From Cocktail Napkin to Cocktail Bar (Wednesday, July 25):

Ever dreamed of opening your own establishment? Find out what it takes from Liquor.com advisory board members Dale DeGroff, Julie Reiner and Dushan Zaric, plus other well-known pros, during this three-part series on the biz.

Whiskey Trends in America (Thursday, July 26):

Join Fred Noe (Jim Beam’s great-grandson and the brand’s seventh-generation master distiller), acclaimed author and Liquor.com contributor Max Watman and Liquor.com editor-in-chief Noah Rothbaum for a bourbon tasting and discussion over a gourmet meal at The Pelican Club.

Sporting Life II – Stories, Songs & Sketches (Friday, July 27):

Liquor.com advisory board member Allen Katz hosts the second installment of this entertaining afternoon, which will feature a range of musical and theatrical acts and also delicious cocktails.

Bottle Alley: Drinking the Panama Canal (Friday, July 27):

Enjoy a boozy ride down the Panama Canal with award-winning writer and Liquor.com advisory board member David Wondrich and tiki authority Jeff “Beachbum” Berry. You’ll get to hear all about Teddy Roosevelt, Jerry Thomas, Charles H. Baker and the real Captain Morgan while sipping historic tropical elixirs.

The Name Game (Saturday, July 28):

The talented and charming duo of Angus Winchester and Philip Duff investigate the age-old question of what’s in a drink’s name. Learn how to create a winner and why some monikers just never caught on.

• 1.5 oz Tullamore Dew Irish Whiskey
• .5 oz Sour apple liqueur
• 3 oz Cranberry juice

Garnish: Apple slice

Glass: Martini

PREPARATION:

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

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.

• 2 oz Cachaça
• 1 oz Pineapple juice
• .5 oz Lemon juice
• .5 oz Grenadine
• 1 oz Club soda

Garnish: Orange peel

Glass: Wine

PREPARATION:

Add all the ingredients except the club soda to a shaker and fill with ice. Shake, and strain into a wine glass filled with fresh ice. Top with the club soda and garnish with an orange peel.

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.

The two beverages—bookends for many of us on a typical day—were once bit players on the fine-dining stage, prepared without care and presented without ceremony. Today, of course, everything has changed: Restaurants across the country have ambitious cocktail menus, alongside coffee programs featuring name-brand beans, freshly roasted in small batches.

And craft bartenders and baristas tend to be of the same ilk (and I don’t mean just that they share a penchant for fancy hats and waistcoats). They’re passionate geeks and tinkerers who fetishize new equipment and ingredients while keeping their feet firmly rooted in age-old traditions.

So why don’t they hang out together? Rarely does one hear of a barista cross-training at a cocktail bar, nor can one imagine our more serious mixologists steaming milk for a Macchiato. And when coffee and spirits do meet in the glass, the result is often disastrous. I’ve seen otherwise decent bartenders pour Baileys into a cup of stale black mud and call the lukewarm mess an Irish Coffee. Oh, the humanity!

But the result can also be sublime. Coffee boasts an incredibly wide range of flavors, depending on its origin and how it was processed, roasted and prepared. Treated correctly, it can be a powerful component of a mixed drink. At Fort Defiance, my cafe-bar in Red Hook, Brooklyn, we’re known for our cocktails, but we’ve always taken our coffee seriously, too.

One of my favorite drinks that combine both is the Kirsch au Café (pictured above), adapted from Charles H. Baker, Jr.’s recipe published in his 1939 The Gentleman’s Companion, which explores espresso’s deep chocolate and cherry notes.

Another good tipple to try is talented Los Angeles barman Eric Alperin’s Café Corrección Ponche that plays off cold-brew coffee’s bright orange-peel and spice flavors.

Either is perfect for a warm spring afternoon, so start grinding some beans now.

Kirsch au Café

Contributed by St. John Frizell
INGREDIENTS:

• 1 oz Cognac
• .75 oz Kirsch
• .75 oz Cherry Heering
• .5 oz Simple syrup (one part sugar, one part water)
• .5 to 1 oz Egg white
• 1 shot (about 1 oz) Freshly brewed espresso
• Glass: Small cocktail (two)

PREPARATION:
Add all the ingredients except the espresso to a shaker and shake (without ice) until frothy. Fill with ice and add the espresso. Shake well and strain into two small cocktail glasses.

Café Corrección Ponche

Contributed by Eric Alperin
INGREDIENTS:

• 1.5 tsp Demerara sugar
• 2 strips Orange peel
• 12 oz Diplomático Añejo Rum
• 4 oz Punt e Mes
• 8 oz Cold-brew coffee*
• 4 oz Simple syrup (one part sugar, one part water)
• 4 oz Fresh orange juice
• Ground cinnamon
• Garnish: Cinnamon sticks
• Glass: Teacup

PREPARATION:
In a large bowl or pitcher, muddle the sugar and orange peel. Let stand for an hour or so to extract the oils. Add the remaining ingredients and a little cracked ice. Stir, and strain into a punch bowl filled with a large ice block. Top with a sprinkling of ground cinnamon. Serve in teacups, garnished with cinnamon sticks cracked in half the long way.

*There are many commercial brands of cold-brew coffee available today, but it’s easy enough to make at home. There’s much dispute about what the proper ratio of water to coffee should be using this method, but here’s how we do it at Fort Defiance: Stir together half a pound of ground coffee and 2 quarts of water in a large container. Stir again after 15 minutes and let rest for 12 to 24 hours. Strain through a fine sieve and discard the coffee grounds. This recipe yields about 6 cups.

St. John Frizell is the owner of acclaimed Brooklyn bar Fort Defiance.

• .5 oz Absinthe
• 2 oz Cognac
• .5 oz Simple syrup (one part sugar, one part water)
• 3 dashes Peychaud’s Bitters

Garnish: Lemon twist
Glass: Old Fashioned

PREPARATION:

Rinse a chilled Old Fashioned glass with the absinthe, fill with crushed ice and set aside. Add the remaining ingredients to a mixing glass and fill with ice. Stir. Discard the ice and any excess absinthe from the prepared glass and strain the drink into it. Garnish with a lemon twist.

(Photo taken at Bourbon & Branch in San Francisco.)

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.

My first discovery of this phenomenon was when I tasted an old formula for the Manhattan: 100-proof rye whiskey paired with Italian (sweet) vermouth, bitters and orange liqueur. The creation was unique in its balance and palate presence. It was also finally a Manhattan that I wanted to finish (and enjoy a second or a third one).

What was different about it? The ratio of whiskey to vermouth was weird: one-and-a-half ounces of whiskey to one-and-three-quarters ounces of vermouth, as well as half an ounce of Grand Marnier. The recipe read like a disaster, but once I made it, I was blown away.

Not only was it delicious, but it progressed down the palate in a logical—even nurturing—way. The strength of the whiskey and its robust flavor, plus the malt and sourness of the rye, proved to be the element that kept the structure balanced. I have since placed that drink on countless menus and taught it to scores of bartenders.

And when you learn how these spirits behave in the shaker, a whole world of possibilities opens up for you. The Sazerac becomes deeper and more velvety. The Vesper gets the “pop” you always craved and you are reminded why tiki concoctions are considered classics.

However, be cautious: High-proof should not mean high-heat. If it isn’t distilled right, you’ll feel a burn in your throat. (If it does that when sampled neat, it will do it in the cocktail as well.) Fortunately, there are plenty of bottlings of exceptional strength and quality that are perfect for mixing. Have fun!

Dushan Zaric’s Favorite High-Proof Spirits:

1. Baker’s Bourbon, 107-proof
2. Cadenhead’s Old Raj Gin, 110-proof
3. Rittenhouse Rye Whiskey, 100-proof
4. Smith & Cross Traditional Jamaica Rum, 114-proof
5. Louis Royer Force 53° Cognac, 106-proof

Dushan Zaric is the co-owner of popular New York City bars Employees Only and Macao Trading Co., and the co-author of Speakeasy. He is also a Liquor.com advisor.

• 2 oz Leblon Cachaça
• .75 oz Guava puree
• 1.5 oz Rose syrup
• .75 oz Lime juice
• 1.5 scoops Ice

Garnish: Rose petal

Glass: Coupe

PREPARATION:

Add all the ingredients to a blender and blend for about 30 seconds. Serve in a coupe glass. Garnish with a rose petal.

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.

• 2 oz Banks 5-Island Rum
• .75 oz Luxardo Bitter Liqueur
• .75 oz Lustau East India Solera Sherry

Garnish: Orange twist

Glass: Rocks

PREPARATION:

Add all the ingredients to a mixing glass and fill with ice. Stir, and strain into a rocks glass filled with one large ice cube. Garnish with an orange twist

Old Rip Van Winkle 10-Year-Old Handmade Bourbon (107 proof)
Old Rip Van Winkle 10-Year-Old Handmade Bourbon (90 proof)
Van Winkle Special Reserve 12-Year-Old Bourbon
Van Winkle Family Reserve 13-Year-Old Rye Whiskey
Pappy Van Winkle’s Family Reserve 15 Years Old
Pappy Van Winkle’s Family Reserve 20 Years Old
Pappy Van Winkle’s Family Reserve 23 Years Old

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 most bourbon is made from a mash of corn, rye and barley, the Van Winkle recipe calls for a sweeter mix of corn, wheat and barley.
• Pappy Van Winkle isn’t just a catchy name; he was the family’s pioneering patriarch. The bourbon icon started out as a liquor salesman in the late 1800s and later ran his own distillery.

• 1 sprig Fresh rosemary
• 1.25 oz Don Julio Añejo Tequila
• .5 oz Fresh lime juice
• 1 oz Fresh pineapple juice
• .25 oz Simple syrup (one part sugar, one part water)

Garnish: Fresh rosemary

Glass: Highball

PREPARATION:

In a shaker, muddle the rosemary. Add the remaining ingredients and fill with ice. Shake, and strain into a highball glass. Garnish with a sprig of fresh rosemary.

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.

ÆppelTreow Appely Brut ($16):

From the ÆppelTreow Winery in Burlington, Wis., this straw-yellow cider is fermented in the bottle and is a respectable eight percent alcohol. It’s very tart, with a strong aroma of fresh apples on the nose, and it finishes with a hint of sulfury yeast.

Farnum Hill Semi-Dry ($15):

Farnum Hill Semi-Dry is a sophisticated beverage from Poverty Lane Orchards in New Hampshire. The cork releases with a satisfying pop and the cider pours with a head like cava. It shows fine bubbles that persist in the glass and a lovely golden hue, similar to chardonnay. It’s well-balanced, starting with fruity white-grape flavors and ending with a clean sharpness. It’s worth seeking out.

Newtown Pippin Single Heirloom Varietal ($12):

The latest creation from Original Sin is part of the new trend of single-varietal brews. Traditionally, cider is blended to achieve the right combination of sweetness, body and acidity. The Newtown Pippin apple, which was grown in Thomas Jefferson’s and George Washington’s orchards and introduced to England by Benjamin Franklin, needs no help. This product is bright and crisp, with notes of juicy apple and a subtly sweet finish.

Wanderlust ($8) and Wickson Single Varietal ($10):

I tried two offerings from Wandering Aengus Ciderworks of Salem, Ore. Wanderlust is tart and semi-dry, with a chewy apple-skin bite (think Granny Smith). But I preferred its Wickson Single Varietal, which has tiny bubbles and a touch of sugar that came through on the finish to soften the tartness.

Max Watman is the author of Chasing the White Dog: An Amateur Outlaw’s Adventures in Moonshine.

2nd Floor on Clinton, New York, 212 529 6900:

When you’re tired of swilling beer at Lower East Side dive Barramundi, head through the back door and up the stairs to the cozy 2nd Floor on Clinton for one of mixologist Kenneth Eberle’s tasty creations. You’ll feel like you’ve emerged in the elegant living room of a grand Upper East Side apartment.

What to Drink: Glass Slipper (Hendrick’s Gin, Lillet Blanc, St-Germain, orange blossom water)

The Hideout, San Francisco, 415 252 7740:

The Mission District’s Dalva is famous for its Sangria and jukebox, but in The Hideout, the tiny haven in the rear, the vibe is decidedly swankier. While you savor an original concoction or one of the many Scotches, be grateful that you’re missing out on the karaoke shenanigans up front.

What to Drink: Whiskey in Church, (Ardbeg Ten Years Old Single Malt Scotch Whisky, Hidalgo Oloroso Sherry, maple syrup, house-made smoked pear bitters)

The Office, Chicago:

Only those lucky enough to score an invite can get inside The Office, the basement bar at celebrity chef Grant Achatz’s acclaimed The Aviary in Fulton Market. Here you’ll be treated to Craig Schoettler’s unnamed gastronomic tipples that showcase a range of inventive ingredients, plus an array of creative food dishes.

What to Drink: Grappa concoction (grappa, house-made Amarillo hops soda, tangerine juice, Meyer lemon juice, coriander tincture, thyme)

The Varnish, Los Angeles, 213 622 9999:

After devouring a hearty French dip sandwich at Cole’s in downtown LA, walk past the red booths to Eric Alperin’s cocktail den. You’ll most likely have to wait for a seat, but his list of expertly mixed standards is worth it.

What to Drink: Holland Cobbler (genever, Curaçao, raspberry, lemon juice, grated nutmeg)

Velvet Tango Room, Cleveland, 216 241 8869:

Entering the Velvet Tango Room is like stumbling upon a classy party. And on Friday and Saturday nights, you can escape the revelry by making a reservation for the back room. As you enjoy the piano player, try a complex Tango Manhattan that features the owner’s own house-made vermouth and bitters.

What to Drink: Tango Manhattan (Maker’s Mark Bourbon, house-made vermouth, house-made bitters)

The Wilson & Wilson Detective Agency, San Francisco, 415 346 1735:

While a delicious cocktail is always a sure thing at Bourbon & Branch, The Wilson & Wilson Detective Agency (pictured above) provides a truly bespoke experience. Jayson Wilde’s drinks can be sipped a la carte, but you can also order a three-course $30 tasting menu. Punch is a great choice to share with a date as well at a romantic table for two.

What to Drink: Lost Temple Punch (strawberry-infused pisco, Dolin Blanc Vermouth, lemon juice, rosemary syrup, sparkling wine)

Alia Akkam is a New York-based writer and managing editor of Hospitality Design.

• 1.5 oz Dry vermouth (Noilly Prat)
• .75 oz Bénédictine
• .75 oz Fresh lime juice

Glass: Cocktail
 

PREPARATION:

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

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.