Whiskey

Old Fashioned

Bourbon or Rye, I prefer a 90 proof whiskey like Dickel Rye, but your favorite brand will suffice. Add two dashes of traditional Angostura bitters. (For a twist, try using Fee Brothers Aztec Chocolate bitters particularly when using bourbon as it doesn’t fight rye’s spicy character). Then add in simple syrup to taste. Finish with an orange peel and or high-end cherries like Luxardo maraschino. Serve over a large ice cube.

The Manhattan

Best made with rye. Combine two parts whiskey with one part vermouth. While any vermouth can be used, I like Cocchi Vermouth Di Torino as it has a great luxardo cherry flavor. Add two dashes of traditional Angostura bitters in a cocktail mixing class. Add ice and stir until chilled. Strain into a chilled cocktail glass. Garnish with a maraschino cherry.

2 oz rye whiskey
1 oz sweet vermouth
2 dashes of Angostura bitters
Stir with ice, strain into a coupe, garnish with a luxardo cherry

The Perfect Manhattan

If the original Manhattan is a Broadway star, the Perfect Manhattan is its cool understudy who nails the role in rehearsal. Instead of relying solely on sweet vermouth, it splits the bill with dry vermouth. The result? A drink that’s more balanced, less sweet, and slightly more complex — like the difference between milk chocolate and dark. Perfect, indeed.

2 oz rye whiskey
½ oz sweet vermouth
½ oz dry vermouth
2 dashes Angostura bitters (a dash of orange bitters is lovely too)
Stir with ice, strain into a coupe, garnish with a lemon twist.

Black Manhattan

Enter the Black Manhattan: brooding, mysterious, and clearly the film noir version of the classic. Here, sweet vermouth steps aside for Averna or another amaro, which brings bittersweet herbal depth to the glass. The Black Manhattan is what happens when the Manhattan spends a summer in Sicily and comes back with a new wardrobe and a pack of secrets.

2 oz rye whiskey
1 oz Averna (or another amaro, like Cynar)
1 dash Angostura bitters
1 dash orange bitters
Stir with ice, strain into a coupe, garnish with a luxardo cherry.

Rob Roy

The Rob Roy is the Manhattan’s Scottish cousin, swapping American rye for Scotch whisky. Smoky, peaty, and proud, it offers the familiar vermouth-and-bitters structure but with an unmistakable Highland swagger.

2 oz Scotch whisky
1 oz sweet vermouth
2 dashes Angostura bitters
Stir with ice, strain into a coupe, garnish with a cherry.

Sazerac

In an Old-Fashioned glass, combine simple syrup (start with 1/4 oz and adjust to taste) with 2 ounces of good rye whiskey. Add two dashes of Peychaud’s bitters and one dash of traditional Angostura bitters. Add several small ice cubes and then stir until chilled. In a second glass add a little absinthe (or as a substitute try Pernod) and roll it around until you’ve created a nice rinse coating. Pour off any excess. Add the chilled whiskey mixture. Garnish with a twist of lemon peel.

Mississippi Punch

One of my favorite pirate cocktails! Reflecting the confluence of New Orleans’ multi-cultural history, this cocktail combines rum from the Spanish Caribbean colonies, cognac from France and bourbon from America. Aptly described as a punch, it hits like a pirate! In a cocktail shaker combine 1/2 oz of fresh lemon juice, 2 oz of dark rum (Meyers works best), 1 oz of bourbon, 1 oz of cognac, 3/4 oz of simple syrup (adjust to taste) and a dash of nutmeg. Add ice and then shake until thoroughly chilled. Pour over crushed ice. Serve with a garnish of berries (e.g. blackberries, raspberries, blueberries) or watermelon.

For a twist, you can try mixing up the batting order and use more bourbon or cognac as the primary liquor versus the rum. Also, for an interesting play on this drink, replace the nutmeg with cinnamon, it tastes a little like an apple pie Blackbeard might enjoy!

Vieux Carre

Named for New Orleans’ French Quarter, this is another classic from the Big Easy! Using a mixing glass, add 3/4 ounce of rye whiskey, 3/4 ounce Cognac, 3/4 ounce sweet vermouth (preferably Cocchi or Carpano Antico Formula), 1 barspoon (1 teaspoon) Bénédictine liqueur, 1 dash Peychaud’s Bitters, 1 dash angostura bitters, ice. Mix until chilled. Serve on block of ice and garnish with a lemon twist.

Mint Julep

Done well, you might just think you won the Derby! In a cocktail shaker add simple syrup (start with a 3/4 oz, adjust to taste) and a couple of sprigs of mint (a sprig being a stem of mint with 3 or more mint leaves growing out of it). Use a muddler to crush the mint, but don’t shred it. You want to bruise the leaves and release the flavor, but not so much that you break it into tiny pieces. Then add 2 oz of good Kentucky bourbon and ice. Shake until chilled. Strain and pour into a glass (if you have the sterling silver cup use it) of crushed ice. Note, using crushed ice is key. I take ice cubes and put a bunch into a cheese cloth, then use a mallet to smash them. The rough, inconsistent size of the crushed ice gives the drink that nice down home feel.

Karen’s Perfectly Dry Manhattan

Named in honor of my Mother in-law, this is a classic spin on a Manhattan using dry vermouth. Mix two parts Canadian Club with one part Martini & Rossi dry vermouth, add ice. Garnish with a big lemon slice. That’s it, no substitutions… just like Karen!

The Third Man

From Garden and Gun magazine, this recipe is a nice cocktail to transition into the Fall. In a shaker put; 1.5 oz of bourbon, 1.5 oz of grapefruit juice, 3/4 oz of lemon juice, 3/4 oz of Campari and 1/2 oz of simple syrup. Shake until chilled and serve over ice.

Boulevardier of Broken Dreams

A Pyrate Bar creation, this delicious concoction is perfect on a cold winter day or night! In a mixing glass with ice, add 1 oz of Dickel Rye, 3/4 oz of Fernet Branca, 3/4 oz of Amaro Meletti. Stir until cold. Pour incredients into a lowball glass over a large ice cube. Garnish with an orange peel.

Penicillin Cocktail

Ingredients:

2 oz Blended scotch (e.g. Dewar’s or Famous Grouse)
3/4 oz Fresh lemon juice
3/4 oz Honey syrup*
1/4 oz Islay single-malt scotch (I prefer Laphroaig)
4-5 chunks of fresh ginger

Steps:

Add the honey syrup and ginger to a shaker. Muddle the ginger well.
Add the blended scotch, lemon juice and ice; shake.
Using a strainer, pour into a rocks glass over fresh ice.
Top with the single-malt scotch. For better results, slowly pour the single-malt over the back side of a bar spoon so it ‘floats’ over the drink.
Garnish with a lemon peel or wedge.
*Honey syrup: Combine 1 cup honey and 1 cup water in a saucepan over high heat, and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to medium, and simmer 5 minutes. Place in the refrigerator to cool.

Artichoke Spaceship

Place all ingredients into a cocktail shaker with ice, shake well and then serve up in a coupe glass with a lemon twist.

1.5 ounces of bourbon (I used Belle Meade)
.75 ounces of Cynar
.25 ounce of simple syrup
.75 ounces of fresh lemon juice

Presbyterian’s Revenge

Place all ingredients into a cocktail shaker with ice, shake well, serve on the rocks; topping it off with a splash of club soda and a grapefruit twist.

2 ounces of blended scotch (I used Cutty Sark)
.75 ounces of Cynar
.25 ounces of fresh lemon juice
.25 ounces of simple syrup
dash of orange bitters