The cocktail was introduced to the public in 1974, devised by the importer of Amaretto di Saronno as a simple mix of two parts amaretto liqueur to one part lemon juice. It became a popular cocktail in the 1980s; most bartenders at the time substituted commercial sour mix for the lemon juice. The drink was popular as a one-dimensional easy-drinking cocktail, flavored mostly by the base spirit used.
Each of the Triple Crown races has its own official drink. The iconic mint julep always accompanies the Kentucky Derby, the Belmont Stakes has the Belmont jewel, and the Preakness Stakes' official drink is the black-eyed Susan. Named after the Maryland state flower and first created in 1973, it's a refreshing cocktail that anyone can make at home.
It was created by San Francisco bartender Erik Adkins who helms the bar at Hard Water, his most recent of many stints in the bay city. The Bourbon Lift is a playful, nostalgic drink that's hard to put down, and not because it might float away on a fluffy cloud
The Brown Derby cocktail, a classic bourbon, grapefruit, and honey drink, was named for the famous Los Angeles diner. It manages at once to be sweet, sour, and entirely delicious.
Eggnog is a creamy, festive cocktail that's perfect for the holiday season. It's made with a base of eggs, sugar, milk, and cream, and is typically flavored with spices like nutmeg, cinnamon, and cloves. Alcohol, such as brandy, rum, or bourbon, is often added to give it a kick.
The Gin Rickey is one of the few classic cocktails that doesn’t have an origin muddled by history or shrouded in rumors and innuendo. The invention of this refreshing highball is refreshingly clear: It was named after Joe Rickey, a Democratic lobbyist living in Washington, D.C., during the late 19th century.
Created at famed New York City bar Milk & Honey in the early 2000s, this drink's combination of bourbon, lemon and honey became worldwide modern classic.
This drink gets lumped in with classic tiki cocktails because it's a tropical recipe from around the same era. There are a few key differences, though.The Halekulani calls for whiskey instead of rum, it's served up rather than over crushed ice, and it was created on an actual Polynesian island. But it is still dangerously easy to drink and will have you wishing you were on a tropical beach somewhere.
The Haunted House cocktail is a spooky and delicious drink that's perfect for Halloween or any other spooky occasion. It's made with bourbon, apple cider, lemon juice, and a variety of spices, including cinnamon, nutmeg, and cloves. The drink is garnished with a cinnamon stick and a lemon wheel, making it both festive and festive.
The Kentucky Colonel is a classic cocktail that pays homage to the state's famous bourbon whiskey. It's a simple yet elegant drink that combines bourbon, Benedictine, and Angostura Aromatic Bitters. The Benedictine adds a touch of sweetness and herbal notes, while the bitters balance the flavors.
In his 1948 The Fine Art of Mixing Drinks, David Embury's says "At some bars a drink served under the name of "Millionaire" which consists of lime juice, slow gin, and Apricot Liqueur, with a few dashes of Jamaica rum. Since the sloe gin, which is a liqueur, predominates in this drink, I do not regard it as a true cocktail." Embury is more complimentary of what he calls a "Millionaire Royal", proclaiming it to be "a very satisfactory drink."
The Old Fashioned is arguably the most well-known whiskey cocktail in the world. Essentially just a slug of bourbon that’s been lightly sweetened with sugar and modified with a couple dashes of bitters, it’s dead simple to make, but within this basic template is a world of opinions and flavor.
The Port Light is a unique tiki cocktail that deviates from the traditional rum base by using bourbon instead. It was created by Sandro Conti for the Kahiki restaurant in Columbus, Ohio, in the early 1960s.
This punch was served at Latitude, a restaurant that has long since closed. It was my favorite drink they served. I was lucky enough to have found the recipe online.
The Suffering Bastard cocktail uses both bourbon and gin. Born in Cairo at the Shepheard's Hotel, it was originally concocted as a hangover cure for troops fighting in North Africa.
A fruity Sweet Manhattan that's perfect when you fancy some late-night spirited fruitiness. Eponymously named after the Rolling Stone's song, this is a riff on the classic Eastern Sin.
A "Whiskey Daisy No. 3" is a variation of the classic "Daisy" cocktail, which is believed to have originated in the late 1800s, with the earliest known version being a "Brandy Daisy" mentioned in Jerry Thomas's bartending guide; the "Whiskey Daisy" is simply a variation where whiskey is used as the base spirit instead of brandy, and "No. 3" likely refers to a specific recipe variation with slightly different proportions of ingredients within the Daisy family.
The classic Whiskey Sour is the most famous representation of one of the worlds most popular types of cocktail. Easy to commit to memory, its simple go-to sour to add to your arsenal, and a cornerstone of drink-making that everyone should know.
