Drinking to the classics
So can you concoct classic cocktails on your own? Absolutely, but as with any good bar, the quality of your ingredients is crucial. Here are five simple, delicious recipes for fashionable beverages that are a snap to prepare and will never go out of style (or out of season).
The bee's knees
2 ounces of gin
3/4 ounce of honey (or honey syrup)
1/2 ounce of fresh lemon juice
Shake with ice, strain into a chilled cocktail glass, and serve.
The Moscow mule
1/2 ounce of fresh lime juice
2 ounces of vodka
4 to 6 ounces of ginger beer
Squeeze the lime juice into a Collins glass, add 2 to 3 ice cubes, the vodka and the ginger beer. Stir and serve.
The sidecar
3/4 ounce of Cointreau
3/4 ounce of fresh lemon juice
11/2 ounces of cognac
Shake well with cracked ice, then strain into a chilled cocktail glass (with its rim rubbed with lemon juice and dipped in sugar).
The Sazerac
1 sugar cube
3 dashes of Peychaud's Bitters
11/2 ounces of rye whiskey
1/4 ounce of Herbsaint (anise-flavored liqueur)
Lemon peel
Fill an old-fashioned glass with ice. In a second old-fashioned glass, place the sugar cube, add the bitters, and then crush the sugar cube. Add the rye whiskey to the glass containing the sugar and bitters. Empty the ice from the first glass and add the Herbsaint, swirling to coat the glass and discarding any excess Herbsaint. Pour the whiskey/bitters/sugar mixture into the liqueur-coated glass and garnish with lemon peel.
The Manhattan
3/4 ounce of sweet vermouth
21/2 ounces of bourbon whiskey
Dash of Angostura bitters
1 maraschino cherry
Twist of orange peel
Combine the vermouth, bourbon whiskey and bitters with 2 to 3 ice cubes in a mixing glass. Stir gently. Place the cherry in a chilled cocktail glass and strain the whiskey mixture over the cherry. Rub the cut edge of the orange peel over the rim of the glass and twist it over the drink to release the oils but don't drop it in.
Sources: Drinksmixer.com; Esquire.com; sazerac.com
