.

While his restaurants are well-known for their authentic Mexican cuisine, they also offer classic and seasonal cocktails and big selections of tequila and mezcal. “Cocktails play a very big role in our business,” he says. But it wasn’t always this way. When Bayless opened Frontera Grill 23 years ago, it was nearly impossible to find good tequila in the States, and while he had developed a taste for agave-based spirits in Mexico, he admits that he didn’t know much about mixology. “I needed to get to know everything I could about the Margarita,” he remembers. Over the years, his restaurants have served dozens of different versions of the drink, but one of his all-time favorites is the refreshing cucumber-and-lime Summer Margarita. “I don’t get tired of it,” he says.

The cocktail also pairs perfectly with rich guacamole, which Bayless calls “an icon of party food” in his new book. And since we’re in the chef’s hands today, try making his addictive Bacon-and-Tomato Guacamole. The decadent dish combines the creaminess of avocado with the crunch of crispy bacon. Let the fiesta begin!

Summer Margarita

Contributed by Rick Bayless

INGREDIENTS:

• 3 cups Peeled, seeded, and thin-sliced cucumber (1 large or 2 medium cucumbers)
• 1.5 cups 100-percent-Agave silver tequila (Milagro or Cazadores)
• 1 cup Fresh lime juice
• 1 cup Simple syrup*
• Half a lime
• Kosher salt or other coarse salt
• Garnish: Cucumber slices
• Glass: Martini

PREPARATION:

In a blender, combine the cucumber, tequila, lime juice and simple syrup, and blend until the mixture is as smooth as you can get it. Strain into a pitcher, cover and refrigerate until chilled, about 1 hour. Moisten the rims of three 6-ounce Martini glasses with the cut side of the lime half. Spread the salt on a small plate and upend the glasses into the salt to crust the rims. Fill a cocktail shaker three-quarters of the way with ice and add 1.5 cups of the cucumber mixture. Cover and shake for 10 to 15 seconds. Strain into the prepared glasses. Garnish with cucumber slices. Repeat with the remaining cucumber mixture, to make a total of 9 cocktails.

*Simple Syrup

• 1.5 cups Granulated sugar
• 1.5 cups Water
• 1 tbsp. Fresh lime juice

Combine all the ingredients in a small saucepan over medium-high heat. Bring to a simmer, stirring constantly to dissolve the sugar. Remove from the heat, cool and store in a closed container, preferably in the refrigerator for optimal freshness.

Bacon-and-Tomato Guacamole

Contributed by Rick Bayless

INGREDIENTS:

• 5 Strips medium-thick bacon
• 3 medium-large Ripe avocados (about 1.25 pounds), cut in half and pitted
• Half a medium white onion, chopped into .25-inch pieces, rinsed with cold water and drained
• 2 or 3 Canned chipotle chiles, removed from canning sauce, stemmed, slit open, seeded and finely chopped
• 1 medium-large Round ripe tomato, cored and chopped into .25-inch pieces
• .25 cup (loosely packed) Fresh cilantro, coarsely chopped
• .5 tsp. Salt
• 1 to 2 tbsp. Fresh lime juice

PREPARATION:

In a large (10-inch) skillet, cook the bacon in a single layer over medium heat, turning occasionally, until crisp and browned, about 10 minutes. Drain on paper towels, crumble coarsely and set aside. Scoop the avocado flesh into a large bowl. Using a potato masher or a large fork or spoon, mash into a coarse purée. Add about two-thirds of the bacon, along with the onion, chipotle chile, tomato and cilantro (save a little cilantro for garnish if you wish). Stir gently to combine. Taste and season with salt, usually about half a teaspoon, and enough lime juice to add a little sparkle, 1 to 2 tablespoons. Cover with plastic wrap directly on the surface of the guacamole and refrigerate. To serve, scoop the guacamole into a serving dish and sprinkle with the remaining bacon (and cilantro if desired).

These recipes are from Fiesta at Rick’s by Rick Bayless.

TYPES OF BARSOL AVAILABLE:

Pisco Puro Quebranta
Pisco Puro Italia
Pisco Puro Torontel
Pisco Acholado
Pisco Mosto Verde Quebranta
Pisco Mosto Verde Italia
Pisco Mosto Verde Torontel.

HOW YOU SHOULD DRINK IT:

• In cocktails (Pisco Sour, Pisco Punch, Sangria, Chilcano)

FAST FACTS:

• Pisco has been made in Chile and Peru since the 1500s.
• BarSol is produced in a distillery that is more than 100 years old.
• Six million cases of pisco are sold every year. Most of it is consumed in Chile and Peru.

INGREDIENTS:

• 2 oz Beefeater Gin
• 1 oz Fresh lemon juice
• .5 oz Simple syrup (one part sugar, one part water)
• Club soda

Garnish: 2 Lemon slices

Glass: Collins

PREPARATION:

Stir the first three ingredients together in a Collins glass. Add ice and top with club soda. Garnish with 2 lemon slices.

INGREDIENTS:

• 1.5 oz Appleton Estate Reserve Rum
• .75 oz Carpano Antica
• .75 oz Aperol
• Dash whiskey barrel aged bitters

Garnish: Orange peel

Glass: Cocktail

PREPARATION:

Add all the ingredients to a mixing glass and fill with ice. Stir till freezing and strain the mixture into a chilled cocktail glass. Garnish with an orange peel.

TYPES OF PARTIDA AVAILABLE:

Partida Blanco Tequila
Partida Reposado Tequila
Partida Añejo Tequila
Partida Elegante Tequila (Extra Añejo)

HOW YOU SHOULD DRINK IT:

• Straight
• With a Sangrita
• In cocktails (Margarita, Paloma, Bloody Maria)

FAST FACTS:

• Long before the tequila was introduced, the Partida family was famous for growing some of the best agave in all of Mexico.
• Partida founder Gary Shansby is a serial brand builder, who helped make Vitamin Water, Terra Chips and Famous Amos Cookies best sellers.

The city of Oakland, Calif., is known for many things, including the Black Panthers and the Raiders football team. But for cocktail lovers, the city across the bay from San Francisco is revered as the birthplace of the Mai Tai.

The classic tiki drink was dreamed up in 1944 by Victor Bergeron—the legendary barman and raconteur also known as Trader Vic—at his eponymous Oakland restaurant. One day, when he was in a creative mood, he mixed Wray & Nephew 17-Year-Old Rum with fresh lime juice, orange Curaçao, French orgeat (almond syrup) and a dollop of rock candy syrup. He shook the ingredients with shaved ice and garnished the cocktail with a mint sprig and lime shell. As the legend goes, Tahitian friends visiting the bar tasted the new concoction and declared it “Maita’i—roa ae,” which is Tahitian for “out of this world—the best.”

While that story is generally accepted, Bergeron’s rival Donn Beach (born Ernest Gantt)—who opened Don the Beachcomber, the world’s first tiki bar, in 1933 in Los Angeles—also claimed to have created the drink.

After World War II, the popularity of tiki made the Mai Tai a bar staple, even in actual tropical locales like Hawaii. But Bergeron never disclosed his exact recipe and many bartenders made up their own versions. “That’s why we have so many bad Mai Tais with pineapple juice and other hideous additions,” says Wayne Curtis, author of And a Bottle of Rum.

While the Mai Tai still can be found all over—including at the many Trader Vic’s outposts around the globe—the drink gets special affection in the Bay Area. (After a campaign by local bar The Conga Lounge, city council member Rebecca Kaplan declared August 30, 2009, Mai Tai Day in Oakland.)

The way Martin Cate, talented mixologist and owner of San Francisco tiki bar Smuggler’s Cove, makes his Mai Tai, it’s strong, tart, slightly sweet and takes you to places far away. Trader Vic surely would have approved.

Traditional Mai Tai

Contributed by Martin Cate

INGREDIENTS:

• .75 oz Fresh lime juice
• .25 oz Rock candy syrup (2 parts sugar, 1 part water)
• .25 oz Orgeat almond syrup
• .5 oz Orange Curaçao
• 2 oz Premium aged rum (Appleton Estate 12-Year-Old, El Dorado 12- Year-Old)
• Garnish: Lime rind and fresh mint sprig
• Glass: Double old-fashioned

PREPARATION:
Add all the ingredients to a shaker and fill with crushed ice. Shake vigorously until the shaker is well-chilled and frosty on the outside. Pour the drink (unstrained) into a double old-fashioned glass. Garnish with half of a juiced lime and a fresh mint sprig.

Maria C. Hunt is hostess of Champagne appreciation and entertaining website The Bubbly Girl and author of The Bubbly Bar: Champagne & Sparkling Wine Cocktails for Every Occasion.

INGREDIENTS:

• 4 cups Water
• 4 Black tea bags
• 2 tbsp Sugar
• 1 cup Fresh mint leaves
• 1.5 cups Wild Turkey Bourbon
• Juice of half a lemon
• Juice of half a lime

Garnish: Mint sprig

Glass: Tall

PREPARATION:

In a large saucepan, boil 2 cups of water. Remove from heat and add the 4 tea bags. Steep for eight minutes and then discard the tea bags. Add 2 cups of cold water. Transfer the tea to a pitcher and chill. Add the fresh mint leaves. Use a wooden spoon to crush the mint until fragrant. Stir in the Wild Turkey Bourbon. Pour the mixture into tall glasses filled with ice. Garnish each glass with a mint sprig.

TYPES OF GREY GOOSE AVAILABLE:

Grey Goose Original
Grey Goose L’Orange
Grey Goose Le Vanille
Grey Goose Le Citron
Grey Goose La Poire

HOW YOU SHOULD DRINK IT:

• Straight
• In cocktails (Martini, Gimlet, Vesper, Screwdriver, Bloody Mary, Cape Cod, Greyhound, Madras, Moscow Mule, White Russian)

FAST FACTS:

• Awarded the title of “World’s Best Tasting Vodka” in its first year by the Chicago Beverage Testing Institute.
• The brand is supposedly named after the famous geese that drink from the fountain in front of the Hôtel de Ville in Cognac, France.

Having a drink in New Orleans is a dangerous proposition. One cocktail quickly leads to a second, and then a third…until you find yourself closing down Bourbon Street and wandering back to your hotel as the sun comes up. This is a familiar phenomenon for anyone who has attended Tales of the Cocktail or has just spent time in the Crescent City. To help you figure out where to drink and how to recover (all-night breakfast anyone?), here are a few of my favorite places in NOLA. I’ll see you at the bar.

The Cocktail Master

Bar UnCommon, 817 Common Street, 504 525 1111:
Chris McMillian has tended bar all over New Orleans and has built up a loyal following. Make sure to go to Bar UnCommon (inside the Renaissance Pere Marquette Hotel) on a night when he’s working and order a bartender’s choice, since, after all, you’re in the hands of a cocktail master.

Modern Classics

Cure, 4905 Freret Street, 504 302 2357:
New Orleans is famous for being home to the Sazerac and the Ramos Gin Fizz. But if you’re looking for incredibly tasty and original cocktails, head to Cure. The bar employs some of the city’s finest mixologists, including Kirk Estopinal, Danny Valdez and Neil Bodenheimer.

The Best Whiskey and Beer Selection

d.b.a., 618 Frenchmen Street, 504 9423731:
A world of whiskey and beer await you at d.b.a., just past the French Quarter. While the funky jazz bar offers an amazing drinks menu (arguably the city’s best), you won’t find any pretension or snobbery here: just a good time.

The Perfect French 75

French 75 Bar, 813 Bienville Street, 866 230 8895:
Stepping into the French 75 Bar is like entering a time warp. The bar has an old-world elegance and a menu of fine cognacs and cocktails, including its namesake. Not a surprise since it’s an offshoot of classic NOLA restaurant Arnaud’s and Chris Hannah is behind the stick.

Drinks with a History Chaser

Lafitte’s Blacksmith Shop, 941 Bourbon Street, 504 593 9761:
Lafitte’s dates back to the early 1700s, and, despite its name, the establishment is now actually a fine tavern. It may even be the oldest building used as a bar in the country. Whether or not that’s true, Lafitte’s has centuries of character and is worth a visit.

Last Call on Bourbon Street

Old Absinthe House, 240 Bourbon Street, 504 523 3181:
A favorite watering hole for Tales of the Cocktail faithful, the historic Old Absinthe House has been around since the 1800s. There is plenty of history to discuss, but that’s just about the last thing on anyone’s mind as the bartenders pour Jameson shots and cups of cold beer.

New Orleans Hangover Cure

Daisy Dukes, 121 Chartres Street, 800 613 2479:
No matter what time you stumble into Daisy Dukes, you can order almost every New Orleans classic comfort food—from po’boys and gumbo to jambalaya. This greasy institution is also famous for serving breakfast 24 hours a day and just might be your savior after a long night.

An Eye Opener

Café Du Monde, 800 Decatur Street, 504 525 4544:
Beignets and strong chicory coffee have been a New Orleans tradition at Café Du Monde since 1862. Few things taste better first thing in the morning than a plate of these pillows of hot fried dough, heavily dusted in powdered sugar. The French Market location is also open 24 hours a day if you have a late-night craving.

A Lesson in Cocktail Culture

The Museum of the American Cocktail, 1 Poydras Street, Suite 169, 504 569 0405:
Take a break from your bar crawl to drink in some mixology history. Visit the Museum of the American Cocktail and check out its collection of vintage glassware, tools and classic cocktail books. It’s the perfect last call on your drinker’s tour of New Orleans.

Simon Ford is an award-winning bartender and director of trade outreach and brand education for Pernod Ricard USA. He’s always on the hunt for a good cocktail.

TYPES OF HENDRICK’S AVAILABLE:

Hendrick’s Gin

HOW YOU SHOULD DRINK IT:

• With tonic and a slice of cucumber
• In cocktails (Martini, Gimlet, Gibson, Gin Gin Mule, Fizz, Tom Collins, Negroni, Martinez, Corpse Reviver , Vesper, White Lady, Ramos Fizz, Singapore Sling, Aviation, Red Snapper, Pegu, Clover Club, Bronx, Southside)

FAST FACTS:

• The brand uses a rare Carter-Head Still built in the 19th century to gently infuses the gin.
• Hendrick’s uses a combination of traditional gin botanicals, like juniper berries, and untraditional botanicals, including cucumber and rose petal, to flavor the spirit.

INGREDIENTS:

• 1.5 oz Zacapa Rum
• 1 oz Lime brown sugar syrup*
• 1 oz Water
• .5 oz Orange liqueur

Garnish: Grated nutmeg and lime slice

Glass: Highball

PREPARATION:

Add the Zacapa Rum, lime brown sugar syrup, water and orange liqueur to a highball glass filled with ice. Garnish with grated nutmeg and a slice of lime.

* Lime Brown Sugar Syrup

INGREDIENTS:

• 1 cup Fresh lime juice
• 4 tablespoons Brown sugar

PREPARATION:

To create the lime brown sugar syrup, combine 1 cup of fresh lime juice and 4 tablespoons of brown sugar. Let the mixture sit overnight in the refrigerator before using.

INGREDIENTS:

• 2 oz Bulldog Gin
• .5 oz Grapefruit juice
• 1 oz Pomegranate juice
• Club soda

Garnish: Grapefruit twist

Glass: Highball

PREPARATION:

Add all the ingredients except club soda to a highball glass filled with ice. Top off the drink with club soda and garnish with a grapefruit twist.

TYPES OF YOUR SPIRIT AVAILABLE:

Ron Abuelo Anejo
Ron Abuelo 7-Year Old
Ron Abuelo 12-Year-Old

HOW YOU SHOULD DRINK IT:

• Straight
• With cola
• In cocktails (Pina Colada, Dark and Stormy, Daiquiri, Mai Tai, Planter’s Punch, Zombie)

FAST FACTS:

• Ron Abuelo traces its history back to the Republic of Panama’s first sugar mill, which opened in 1908.
• The company began producing rum from its sugarcane juice in 1936.

New Orleans is truly a drinker’s city. No matter if you’re there next week during the Tales of the Cocktail convention or at any other time, you’ll find a thriving and historic cocktail culture. While the Big Easy is now famous for its potent Hand Grenades and oversize frosty Hurricanes, it’s also the birthplace of classic cocktails the Sazerac (pictured above) and the Ramos Gin Fizz. (Both are still staples.) And you can’t have a proper Sunday brunch in NOLA without enjoying a cup of traditional Brandy Milk Punch. Needless to say, you’re never in danger of going thirsty. The city is also appropriately home to the Museum of the American Cocktail, which was co-founded by Liquor.com advisor Dale DeGroff and has on display an impressive collection of antique bar tools, historic recipe books and ephemera.

But you can drink like you’re in New Orleans without actually being in Louisiana. Fortunately, the city’s signature cocktails travel very well. To get in the spirit, put on some Louis Armstrong or Kermit Ruffins tunes and then mix up a round of these three NOLA classics. You can almost hear the clang of the streetcar…

Ramos Gin Fizz

Contributed by: Allen Katz

INGREDIENTS:

• 2 oz Gin
• .5 oz Heavy cream
• 1 oz Fresh lemon juice
• .5 oz Fresh lime juice
• 1 tsp Sugar
• 3 Dashes orange flower water
• 1 Fresh egg white
• Seltzer
• Glass: Collins

PREPARATION:
The secret to this drink is to shake, shake and shake some more. Add all the ingredients except seltzer to a cocktail shaker and fill with ice. Shake vigorously until the drink is as white as fresh snow and as smooth as a cold glass of milk. Strain into a Collins glass and top with cold seltzer. Stir before serving.

Sazerac

Contributed by: Jim Meehan

INGREDIENTS:

• Absinthe (Vieux Pontarlier)
• 1 Sugar cube (Demerara or white)
• 3 Dashes Peychaud’s Bitters
• 2 Dashes Angostura Bitters
• 2 oz Rittenhouse Rye Whiskey
• Lemon peel
• Glass: Rocks

PREPARATION:
Rinse a chilled rocks glass with absinthe. In a separate mixing glass, muddle the sugar cube with both bitters. Add the rye and ice, and stir. Strain the mixture into the rinsed rocks glass. Twist a lemon peel over the surface to extract the oils and then discard it.

This recipe is adapted from William Boothby’s World Drinks and How to Mix Them.

Timmy’s Brandy Milk Punch

Contributed by: John Besh

INGREDIENTS:

• 1 cup Brandy
• 3 cups Milk
• 3 tbsp Powdered sugar, plus extra if needed
• 1 tsp Vanilla extract
• Grated nutmeg
• Glass: Tall

PREPARATION:
Put all the ingredients into a blender and fill with ice. Blend for 20 seconds. Taste and add more sugar if necessary. Strain the mixture into glasses filled with fresh crushed ice and serve. This recipe serves four people.

TYPES OF JÄGERMEISTER AVAILABLE:

Jägermeister

HOW YOU SHOULD DRINK IT:

• Shots

FAST FACTS:

• Every year Americans buy more Jägermeister than Germans.
• The liqueur, according to the brand, is made from a secret recipe of 56 herbs, blooms, roots and fruits. The only known ingredients are cinnamon-bark and ginger root.

INGREDIENTS:

• 2 oz Averna
• quarter cup Cucumber
• 2 Mint sprigs
• .5 oz Death’s Door Gin
• .25 oz Fresh lime juice
• .25 oz Simple syrup (one part sugar, one part water)
• Club soda

Garnish: Mint sprig and cucumber wheel

Glass: Tall

PREPARATION:

Muddle the mint, cucumber and simple syrup in a shaker. Add the Averna, gin, lime juice and ice. Shake well. Strain into a tall glass filled with fresh ice. Top with club soda. Garnish with a mint sprig and a cucumber wheel.

Talk about a party shopping list: 13,884 mint leaves, 11,250 limes, 12,000 pounds of Kold-Draft ice. All those ingredients and a river of alcohol were used to make countless drinks during last year’s Tales of the Cocktail convention in New Orleans. The stats from this year’s event, next week (from July 21 to 25), should be no less impressive. Plus, the world’s top bartenders and spirits experts will be in town to lead seminars, conduct tastings and, of course, mix cocktails. To help you decide which events to attend, here are some of our favorites.

Prohibition & Gin (Thursday, July 22):

Love gin? Join Liquor.com advisor and award-winning author David Wondrich and frequent Liquor.com contributor and mixologist Simon Ford for a talk about the evolution of gin cocktails from the 1890s to post-Prohibition.

Armagnac, France’s First Brandy (Friday, July 23):

Learn about France’s other great spirit: Armagnac. Liquor.com advisor and master mixologist Dale DeGroff moderates this panel of Armagnac producers and spirits experts.

The Mastery of Wisdom Behind the Bar (Saturday, July 24):

Liquor.com advisors Dushan Zaric and Aisha Sharpe share their hard-earned wisdom from years behind the bar. This master class focuses on the psychology of making and selling drinks.

Rum Running – Contraband, Customs and Taxes (Saturday, July 24):

Hear three of the world’s foremost rum experts, Ed Hamilton, Jeff Berry and Wayne Curtis, discuss the history of rum running and how it changed our country and the world.

Religious Spirits (Sunday, July 25):

Some of the world’s earliest distillers and brewers were pioneering European monks. Explore alcohol’s religious roots with Liquor.com advisor Allen Katz and Garrett Oliver, brewmaster of The Brooklyn Brewery.

TYPES OF BOWMORE AVAILABLE:

Bowmore Legend Scotch Whisky
Bowmore 12-Year-Old Scotch Whisky
Bowmore 15-Year-Old Darkest Scotch Whisky
Bowmore 18-Year-Old Scotch Whisky
Bowmore 25-Year-Old Scotch Whisky
Black Bowmore
White Bowmore
Gold Bowmore

HOW YOU SHOULD DRINK IT:

• Straight
• On the rocks
• With a bit of water
• With club soda

FAST FACTS:

• While the distillery has a long history, the origins of the name Bowmore are unknown.
• In 1991, one of the brand’s warehouses was turned into a community swimming pool, which is heated with the distillery’s recycled hot water.
• A rare bottle of 1850 Bowmore became the most expensive Scotch in the world when it sold at auction for £29,400 pounds in September 2007.

INGREDIENTS:

• Slice of lime peel
• 4 Thin ginger slices
• 2 oz Lemon flavored club soda (San Pellegrino Limonata)
• 1.5 oz Pierre Ferrand Ambre Cognac
• 1 Long slice of cucumber peel

Glass: Tumbler

PREPARATION:

Place the lime peel and ginger slices in a short tumbler. Add .75 ounce of the cognac. Lightly press the lime and ginger 2 or 3 times using a muddler or the back of a spoon. Fill the glass halfway with ice. Stir for 5 seconds. Add the remaining cognac, club soda and cucumber peel. Stir for another 5 seconds using a bar spoon.

After weeks of dramatic last-minute goals, fist-pumping wins and heart-breaking defeats, the World Cup finally comes to a conclusion this weekend. On Sunday, just like throughout the tournament, bars and restaurants across the US will host hordes of excited and thirsty soccer fans. Not only has it been a test of endurance for the players, but also for many bartenders, who opened early for matches and created special drink menus.

We asked our contacts at three favorite soccer-watching spots for the cocktail recipes they created for the tournament. No matter which team you’re rooting for, mix up a batch of these drinks during the championship game. Make the refreshing Shandy from New York City bistro Scuderia during the first half, the spicy Caliente served at the five Sushisamba locations around the country during halftime and the festive Copa Sangria from Elixir in San Francisco during the second half. The best part? While you’ll have to wait another four years to put on your jersey and paint your face again, you can whip up a round of these drinks anytime.

Scuderia Shandy

Contributed by Scuderia

INGREDIENTS:

• Peroni Beer
• 1 oz St-Germain Elderflower Liqueur
• Soda water
• Garnish: Lemon slice
• Glass: Tall

PREPARATION:
Fill a tall glass halfway with Peroni Beer and add a shot of St-Germain Liqueur. Add ice and top with a splash of soda water. Garnish with a lemon slice.

Caliente

Contributed by Sushisamba

INGREDIENTS:

• 1.5 oz Leblon Cachaça
• .5 oz Triple sec
• 1 oz Passion fruit juice
• 1 oz Mango juice
• 2 Jalapeño chile pepper slices
• .75 oz Sour mix (half part lime juice, half part lemon juice, 1 part simple syrup)
• Garnish: Mango slice
• Glass: Wine

PREPARATION:
Combine all the ingredients in a cocktail shaker and fill with ice. Shake and strain into a wine glass filled with fresh ice. Garnish with a mango slice.

Copa Sangria

Contributed by H. Joseph Ehrmann

INGREDIENTS:

• 1 oz Square One Botanical Organic Spirit
• 2 oz Albariño wine
• 1 oz St-Germain Elderflower Liqueur
• 1 oz Pear juice
• Garnish: Strawberry slices and thin lemon wheels
• Glass: Wine

PREPARATION:
Combine all the ingredients in a large wine glass and fill two-thirds of the way with ice. Stir well and garnish with the strawberry slices and lemon wheels.

TYPES OF BUSHMILLS AVAILABLE:

Bushmills Original
Bushmills Black Bush
Bushmills 10-Year-Old Malt
Bushmills 16-Year-Old Malt
Bushmills 21-Year-Old Malt

HOW YOU SHOULD DRINK IT:

• Straight
• On the rocks
• With a bit of water
• With club soda
• With ginger ale

FAST FACTS:

• In 1608, Sir Thomas Phillips was awarded a royal license to distill whiskey by King James I.
• Bushmills was one of the only distilleries to stay open during Prohibition.
• The Bushmills distillery ceased operations during World War II but was used to house Allied troops.

INGREDIENTS:

• 1.5 oz Bourbon (Wild Turkey 101)
• .75 oz Fresh lemon juice
• 1 oz Fresh orange juice
• 1 oz Simple syrup (one part sugar, one part water)

Garnish: Half an orange wheel and a cherry

Glass: Rocks

PREPARATION:

Add all the ingredients to a shaker and fill with ice. Shake and strain into a rocks glass filled with fresh ice and garnish with half an orange wheel and a cherry.

TYPES OF APPLETON ESTATE JAMAICA RUM AVAILABLE:

Appleton Special
Appleton White
Appleton Estate VX
Appleton Estate Reserve
Appleton Estate 12-Year-Old
Appleton Estate Master Blenders’ Legacy (Not available in the United States)
Appleton Estate 21-Year-Old
Appleton Estate Limited Edition 30-Year-Old

HOW YOU SHOULD DRINK IT:

• Straight
• With cola
• In cocktails (Mojito, Pina Colada, Dark and Stormy, Daiquiri, Mai Tai, Planter’s Punch, Zombie)

FAST FACTS:

• Appleton’s sister brand is Wray & Nephew, which is also made in Jamaica.
• Appleton sits on the island’s oldest sugar estate and is the country’s oldest continuously run distillery.
• Joy Spence was the spirits industry’s first female master blender.

INGREDIENTS:

• 1.5 oz Kettle One Vodka
• .5 oz Dry vermouth
• .5 oz Orange liqueur
• 1.5 oz Grapefruit juice

Garnish: Grapefruit peel

Glass: Rocks

PREPARATION:

In a mixing glass stir Ketel One Vodka, dry vermouth, orange liqueur and grapefruit juice with ice.  Strain into a rocks glass. Garnish the rim with a grapefruit peel.

INGREDIENTS:

• 1.5 oz Jack Daniel’s Tennessee Whiskey
• .5 oz Domaine de Canton Liqueur
• 1 oz Sweet lime juice (Rose’s)
• Splash tonic water

Garnish: Lime wedge

Glass: Tall

PREPARATION:

Add the Jack Daniel’s, Domaine de Canton and lime juice to a shaker and fill with ice. Shake and then pour the drink into a tall glass. Top it with tonic water. Stir and garnish with a lime wedge.

TYPES OF GRAND MARNIER AVAILABLE:

Grand Marnier Cordon Rouge
Navan
Cherry Marnier
Louis-Alexandre
Cuvée du Centenaire
Cuvée du Cent Cinquantenaire
Pineau Des Charentes Marnier

HOW YOU SHOULD DRINK IT:

• Neat
• In cocktails (Cosmopolitan, Margarita, B-52, Brandy Crusta)

FAST FACTS:

• How popular is Grand Marnier? Every two seconds a bottle of the liqueur is sold somewhere in the world.
• Descendents of the brand’s founder Louis-Alexandre Marnier-Lapostolle still own Grand Marnier.

If you infuse high-proof vodka with spices and call it gin, trendy mixologists will beat a path to your door. Do the same with rum, and they usually beat a path to the exit. Truth be told, the Caribbean compatriots of rum and spice have been mixed together in hot drinks and punches since at least the late 17th century. And the combination has been a bar staple since the creation of Captain Morgan Original Spiced Rum in 1983. It is currently the third best-selling spirits brand in America.

Now a bounty of new spiced rums are adding diversity to this suddenly booming category. Rather than cola or ginger ale, we’d suggest enjoying them neat or with your favorite tonic. After all, at their best these complex spirits are the closest rum comes to being gin.

Blackheart Spiced Rum ($13):

Blackheart scores for its distinctive black cherry and Dr Pepper aromas. For such a cheap date, this rum has a generous fruity palate with cocoa, clove, cinnamon and other spices.

Captain Morgan Private Stock ($22):

If you already know the Captain, sneak a sip of his Private Stock. It has more of everything—spice, sweetness and alcohol—complemented with an orange Creamsicle quality and sweetness that makes it a great after-dinner sipper.

Cruzan 9 ($16):

Due for release early next month, Cruzan 9 (pictured above) is named for both the nine spices that flavor the rum and the nine districts of its home St. Croix. Generous vanilla, a nice oakiness and hints of peppery allspice make up the aroma, while it’s bold, sweet and fruity on the palate (reminiscent of peach nectar) and nicely balanced with spice on the finish.

Kraken Black Spiced Rum ($22):

While the Kraken, a giant squid-like beast, supposedly wreaked havoc on the seas, this rum is far easier on drinkers. It has a nose of vanilla, dark molasses and fruitcake and is as rich and chewy as calamari on the palate with flavors of golden raisins and dates and a touch of spice and cocoa on the finish.

Old New Orleans Cajun Spice Rum ($35):

Crafted from Louisiana molasses, this American rum is bursting with aromas of burnt sugar and butterscotch candies. As the sweetness hits your mouth, the spicy heat of cayenne, ginger and cinnamon begin to build, offering a pleasant balance as they wrap your tongue in a cloak of warming spice.

Sailor Jerry Spiced Navy Rum ($18):

This amber rum, with big aromas of caramel and crème brûlée, pays homage to tattoo artist Norman Collins, A.K.A. Sailor Jerry. It’s rich and creamy on the palate, with a complex sweetness of maple syrup and molasses and a hit of cinnamon on the finish.

Looking for a spiced rum cocktail recipe? Try the refreshing Treme.

INGREDIENTS:

• 1 oz Campari
• 1.5 oz Cabo Wabo Reposado Tequila
• .5 oz Cointreau
• 1 oz Fresh lime juice

Glass: Margarita

PREPARATION:

Shake all the ingredients with ice and strain into a Margarita glass.

TYPES OF BEEFEATER AVAILABLE:

Beefeater London Dry Gin
Beefeater 24 Gin

HOW YOU SHOULD DRINK IT:

• With tonic
• In cocktails (Martini, Gimlet, Gibson, Gin Gin Mule, Fizz, Tom Collins, Negroni, Martinez, Corpse Reviver , Vesper, White Lady, Ramos Fizz, Singapore Sling, Aviation, Red Snapper, Pegu, Clover Club, Bronx, Southside)

FAST FACTS:

• Beefeater was the only gin available on the Queen Elizabeth 2’s maiden voyage in 1969.
• Need a bartending refresher course? On Beefeater’s website, there are videos of mixologist Jacques Bezuidenhout shaking up nine different classic cocktails, including the Negroni, the Vesper and the White Lady.

TYPES OF HERRADURA TEQUILA AVAILABLE:

Herradura Silver Tequila
Herradura Reposado Tequila
Herradura Anejo Tequila
Herradura Seleccion Suprema Tequila
Antiguo Tequila

HOW YOU SHOULD DRINK IT:

• Straight
• With a Sangrita
• In cocktails (Margarita, Paloma, Bloody Maria)

FAST FACTS:

• You can take the Tequila Express Train (www.tequilaexpress.com.mx/home ) from Guadalajara right to the Herradura distillery and visitor center.
• Starting in the 1960s, Herradura began aging its tequila for an extended period of time and the brand claims to have introduced the first reposado tequila in 1974.

INGREDIENTS:

• 1 oz Campari
• 1 oz Cinzano Rosso Vermouth
• Splash club soda

Garnish: Orange twist

Glass: Rocks or highball

PREPARATION:

Pour Campari and Cinzano Rosso Vermouth into a rocks or highball glass filled with ice. Add a splash of club soda. Garnish with an orange twist.

To celebrate the Fourth of July like a patriot, you need to drink liquor produced right here in the good old US of A. (Take that England.) Not that long ago your options were relatively limited, but now, in addition to our great whiskies, there is a selection of excellent homegrown spirits. So this weekend toast our founding fathers with a glass of one of these fine American-made spirits. No doubt you’ll want to drink them long after the holiday is over.

Bluecoat American Dry Gin ($29):

We’ll take Bluecoat Gin over British Redcoats any day. The spirit, which is appropriately made in patriotic Philadelphia, is flavored with a mix of organic botanicals, including juniper berries and a blend of American orange and lemon peels.

Charbay Vodka ($41):

While Russia, Poland and Sweden are practically synonymous with vodka, one of the best is actually made in wine-crazy Napa Valley, California. Charbay produces an award-winning line of flavored vodkas, including blood orange, Meyer lemon and ruby red grapefruit.

Laird’s Applejack ($25):

Americans have been drinking applejack since colonial times. This old-timey favorite, also known as apple brandy, has recently been rediscovered by bartenders. Try Laird’s authentic bonded, straight apple brandy. The brand, founded in 1780, is the oldest distillery in the country.

Old New Orleans Amber Rum ($40):

Looking for tasty rum? Head to Louisiana. Celebration Distillation in the Big Easy produces the rich Old New Orleans Amber Rum, which is full of sweet butterscotch and baking-spice notes.

St. George Absinthe Verte ($75):

You no longer need to go to France or Switzerland to find great absinthe. St. George Absinthe Verte, made in Alameda, California, has wonderful aromas of mint, green pepper and fennel and a bittersweet finish. Forget adding a sugar cube: this spirit needs just an ice cube and a splash of water.

TYPES OF KETEL ONE AVAILABLE:

Ketel One Vodka
Ketel One Citroen
Ketel 1 Jenever Gin

HOW YOU SHOULD DRINK IT:

• Straight
• In cocktails (Martini, Gimlet, Vesper, Screwdriver, Bloody Mary, Cape Cod, Greyhound, Madras, Moscow Mule, White Russian)

FAST FACTS:

• Ketel One is named after the company’s original copper pot still “Distilleerketel #1.”
• The Nolet family, who makes the vodka, has been distilling spirits since 1691.

INGREDIENTS:

• 1.5 oz Appleton Estate Reserve Rum
• Slice of fresh ginger
• 2 oz Pineapple juice
• .5 oz Simple syrup (one part sugar, one part water)
• Dash Angostura Bitters

Garnish: Lime wheel

Glass: Rocks

PREPARATION

Muddle the ginger in the bottom of a shaker. Add the rest of the ingredients plus ice and shake. Strain the drink into a rocks glass filled with fresh ice and garnish with a lime wheel.

Between the World Cup, Father’s Day and the start of summer, we know you’ve had a long June. So just in case you’ve missed any of our stories, here are some of our best features from this past month.

Cheat Sheet: Bourbon:
Liquor store shelves are packed with dozens of bourbons, but how do you decide which bottle to buy? Bernie Lubbers, Knob Creek’s whiskey professor, reveals the secret to breaking down bourbons into three general categories.

Behind the Drink: The Tom Collins:
The Tom Collins is one of the most classic and enduring summer cocktails, but who created it? Our story from award-winning author and cocktail historian David Wondrich traces the drink back to its creator.

Raising the Bar: Eric Alperin:
Eric Alperin is helping to put Los Angeles back on the mixology map. Meet the talented bartender, who trained at some of New York City’s finest bars, and try a couple of his cocktail recipes.

The Top Shelf: Scotch:
From the 1973 Glenlivet and the 70-year-old Mortlach, to the Port Ellen 30-Year-Old, find five of the world’s rarest single malt whiskies and learn what makes them so desirable.

A Cold One:
Enjoy a refreshing seasonal beer cocktail from four top bartenders, including Liquor.com advisor Aisha Sharpe.

INGREDIENTS:

• 5 oz Beefeater Gin
• 1 oz Dry vermouth
• 2 Dashes orange bitters (optional)

Garnish: Lemon twist

Glass: Cocktail

PREPARATION:

Stir all the ingredients with ice until very cold. Strain into a chilled cocktail glass. Garnish with a lemon twist.

TYPES OF WILD TURKEY AVAILABLE:

Wild Turkey 80˚
Wild Turkey 86.8˚
Wild Turkey 8-Year-Old 101˚
Wild Turkey 12-Year-Old 101˚
Wild Turkey American Honey
Wild Turkey Kentucky Spirit
Wild Turkey Rare Breed
Russell’s Reserve 10-Year-Old
Wild Turkey Straight Rye Whiskey
Russell’s Reserve Rye
Wild Turkey American Spirit

HOW YOU SHOULD DRINK IT:

• Straight
• On the rocks
• With a bit of water
• With club soda
• With ginger ale
• In cocktails (Mint Julep, Old Fashioned, Presbyterian, Horse’s Neck, Ward Eight, Brown

FAST FACTS:

• The bourbon has only been called Wild Turkey since 1940. Thomas McCarthy, an executive at the company, was told by some of his hunting buddies to bring some of that “wild turkey bourbon” on their next turkey hunt.
• Master Distiller Jimmy Russell has worked at the Wild Turkey Distillery since 1954.

INGREDIENTS:

• 1 oz Lucid Absinthe
• .5 oz Simple syrup (one part sugar, one part water)
• 6-8 Fresh mint leaves
• 1 oz Club soda

Garnish: Mint sprig

Glass: Frappe

PREPARATION:

Muddle the mint leaves in the bottom of a frappe style glass. Add the absinthe, simple syrup and fill with crushed ice. Pour the mixture into a shaker and shake vigorously. Pour the contents back into the glass. Top with a splash of club soda. Garnish with a mint sprig.

TYPES OF GOSLING’S RUM AVAILABLE:

Black Seal Rum
Gold Rum
Old Rum
Ginger Beer

HOW YOU SHOULD DRINK IT:

• Straight
• Cola
• In cocktails (Mojito, Pina Colada, Dark and Stormy, Daiquiri, Mai Tai, Planter’s Punch, Zombie)

FAST FACTS:

• The official Dark ‘n Stormy recipe calls for Goslsing’s Black Seal Rum. It is the national drink of Bermuda.
• Gosling’s has remained a family business for over two hundred years.

INGREDIENTS:

• 2 oz Grey Goose La Poire Flavored Vodka
• .5 oz Cointreau
• 1 oz Fresh lime juice
• .5 oz Maraschino liqueur
• Dash grenadine

Garnish: Fresh mint

Glass: Rocks

PREPARATION:

Add all the ingredients to a shaker and fill with ice. Shake well and strain into a rocks glass filled with fresh ice. Top with grenadine and garnish with fresh mint.

TYPES OF PLYMOUTH AVAILABLE:

Plymouth Gin Original Strength
Plymouth Navy Strength
Plymouth Sloe Gin

HOW YOU SHOULD DRINK IT:

• With tonic
• In cocktails (Martini, Gimlet, Gibson, Gin Gin Mule, Fizz, Tom Collins, Negroni, Martinez, Corpse Reviver , Vesper, White Lady, Ramos Fizz, Singapore Sling, Aviation, Red Snapper, Pegu, Clover Club, Bronx, Southside)

FAST FACTS:

• Plymouth’s Black Friar’s Distillery dates back to 1431 when it was built as monastery.
• All of the brand’s gin is made in just a single pot still, which was installed in 1855.
• Not only can you take a tour of the distillery but there’s also a café and a store selling Plymouth merchandise.

Wimbledon has to be the most proper sporting event ever. Players battle it out on traditional grass courts in classic tennis whites, while members of the royal family look on from their courtside box. Even loudmouth John McEnroe has enough sense to speak in hushed tones. But underneath all the decorum and etiquette, the fans at the matches are actually partying like they’re at a NASCAR race. During the course of the championship, 200,000 Pimm’s Cups (the unofficial cocktail of Wimbledon) are served. Plus, the tennis faithful put away 100,000 pints of beer and 20,000 bottles of champagne. Forget points and aces—those might be the tournament’s most impressive stats of all.

To get the full Wimbledon experience, put on your tennis sweater, tune in the day’s matches and start mixing drinks. To help you out, we asked two of our favorite British bartenders—Dan Warner, brand ambassador for Beefeater Gin, and Angus Winchester, global ambassador for the House of Tanqueray Gin—for drinks that are perfect for a day of tennis. How civilized.

Pimm’s Cup

Contributed by: Angus Winchester

INGREDIENTS:

• 2 oz Pimm’s No. 1
• 3 oz Sprite or 7Up
• Cucumber slice
• Strawberry, hulled and cut into quarters
• Half an orange slice
• Half a lemon slice
• 6 Mint leaves
• Mint sprig
• Glass: Highball

PREPARATION:
Add all the ingredients to a highball glass filled with ice. To mix things up a bit, you can replace the Sprite or 7Up with ginger ale, champagne or ginger beer.

Gone Native

Contributed by: Angus Winchester

INGREDIENTS:

• 1.5 oz Tanqueray Gin
• .5 oz Pimm’s No. 1
• .5 oz Fresh lemon juice
• 1 oz Guava juice
• 1 oz Apple juice
• 1 barspoon Simple syrup (one part sugar, one part water)
• 4 Mint leaves
• Glass: Collins
• Garnish: Mint sprig

PREPARATION:
Shake all the ingredients with ice and strain into a Collins glass filled with fresh ice. Garnish with a mint sprig.

Waterloo Sunset

Contributed by: Dan Warner

INGREDIENTS:

• 1 oz Beefeater Gin
• .25 oz St-Germain Elderflower Liqueur
• .25 oz Chambord
• Brut champagne
• Garnish: Raspberry on a toothpick
• Glass: Flute

PREPARATION:
In a mixing glass stir the Beefeater Gin and elderflower liqueur with ice. Strain the drink into a flute and top with champagne and the Chambord. Garnish with a raspberry on a toothpick.

TYPES OF BAKER’S AVAILABLE:

Baker’s

HOW YOU SHOULD DRINK IT:

• Straight
• On the rocks
• With a bit of water
• With club soda
• With ginger ale
• In cocktails (Mint Julep, Old Fashioned, Presbyterian, Horse’s Neck, Ward Eight, Brown Derby)

FAST FACTS:

• Baker’s along with Knob Creek, Basil Hayden’s and Booker’s make up Jim Beam’s Small Batch Bourbon Collection.
• The 7-year-old whiskey is not for the faint of heart —it’s bottled at 107 proof.
• The bourbon is named after Baker Beam, the grand-nephew of Jim Beam.

INGREDIENTS:

• 2.5 oz Bulldog Gin
• .5 oz Ruby port
• 4 Pitted Bing cherries
• 1 Piece star anise
• 2 Lime wedges
• 1 Bar spoon demerara sugar

Garnish: Cherries

Glass: Martini

PREPARATION:

In a shaker, muddle all the non-alcoholic ingredients. Then add ice, gin and port. Shake well and double strain into a martini glass. Garnish with cherries.

Los Angeles is famous for being a town of excess—from flashy sports cars and Beverly Hills mansions to gratuitous plastic surgery. But up until recently, when it came to drinking, LA was surprisingly B-list.

Cut to New York. After getting an acting degree in 1999, Eric Alperin took a job “slinging Cosmos” at the Screening Room in TriBeCa while he looked for movie-production work. Life behind the bar suited him (cue the montage), and after a few years he found himself bartending at celebrity chef Mario Batali’s restaurant Lupa. By 2005 Alperin was working for Sasha Petraske at his bar Little Branch, and also occasionally at his other establishment Milk & Honey.

Two years later he took a big chance and moved to Los Angeles (enter violins). “I wanted to open a West Coast Little Branch,” he says. His timing couldn’t have been better. He was quickly hired to help launch Batali’s restaurant Osteria Mozza, and around the same time local real estate developer Cedd Moses opened a string of upscale cocktail bars in downtown LA. One of his most ambitious projects was restoring the legendary restaurant Cole’s to its former glory. Moses offered the back room at Cole’s to Petraske and Alperin, which they transformed into a cocktail bar called The Varnish.

While it’s been open for less than two years, the bar has established itself as one of the country’s best. (The Varnish is a finalist for the Best American Cocktail Bar award and Alperin is up for the American Bartender of the Year award at next month’s Tales of the Cocktail conference in New Orleans.) What makes it even more impressive is that The Varnish serves just five cocktails, mostly classics such as the Daiquiri and the Cablegram. You also have the option of asking the bartender to make you something special. And like at Petraske’s other bars, each drink is made from scratch.

“I’m not a cocktail geek,” Alperin is quick to insist. “I just wanted to open a bar.” (Roll credits.)

Cablegram

Contributed by Eric Alperin

INGREDIENTS:

• .75 oz Ginger syrup*
• .5 oz Fresh lime juice
• 2 oz Rye whiskey
• Club soda
• Garnish: Ginger candy
• Glass: Collins

PREPARATION:
Shake all the ingredients without ice. Pour the mixture into a Collins glass filled with ice. Top with club soda and garnish with ginger candy.

* Ginger Syrup
Add 2 cups of finely chopped or puréed fresh ginger root to 1.5 cups of water. Boil for 5 minutes. Turn off the heat, cover and let stand for 2 hours. Strain the mixture into a bowl and add 1 cup of superfine sugar. Stir and keep the syrup refrigerated.

Skid Row

Contributed by Eric Alperin

INGREDIENTS:

• Dash Fee Brothers Bitters
• Dash Regans’ Orange Bitters
• .5 oz Apricot liqueur (Rothman & Winter)
• .5 oz Ramazzotti Amaro
• 2 oz Bols Genever
• Garnish: Flamed orange peel
• Glass: Coupe

PREPARATION:
Add all of the ingredients to a mixing glass and fill with ice. Stir and strain into a coupe glass. Garnish with a flamed orange peel.

INGREDIENTS:

• 1.5 oz VeeV Açaí Spirit
• .75 oz Applejack or calvados
• 1 oz Fresh lemon juice
• .75 oz Simple syrup (one part sugar, one part water)
• 2 oz Apple juice

Garnish: Apple slice or sprig of mint

Glass: Cocktail or rocks

PREPARATION:

Shake all the ingredients with ice and strain into a chilled cocktail glass. Can also be double strained into an ice-filled rocks glass. Garnish with an apple slice or sprig of mint.

TYPES OF FLOR DE CAÑA AVAILABLE:

Flor de Caña 4-Year-Old White, Gold and Limon Rum
Flor de Caña 5-Year-Old Black Label Rum
Flor de Caña 7-Year-Old Grand Reserve Rum
Flor de Caña 12-Year Old Centernario Rum
Flor de Caña 18-Year-Old Centenario Gold Rum
Flor de Caña Centerario 21 Rum

HOW YOU SHOULD DRINK IT:

• Straight
• With cola
• In cocktails (Mojito, Pina Colada, Dark and Stormy, Daiquiri, Mai Tai, Planter’s Punch, Zombie)

FAST FACTS:

• Flor de Caña uses molasses made from estate-grown sugar cane. The rum is distilled five times and then aged in American white oak casks.
• The brand is still run by descendents of Francisco Alfredo Pellas.
• Master Distiller Pedro Uriarte has been working for Flor de Caña for over four decades.

TYPES OF ARDMORE AVAILABLE:

Ardmore Traditional Cask
Ardmore 25-Year-Old
Ardmore 30-Year-Old

HOW YOU SHOULD DRINK IT:

• Straight
• On the rocks
• With a bit of water
• With club soda
• With ginger ale
• In cocktails (Rob Roy, Whisky Smash, Blood and Sand, Rusty Nail)

FAST FACTS:

• Up until 2007, the brand didn’t bottle any of its whisky as single malt. It was instead primarily used to produce the blend Teacher’s Highland Cream Scotch Whisky.
• Ardmore was one of the last distilleries in Scotland to use coal fires to heat its stills. Several years ago, the brand switched over to steam heat.
• Find tasting notes from experts and the world’s “first three-dimensional interactive whisky tasting map” on Ardmore’s site

INGREDIENTS:

• 2 oz Gin
• .5 oz Heavy cream
• 1 oz Fresh lemon juice
• .5 oz Fresh lime juice
• 1 tsp Sugar
• 3 Dashes orange flower water
• 1 Fresh egg white
• club soda

Glass: Collins

PREPARATION:

The secret to this drink is to shake, shake and shake some more. Shake all the ingredients, except seltzer, vigorously with ice until the drink is as white as fresh snow and as smooth as a cold glass of milk. Strain into a Collins glass and top with cold seltzer. Stir before serving.

French and Italian vermouth became widely available at the end of the 19th century and, of course, are the key ingredients in two of the most classic and enduring cocktails: the Manhattan and the Martini. But the fortified wine can be used in more than just these famous recipes and is now getting the attention of bartenders looking to add a robust accent to their drinks.

What has helped is the introduction of a number of fine European products. The Carpano family began producing sweet vermouth in Turin, Italy, hundreds of years ago. The brand’s Antica Formula is now available in America. It is the spiciest of the sweet vermouths and mixologists are now pairing it and Carpano’s other sweet vermouth, Punt e Mes, with rye whiskies to make delicious Manhattans and other creations.

Since James Bond’s first blockbuster, the Martini has become increasingly a vodka drink with little, if any, vermouth. Happily gin is making a comeback, and the turn-of-the-century Marguerite Martini—equal parts vermouth and gin accented with a dash of orange bitters—is now appearing on menus. Known as the Dry Martini and as the Fitty-Fitty at New York’s Pegu Club, it tastes better than ever since bartenders are using Dolin’s excellent dry vermouth. It comes from the legendary French town of Chambéry, which is known as the home of the finest vermouth in the world.

Vermouth might have a strong flavor, but when it comes to shelf life it’s delicate. Once open, always store it in a refrigerator. To ensure that it’s fresh, buy smaller bottles, like the 500 ml size. But once you try these riffs on the Manhattan from two top New York City bartenders, you won’t have to worry about left-over vermouth again.

Greenpoint

Contributed by Michael McIlroy

INGREDIENTS:

• 2 oz Rye whiskey
• .5 oz Yellow Chartreuse
• .5 oz Sweet vermouth
• Dash Angostura Bitters
• Dash orange bitters
• Garnish: Lemon zest twist
• Glass: Cocktail

PREPARATION:

Stir all the ingredients with ice and strain into a cocktail glass. Garnish with a twist of lemon zest.

Red Hook

Contributed by Vincenzo Errico

INGREDIENTS:

• 2 oz Rye whiskey
• .5 oz Punt e Mes
• .5 oz Maraschino liqueur
• Garnish: Maraschino cherry
• Glass: Cocktail

PREPARATION:

Stir all the ingredients with ice and strain into a cocktail glass. Garnish with a maraschino cherry.

Master Mixologist Dale DeGroff is the author of The Essential Cocktail and The Craft of the Cocktail. He is also a Liquor.com advisor.

Bill Samuels Jr. is obsessed with preserving his family’s long history. If you have a few minutes, he’ll gladly show you some of his favorite mementos, including a letter from Abe Lincoln to his relative and vintage photos of his relation, the outlaw Jesse James. But his most precious heirloom is Maker’s Mark Bourbon, which his parents began in 1953. (”I still have that first bottle,” he says.) His father dreamed up the spirit’s recipe, and his mother came up with the brand’s name and designed the iconic bottle, complete with dripping wax.

So we were a bit shocked when Samuels announced that Maker’s was creating a new whiskey called 46 ($35). (It comes out at the beginning of next month.) “We’ve been a one-trick pony for over 50 years,” he says. While Samuels has seen the brand grow from a small family business into an international best seller, he wanted to create his own legacy.

Kevin Smith, Maker’s master distiller, headed up this special project. “We wanted a bigger taste, more intensity and a longer finish,” says Smith. Basically “Maker’s Mark amped up.” But it wasn’t easy. After countless failed attempts, “we were fixing to throw it all in the garbage can,” Samuels admits. Fortunately, the brand’s barrel maker came up with the idea of attaching pieces of seared French oak to the inside of a standard barrel. Finished Maker’s Mark is then aged for an additional two to three months in these special casks.

You can easily tell that the two bourbons share some common DNA, but make no mistake 46 is definitely its own whiskey. While the original Maker’s signature smoothness and sweetness makes it quaffable, 46 is full of spice and wood that make you want to linger over a glass. It’s so different, Samuels wonders how the brand’s longtime fans will receive the new whiskey. “If we don’t sell a single bottle that’s fine,” he says. “This was for my tombstone.”

INGREDIENTS:

• 1.5 oz Grand Marnier
• 3.5 oz Brewed iced tea
• .25 oz Fresh lemon juice

Garnish: Lemon wheels

Glass: Highball

PREPARATION:

Add the ingredients to a pitcher and fill with ice. Stir and strain into a highball glass filled with fresh ice. Garnish with lemon wheels.

TYPES OF CHARBAY AVAILABLE:

Charbay Clear Vodka
Charbay Blood Orange Vodka
Charbay Meyer Lemon Vodka
Charbay Ruby Grapefruit Vodka
Charbay Green Tea Vodka
Charbay Red Raspberry Vodka
Charbay Pomegranate Vodka
Charbay Tequila Blanco
Charbay Whisky
Charbay Tahitian Vanilla Bean Rum
Charbay Grappa
Charbay Pastis

FAST FACTS:

• Marko Karakasevic is the 13^th generation master distiller in his family.
• The brand flavors its award-winning vodka with whole fruit and doesn’t use any artificial essences, perfumes, dyes or fragrances.

INGREDIENTS:

• 1.5 oz Grey Goose Vodka
• .5 oz Mandarine Napoleon Liqueur
• 3 oz Mango nectar
• 1 oz Fresh lemon juice
• Club soda

Garnish: Mango slice

Glass: Highball

PREPARATION:

Add all the ingredients, except club soda, to a shaker and fill with ice. Shake well until the outside of the shaker is frosty and beaded with sweat. Strain into a highball glass filled with fresh ice. Top with club soda and garnish with a mango slice.

TYPES OF BLUECOAT GIN AVAILABLE:

Bluecoat Gin

HOW YOU SHOULD DRINK IT:

• With tonic
• In cocktails (Martini, Gimlet, Gibson, Gin Gin Mule, Fizz, Tom Collins, Negroni, Martinez, Corpse Reviver , Vesper, White Lady, Ramos Fizz, Singapore Sling, Aviation, Red Snapper, Pegu, Clover Club, Bronx, Southside)

FAST FACTS:

• Bluecoat is distilled five times in a custom-built, hand-hammered copper pot still.
• The brand only uses certified organic botanicals to flavor the gin, including juniper berries and a blend of American orange and lemon peels.
• Bluecoat’s sister brands are Penn1681 Vodka and Vieux Carré Absinthe.

INGREDIENTS:

• 2 oz Plymouth Gin
• 1 oz St-Germain Liqueur
• .75 oz Fresh lime juice
• 2 Cucumber pieces
• Pinch of mint

Garnish: Mint leaf

Glass: Highball or Martini

PREPARATION:

Muddle the mint and cucumber in a shaker. Add the rest of the ingredients and ice, shake and strain into a chilled Martini glass or a highball glass filled with fresh ice. Garnish the drink with a mint leaf.

TYPES OF BACARDI AVAILABLE:

Bacardi Superior
Bacardi Dragon Berry
Bacardi O
Bacardi Big Apple
Bacardi Grand Melon
Bacardi Coconut
Bacardi Limón
Bacardi Peach Red
Bacardi Razz
Bacardi Gold
Bacardi 8
Bacardi Añejo
Bacardi Solera
Bacardi 151

HOW YOU SHOULD DRINK IT:

• Straight
• Cola
• In cocktails (Mojito, Pina Colada, Dark and Stormy, Daiquiri, Mai Tai, Planter’s Punch, Zombie)

FAST FACTS:

• Company founder Don Facundo Bacardi Masso bought his first rum distillery in Cuba for 3,500 pesos.
• Bacardi sells 20 million cases of rum every year.

You have no excuse. Father’s Day is this weekend and, once again, you’re scrambling to get a great present. Your dad deserves more than a tie or a box of golf balls, so to help you out we found six thoughtful last-minute gifts that will save the holiday. Now you just need to select a card.

Oxo 11-Piece Barware Collection ($100):
It’s time to give your dad’s home bar an extreme makeover. Pick up Oxo’s brushed stainless-steel 11-piece barware set, which includes a shaker, a jigger, a strainer and an ice bucket with tongs. You should be able to find it locally, or overnight it from Amazon.

SodaStream Pure Seltzer Starter Kit ($170):
As a rule, men like gadgets—especially gadgets that have only one specific purpose. SodaStream’s Pure soda maker falls into this category, and is handy if your dad likes his whiskey with a splash of seltzer or enjoys making fizzy cocktails. You can buy the kit from Amazon, and it’s also available at major retailers across the country.

The Hour ($17) by Bernard DeVoto:
Does your father have strong opinions about how to mix a cocktail? If so, buy him the Pulitzer Prize-winning historian and literary critic Bernard DeVoto’s “cocktail manifesto,” which has long been out of print. The witty book covers both the history of alcohol in America and the many mistakes made by the modern drinker.

Balvenie DoubleWood ($45), Glenlivet French Oak ($45), Laphroaig Quarter Cask ($50):
You can’t go wrong buying your dad a bottle of single malt Scotch. Three of our favorite whiskies to give as gifts are the rich and honeyed Balvenie DoubleWood 12-Year-Old, the fruity and elegant Glenlivet French Oak 15-Year-Old and the smooth and smoky Laphroaig Quarter Cask. He’ll love any one of them, and you should be able to find all three easily.

TYPES OF BAILEYS AVAILABLE:

Baileys Irish Cream
Baileys with a Hint of Coffee
Baileys with a Hint of Mint
Baileys with a Hint of Caramel

HOW YOU SHOULD DRINK IT:

• Neat
• On the rocks
• In coffee
• Over ice cream

FAST FACTS:

• Baileys only uses milk from Irish cows and a lot of it. The brand goes through 72.6 million gallons of milk a year.
• The liqueur is so popular that people around the world drink 2,300 glasses of it every minute of every day.
• Love Baileys? Try it in cheesecake, ice cream, pie and muffins. There are recipes on the brand’s website.

INGREDIENTS:

• 6 Lemons
• 1.5 cups Superfine sugar
• 1 pint Strong black tea
• 1 pint Dark Jamaican rum (Smith & Cross or Myers’s)
• 1 pint VS or VSOP-grade cognac (Martell)
• 1 pint Ruby port (Graham’s Six Grapes)
• 4 oz Grand Marnier
• 1.5 liters Seltzer or champagne

Garnish: Thin lemon slices and grated nutmeg

Glass: Punch

PREPARATION:

The day before Thanksgiving, put a 2- or 3-quart bowl of water in the freezer. On Thanksgiving morning, peel 6 lemons with a swivel-bladed vegetable peeler, trying not to get any of the white pith. Muddle the peels with 1.5 cups of superfine sugar and let sit for an hour for the lemon oil to leach out. Juice the peeled lemons. Make 1 pint of strong black tea (use 2 teabags). Combine tea, lemon juice and sugar/lemon oil mixture. Strain out the peels. In a gallon container, combine tea/lemon/sugar mix and1 pint rum, 1 pint cognac, 1 pint ruby port and 4 oz Grand Marnier. Refrigerate for at least 1 hour. To serve, unmold the block of ice in a 2-gallon punch bowl. Add the chilled punch stock and top off with 1.5 liters chilled seltzer (or, if feeling dangerous, champagne). Garnish with 1 seeded lemon sliced thin and grated nutmeg. Serves 20.

From the Mojito and the Tom Collins to the Caipirinha, summer is the season of refreshing citrus cocktails. These drinks offer a bit of relief on a warm afternoon but also taste great with dinner. (Yes, we said dinner.) Sure, they may not pair as easily as chilled white wine or cold beer, but when done right these drinks are more than worth the effort.

To get you started we asked celebrity chef David Burke for some help matching cocktails with food. In addition to owning several restaurants, including the David Burke Townhouse in New York City and Primehouse in Chicago, Burke offers a dinner series at his restaurant in Manhattan’s Bloomingdale’s where he pairs dishes with a single type of alcohol. The “beer dinners and wine dinners are easy,” he admits. The spirited dinners are a little more challenging, especially the ones involving tequila.

Burke suggests you try mixing up some drinks with Peruvian pisco this summer. “It’s nice this time of year with fruit juice,” he says. Plus, it works well with a range of foods—everything from smoked fish and guacamole to fried oysters. But perhaps the best pairing is Burke’s pisco-based Red Queen cocktail—pisco, lime juice, Malbec wine, simple syrup—and his version of the classic warm-weather dish ceviche. We’ll take that over a bottle of white wine any night.

Red Queen

Contributed by David Burke

INGREDIENTS:

• 1.5 oz Pisco 100
• .5 oz Fresh lime juice
• 1 oz Simple syrup (one part sugar, one part water)
• 1 oz Malbec wine
• Garnish: Lime wedge
• Glass: Rocks

PREPARATION:

Shake the Pisco 100, lime juice and simple syrup vigorously in a cocktail shaker with ice. Strain the mixture into a rocks glass filled with fresh ice. Finish with a float of Malbec wine. Garnish with a lime wedge.

Shrimp Ceviche

Contributed by David Burke

INGREDIENTS:

• 2-3 lbs. Shrimp, peeled and deveined
• 2 Large tomatoes, diced
• 1 Serrano pepper or jalapeno, diced
• 8 Limes, squeezed
• 8 Lemons, squeezed
• 2 Oranges, squeezed (preferably sour oranges)
• 2 Large avocados, diced
• 2 Large cucumbers, peeled and diced
• 1 Poblano pepper, seeded and diced
• 1 Tablespoon Chives, chopped
• 1 Tablespoon Cilantro, chopped
• Garnish: 2 Radishes, shaved paper thin

PREPARATION:

Blanch the shrimp in boiling water for about 3 minutes. Then set the shrimp aside to cool and cut them in half lengthwise. Add the shrimp to a bowl and add the citrus juices. Let the mixture marinate for 2 hours. Then add the chive, tomatoes, chilies and cilantro. Let it marinate again for 10 minutes. Add the avocados and cucumbers before serving. Garnish with sliced radish.

INGREDIENTS:

• 1.5 oz Leblon Cachaça
• 2 oz Orange juice
• 1 oz Cranberry juice

Garnish: Orange slice

Glass: Highball

PREPARATION:

Fill a shaker with ice and add the orange juice, cranberry juice and Leblon Cachaça. Shake well and serve on the rocks. Garnish with an orange slice.

TYPES OF ARDBEG AVAILABLE:

Ardbeg  10-Year-Old
Ardbeg Uigeadail
Ardbeg Airigh Nam Beist 1990
Ardbeg Corryvrecken
Ardbeg Supernova
Ardbeg Double Barrel

HOW YOU SHOULD DRINK IT:

• Straight
• On the rocks
• With a bit of water
• With club soda

FAST FACTS:

• The Islay distillery was mothballed in 1981. It reopened for good in 1997 and began producing whisky regularly.
• Ardbeg Supernova was named “Scotch Whisky of the Year” in the 2010 edition of Jim Murray’s Whisky Bible.
• The name Ardbeg is Gaelic for ‘small headland.’

INGREDIENTS:

• 1.25 oz Bols Genever Gin
• .25 oz White Crème de Cacao Liqueur
• .75 oz Kirsch Fruit Brandy

Glass: Martini

Garnish: Bols Genever soaked cherry speared on a toothpick

PREPARATION:

In a mixing glass stir all the ingredients with ice and strain into a Martini glass. Garnish with a Bols Genever soaked cherry speared on a toothpick.

TYPES OF COURVOISIER AVAILABLE:

Courvoisier VS Cognac
Courvoisier VSOP Cognac
Courvoisier Exclusif Cognac
Courvoisier Napoleon Fine Champagne Cognac
Courvoisier XO Imperial Cognac
Courvoisier Initiale Extra Cognac
L’Esprit de Courvoisier Cognac

HOW YOU SHOULD DRINK IT:

• Straight
• In cocktails (French 75, Sidecar, Brandy Alexander, Between the Sheets.)

FAST FACTS:

• Courvoisier calls itself “The Cognac of Napoleon,” since the spirit was the French emperor’s favorite.
• Courvoisier was served at the 1889 opening of the Eiffel Tower.

I often wonder which one of today’s superstar mixologists will end up immortalized by a cocktail. Two hundred years from now, will people be drinking Audrey Saunderses or Jim Meehans, Dale DeGroffs or Tony Abou-Ganims or—well, you get the idea. But if history is a guide, it’s not something that one can easily predict. Mixological immortality might skip this talented generation entirely, or settle its mantle on some bit player; a follower, rather than a leader.

That’s happened before. Take John Collins, the headwaiter of London’s Limmer’s Hotel in the 1820s and 1830s. A pleasant chap, plump and nimble with a sparkle in his eye, he was nonetheless no great innovator when it came to the art of mixing drinks. He made excellent punches, to be sure, but so did a lot of people. And while, yes, his eponymous gin punch—a cooling mix of English gin, lemon juice, a touch of sweetener and a healthy pour of iced soda water—was famous, as far as we can tell two centuries later, he didn’t actually invent it. That honor goes to Stephen Price, an American who ran the Garrick Club, also in London. But Price was foul-mouthed and bossy, and Collins had that damned twinkle. Moral of the story: don’t underestimate the twinkle.

In any case, Collins’ immortality went sideways later in the century. American tipplers developed a preference for “John Collinses” made with the newly-popular English old tom gin, which is essentially a brawnier and sweeter London dry gin. (The recipe had originally called for the whiskey-like Dutch-style gin.) Drinkers were soon calling for Tom Collinses, and didn’t really stop doing so until air conditioning became standard. Before that, your best option for summer cooling was to ask for Mr. Collins, whatever his first name might have been.

Traditional Tom Collins

Contributed by David Wondrich

INGREDIENTS:

• 2 oz Hayman’s Old Tom Gin or Ransom Old Tom Gin
• 1 oz Fresh lime juice
• .75 oz Simple syrup (equal parts water and sugar)
• Soda water
• Glass: Tall
• Garnish: Lime wedge

PREPARATION:
Add all the ingredients to a large, tall glass full of ice. Stir and top off with chilled soda water and garnish with a lime wedge.

Looking for a modern Tom Collins recipe? Try this one from Liquor.com’s cocktail library.

David Wondrich is the author of the award-winning book Imbibe! and Esquire magazine’s Drinks Correspondent. He is also a Liquor.com advisor.

INGREDIENTS:

• 2 oz Averna
• .5 oz Lemon juice
• 4 oz Ginger ale

Garnish: Lemon and lime wheels

Glass: Highball

PREPARATION:

Add the ingredients to a highball glass filled with ice. Garnish with lemon and lime wheels.

TYPES OF ABSOLUT AVAILABLE:

Absolut Vodka
Absolut Ruby Red
Absolut 100
Absolut Raspberri
Absolut Vanilia
Absolut Citron
Absolut Kurant
Absolut Mandrin
Absolut Pears
Absolut Peppar
Absolut Mango
Absolut Apeach

HOW YOU SHOULD DRINK IT:

• Straight
• In cocktails (Martini, Gimlet, Vesper, Screwdriver, Bloody Mary, Cape Cod, Greyhound, Madras, Moscow Mule, White Russian)

FAST FACTS:

• Absolut Vodka was introduced to the United States in 1979, 100 years after it was first produced in Sweden.
• The distillery in Åhus, Sweden makes 500,000 bottles of vodka a day.

TYPES OF CRYSTAL HEADAVAILABLE:

Crystal Head Vodka

HOW YOU SHOULD DRINK IT:

• Straight
• In cocktails (Martini, Gimlet, Vesper, Screwdriver, Bloody Mary, Cape Cod, Greyhound, Madras, Moscow Mule, White Russian)

FAST FACTS:

• American artist John Alexander designed Crystal Head’s famous bottle.
• Crystal Head Vodka was not only created by a celebrity but is a favorite of rock legend Keith Richards and actor Johnny Depp.

Strawberries are more than just fruit—they’re a sweet, edible sign that spring has turned into summer. The juicy red berries make a dry piece of shortcake memorable and are delectable enough to eat plain or with a dollop of fresh whipped cream. They can also be used in a range of delicious and refreshing drinks.

While frozen berries are available year round and make a perfectly respectable cocktail (Daiquiri anyone?), like peaches and tomatoes, strawberries are at their best during summer when they’re in season. They’re also quite versatile and work with many spirits and mixers. Strawberries pair perfectly with bubbly and they shine with rum, vodka and gin, like in the tasty Balsamic Berry made at San Francisco bar Mr. Smith’s, which calls for fresh strawberries, strawberry jam, balsamic vinegar and Hendrick’s Gin. The fruit even works well with brown spirits, like in the signature cocktail at New York City bar Ward III, which combines fresh strawberries and Maker’s Mark Bourbon. And at the Roger Room in Los Angeles, berries are mixed with cognac, Campari and sweet vermouth.

So the next time you pick up some fresh strawberries, forget about making dessert and start mixing up some cocktails instead.

Balsamic Berry

Contributed by David Ruiz and Brad Burt

INGREDIENTS:

• 3 Strawberries, hulled
• 2 oz Hendrick’s Gin
• 1 bar spoon Strawberry jam
• Pinch fresh black pepper
• .5 oz Fresh lime juice
• .25 oz Simple syrup (one part sugar, one part water)
• Several large dashes balsamic vinegar
• Champagne
• Garnish: Lime peel
• Glass: Champagne coupe

PREPARATION:

In a cocktail shaker muddle the strawberries. Add the Hendrick’s Gin, strawberry jam, black pepper, lime juice, simple syrup and balsamic vinegar and fill with ice. Shake until well chilled and strain into a champagne coupe. Top with champagne and garnish with a lime peel.

Ward III

Contributed by Michael Neff

INGREDIENTS:

• Large strawberry
• 2 oz Maker’s Mark Bourbon
• .75 oz Fresh lime juice
• .5 oz Simple syrup (one part sugar, one part water)
• 3 Dashes Peychaud’s Bitters
• 1 Egg white
• Garnish: Grated nutmeg and strawberry slice
• Glass: Rocks glass

PREPARATION:

Muddle the strawberry in a shaker. Add the other ingredients and fill with large ice cubes. Shake vigorously for at least one minute and strain into a chilled rocks glass. Garnish with grated nutmeg and a slice of strawberry.

Sbagliato Grosso

Contributed by Damian Windsor

INGREDIENTS:

• Ricard
• Fresh strawberry
• 1.25 oz Hennessy VS Cognac
• .75 oz Campari
• .75 oz Carpano Antica Formula
• Garnish: Orange peel
• Glass: Rocks

PREPARATION:

Mist a rocks glass with Ricard and fill it with ice. Set it aside to chill. Muddle a strawberry in a mixing glass and add the other ingredients and ice. Stir. Dump the ice from the rocks glass and fill it with two fresh ice cubes. Strain the liquid from the mixing glass into the rocks glass and garnish with an orange peel.

Maria C. Hunt is hostess of the champagne appreciation and entertaining web site The Bubbly Girl and author of The Bubbly Bar: Champagne & Sparkling Wine Cocktails for Every Occasion.

TYPES OF JAMESON AVAILABLE:

Jameson Irish Whiskey
Jameson 12-Year-Old
Jameson Gold Reserve
Jameson 18-Year-Old Limited Reserve
Jameson Rarest Vintage Reserve
Jameson Signature Reserve-only available at duty free

HOW YOU SHOULD DRINK IT:

• Straight
• On the rocks
• With a bit of water
• With a bit of club soda
• With Ginger ale (1 part Jameson, 2 parts Ginger ale)

FAST FACTS:

• The Local Pub in Minneapolis, Minnesota pours more Jameson than any other bar in the world.
• The Latin motto, “sine metu,” on the bottle’s label means “without fear.”
• The whiskey is distilled three times.
• Jameson’s distillers have a blog

INGREDIENTS:

• 2 oz Grey Goose Vodka
• 3 Large basil leaves
• 1 (.25”x2”) Slice peeled ginger
• 1 (2”) Chunk watermelon
• .5 oz Simple syrup (one part sugar, one part water)
• .5 oz Fresh lime juice
• Ginger ale

Garnish: Watermelon chunk and basil leaf

Glass: Rocks

PREPARATION:

In a shaker, muddle the three basil leaves with the ginger slice, watermelon chunk and simple syrup. Add Grey Goose Vodka, lime juice and ice. Shake well and strain into a rocks glass filled with fresh ice. Top with ginger ale and garnish with a watermelon chunk and basil leaf.

Ask for a bottle of bourbon at Park Avenue Liquor Shop in Midtown Manhattan and you’ll be shown a wall of whiskey. The store carries more than five dozen different bottlings, and that’s not counting rye or Tennessee whiskey. How’s a drinker supposed to choose?

To help you make the decision easier, we enlisted Knob Creek’s whiskey professor Bernie Lubbers. In addition to knowing about liquor, he has another special talent: Tell him your bourbon of choice, and he’ll immediately rattle off your other favorites and which spirits you should try next. We got Lubbers to reveal the secret to his trick, which will make finding whiskies you’ll love that much easier.

From how long the spirit ages to the proof, there are a number of key factors that contribute to the flavor of bourbon. But today we’re focusing on the most basic: the three grains used to make the whiskey. While all bourbons must be at least 51 percent corn and usually contain some barley, the third grain can vary from brand to brand. Using that so-called “flavoring grain,” Lubbers divides the whole bourbon category into three main groups. “I try to find the common dominator,” he says.

There’s the “traditional bourbon recipe,” which calls for about 70 percent corn and then roughly equal amounts of rye and barley. Knob Creek, Jim Beam, Wild Turkey and Evan Williams fall into this group. Then there’s the spicy “high-rye recipe,” which includes a higher percentage of, you guessed it, rye. Basil Hayden’s, Four Roses and Buffalo Trace all follow this formula. The last group is the “traditional wheat recipe,” which, according to Lubbers, has a “sweeter and softer” taste since it’s made from corn, barley and wheat. Maker’s Mark, Van Winkle and W.L. Weller are examples of this style.

While the bourbons in each group will taste different, there’s a good chance that if you like one you’ll like the rest. With Lubbers’ assistance we created a cheat sheet that breaks down the most popular brands into these three categories. Now it’s time to go back to the liquor store.

Traditional Bourbon Recipe:

• Baker’s
• Booker’s
• Elijah Craig
• Evan Williams
• Jim Beam
• Jim Beam Black
• Knob Creek
• Old Crow
• Wild Turkey

High-Rye Recipe:

• Basil Hayden’s
• Buffalo Trace
• Bulleit
• Eagle Rare
• Four Roses
• George T. Stagg
• Old Forester
• Old Grand-Dad
• Woodford Reserve

Traditional Wheat Recipe:

• Maker’s Mark
• Old Fitzgerald
• Rebel Yell
• Van Winkle
• W.L. Weller

INGREDIENTS:

• 2 oz Bluecoat Gin (US)
• .5 oz Noilly Prat Dry Vermouth (France)
• .5 oz Martini & Rossi Sweet Vermouth (Italy)
• 2 Dashes The Bitter Truth Orange Bitters (Germany)
• Teaspoon Kubler Absinthe (Switzerland)
• Teaspoon Crown Royal Whisky (Canada)
• Teaspoon simple syrup (1 part sugar, 1 part water)

Garnish: Orange twist

Glass: Cocktail

PREPARATION:

Add the ingredients to a mixing glass filled with fresh ice and stir. Serve the drink in a cocktail glass with an orange twist.

TYPES OF KARLSSON’S GOLD BRAND AVAILABLE:

Karlsson’s Gold

HOW YOU SHOULD DRINK IT:

• On the rocks with cracked black pepper
• In cocktails (Martini, Moscow Mule, Gimlet, Vesper, Bloody Mary)

FAST FACTS:

• Master Distiller Borje Karlsson is often called “the Father of Absolut” for helping to create the famed vodka brand in the 1970s. Hans Brindfors, who created Karlsson’s distinctive round bottle, also created Absolut’s trademark bottle.
• Karlsson’s Gold is made from seven varieties of Swedish new potatoes. It is distilled and filtered only once to give the spirit an earthy flavor.

TYPES OF LAPHROAIG AVAILABLE:

Laphroaig Quarter Cask
Laphroaig Cask Strength
Laphroaig 10-Year-Old
Laphroaig 15-Year-Old
Laphroaig Triple Wood
Laphroaig 18-Year-Old
Laphroaig 25-Year-Old
Laphroaig 27-Year-Old
Laphroaig 30-Year-Old
Laphroaig 40-Year-Old

HOW YOU SHOULD DRINK IT:

• Straight
• On the rocks
• With a bit of water
• With club soda
• With ginger ale

FAST FACTS:

• The Laphroaig distillery was originally started as a way to use excess barley grown for cattle. Distilling whisky quickly became more profitable than farming.
• Prince Charles celebrated his 60^th birthday at the Laphroaig distillery in 2008.

INGREDIENTS:

• 3 oz Fat Bastard Pinot Noir Wine
• 3 oz Fat Bastard Chardonnay Wine
• 2 oz Cognac
• 2 oz Maraschino liqueur
• 4 oz Ginger ale

Garnish: Blood orange slices

Glass: Punch

PREPARATION:

Add all the ingredients and a large block of ice to a punch bowl. Garnish with blood orange slices.

TYPES OF HIGH WEST AVAILABLE:

Sombra

HOW YOU SHOULD DRINK IT:

• Neat
• In cocktails (Margarita)

FAST FACTS:

• This mezcal is a truly small-batch spirit, which is made from organic espadin agave and distilled in the mountain village of San Luis Del Rio at an elevation of 8,000 feet.
• The spirit is complex and smoky enough to be sipped, but light and citrusy enough to be mixed in cocktails
• Sombra is Spanish for the word “shadow.”

INGREDIENTS:

• 1.5 oz Grey Goose Le Citron Flavored Vodka
• Half-inch slice of a peeled kirby cucumber
• Dash Tabasco Hot Sauce
• .25 oz Dry vermouth
• 1.5 oz Tomato juice

Garnish: Kirby cucumber spear

Glass: Rocks

PREPARATION:

In a cocktail shaker combine the cucumber, Tabasco, vodka and dry vermouth. Muddle well. Strain into a rocks glass filled with ice. Top with tomato juice and garnish with a spear of cucumber.

It takes a lot to impress a Scotch drinker these days. It’s no surprise since the selection of whiskies is bigger than it has ever been before. Good liquor stores now stock dozens of fine single malts and blends from all over Scotland. But to get your attention, brands are digging out their most precious casks and selling some truly remarkable bottles. Here are five of the rarest—start saving for them now.

Glenfiddich 50-Year-Old (Sold at auction for $38,000):

Up until recently your chances of drinking the Glenfiddich 50-Year-Old were pretty slim. Just five bottles of the single malt whisky were available in the US. But the brand will open one of the bottles on June 17 for a special tasting in New York City. Enter Liquor.com’s contest to attend this amazing event.

Glenlivet Cellar Collection 1973 ($1,250):

Glenlivet’s recently released Cellar Collection 1973 bottling is the first whisky to bear the signature of the brand’s new master distiller, Alan Winchester. There are just 240 bottles of this impressive, rich and fruity spirit for sale in America. (Available by special order from Park Avenue Liquor Shop.)

Gordon & MacPhail’s Mortlach 70-Year-Old ($18,000):

There are few septuagenarians as spry as the Mortlach 70-Year-Old single malt. (Pictured above.) The spirit, according to whisky expert and Liquor.com contributor Charles MacLean, is still surprisingly “fresh” and “vital” after so many decades aging in a Spanish sherry cask. There are just two 750 ml bottles and five 200 ml bottles ($5,000) of this senior citizen for sale in the US. (To get a bottle contact Matt Chivian, mchivian@martignetti.com.)

Brora 30-Year-Old ($400) and Port Ellen 30-Year-Old ($400):

Whisky collectors prize bottles from distilleries that are no longer operating, including Brora and Port Ellen. Once the stocks of these so-called ghost distilleries are gone, they’re really gone. Fortunately, you can still buy bottles of Brora’s rich, oaky 30-year-old and the slightly sweet and smoky Port Ellen 30-Year-Old.

INGREDIENTS:

• .75 oz Fresh lemon juice
• .75 oz Simple syrup (one part water, one part sugar)
• 1.5 oz Bourbon

Glass: Rocks

PREPARATION:

Add all the ingredients to a shaker and fill with ice. Shake and strain into a rocks glass filled with fresh ice.

INGREDIENTS:

• 1 oz Gran Centenario Rosangel Tequila
• 1 oz La Pinta Pomegranate Tequila
• 1 oz Fresh lime juice
• 2 oz Ginger ale

Garnish: Orange slices

Glass: Highball

PREPARATION:

Pour the tequilas, lime juice and ginger ale into a highball glass. Add ice and stir. Garnish with a few orange slices.

We’re big fans of seasonal cocktails and good beer, but what happens if you combine the two? The answer: seasonal beer cocktails. While it now seems obvious to make sudsy drinks for different weather conditions, it’s a fairly new trend. And we’re not talking about fixing a Guinness-based Black Velvet for St. Patrick’s Day or a spicy Michelada on Cinco de Mayo.

Last fall,  Aisha Sharpe, Liquor.com advisor and co-founder of drinks consultancy Contemporary Cocktails, created the autumnal Beggar’s Banquet—Maker’s Mark Bourbon, Old Speckled Hen Beer and maple syrup—for The Breslin in Manhattan’s trendy Ace Hotel. (While the drink, pictured above, is now off The Breslin’s menu, Sharpe will make it on request.) Just a few blocks away at Rye House, Jim Kearns and Lynnette Marrero have been featuring a beer drink each season, like their quaffable spring cocktail that’s made with lager beer, Bols Genever, applejack and homemade ginger syrup. If you’re in DC stop by PS 7 for Gina Chersevani’s summery Boiler Room, which combines bourbon, chilled marigold tea and wheat beer.

We can’t wait for the seasons to change to see what they’ll create next.

Beggar’s Banquet

Contributed by: Aisha Sharpe

INGREDIENTS:

• 2 Dashes Angostura Bitters
• .25 oz Fresh lemon juice
• .75 oz Maple syrup
• 2 oz Maker’s Mark Bourbon
• Old Speckled Hen Beer
• Garnish: Half an orange wheel
• Glass: Highball

PREPARATION:

Add all the ingredients, except the beer, to a shaker and fill with ice. Shake and strain into a highball glass filled with fresh ice. Top with beer and garnish with half an orange wheel.

Rye House Spring Beer Cocktail

Contributed by: Jim Kearns and Lynnette Marrero

INGREDIENTS:

• .75 oz Fresh lime juice
• .75 oz Ginger syrup*
• .5 oz Clear Creek Loganberry Liqueur
• .75 oz Bols Genever
• .75 oz Laird’s Applejack
• Lager beer (Blue Point)
• Garnish: Lime wedge
• Glass: Highball

PREPARATION:

Shake all the ingredients, except the beer, with ice. Strain into a highball glass filled with two ice cubes. Top with beer and garnish with a lime wedge.

*Ginger Syrup

Add 2 cups of finely chopped or puréed fresh ginger root to 1.5 cups of water. Boil for 5 minutes. Turn off the heat, cover and let stand for 2 hours. Strain the mixture into a bowl and add 1 cup of superfine sugar. Stir and keep the syrup refrigerated.

The Boiler Room

Contributed by: Gina Chersevani

INGREDIENTS:

• .5 oz Domaine de Canton
• 1 oz Bulleit Bourbon
• 1.5 oz Chilled marigold tea
• 1 oz Fresh lemon juice
• .5 oz Honey syrup (one part water, one part honey)
• 3 oz Belgian-style wheat beer (Allagash White)
• Garnish: Long lemon twist
• Glass:  Pint glass

PREPARATION:

Fill a pint glass with ice and add the rest of the ingredients. Stir well and garnish with a long lemon twist.

INGREDIENTS:

• 1.5 oz Appleton Estate Reserve Rum
• Juice of half a lime
• Agave nectar
• Ting (Jamaican grapefruit soda)

Garnish: Grapefruit skin

Glass: Highball

PREPARATION:

Add all the ingredients to a highball glass filled with ice. Stir. Top with the Ting and garnish with a grapefruit skin.

Julie Reiner is a little more reserved than most bartenders, and although she gets her fair share of press, she’s not the sort to run around screaming, “Look at me, look at me!” Instead, Reiner pours her energy into her two bars—the Flatiron Lounge, an elegant Manhattan cocktail joint that opened in 2003, and the two-year-old Clover Club, a comfortable neighborhood bar that just happens to serve spectacular drinks, in Carroll Gardens, Brooklyn.

As an 18-year-old cocktail waitress in her native Honolulu, Reiner set her sights on the bar, but she had to wait until she moved to San Francisco to get her first bartending gig. She credits bartender Linda Fusco of the Red Room for showing her the ropes. “Linda would put me behind the bar in the afternoon and yell drinks at me,” she says. It was “as if we were in a night club and I was three deep.” Reiner’s career really started to take off after she moved to Manhattan. In 1997, she became the bar manager of the C3 Lounge in the Washington Square Hotel and began creating seasonal menus and taking a culinary approach to cocktails. It didn’t take long for people to notice.

It’s possible that Reiner was the first bartender in the modern age to use tea in cocktails. “At C3 I was creating tea infusions and syrups in order to create new flavors that didn’t already exist behind the bar,” she remembers. Reiner was also one of the cocktailian whizzes to spearhead the successful revival of punch. “I love the idea of communal cocktails, where everyone is enjoying the same flavor sensation,” she says. She also credits David Wondrich’s book Imbibe! for inspiring the punch menu at Clover Club.

Try fixing Reiner’s Gold Coast punch next time you have friends over. You’ll see what the fuss is all about.

Gold Coast

Contributed by: Julie Reiner

INGREDIENTS:

• 750-ml bottle Zafra 21-Year-Old Rum
• 10 oz Fresh lime juice
• 10 oz Fresh pineapple juice
• 6.5 oz Allspice syrup*
• 6.5 oz Simple syrup (one part sugar, one part water)
• 750-ml bottle Champagne
• Garnish: An abundance of lime wheels and pineapple cubes
• Glass: Punch cup

PREPARATION:

Add all the ingredients to a punch bowl filled with a large block of ice. Gently stir the ingredients together and garnish with lime wheels and pineapple cubes.

*Allspice Syrup

In a spice grinder, grind 4 ounces of whole allspice. Add this to one liter of room temperature simple syrup (one part sugar, one part water). Let the mixture stand for 20 minutes and then fine strain it through a chinois. Store it in the refrigerator.

Gary Regan is the author of numerous books about spirits and cocktails, including The Joy of Mixology and The Bartender’s Gin Compendium. He is also co-host of ArdentSpirits.com.

TYPES OF JOHNNIE WALKER AVAILABLE:

Johnnie Walker Swing
Johnnie Walker Red Label
Johnnie Walker Black Label
Johnnie Walker Gold Label
Johnnie Walker Green Label
Johnnie Walker Blue Label
Johnnie Walker Blue Label King George V

HOW YOU SHOULD DRINK IT:

• Straight
• On the rocks
• With a bit of water
• With ginger ale
• With club soda
• In cocktails (Rob Roy, Whisky Smash, Blood and Sand, Rusty Nail)

FAST FACTS:

• Buying a bottle of Blue Label? You can get it engraved with your name or a message.
• Johnnie Walker boasts that Black Label was Winston Churchill’s “whisky of choice.”
• Over a hundred years ago Johnnie Walker introduced Red and Black label.

INGREDIENTS:

• 1.5 oz Sazerac Rye Whiskey
• .75 oz Qi White Tea Liqueur
• .75 oz Lemon juice
• .5 oz Grade b organic maple syrup

Glass: Bucket glass

Garnish: Lemon peel

PREPARATION:

Add all the ingredients to a shaker and fill with ice. Shake hard and strain the drink into a 12 oz bucket glass filled with fresh ice. Garnish with a lemon peel.

This recipe was created by Brian MacGregor for famed San Francisco restaurant Jardinière.

TYPES OF CONJURE AVAILABLE:

Conjure Cognac

HOW YOU SHOULD DRINK IT:

• Straight
• In cocktails (French 75, Sidecar, Brandy Alexander, Between the Sheets)

FAST FACTS:

• While most celebrities simply endorse liquor brands, Ludacris was actually involved in the blending of Conjure.
• One of Luda’s favorite ways to drink the cognac is with a splash of cola.

INGREDIENTS:

• 1.5 oz Don Roberto Tequila Plata
• .25 oz Agave nectar
• .75oz Fresh lime juice
• .5 oz Fresh pink grapefruit juice
• .75oz Ginger liqueur
• .5 oz Fresh Granny Smith apple juice

Garnish: Granny Smith apple slices

Glass: Rocks

PREPARATION:

Rim the edge of a rocks glass with sugar and cinnamon. Shake all of the ingredients with ice and strain the mixture into the prepared glass. Garnish with Granny Smith apple slices.

As the mercury starts to rise, certain unspoken rituals are observed: lunch moves outside, sun seekers overtake city parks and sidewalk cafes suddenly do a roaring business. Summer, happily, is here once again. The change in weather also means a change in what we drink. The season’s vibrant colors, aromas and flavors inspire both home and professional mixologists. Here are a few key ingredients to get you started.

Add a Citrus Zest:

Any successful warm-weather cocktail needs to be refreshing, so it’s no surprise that citrus drinks are a summer staple. Juicy lemons, limes and grapefruits give your drinks a delightful crispness, but for a bright acidity try the lesser-known Asian citrus fruit yuzu, which has a highly concentrated flavor.

Daytime Cocktails:

In the UK, the sight of a Pimm’s Cup is the first sign of summer. But you don’t need to be British to enjoy the quaffable mixture of gin-based liqueur, cucumber, mint and sparkling lemonade. There are also many modern variations of the drink, like the Jimm’s Cup (see recipe below). These lower-alcohol aperitif cocktails are a wise choice for a prolonged session of daytime drinking.

Make It Floral:

Fresh elderflower, lavender and rose can do more than just decorate your glass. Steep flowers in simple syrup (equal parts sugar and water) for several hours and the floral notes will “pretty up” your cocktail. Edible flowers are also a great garnish and are available at gourmet groceries across the country.

Spirit of Summer:

Rum has been patiently waiting its turn to bask in the attention of the cocktail elite. Light, aged, spiced or infused, rum is now in fashion and is ready to be mixed. Try the Rosa Verde from the new New York City rum bar Cienfuegos.

Jimm’s Cup

Contributed by: Jim Ryan

INGREDIENTS:

• 1.5 oz Hendrick’s Gin
• .75 oz Fresh orange juice
• .5 oz Fresh lemon Juice
• .25 oz Fresh lime juice
• 1 oz Simple syrup (one part sugar, one part water)
• 4 Dashes Angostura Bitters
• Small thumb fresh ginger
• 3 Medium strawberries
• 2 teaspoons Cucumber foam*
• Garnish: Mint sprig
• Glass: Double rocks glass

PREPARATION:

In a shaker muddle the strawberries, ginger and simple syrup. Add the remaining ingredients, except the cucumber foam, and ice. Shake well and strain into a double rocks glass filled with fresh ice. Top with an optional, but preferred, 2 teaspoons of cucumber foam and garnish with a mint sprig.

Cucumber Foam*

Take a seedless cucumber, with its skin on and tips cut off, and pass it through a juice extractor. Pour the juice into a quart container. Shake the closed container a bit to get the foam to rise to the top. Open the container and skim off the foam. When you need more foam, shake the closed container again.

Rosa Verde

Contributed by: Cienfuegos

INGREDIENTS:

• 1.5 oz White rum (Flor de Caña)
• 2 oz Fresh watermelon juice
• Heavy sprinkle of cracked pink peppercorn
• 2 Dashes celery bitters
• .5 oz Fresh lime juice
• .5 oz Arugula infused simple syrup*
• Garnish: Fresh arugula sprigs
• Glass: Cocktail

PREPARATION:

Add all the ingredients to a shaker and fill with ice. Shake well and strain into a cocktail glass. Garnish with fresh arugula sprigs.

Arugula Infused Simple Syrup*

Add several arugula leaves to simple syrup (equal parts sugar and water) and let steep for up to 12 hours. Taste the syrup often until you like the flavor. Once it’s ready, strain the liquid into a clean bottle.

Charlotte Voisey is the Mixologist for William Grant & Sons USA.

INGREDIENTS:

• 1.5 oz Sazerac Rye
• .75 oz St-Germain Liqueur
• .25 oz Simple syrup (one part sugar, one part water)
• .75 oz Fresh lemon juice
• 1 oz Fresh Fuji apple juice
• .75 oz Champagne

Garnish: Apple cubes

Glass: Tumbler

PREPARATION:

Shake all the ingredients, except the champagne, with ice and strain into a tumbler filled with fresh ice. Top the drink with champagne and garnish with some apple cubes.

Between long security lines, tiny seats and baggage-check fees, the skies are more frustrating than friendly these days. Flight delays are perhaps the most agonizing part of summer travel, with many airports boasting little more than a Starbucks or sports bar serving watery beer. But don’t tear up your boarding pass just yet. After a nationwide search, we found bars and restaurants in four major airports where you can get a well-made cocktail while killing time. Now that’s what we call an upgrade.

Deep Blue Sushi, JFK International Airport, New York, NY:

A layover at JetBlue’s gleaming Terminal 5, packed with chic restaurants and shops, hardly feels like an inconvenience. Wait out a delay at Deep Blue Sushi (pictured above) drinking Asian-inspired libations, like the Ginfusion (gin, ginger, cilantro, lime juice) or the Shochu Berry Tea (shochu, green tea, cranberry juice, lemon juice).

One Flew South, Hartsfield-Jackson International Airport, Atlanta, GA:

The cocktails at One Flew South warrant a stopover. The experienced bartenders here are serious about their drinks, including the refreshing Quetzalcoatl (Partida Blanco Tequila, lime juice, agave syrup, smoked sea salt, Cointreau) and the very drinkable Pisco Fix (pisco, lemon juice, pineapple syrup, egg whites). Hungry? The establishment also offers travelers a menu of gourmet food.

Le Grand Comptoir, George Bush Intercontinental Airport, Houston, TX:

Passengers running through George Bush Intercontinental’s hectic Terminal C often do a double take when they spot the classic Parisian bistro Le Grand Comptoir. Grab a stool at its elegant bar and enjoy a Kir Royale or a Bloody Mary. The bustling hangout also has an extensive wine list featuring many conveniently sized half-bottles.

Encounter, LAX, Los Angeles, CA:

The trippy Encounter bar is located in the middle of LAX. Yes, the crater-shaped joint bedecked with lava lamps is gimmicky, but the drinks are good and the 360-degree-view of the airport is impressive. After a few sips of a Jet Set (Bombay Sapphire Gin, Campari, sweet vermouth) you’ll feel like you’re already on your way.

INGREDIENTS:

• 3 oz Beefeater Gin
• 1 oz Vodka
• .5 oz Lillet

Garnish: Large thin slice of lemon peel

Glass: Cocktail

PREPARATION:

Shake all the ingredients with ice until the mixture is frosty. Garnish with a large thin slice of lemon peel.

This weekend is the official start of vacation season. Whether you’re heading to the beach, taking a road trip or seeing the sights this summer, you’ll need to pack a good book. Here are some great reads that will keep you and your travel companions in good spirits.

Chasing the White Dog ($25) by Max Watman:

Moonshine has a special place in American culture and dates back to before the founding of this country. Max Watman traces the history of this high-proof spirit from its illicit origins to the recent popularity of legal micro-distilleries. Watman also includes his own entertaining experiments in home distillation.

The Hour ($17) by Bernard DeVoto:

Read the new edition of Pulitzer Prize-winning historian and literary critic Bernard DeVoto’s long out of print “cocktail manifesto.” From the history of drinking in America to the proper way to mix a Martini, all subjects are fair game for DeVoto. The witty and occasionally comical book also makes a great weekend host gift.

The King of Vodka ($30) by Linda Himelstein:

Smirnoff Vodka can be found in just about every liquor store in America and is the top selling premium spirit in the world. Linda Himelstein recounts the fascinating tale of how Pyotr Smirnov rose out of serfdom to build this incredibly popular brand.

Last Call ($30) by Daniel Okrent:

Prohibition may have ended almost 80 years ago, but Daniel Okrent’s thorough and well-researched account of this infamous dry period is required reading for any modern drinker. His engaging writing style draws you in, and the book is full of interesting stories that add color to the history of the era.

INGREDIENTS:

• Seedless watermelon, 1 inch slices
• Good pinch cayenne pepper
• 4 Sugar cubes
• 1 oz Lime juice
• 2 oz Flor de Caña 4 Year-Old Rum
• 3 oz Club soda

Garnish: Pineapple slice and strawberry

Glass: Brandy snifter

PREPARATION:

Muddle the sugar cubes and 1 oz of club soda in a mixing glass. After the sugar cubes have dissolved, add several 1-inch pieces of watermelon and muddle again. Add the rest of the ingredients and ice. Stir until the mixture is well chilled. Strain it into a glass with one large ice cube. Top off the drink with 2 oz club soda and garnish with a pineapple slice and a strawberry.

TYPES OF HIGHLAND PARK AVAILABLE:

Highland Park 12-Year-Old
Highland Park 15-Year-Old
Highland Park 16-Year-Old
Highland Park 18-Year-Old
Highland Park 21-Year-Old
Highland Park 25-Year-Old
Highland Park 30-Year-Old
Highland Park 40-Year-Old

HOW YOU SHOULD DRINK IT:

• Straight
• On the rocks
• With a bit of water
• With club soda
• With ginger ale
• In cocktails (Rob Roy, Whisky Smash, Blood and Sand, Rusty Nail)

FAST FACTS:

• Highland Park’s distillery is located in the northern tip of Scotland. The weather is consistently cool and breezy all year round.
• The brand’s website features a food-pairing section and includes six recipes from Master Chef Sue Lawrence.

INGREDIENTS:

• 1.5 oz Bulldog Gin
• 4 Pieces of clementine, no peel
• .25 oz Lemon juice
• .5 oz Simple syrup
• 2 Dashes blood orange bitters
• Prosecco or dry champagne

Garnish: Slice of orange or clementine

Glass: Champagne flute

PREPARATION:

Add all the ingredients, except the prosecco, to a shaker and fill with ice. Shake and strain into a champagne flute. Top off the drink with the prosecco and garnish with a slice of orange or clementine.

INGREDIENTS:

• 1 oz Southern Comfort
• 1 oz Sloe gin
• 1 oz Amaretto
• 2 oz Orange juice

Garnish: Orange wheel and a cherry

Glass: Highball

PREPARATION:

Shake all the ingredients with ice. Strain the mixture into a highball glass filled with fresh ice. Garnish the drink with an orange wheel

Jacques Bezuidenhout is perhaps the one bartender on earth who can mix tequila with smoky Scotch, Guinness or a sweet Riesling wine and not only make it sound sensible, but convince you that these fanciful concoctions are the things to drink. Of course, each cocktail is better than the next.

Bezuidenhout’s affinity for the agave-based spirit is even more impressive given that he only started drinking it when he moved to the United States in 1998. Bezuidenhout grew up in South Africa. While “it’s a big tequila drinking country,” he says, it’s “bad tequila.” After some early experiences, he even swore off drinking it for several years until he got his first taste of the good stuff at a Mexican restaurant in Los Angeles. “This is pretty damn good,” he remembers thinking to himself.

Bezuidenhout moved to San Francisco to work at the Irish Bank pub, and when he wasn’t bartending, he was spending a lot of time at Tommy’s Mexican Restaurant learning about tequila from its owner Julio Bermejo. “I went from one extreme to the other,” he admits. He even traveled down to Mexico with Bermejo to visit some distilleries. In 2005, he helped open the San Francisco tequila bar Tres Agaves, and then left to become brand ambassador for Partida Tequila. He also now trains Kimpton Hotels’ bartenders around the country, including at its Sable Kitchen & Bar in Chicago and the Fifth Floor in San Francisco.

While tequila is clearly still his passion, Bezuidenhout doesn’t want to be defined by it. “Once you get put in a box, you never get out of it,” he says. “I love all of the other spirits.”

Dr. T.

Contributed by: Jacques Bezuidenhout

INGREDIENTS:

• 1.5 oz Partida Blanco Tequila
• 1.5 oz Riesling wine
• .5 oz Fresh lemon juice
• .5 oz Simple syrup (one part sugar, one part water)
• Egg white
• 2 bar spoons Laphroaig 10-Year-Old Whisky
• Glass: Cocktail

PREPARATION:

Shake all the ingredients with ice and strain into a chilled cocktail glass.

Tequila Cup

Contributed by: Jacques Bezuidenhout

INGREDIENTS:

• 1.5 oz Partida Blanco Tequila
• .75 oz Pimm’s
• Ginger beer
• Dash fresh lime juice
• Garnish: Mint sprig, cucumber wheels, sliced strawberries, orange slices and lime slices
• Glass: Highball

PREPARATION:

Add all the ingredients to a highball glass filled with ice. Stir and garnish with a mint sprig, cucumber wheels, sliced strawberries, orange slices and lime slices.

(Photo courtesy of Hardy Wilson)

INGREDIENTS:

• 2 oz Absolut Berri Açaí
• .75 oz Simple syrup (one part sugar, one part water)
• 1 oz Fresh lemon juice

Garnish: Blueberries and mint sprig

Glass: Rocks

PREPARATION:

Shake all the ingredients with ice and strain into a rocks glass filled with fresh ice. Garnish with blueberries and a mint sprig.

TYPES OF JIM BEAM AVAILABLE:

Jim Beam
Jim Beam Black
Jim Beam Rye
Jim Beam Choice
Jim Beam 7 Year
Small Batch Bourbon Collection: Knob Creek, Baker’s, Booker’s, Basil Hayden’s
Red Stag

HOW YOU SHOULD DRINK IT:

• Straight
• On the rocks
• With a bit of water
• With club soda
• With ginger ale
• In cocktails (Mint Julep, Old Fashioned, Presbyterian, Horse’s Neck, Ward Eight, Brown Derby)

FAST FACTS:

• Beam distilleries make over two thirds of all bourbon produced in Kentucky.
• The brand is building a new visitors’ center, which will be completed in the spring of 2011. Each year, about 80,000 people make the pilgrimage to visit Beam

New Orleans is a serious food town, and one of its top chefs is local boy John Besh. Raised in Southern Louisiana, Besh now runs six restaurants in the city, including the acclaimed August, Domenica and Lüke. For his efforts, he won the James Beard Award for the Best Chef of the Southeast in 2006. (He’s also a frequent guest on the Food Network.) But Besh is quick to point out that the Big Easy isn’t just about food. It is, of course, also a great place to drink. “I come from a city where the cocktail never went away,” he says.

While Besh has a fondness for beer—Lüke has its own signature brews—he admits “the older I get the more I prefer a well-made liquor or decent cocktail.” What he drinks usually depends on the weather. In the cooler fall and winter months, he’s sipping Black Maple Hill Rye, Sazerac Rye and Pappy Van Winkle 20-Year-Old Bourbon. In the spring he mixes up Ojen Frappes and other anise-flavored drinks. And he fights the sweltering heat and humidity of New Orleans’ summer by drinking rum, like Mount Gay and tonic with a lime twist. “That’s my year,” he says. “I go from whiskey Johnnie to anise Johnnie to rum Johnnie.”

No matter the season, it’s not unusual to have a drink in New Orleans with your meal—even breakfast. One of his favorite morning pairings is Brandy Milk Punch and grits. “Every one of my restaurants serves Brandy Milk Punch,” Besh says. “You pretty much have to serve it. It’s like having a restaurant in New Orleans that didn’t serve crabmeat.”

Timmy’s Brandy Milk Punch

Contributed by: John Besh

INGREDIENTS:

• 1 cup Brandy
• 3 cups Milk
• 3 tablespoons Powdered sugar
• 1 teaspoon Vanilla extract
• Grated nutmeg
• Glass: Tall

PREPARATION:

Put the brandy, milk, sugar, vanilla and nutmeg into a blender and fill with ice. Blend for 20 seconds. Strain the mixture into glasses filled with fresh crushed ice and serve. This recipe serves four. You may need to add a bit more sugar, so taste a little and sweeten as you go.

Jalapeño Cheese Grits

Contributed by: John Besh

INGREDIENTS:

• 1 cup Stone-ground white corn grits
• 1 Jalapeño pepper
• 3 tablespoons Butter
• 2 tablespoons Mascarpone or cream cheese
• .25 cup Edam cheese, grated
• Salt

PREPARATION:

Heat four cups of water in a large, heavy-bottomed pot over high heat until it comes to a boil. Slowly pour in the grits while whisking constantly. Reduce the heat to low, cover, and cook, stirring occasionally with a wooden spoon, for about 20 minutes. While the grits are cooking, pan-roast the jalapeño pepper in a small skillet over high heat until the skin is brown and blistered. Cut the pepper in half lengthwise and remove the skin and the seeds and discard. Mince the flesh and add it to the pot of grits. Remove the pot from the heat and fold in the butter, mascarpone and Edam cheese. Season the dish with salt. Serves six to eight people.

These recipes are from My New Orleans by John Besh. (Brandy Milk Punch photo by Ditte Isager)

INGREDIENTS:

• 2 oz Bulleit Bourbon
• .5 oz Tia Maria Coffee Liqueur
• 2 to 3 Dashes orange bitters

Garnish: Orange peel

Glass: Cocktail

PREPARATION:

Add all the ingredients to a mixing glass and fill with ice. Stir until well chilled and then strain the mixture into a chilled cocktail glass. Flame an orange peel above the glass and then toss it into the drink.

Cocktail historians Jared Brown and Anistatia Miller recently discovered the recipe for a gin-based drink called the Cosmopolitan that dates back to the early 1900s. But the Cosmo as we know it has been around for not much more than a couple of decades, and it’s one of the few classics that we can trace back to its creator. Well, sort of…

Three people can legitimately lay claim to creating the Cosmopolitan. Bartender Cheryl Cook came up with the original formula in 1985 when she worked at a bar called The Strand in Miami’s South Beach. She used “Absolut Citron, a splash of triple sec, a drop of Rose’s Lime Juice and just enough cranberry to make it oh so pretty in pink and topped [it] with a curled lemon twist.”

Not long after that, in New York City, Toby Cecchini, who was working behind the stick at The Odeon restaurant in TriBeCa, tweaked the recipe by replacing the Rose’s with fresh lime juice. Dale DeGroff did more or less the exact same thing at the famed Rainbow Room. Both of these joints catered to celebrities, and the drink really took off.

Cook dropped out of the bar scene for a while, but she contacted me in 2005 after hearing that I’d been trying to track her down. How did she convince me that she was the real deal? One sentence did it: “[It’s] merely a Kamikaze with Absolut Citron and a splash of cranberry juice.” Spoken like a true bartender.

Cosmopolitan

Contributed by: Gary Regan

INGREDIENTS:

• 1.5 oz Citrus vodka
• 1 oz Cointreau
• .5 oz Fresh lime juice
• 1 or 2 Dashes cranberry juice
• Garnish: Lime wedge
• Glass: Cocktail

PREPARATION:

Shake all the ingredients with ice and strain the mixture into a chilled cocktail glass. Garnish with a lime wedge.

Gary Regan is the author of numerous books about spirits and cocktails, including The Joy of Mixology and The Bartender’s Gin Compendium. He is also co-host of ArdentSpirits.com.

INGREDIENTS:

• 1 oz Junipero Gin
• 1 oz Campari
• 1 oz Martini and Rossi Sweet Vermouth

Garnish: Burnt orange twist

Glass: Cocktail

PREPARATION:

In an ice-filled mixing glass, add gin, Campari and sweet vermouth. Stir until well chilled. Strain into a chilled cocktail glass. Garnish with a burnt orange twist.

For the Italian version, add gin, Campari and sweet vermouth to an ice-filled old fashioned glass. Stir and garnish with an orange slice.

This cocktail is from The Modern Mixologist: Contemporary Classic Cocktails.

TYPES OF THE MACALLAN AVAILABLE:

Sherry Oak Series – 10, 12, 18, 25, 30 Years
Fine Oak Series – 10, 15, 21, 30 Years
The 1824 Collection – Select Oak, Whisky Makers Edition, Estate Reserve
Fine and Rare – 1926, 1937 (32 years old), 1937 (37 years old), 1938 (31 years old) 1938 (35 years old), 1939, 1940 (35 years old) 1940 (37 years old), 1945, 1946, 1948, 1949 (52 years old) 1949 (53 years old), 1950 (cask 598) 1950 (cask 600),  1951, 1952 (49 years old), 1952 (50 years old), 1953, 1954, 1955, 1958, 1959, 1964, 1965, 1966, 1967, 1968 (33 years old), 1968 (34 years old), 1969 (cask 9369), 1969 (cask 10412), 1970 (31 years old), 1970 (32 years old), 1971 (cask 4280), 1970 (cask 7556), 1972 (cask 4041), 1972 (cask 4043), 1973, 1974, 1975, 1976
Lalique – Lalique I 50 years old, Lalique II 55 years old
Masters of Photography – Rankin Edition
Distillery Exclusives – Ghillie’s Dram, Cask Selection 2008 Release

HOW YOU SHOULD DRINK IT:

• Straight
• On the rocks
• With a bit of water
• With club soda
• With ginger ale
• In cocktails (Rob Roy, Whisky Smash, Blood and Sand, Rusty Nail)

FAST FACTS:

• At a Christie’s auction in 2007, a bottle of Macallan made in 1926 sold for $54,000.
• The Easter Elchies House on the distillery’s grounds, which is pictured on the Macallan label and was the home of the brand’s founder, was built in 1700.
• Not only is there a store at the distillery, which stocks special bottling, but also a large interactive exhibit that explains the whisky production process.

INGREDIENTS:

• 1 oz Basil Hayden’s Bourbon
• .5 oz DeKuyper Triple Sec
• Splash orange juice
• Splash cranberry Juice
• Splash simple syrup

Garnish: Orange slice

Glass: Rocks

PREPARATION:

Add all the ingredients to a rocks glass filled with ice and stir. Garnish with an orange slice.

INGREDIENTS:

• 1.5 oz Tequila
• 1.5 oz St-Germain Liqueur
• Juice of 1 lime

Garnish: Lime wedge

Glass: Rocks or Collins

PREPARATION:

Shake all the ingredients with ice and fine strain into an ice-filled glass. Garnish with a lime wedge.

New York has a thriving cocktail scene with dozens of fine bars throughout the five boroughs. But this is really nothing new. Practically from its inception, the Big Apple has been a drinker’s town boasting a spirited nightlife. (Surely you’d expect nothing less from the city that doesn’t sleep.) The list of legendary establishments that have significantly contributed to New York’s drinking society is long. But for drinkers looking for a shot of history with their cocktails, here are a few of my favorite places that deserve a visit.

Bill’s Gay Nineties, 57 East 54th Street, Manhattan, 212 355 0243:

Have a classic cocktail while enjoying a tall tale at this great old haunt. While there are many speakeasy-style bars around the city, this is the real thing. Bill’s has graced midtown since defying the stubborn laws of Prohibition. Dozens of photos of Broadway stars, legendary cowboys and boxing greats adorn the walls—a collection worth a visit all on its own.

Delmonico’s, 56 Beaver Street, Manhattan, 212 509 1144:

Though the glory of Delmonico’s midtown Manhattan palace is long gone (a casualty in many ways of Prohibition), the Wall Street location retains the history and pomp first inspired by the Delmonico brothers, John and Peter, when they emigrated from Switzerland in the early 1800s. The restaurant and bar (pictured above) claims to have invented a number of dishes, including eggs Benedict and lobster Newburg, and it played frequent host to the likes of Mark Twain, Charles Dickens and Diamond Jim Brady.

Ear Inn, 326 Spring Street, Manhattan, 212 431 9750:

One of the oldest and finest bars in New York, the Ear Inn dates back to the middle of the 19th century when it was a sailors’ hangout. Order a beer and a shot of Wild Turkey 101 rather than a cocktail as you while away the time in conversation.

The Rainbow Room, 30 Rockefeller Plaza, Manhattan:

Famous for its revolving dance floor and breathtaking views, the Rainbow Room is synonymous with Dale DeGroff for many bartenders and cocktail geeks. His famed bar was inspiration for the cocktail revolution that has affected joints large and small around the world. The Rainbow Room is sadly closed to the public at the moment, but you can still steal a glimpse if you’re nice to the elevator security guards.

Woodlawn Cemetery, Webster Avenue and East 233rd Street, Bronx, 718 920 0500:

This is the resting place of giants of industry, the arts and also Jerry Thomas. Professor Thomas, as he was known by fans, was the first celebrity bartender and author of the first bartender’s guide, How to Mix Drinks. Thanks to David Wondrich’s award-winning tome Imbibe!, and the republishing of the professor’s own book, Thomas and his drinks are famous once again. Pay homage to “the Jupiter Olympus of the bar” in section 55 of the Poplar Plot.

Restoration Hardware, 935 Broadway, Manhattan:

Restoration Hardware is sacred to drinkers but not because of its selection of cocktail shakers and glassware. At this address, just south of Madison Square Park and in the shadow of the Flatiron Building, Professor Jerry Thomas ran a lavish bar. Not the swiftest with finances, he opened and lost more establishments than Donald Trump. So take a flask and make a toast to the legendary barman.

Allen Katz is the Director of Mixology & Spirits Education for Southern Wine & Spirits of New York. He is also a Liquor.com advisor.

INGREDIENTS:

• 2 oz Dark rum (Appleton Estate Reserve)
• 1 oz Fresh lime juice
• 1 oz Simple syrup

Garnish: Lime wheel

Glass: Martini

PREPARATION:

Add all the ingredients to a shaker and fill with ice. Shake and strain into a chilled martini glass and garnish with a lime wheel.

This weekend thousands of drinkers and bartenders will descend on New York for the Manhattan Cocktail Classic. Along with their schedule of seminars and party invites, many attendees will also have a bucket list of bars to visit. Not a surprise since the city is one of the most significant and influential bartending centers in the world.

Pioneering Big Apple establishments like Milk and Honey, the Flatiron Lounge, Employees Only and Pegu Club kick-started the cocktail revolution in America. Stalwarts like Death & Co. and PDT soon followed. But New York’s thirst for great drinks is seemingly bottomless, and a new generation of fine bars has recently opened. Here are a few you should check out in between tipples at the usual suspects.

The Breslin, Ace Hotel, 16 West 29th Street, Manhattan, 212 679 1939:

One of the hardest reservations in New York City to get is for The Breslin in the hip Ace Hotel. The restaurant, which opened last fall, was created by Ken Friedman—the man behind The Spotted Pig, another of the city’s hotspots. He made the smart decision to hire drinks consultancy Contemporary Cocktails to run The Breslin’s bar. Look for a selection of tasty and creative cocktails made with fresh ingredients, and a fine list of craft beers.
What to Drink: London Calling (Absolut Vodka, Ribena Blackcurrant Syrup, lemon juice, prosecco)

Cienfuegos, 95 Avenue A, Manhattan, 212 614 6818:

Ravi DeRossi, co-owner of Death & Co. and Mayahuel, gives us another fine drinking den. Situated above a Cuban sandwich shop, Cienfuegos focuses on rum punch. The talented Charlotte Voisey designed the menu, which features both classic and original recipes.
What to Drink: Alabazam (Appleton Estate 12-Year-Old Rum, maraschino liqueur, Lillet Rouge, lemon juice, bitters, champagne)

Clover Club, 210 Smith Street, Brooklyn, 718 855 7939:

Julie Reiner, owner of famed Manhattan bar the Flatiron Lounge, brought classic cocktails to hip Brooklyn neighborhood Cobble Hill in 2008. The Clover Club offers a great menu of drinks, big bowls of punch and tasty food.
What to Drink: Clover Club (Gin, dry vermouth, lemon, raspberry syrup)

Daddy-O, 44 Bedford Street, Manhattan, 212 414 8884:

Daddy-O could easily be mistaken for a dive bar—albeit a very clean one. Don’t be fooled. While the bar is best known for serving burgers and tater tots, don’t underestimate the mixing skills of its talented bartenders.
What to Drink: Sloe Gin Fizz (Plymouth Gin, Plymouth Sloe Gin, lemon juice, simple syrup, egg white, club soda)

Dutch Kills, 27-24 Jackson Avenue, Long Island City, 718 383 2724:

It’s fitting that the first major cocktail bar in Queens should be part of Sasha Petraske’s growing drinks empire. The saloon-like Dutch Kills, complete with sawdust covered floors, serves a well-edited list of classic cocktails.
What to Drink: The Queens Park Swizzle (Dark rum, simple syrup, mint, lime juice)

Empire Room, Empire State Building, 350 Fifth Avenue, Manhattan, 212 643 5400:

Up until recently, the Empire State Building didn’t have a great bar. The art deco Empire Room, which was opened by the team behind Grand Central’s iconic Campbell Apartment, is a perfect addition to the landmark. (Pictured above.) Jonathan Pogash, the New York chapter president of the Unites States Bartenders’ Guild, created the cocktail list that pays homage to both modern and classic drinks.
What to Drink: The Bramble (Berry tea-infused Plymouth gin, lemon juice, honey syrup, blackberries)

Locanda Verde, 377 Greenwich Street, Manhattan, 212 925 3797:

Aussie bartender Naren Young always seems to end up behind the stick at places with outstanding food—but this time he has outdone himself. Young runs the bar at Locanda Verde, one of New York’s finest new restaurants. His cocktail menu, which uses many Italian spirits, complements the food and venue perfectly. Don’t make a reservation. Eat at the bar instead as Young plies you with drinks.
What to Drink: Primavera (Beefeater Gin, limoncello, bianco vermouth, lemon juice, basil)

Mayahuel, 304 East 6th Street, Manhattan, 212 253 5888:

Phil Ward has one of the best bartending résumés in New York having worked at the Flatiron Lounge, Pegu Club and Death & Co. His specialty is agave-based spirits, and last year he opened one of the world’s finest tequila and mezcal bars. Ward has applied all his experience and knowledge to create a fine cocktail list.
What to Drink: Whoopsy Daisy (Blanco tequila, joven mezcal, pomegranate molasses, lime)

Painkiller, 49 Essex Street, Manhattan, 212 777 TIKI:

This brand new tiki lounge was dreamed up by one of New York’s most-loved bartending duos, Giuseppe Gonzalez and Richard Boccato. Before opening, the veteran bartenders visited the world’s best tiki establishments and have created a bar that delivers first-class cocktails without taking itself too seriously.
What to Drink: The Painkiller (Pusser’s Rum, orange, pineapple juice, coconut cream, nutmeg)

Simon Ford is an award-winning bartender and director of Trade Outreach and Brand Education for Pernod Ricard USA. He’s always on the hunt for a good cocktail.

TYPES OF GLENFIDDICH AVAILABLE:

The Glenfiddich 12-Year-Old
The Glenfiddich 15-Year-Old
The Glenfiddich 18-Year-Old
The Glenfiddich 21-Year-Old
The Glenfiddich 30-Year-Old
The Glenfiddich 40-Year-Old
The Glenfiddich 50-Year-Old
The Glenfiddich Vintage Reserve 1973
The Glenfiddich Vintage Reserve 1977

HOW YOU SHOULD DRINK IT:

• Straight
• On the rocks
• With a bit of water
• With club soda
• With ginger ale
• In cocktails (Rob Roy, Whisky Smash, Blood and Sand, Rusty Nail)

FAST FACTS:

• Ever wonder why there’s a deer on the whisky’s label? The word Glenfiddich is Gaelic for “valley of the deer.”
• If you’re visiting Glenfiddich also stop by its sister brand Balvenie. The two distilleries are right next to each other.
• Catch-up on the brand’s news by reading Glenfiddich’s ambassadors Ian Millar’s and Ludovic Ducrocq’s blog http://blog.glenfiddich.com.

INGREDIENTS:

• 1.5 oz Beefeater 24 Gin
• 2 Bar spoons maraschino liqueur
• 1.5 oz Grapefruit juice
• .25 oz Fresh lemon juice.
• Club soda

Garnish: Grapefruit wedge

Glass: Collins

PREPARATION:

Shake the first four ingredients with ice. Strain the mixture into an ice-filled Collins glass. Top with club soda. Garnish with a grapefruit wedge.

You may have trouble finding a good drink this weekend since many of the country’s top bartenders will be in New York City for the Manhattan Cocktail Classic. The five-day extravaganza consists of dozens of events, including seminars by spirits experts, behind-the-scenes tours of famous bars and technique demonstrations. As a friend of Liquor.com, you can get 25% off your tickets if you use our discount code: Liquor. To help you decide which events to attend, here are some of our favorites.

Drink Punch and Be Merry (Saturday, May 15):

Liquor.com advisor and cocktail historian David Wondrich leads this “damp and anecdotal look at the roots of modern drink-making.” The seminar will, of course, include a tasting of three historic and tasty punches.

Stories from Behind the Bar: Macao Trading Co. (Saturday, May 15):

Spend Saturday afternoon imbibing at the TriBeCa bar Macao Trading Co. with Liquor.com advisor Dushan Zaric and his business partner Jason Kosmas. Sip expertly made cocktails and get to know these two veteran bartenders.

Glasses & Tools (Sunday, May 16):

This seminar answers the age-old quandary of what kind of glass to use for each type of cocktail. The best part? You’ll have the chance to shake drinks with master mixologist and Liquor.com advisor Dale DeGroff.

Bar Myth Busters (Monday, May 17):

Get to the bottom of many bartending traditions, practices and theories, including the accuracy of jiggers and whether or not it’s necessary to shake a Ramos Gin Fizz for 15 minutes. The session is led by the talented duo of Alex Day and Don Lee.

Mastering the Art of Bartending (Tuesday, May 18):

Want to know what it’s like to be on the other side of the bar? This all-star panel—including Simon Ford, Liquor.com advisor Aisha Sharpe, Gary Regan and Dushan Zaric—will share some of their favorite stories and bartending wisdom.

Sustainable Spirits? (Tuesday, May 18):

Find out why green cocktails and spirits matter from a panel of experts, including Liquor.com advisor Allen Katz, Melina Shannon-DiPietro from Yale’s Sustainable Food Project and Joseph J. Magliocco of Crop Harvest Earth Organic Vodkas.

In 1956 James Bond drank his first Martini “shaken and not stirred.” Fifty-four years later, purists would argue that 007 got his signature drink all wrong. (We can blame Gilberto Preti, who was James Bond author Ian Fleming’s favorite bartender and worked at the Dukes Hotel in London.) But more importantly, when do we shake and when do we stir?

In the post-Prohibition bar world, bartenders default to a simple axiom: stir when the drink is all spirits and shake when juices and other non-alcoholic ingredients are involved. Shaking adds air, sparkle and froth to a drink. Fruity or sweet cocktails come alive with effervescence when given a hard shake. The air bubbles spread the flavors over the tongue and render the sweet ingredients less cloying. On the other hand, the most-desired texture in a drink calling for just alcohol, like a Martini or Manhattan, is heavy and silky. Stirring achieves this as well as an icy chill.

As with any rule, there are plenty of exceptions, including the Stinger, which combines equal parts cognac and white crème de menthe and needs to be shaken very hard to make the drink less thick and sweet. But whether you’re a professional bartender or just throwing a cocktail party, there is only one way to make a drink—exactly how your guest prefers it. Enjoy these early 20th century Martini recipes shaken or stirred.

Marguerite

Contributed by: Dale DeGroff

INGREDIENTS:

• 1 oz Plymouth Gin
• 1 oz Noilly Prat Dry Vermouth
• Dash Regans’ Orange Bitters No. 6
• Garnish: Lemon peel and/or small Spanish olive without pimento
• Glass: Cocktail

PREPARATION:

Stir all the ingredients with ice and strain into a chilled cocktail glass. Garnish with a lemon peel and/or a small Spanish olive without pimento.

This Dry Martini recipe was served at the Knickerbocker Hotel in New York City by principal bartender Martini di Arma di Taggia.

“Nick & Nora” Dry Martini

Contributed by: Dale DeGroff

INGREDIENTS:

• 1.5 oz Beefeater Gin
• .5 oz Noilly Prat Dry Vermouth
• Garnish: Small Spanish olive without pimento
• Glass: Cocktail

PREPARATION:

Stir the two ingredients together in a mixing glass with ice and strain into a chilled cocktail glass. Garnish with a small Spanish olive without pimento.

Master Mixologist Dale DeGroff is the author of The Essential Cocktail and The Craft of the Cocktail. He is also a Liquor.com advisor.

INGREDIENTS:

• 2 oz Royal Combier
• Half a fresh lemon, quartered
• 6-8 Mint leaves

Garnish: Mint sprig

Glass: Rocks

PREPARATION:

Muddle the mint leaves and lemon wedges in a shaker. Add Royal Combier and ice. Shake hard and strain the mixture into a rocks glass filled with fresh ice. Garnish the drink with a fresh mint sprig.

INGREDIENTS:

• .33 oz Kahlúa
• .33 oz Baileys
• .33 oz Grand Marnier

Glass: Shot

PREPARATION:

Layer the three spirits in a shot glass in the order that they’re listed.

INGREDIENTS:

• 1 oz Van Gogh Oranje Vodka
• 1.5 oz Sparkling wine
• 1.5 oz Orange juice

Glass: Flute

Garnish: Orange slice

PREPARATION:

Pour Van Gogh Oranje Vodka and orange juice into a shaker and fill with ice. Shake and strain into a flute. Top with sparkling wine and garnish with an orange slice.

TYPES OF AUCHENTOSHAN AVAILABLE:

Auchentoshan Classic
Auchentoshan 12-Year-Old
Auchentoshan Three Wood
Auchentoshan 18-Year-Old
Auchentoshan 21-Year-Old

HOW YOU SHOULD DRINK IT:

• Straight
• On the rocks
• With a bit of water
• With club soda
• With ginger ale
• In cocktails (Rob Roy, Whisky Smash, Blood and Sand, Rusty Nail)

FAST FACTS:

• Auchentoshan means “corner of the field” in Gaelic.
• Auchentoshan and Hazelburn are the only triple-distilled Scotch whiskies. The other single malts are distilled twice.
• The distillery may be in Glasgow but the brand’s water source is the Cochno Loch in the nearby Kilpatrick Hills.

Some flowers, like orchids and tulips, captivate the senses with their delicate forms and vivid colors. Others, like jasmine and violet, produce aromas that are good enough to eat or drink. So it’s no wonder why bartenders have long been enchanted by all types of flora. Since ancient times, rose and orange blossom essences have perfumed drinks in the Middle East and India. And for hundreds of years, Italians have savored rosolio—a liqueur infused with rose petals. There are also plenty of flowery classic cocktails, like the Aviation scented with violet liqueur and the Ramos Gin Fizz that calls for a kiss of orange flower water.

Modern-day mixologists infuse vodka with dried lavender or hibiscus, and there is also a range of floral spirits on the market. Gran Centenario Rosangel Tequila ($37) tastes of hibiscus, Hendrick’s Gin ($30) includes essence of rose petal in its botanical mix and G’Vine Floraison Gin ($29) boasts of being the first alcohol flavored with grapevine flowers. But when it comes to spirits with flower power, the crown goes to St-Germain ($35), which has made the lychee-citrus flavor of the tiny French elderflower blossoms a sensation. The brand’s creator, Rob Cooper, also just released his eagerly awaited revival of the classic violet liqueur Crème Yvette ($45), which will no doubt be popular as well.

Just in time for Mother’s Day, here are a few cocktails that let mom have her flowers—and drink them, too.

Lavender Honey Cream

Contributed by: H. Joseph Ehrmann

INGREDIENTS:

• 1.5 oz Square One Botanical
• 1 oz Organic heavy cream
• 1 oz Organic egg white
• 1 oz Lavender honey syrup*
• Garnish: Lavender blossoms
• Glass: Cocktail

PREPARATION:

Add all the ingredients to a cocktail shaker and fill with ice. Shake gently for 30 seconds. Strain into a chilled cocktail glass. Garnish with a few lavender blossoms.

* To make lavender syrup, combine .25 cup lavender honey with .25 cup boiling water. Stir gently until honey is dissolved. Let cool and store in a squeeze bottle.

Jalisco Flor

Contributed by: Duggan McDonnell

INGREDIENTS:

• 1 oz Gran Centenario Rosangel Tequila
• 1 oz La Pinta Pomegranate Tequila
• 1 oz Fresh lime juice
• 2 oz Ginger ale
• Garnish: Orange slice
• Glass: Highball

PREPARATION:

Pour the tequilas, lime juice and ginger ale into a highball glass. Add ice and stir. Garnish the drink with a slice of orange.

Kiwi Kwencher

Contributed by: Frankie Thaheld

INGREDIENTS:

• Half a ripe kiwi, peeled
• .5 oz St-Germain
• .75 oz Simple syrup (one part sugar, one part water)
• Splash club soda
• 3-4 oz Brut sparkling wine
• Garnish: Kiwi slice
• Glass: Cocktail

PREPARATION:

Muddle the kiwi in a shaker. Add the simple syrup, St-Germain and ice. Shake until chilled and add a splash of club soda. Strain the mixture into a cocktail glass and top with sparkling wine. Garnish the drink with a kiwi slice.

Maria C. Hunt is hostess of the champagne appreciation and entertaining web site The Bubbly Girl and author of The Bubbly Bar: Champagne & Sparkling Wine Cocktails for Every Occasion, which includes an entire chapter of floral cocktails.

TYPES OF DON JULIO AVAILABLE:

Don Julio Blanco
Don Julio Reposado
Don Julio Añejo
Don Julio 1942
Don Julio Real

HOW YOU SHOULD DRINK IT:

• Straight
• With a Sangrita
• In cocktails (Margarita, Paloma, Bloody Maria)

FAST FACTS:

• At the brand’s distillery, one prized still is reserved for the making of Don Julio’s two ultra-premium tequilas, 1942 and Real.
• Don Julio is the number one premium tequila in Mexico but it was originally given away to friends and relatives.

INGREDIENTS:

• 2 oz Tequila
• .5 oz Fresh lime juice
• Pinch of salt
• 4 oz Grapefruit soda

Garnish: Lime wedge

Glass: Highball

PREPARATION:

Add all the ingredients to a highball glass filled with ice, stir and garnish with a lime wedge

In the summer of 1936, James Graham, owner and editor of the Moville, Iowa, Mail, took his wife to southern California for a bit of sightseeing. While there, as many do, the Grahams took a little side jaunt to Tijuana, Mexico, where—again, as many do—they found themselves in the grip of a sudden thirst for something alcoholic. Four years earlier, the choice of drinking establishments would have been a tough one: during Prohibition, Tijuana had some 150 of them. But in 1936, with Americans fully able to tipple at home, the city was down to a mere nine or ten bars. An Irishman by the name of Madden ran one of the survivors, and that’s where the Iowans headed. The couple’s taxi driver had mentioned Madden’s drink-mixing skills and told them of his fame as the creator of a thing known as the “Tequila Daisy.”

“As a newspaperman seeking information,” Graham wrote in the lengthy report of his trip that he ran in his paper (bear in mind that Moville had a population of around 975), “I entered the joint and told Mr. Madden my curiosity was aroused regarding The Daisy.” Mr. Madden was not the most talkative of men, but eventually he was persuaded to admit that the drink’s creation was a mistake. “In mixing a drink, I grabbed the wrong bottle and the customer was so delighted that he called for another and spread the good news far and wide.”

Why are we bothering with Iowa newspapermen and Irish barkeepers on Cinco de Mayo? Because, you see, the word for “daisy” in Spanish is “margarita,” and there are few cocktails more popular than the Margarita, or more obscure in their origin. Graham never said what was in Madden’s Daisy, or (truth be told) ever actually admitted to trying one. But if you take a Brandy Daisy, a standard bar drink of the pre-Prohibition era, and accidentally reach for the tequila instead of the brandy—well, you be the judge.

Tequila Daisy

Contributed by: David Wondrich

INGREDIENTS:

• .5 oz Fresh lemon juice
• .5 tsp Superfine sugar
• 2 oz Partida Reposado Tequila
• .5 oz Grand Marnier
• Seltzer
• Glass: Cocktail

PREPARATION:

In a cocktail shaker, stir together .5 oz fresh lemon juice and .5 teaspoon superfine sugar. Add 2 oz Partida Reposado Tequila and .5 oz Grand Marnier. Fill with ice, shake well and strain into a chilled cocktail glass. Top with a small splash of seltzer.

David Wondrich is the author of the award-winning book Imbibe! and Esquire magazine’s Drinks Correspondent. He is also a Liquor.com advisor.

INGREDIENTS:

• 1.5 oz White rum (Bacardi)
• .75 oz Orange Curacao
• .75 oz Dry vermouth
• Dash Grenadine

Glass: Cocktail

PREPARATION:

Shake all the ingredients with ice and strain into a chilled cocktail glass.

(This recipe is adapted from The Savoy Cocktail Book by Harry Craddock, published in 1930. The drink is also known as The El Presidente.)

Over 200 years ago Americans began drinking a new concoction called a cocktail, which soon became a sensation. In honor of this historic invention, Thursday kicks off World Cocktail Week, when bars and liquor stores from Sydney, Australia, and Washington, DC, to Chicago, Illinois, will get in the spirit. The Museum of the American Cocktail in New Orleans—which offers an impressive collection of antique bar tools, historic recipe books and ephemera—began the international celebration four years ago.

The week culminates on May 13 with an event at the museum where you can sample food from some of NOLA’s best chefs and drinks from top mixologists. Plus, our advisor Dale DeGroff and local bartender Chris McMillian will attempt to make “the world’s largest Fire & Ice Mint Julep.”

The week raises money for the museum and helps support its monthly mixology exhibitions by famed bartenders. While these parties are great fun, they also teach drinkers around the globe about the rich history of the cocktail and the pioneering bartenders who created the classic recipes that we still enjoy. Reason enough for us to drink up.

INGREDIENTS:

• 1.5 oz Hibiki 12-Year-Old Whisky
• 1 oz Pomegranate juice
• .25 oz Port
• 1 tsp Lemon juice

Garnish: Lemon peel

Glass: Martini

PREPARATION:

Shake all the ingredients in a cocktail shaker with ice. Strain into a chilled Martini glass and garnish with a lemon peel.

This recipe was originally published in Japanese Cocktails.

INGREDIENTS:

• 1.5 oz White rum
• .5 oz Kahlúa
• 1.5 oz Milk
• 3 oz Cola

Garnish: Mint leaves (optional)

Glass: Highball

PREPARATION:

Add all the ingredients to a highball glass filled with ice. And you can garnish the drink with mint leaves.

TYPES OF WOODFORD RESERVE AVAILABLE:

Woodford Reserve Distiller’s Select
Woodford Reserve Master’s Collection

HOW YOU SHOULD DRINK IT:

• Straight
• On the rocks
• With a bit of water
• With club soda
• With ginger ale
• In cocktails (Mint Julep, Old Fashioned, Presbyterian, Horse’s Neck, Ward Eight, Brown Derby)

FAST FACTS:

• Since 1996, Woodford Reserve has been the official bourbon of the Kentucky Derby and it produces a specially-designed, limited-edition bottle each year for the horserace.
• The brand’s picturesque stone distillery dates back to 1838 and is a National Historic Landmark.

INGREDIENTS:

• 2.5 oz Pineapple-infused Square One Organic Vodka*
• 1.5 oz Coco Lopez Cream of Coconut
• 1 oz Organic heavy cream
• Dash Angostura Bitters
• 10 oz Glass of ice
• .5 oz Pineapple puree*

Glass: Highball

PREPARATION:

In a blender combine all the ingredients and top with ice. Pulse until the mixture is smooth. Pour it into a glass and serve.

*Pineapple-infused Square One Organic Vodka

Add one slice of organic dried pineapple (with no added sugar) to a 750 ml bottle of Square One Vodka and let sit for one to two days. Taste the spirit daily until you like the flavor. Once it’s ready, strain the liquid into a clean bottle. Make sure to save the pineapple and blend it into a puree.

This Saturday all eyes will be on Lookin at Lucky, Sidney’s Candy and Ice Box. But no matter which horse wins, the real star of the Kentucky Derby will be the Mint Julep. As the thoroughbreds thunder down the track, drinkers across the country will be sipping the frosty cocktail, which perfectly combines bourbon, sugar and mint. Few things taste better on a hot spring day.

While the drink is now synonymous with Churchill Downs and the state of Kentucky, it wasn’t always made with bourbon. In fact the Mint Julep recipe in the 1862 edition of Jerry Thomas’ seminal The Bartender’s Guide: How to Mix Drinks calls for cognac, a dash of Jamaican rum and a garnish of berries and orange slices. He also lists a Julep variation made with