Cocktails, the libationary art!

1.5 oz Esme gin

.5 oz Campari

.5oz Tangelo juice

.5oz lemon juice

Shaken, poured over ice.

I wanted something bitter, but not insanely boozy. This is it. Like the grapefruit of old, that you had to put sugar on make palatable. I like it.

A Whiskey Ditch is just whiskey and water. Montana legend says people used to use slushy snow from the edge of a ditch. I don't know how sanitary that is, but I like using fresh snow.

It's pretty neat how insanely fast the snow melts when you add the whiskey (bourbon for me tonight). Like cotton candy in water.

Should be no sediment in the drink - if there is then your snow isn't clean enough. And never use lemon snow!

I'm very excited for summer, but every season has something nice that the others don't. Though I suppose I could use a shaved ice machine or something...

The best review I read of this was "a mezcal sour with enough character to make it shine"

1 oz mezcal joven

3/4 oz Cynar

3/4 oz lemon juice

1/2 oz honey syrup 1:2

1/4 oz (I used a little more) Ancho Reyes Rojo

Shake all together with ice, serve with orange slices sprinkled with chile salt, I used Tajin, don't do that, they were so sour!

I sometimes struggle trying to find a good drink recipe and filter out the "that's not a real xyz, my buddy adds ___ to his" posts online. It seems like everyone has their own take on every named cocktail that it's hard finding what the real one is and what's just somebody (or something AI's) take on it. It's hard to trust that what you see is an authentic recipe or not.

While looking for something like an industry bartenders recipe book today, I found something even better: a free list on the International Bartender's Association's website.

(Humble brag of all my Rubik's cubes)

Hey all, so I'm an ex-mormon who made it through college without a sip of alcohol. I've been trying to play catch-up but my wife and I are scared of bars and all my friends' recommendations have been <some_juice> with vodka.

I've been trying to learn how to drink for a couple years now. I've built up a medium collection of bottles (some of which I have no idea what to do with...). I feel like I've gone through most of the classic cocktails, but recently went back through my starting drinks because I think my pallet has opened up as I've gone along. Among the first cocktails I made myself were an old fashioned and a Manhattan and I know I didn't like either, but I'm having a Manhattan right now and really enjoying it (planning on trying an old fashioned again sometime soon).

Anyway, I've frequently wished for an expert to chat with who could give me recommendations. So drop yours below!

Some of the drinks I love:

• Negroni - so far, if there were only one drink I could have the rest of my life, this would be it.
• Sazerac - A close second. I think I'd love some whiskey cocktail recommendations if you have them!
• Jungle Bird - couldn't tell you why I love it
• French 75 - one of my favorites to show new drinkers, but a bit high-proof
• Hot Toddy - not my go-to, but winters are cold where I live and this drink is super fun

Honorable mentions:

• Whiskey sour - I usually make one alongside a prairie oyster, even though I hate those, so that I can use the whole egg
• Mai Tai - a bit sweet to be on my list of favorites
• I really like tequila but I haven't tried many cocktails with it

I think anything less sweet, maybe bitter is gonna jive really well with me

Edit:

Very excited about the recommendations! It'll update the list below over the weeks with what I like

Recommendation High-Scores:

1. Tommy's Margarita - yeah, wow this drink was made for me. Did it with half Mezcal, which I'd never tried until today, and it's awesome. And my wife loves smokey drinks so it's way up high on her list as well.
2. Paper Plane - Super great, wife loves bourbon so she was a fan. I think I added too much lemon juice because it was a bit sour. Excited to try again.
3. Gimlet - a bit basic but it's a starting point I'm excited to riff off of. I used lime juice but How-to-drink has a video where he makes his own lime-cordial and I kinda want to try it. I guess it's bitter and fruity and that sounds like something I'd love. I've seen a bunch of modified recipes too so I'll be looking around for ones that speak to me.
4. Black Manhattan - It's just nice. A slow sipper. Intense and boozy, bitter, long evolution - and I'm sure fun to switch out the whiskey in. I used a rye and I immediately want to try my bourbon, but I have a lot of suggestions to try so it'll have to wait...
5. Teresa - super similar to the Negroni - so I really like it. Maybe it's so similar though that I don't know that I need it... Definitely will be drinking them 'til I run out of Creme de Casis though.
6. Old Fashioned - liked it more than the first time I had one, I think I'd prefer it more diluted. Towards the end once more ice had melted I was really enjoying it. I think next time I'll stir it in ice and then add it to my bitters-saturated sugar (might use simple next time, or maple/agave as some have recommended).
7. Monkey Gland - Really cool. Like dressed up orange juice in a way. The Absinthe doesn't over-power and instead shines (or lengthens?). Unfortunately, I hate the name and hate the history of the drink (it is interesting though, so look it up!) so I doubt I'll be making again. I know the name shouldn't matter, but since it already isn't a favorite I don't think I'll be adding it to my home-bar menu.

I'm aware of a few different ways to make perfectly clear ice, but each has its own tradeoffs.

I'm also aware of a whole bunch of different ways people claim to be able to make clear ice, but I've been unable to replicate.

What are you doing? Does it require special equipment? Do you recommend it?

2 oz cask strength rye (Redwood Empire Emerald Giant, so good)

Juice of one lemon

Demitasse spoonful of sugar

10 leaves homegrown mojito mint

3-4 oz topo chico

Muddle mint with sugar, squeeze in lemon, muddle more. Add whiskey, shake with ice, add the sparkling mineral water, strain through mesh over fresh crushed ice, garnish with mint sprig.

This is delicious. Not much sugar at all, mostly lemon so the water does help, the mint comes through, and the whiskey does too - it's a tart fizzy mint whiskey lemonade.

About a year ago, @[email protected] posted a link to some cocktails with Asian flavors. I had some friends over for mapo tofu tonight and tried this smoky, fruity one. It was really nice! I couldn’t find dragon fruit juice, just a purée, so it was a little close to a smoothie… but still tasty. And goofy photogenic.

• 1 oz mezcal
• ½ oz Baiju
• 1 oz John. D. Taylor's Velvet Falernum liqueur
• ½ oz coconut milk
• 2 oz dragon fruit juice
• toasted coconut

Shake with ice. Garnish with the toasted coconut.

2 oz blended Scotch

1 oz Amaretto Adriatico (yes it has to be this one, see note)

3 oz fresh Valencia orange juice

Fresh lemon to adjust (not sure how much, it needed a little brightness)

2 oz club soda

I built this in a measuring cup then poured it over crushed ice.

Note: it took a moment for my palate to adjust to this Frankenstein's Monster mashup but it's very good, not just interesting. That Amaretto Adriatico is not very sweet and has a salty note - any other amaretto will be too sweet with the orange juice, you might be able to make it work but too much lemon would change this.

We visited San Antonio Texas and my friend had said she got the best margarita of her life. While we enjoyed seeing the city, I think I need to make her a margarita because they were trash.

2 oz Tequila Ocho Blanco

1 oz fresh lime

1 oz orange liqueur

1/2 ounce Ancho Reyes (el rojo)

Shake shake with ice, pour over fresh ice of any variety.

Related - if anyone on here lives near there, where are these great margaritas or was she just drunk.

I am having a margarita, wish it was to wrap up the week, but alas I must work tomorrow.

Trying to get an appetite not buzzed. This was just thrown together, a highball.

1 oz Cynar

1 Tbsp Esme gin

1/2 oz lime

Bunch of club soda. A little bitter and quite good.

I really liked this article - one of the things I do struggle with is cocktails to accompany food; everyone in my circle likes cocktails more than wine, but wine is The Food Drink. My personal#1 favorite drink for food is plain or iced water, so I tend to do an aperitif, food with water, then digestif and/or sweet cocktail and make a wine available for the food too, that works but a cocktail for dinner would be well received.

Anyway - I found this explanation of how they think through matching the drinks with the food very interesting.

Lots of recipes here. The top image is so pretty too. I use their site enough that I subscribed to the print magazine, but didn't make any of these this year for me.

I have been on this journey as an amateur for like 2 years now and when I go to a cocktail bar I like to look at the wall, and order off menu.

I'd like to ask about how this comes across:

Let's say I order something with like 4 ingredients, and they gather them all and make my drink. Then, when I go back, they ask if I want another and I order something completely different, and I keep ordering different, (sometimes lesser known) drinks throughout the night.

Do bartenders find that annoying? Am I being a pain in the ass?

I have been given free drinks a couple times for introducing the bartender to something new, so maybe not?

Phone camera absolutely refused to focus on this drink, but it's pretty good tasting. I'm out of orange liqueur, had a little vodka and half a lemon wanted something lighter for Sunday.

2 oz Deep Eddy vodka unflavored

1 oz Chinola

1/2 oz lemon

1 1/2 oz cranberry juice cocktail

Shaken & double strained.

It's more passion fruit than cranberry but that's not a bad thing. Would make a great backbone for a summer punch or pitcher drink, it's sweet and ever so fruity but has some complexity. I feel like the Cosmo is so good for playing with; changing the citrus or liqueur changes it but as long as you keep it fruity it works.

2 oz bourbon

1 oz Aperol

1 oz Amaro Nonino

1oz lemon juice

1/4 oz Campari

2 oz Crodino soda

Shake first 5 ingredients together, add the soda and pour back and forth between the shaker cups. Strain over fresh ice. I did one big cube but crushed would be good too.

Paper Plane is always just a little too sweet for me. This is a bitter version, still sweet but it's quite good! I didn't like the Crodino soda by itself but it is a nice ingredient.

1.5oz tequila

0.5oz Chartreuse

0.5oz St Germain

0.5oz mezcal (the good one)

0.5oz lime

Shake all together

Oddly tart for so little lime, if doing again I might do a sugar rim. But cohesive flavor for sure, it's good.

Feu Follet :

45 ml lightly aged agricole rum

15 ml green chartreuse

15 ml Falernum

15 ml St Germain

15 ml orgeat 

30 ml lime

20 ml Pineapple

150 ml Crushed ice (more dilution is wanted)

Angostura bitters 1-2 dash on top

A tick bush of slapped (for aroma) thai basil 

French name because of many French ingredients, but keeping with tiki traditions of mysterious and dangerous vibe.

I created this recipe after reading through the excellent tiki cocktail book Smuggler’s Cove. It’s unnecessarily complicated just because…

If you are reading this, you survived Valentine's Day!

I am having a Paloma De Jarritos y Tequila Ocho, with the juice of half a lime, since the soda is so very sweet.

Yes there is still a skeleton on the porch, he is a pirate now, for our local holiday, Gasparilla.