Gibson

The classic Gibson gets a slight upgrade in this modernized version. Celery bitters add complimentary vegetal notes and fennel bitters enhance the overall flavor profile. I was introduced to a similar version many years ago when I visited my friend Steve Schnelwar on the bar at 80 Thoreau. 

The Gibson cocktail recipe:

• 2.5 oz gin (I recommend Plymouth)

• .5 oz dry vermouth (I use Boisserie Extra Dry)

• 1 dash celery bitters (any celery bitters brand will do - highly recommend using this ingredient)

• 1 dash fennel bitters (optional)

• Garnish: 3 cocktail onions (pickled) and an orange peel

Add your ingredients into a mixing glass. Add ice and stir until properly diluted. Place your cocktail onions into a chilled coupe or martini glass. . Next, pour your cocktail into the glass. Express the orange oils over the cocktail and rim the glass with the peel. Discard peel or put into glass. 

Take it up a notch: Follow the instructions above and drop on top some freshly ground pepper. Pepper and Gibson's go extremely well together and adds both flavor and sense of smell notes.

Substitutions:

Gin: Always use a dry style gin for a Gibson. You can substitute Beefeater for Plymouth.

Cocktail onions: Most pickled vegetables would work here, but do not use pickles. I would recommend dilly beans. My recipe for home made cocktail onions will come at a later time. 

Bitters: Celery bitters are quite common these days. Fee Brothers make a good version with notes of garlic and brine. Fennel bitters are more rare and aren't necessary if you can't find them. 

Big Apple

Fall weather calls for Fall cocktails. This original Manhattan variation gives you apple and spice with subtle sweetness. 

The Big Apple recipe:

• 1 oz bourbon (I recommend Old Grand Dad Bonded or something over 90 proof)

• 1 oz Laird's Bonded Apple Brandy

• .75 oz Punt e Mes

• 2 dashes apple bitters

• 2 dashes orange bitters

• barspoon maple syrup

• Garnish: burnt cinnamon stick (about 4inches long)*

In a mixing glass, add your ingredients and then add ice. Stir until properly diluted and strain into a chilled rocks glass. Take a match and light the end of your cinnamon stick until it is nice and charred. Place your cinnamon stick into the cocktail and inhale before you drink. 

*An example on how to burn the end of your cinnamon stick. 

Substitutions:

Laird's Bonded Apple Brandy: Regular Laird's Applejack can be used here if necessary. Or even Calvados.

Punt e Mes: Sweet vermouth can be substituted, but try to use Carpano Antica, which has more body and depth than the standard sweet vermouth's.

Bitters: Apple and orange are relatively common bitters these days. I would suggest finding brands you like and using those. The apple bitters really accentuate the Fall spice notes in this drink. Spiced orange bitters would work nicely too.

Garnish: A pinch of ground cinnamon can be used instead of a burnt cinnamon stick. The burnt cinnamon adds another element to this cocktail for your sense of smell. The aroma fills the glass and compliments the apple notes. A flamed orange peel also works nicely here.

My Old Faithful

The Manhattan cocktail.

Whether you love Chardonnay, Grey Goose on the rocks with a twist or the latest great craft beer, we all have our favorite drinks. The Manhattan cocktail is mine. 

Don’t get me wrong, there are many other cocktails that I love, both modern and classic, but the Manhattan has a special place in my heart. It was the first cocktail I ever ordered (legally) at a bar and it happened to be in the great city of Manhattan. Granted it was made by a sleep-deprived bartender, who put a hefty half-ounce of cherry juice in it and served it over rocks (ice), but hey, it was delicious for the time and place. 

I would be even willing to bet that this cocktail is my wife's favorite as well. Whenever we have one together, our first few sips are in silence and admiration for the simplicity and elegance of this cocktail, which is only comparable to the Martini. Our first words uttered to each other are usually, "god damn, that is good".  

The history of this cocktail is a bit cloudy. The cocktail itself dates back to at least the 1860's in New York. Some scholars maintain it was created at the famed Manhattan Club in the early 1870's at a banquet held by Winston Churchill's mother, Jennie. It's a cute story, but I would be hesitant to bet that this is the first time a bartender concocted this immensely straightforward cocktail recipe. The Manhattan was typically made with rye whiskey, as it was the most prevalent whiskey of the day, but with Prohibition came the very unfortunate near extinction of rye whiskey. 

During Prohibition the Manhattan became popular again, but was mostly made with Canadian whiskey, which is also made with rye and was imported illegally into the country from our neighbors above. After Prohibition, bourbon was the predominant whiskey of the land and replaced rye whiskey in Manhattan's. It wasn't until our recent cocktail revolution that rye whiskey was resurrected and made available again. 

Today, you can find rye whiskey at almost any liquor store. Perhaps it was this very cocktail, my 'Old Faithful' as I refer to it, that got me interested in cocktails and their history in the first place...certainly seems like it. 

Traditional recipe:

• 2 oz American whiskey (originally made with rye, but bourbon is often substituted)

• 1 oz vermouth (Italian or sweet style)

• 2 dashes bitters (Angostura or some type of aromatic style)

• brandied cherry for garnish

A simple way to remember the proportions is 2-1-2, Manhattan's famous area code. 

My Manhattan recipe:

• 2.5 oz rye whiskey (preferably 100 proof, I recommend Rittenhouse rye)

• .75 oz sweet vermouth (I recommend Carpano Antica)

• 2 dashes aromatic bitters (such as Angostura)

• 1 dash orange bitters

• 1 drop salt tincture (1:1 salt to water)

• Garnish: orange peel and Maraschino cherry

In a mixing glass, add your rye whiskey, sweet vermouth, bitters, add ice and stir. Once properly diluted, strain into a chilled cocktail glass. Garnish with an orange peel, not a cherry. The citrus component adds another layer of complexity and compliments the whiskey perfectly. Tasting the expressed citrus oil first then getting a smack of the oak barrel from the whiskey is the perfect first sip. Then gradually comes the sweet herbal notes from the vermouth, the bitterness from the bitters and the flavors of the whiskey. - you'll taste caramel, vanilla, chocolate, black pepper and finally the wood of the barrel the whiskey aged so patiently in.

I like my Manhattan’s bitter and strong. This drink is meant to be savored slowly,  it's not a cold glass of water on a hot summer day. Enjoy it with someone special or have it by yourself. It's the quintessential drink to sip while in deep thought or simply trying to relax. 

Here is a great informational video of cocktail historian David Wondrich making a classic Manhattan.

Substitutions:

Rye whiskey: Bourbon whiskey with a high rye content works very well (Bulleit, Four Roses Single Barrel, Redemption, Old Grand Dad, etc.). Canadian whisky can also be used in a pinch.

Sweet vermouth: Any of your standard sweet vermouth's will do. You can also use Punt e Mes, if you want more of a subtle bitter taste. 

Bitters: You have the microphone here. Use whatever you like, but be sure to include some sort of aromatic style (like Angostura or even Peychaud's). I use Woodford Reserved Spiced Cherry bitters often.

Dry and Golden

This drink may look like a brown, bitter and strong Whiskey drink, but it is actually gin based and dry. This cocktail is a nice summer sipper that would be a great aperitif before a meal to open up your appetite, and would pair nicely with cheese and crackers. 

Dry and Golden recipe:

• 1.5 oz Gin (use London Dry style, like Beefeater)

• .75 oz Lillet Blanc

• .25 oz Bitter Truth EXR

• Barspoon Benedictine

• 2 dashes orange bitters

• 1 dash salt tincture (1:1 salt to water)

• Garnish: lemon peel 

Add your ingredients to a mixing glass and add ice. Stir until properly diluted and cold. Pour into a chilled glass and add the garnish.

Substitutions:

Bitter Truth EXR: Ramazzotti Amaro can be used here. Other Amari can  be used as well, like Nardini, Averna or Lucano. I have only tried with Ramazzotti though, which is very common and affordable. 

Lillet Blanc: Cocchi Americano can be used. Dolin Blanc can also be used in a pinch, but won't be as floral or citrus forward as it would be using Lillet.

Pre-Que

Barbecue (or BBQ) is synonymous with beer. BBQ season tends to be during the hot months and beer is refreshing and will wash down your big, rich, savory meal. This cocktail was created for the pre-BBQ. You know, before the grill is even lit or when you are prepping the meal. The Pre-Que will open up your palette, stimulate your appetite and introduce the BBQ flavors to your taste buds before you even eat anything.

The Pre-Que cocktail recipe:

• 2 oz rye whiskey

•  .75 oz Dolin Blanc

• .5 oz Ramazzotti Amaro

• Barspoon Vanilla Giffard

• 1 dash Cocktail Punk Smoked Orange bitters

• 1 dash Crude Smoke and Salt bitters (salt tincture can used with whole peppercorns in the mixing glass)

• orange peel for garnish

Add your ingredients to a mixing glass. Add ice and stir until properly diluted and cold. Pour into a chilled cocktail glass and garnish with orange peel. 

Substitutions:

Ramazzotti: I highly recommend using Ramazzotti as it imparts nice root beer and caramel notes. Amaro Averna or Amaro Meletti can be substituted in a pinch. Amaro Sibilla would probably work perfectly here instead of the Ramazzotti with the smokey oak and honey flavors, but it's expensive and hard to find. If you have a bottle, go for it and report back.

Vanilla Giffard: Vanilla simple syrup can be used here or Tuaca, if necessary. 

Smokey bitters: Try using a smokey/peaty scotch, like Laphroaig, to rinse the glass prior to adding the cocktail. Be sure to discard the residue before adding cocktail.  I have never tried this, but another route could be to use liquid smoke, but only the tiniest of drops. Be sure to add a drop of aromatic bitters and orange bitters as well as a tiny pinch of salt, if you do either of these methods.