Cocktail Recipes

The Aperol Spritz is a symbol of Italian aperitivo culture and follows the IBA-approved 3-2-1 build: 3 parts Prosecco D.O.C., 2 parts Aperol, and 1 part soda water.

• 3 parts Prosecco D.O.C.
• 2 parts Aperol
• 1 part soda water
• Ice, enough to fill a large wine glass
• 1 orange slice

1. Fill a large wine glass generously with ice.
2. Pour in 3 parts Prosecco D.O.C.
3. Add 2 parts Aperol.
4. Top with 1 part soda water.
5. Garnish with an orange slice.

• Category: Modern cocktail.
• Recipe documented from Aperol's official IBA-approved 3-2-1 build.
• Around the house, the wife usually eyeballs the pours. This is the proper documented ratio for when civilization briefly matters.

Created by Las Vegas bartender Giuseppe González, the Trinidad Sour turns Angostura bitters from a seasoning into the base spirit. At around 45% alcohol, Angostura brings whiskey-level strength with huge botanical intensity, making this one of those cocktails that sounds like a dare and drinks like a real idea.

• 1 1/2 oz Angostura bitters
• 1/2 oz rye whiskey
• 3/4 oz freshly squeezed lemon juice
• 1 oz orgeat

1. Add Angostura bitters, rye whiskey, lemon juice, and orgeat to a shaker with ice.
2. Shake until well chilled.
3. Double-strain into a chilled Nick and Nora glass, or small cocktail glasses.
4. Garnish with a lemon twist.

• Category: Modern cocktail.
• Soo much better than one would think just looking at the ingredients.
• If the full Angostura is too badass, add an extra 1 oz rye whiskey to make it more drinkable while still keeping the idea intact.
• Angostura bitters are treated as the base alcohol here, not just a seasoning.

Likely invented around World War I, the Sidecar appeared in both Harry MacElhone’s Harry’s ABC of Mixing Cocktails and Robert Vermeire’s Cocktails and How to Mix Them in 1922. Early recipes used equal parts cognac, Cointreau, and lemon juice; the now-common version leans heavier on cognac for a sturdier, drier drink.

• 1 1/2 oz cognac
• 3/4 oz orange liqueur, such as Cointreau
• 3/4 oz freshly squeezed lemon juice
• Orange peel
• Sugar rim, optional

1. Optional: sugar the rim of a chilled coupe glass.
2. Add cognac, orange liqueur, and lemon juice to a shaker with ice.
3. Shake until well chilled.
4. Strain into the coupe.
5. Garnish with an orange peel.

• Category: Classic cocktail.
• Per Lundy: “Always shake citrus!”
• For the wife’s winter margarita version, swap lemon for lime.

• 1 1/2–2 oz London dry gin
• 1 oz St-Germain or elderflower liqueur
• 1 oz fresh pink or red grapefruit juice
• 2 dashes Peychaud’s bitters
• Optional: 1 egg white for foam
• Grapefruit twist or wedge

1. Add gin, elderflower liqueur, grapefruit juice, and egg white if using to a shaker.
2. If using egg white, dry shake hard for about 15 seconds without ice to build foam.
3. Add ice and shake again until thoroughly chilled.
4. Double strain into a chilled coupe or cocktail glass.
5. Dot the top with Peychaud’s bitters and garnish with a grapefruit twist or wedge.

• Gimlet: Same spirit-sweet-sour pattern in cleaner form: gin, lime, and simple syrup.

• Category: Modern cocktail.
• Notice the pattern: roughly 2 to 1 to 1 — spirit, sweet, and sour. Different bottles, same basic idea. This is basically hanging out in Gimlet country.
• Egg white is optional for foam and is not required by the shelf-matching filter.

The Gimlet is tied to the British Navy and the practical business of getting sailors to consume lime against scurvy. Older versions leaned on preserved lime cordial such as Rose’s; modern house versions usually taste brighter with fresh lime juice and simple syrup.

• 2 oz Plymouth gin; London dry gin is fine if that is what you have
• 3/4 oz fresh lime juice
• 3/4 oz simple syrup, or lime cordial for the older-school version
• Ice for shaking
• Lime wheel or twist

1. Add gin, lime juice, and simple syrup to a shaker with ice.
2. Shake well until the outside of the shaker is cold.
3. Strain into a chilled coupe or cocktail glass.
4. Garnish with a lime wheel or twist.

• Daiquiri: Same clean sour blueprint — spirit, lime, and sugar — with rum doing the driving instead of gin.
• Southside: Add fresh mint to the Gimlet neighborhood and suddenly everybody wants to call it a new drink.
• Classic Margarita: Same lime-sour logic, with tequila as the base and Cointreau standing in for simple syrup.
• Bohemian: A grapefruit-and-elderflower cousin using the same spirit/sweet/sour logic.

• Vodka Gimlet: substitute vodka for gin.
• French Gimlet: use elderflower liqueur, such as St-Germain, instead of simple syrup.

• Category: Classic cocktail.
• Old Man Ski uses Plymouth gin for Gimlets when he has it; London dry is the backup and still makes a damn good drink.
• Closest family resemblance: a Gimlet is basically the gin-side cousin of a Daiquiri — spirit, fresh lime, and sugar, shaken cold and served up.
• Margarita relation: the Classic Margarita is another lime-sour cousin; Cointreau does the sweetening work instead of simple syrup.
• Vodka Gimlet: use vodka instead of gin, if you must.
• French Gimlet: use elderflower liqueur, such as St-Germain, in place of some or all of the simple syrup.

The Southside has the kind of origin story cocktails love to fight about: Al Capone and Chicago’s South Side, Long Island’s Southside Sportsmen’s Club, and New York’s 21 Club all get dragged into the argument. Lemon or lime is also debated; this house version uses lime to stay closer to the Gimlet-Mojito neighborhood.

• 2 oz gin
• 1 oz simple syrup
• 1 oz freshly squeezed lime juice
• 4–5 fresh mint leaves
• Ice for shaking
• Small mint sprig

1. Add gin, simple syrup, lime juice, and mint leaves to a shaker with ice.
2. Shake until cold and the mint has given up the good stuff.
3. Fine-strain into a chilled coupe.
4. Garnish with a small mint sprig.

• Gimlet: Closest cousin: gin, lime, and sugar without the mint patch getting involved.

• Southside Fizz: top with soda water.
• Lemon Southside: use lemon juice instead of lime.

• Category: Classic cocktail.
• Lime is the house choice here, though lemon versions exist and people will argue about it because people will argue about anything.
• Southside Fizz: top with soda water for a Collins-style variation.
• Best made when the yard is producing mint like it has a gambling debt.

The Daiquiri is one of the great simple cocktail templates: rum, lime, and sugar, shaken hard and served cold. It sits right next to the Gimlet in the cocktail family tree — same lime-and-sugar sour structure, but with rum instead of gin.

• 2 oz light rum
• 3/4 oz fresh lime juice
• 3/4 oz simple syrup, or 1 tsp sugar
• Ice for shaking
• Lime wedge or wheel

1. If using sugar, combine lime juice and sugar in a shaker and stir until dissolved. If using simple syrup, just add it with the lime.
2. Add rum and fill the shaker with ice.
3. Shake hard for 10–15 seconds, until the outside of the shaker is frosty and the drink is properly chilled and aerated.
4. Strain into a chilled coupe or cocktail glass.
5. Garnish with a lime wedge or wheel.

• Gimlet: Same clean sour blueprint — spirit, lime, and sugar — with gin doing the driving instead of rum.
• Hemingway Daiquiri: Daiquiri riff with grapefruit and maraschino; drier, sharper, and bartender-rescued from Hemingway’s punishment pour.
• Classic Margarita: Same spirit-lime-sweetener sour structure; Cointreau handles the sweetener role instead of simple syrup.

• Dryer build: reduce simple syrup to 1/2 oz if the rum is soft or you like more bite.
• Sweeter beach-day build: bump simple syrup slightly, but stop before it turns into resort slush nonsense.

• Category: Classic cocktail.
• This is the real Daiquiri: rum, lime, sugar, ice, shake. Not a blender full of neon fruit bullshit.
• Fresh lime juice matters. Bottled lime makes this taste like a bad decision from a beach bar with laminated menus.
• The Daiquiri is the rum-side cousin of the Gimlet: spirit, lime, and sugar, kept clean and balanced.
• Margarita relation: same sour template, but the Margarita uses tequila and Cointreau where the Daiquiri uses rum and simple syrup.
• Related Daiquiri branch: the Hemingway Daiquiri starts from this same rum-lime idea, then runs it drier and sharper with grapefruit and maraschino.

Ernest Hemingway inspired the drink, but probably did not author the balanced cocktail we drink now. His La Floridita request for double booze and less sugar made a famously harsh Daiquiri variation; later bartenders brought it into shape with maraschino liqueur and grapefruit juice, turning the idea into a proper classic Daiquiri riff.

• 2 oz blended lightly aged rum, such as Planteray 3 Stars or Bacardi Superior
• 1/2 oz maraschino liqueur
• 3/4 oz freshly squeezed lime juice
• 1/2 oz freshly squeezed grapefruit juice

1. Add rum, maraschino liqueur, lime juice, and grapefruit juice to a shaker with ice.
2. Shake until well chilled.
3. Strain into a coupe or Nick and Nora glass.
4. Garnish with a lime wheel.

• Daiquiri: Source template: rum, lime, and sugar before Hemingway and bartenders complicated the damn thing.

• Category: Classic cocktail.
• Hemingway is the inspiration, not necessarily the author — which is probably for the best, because bartenders had to make the thing drinkable.

An Old Man Ski house drink built like a Painkiller rip-off but heavier, sweeter, and meaner. It skips Pusser’s because Old Man Ski is not rewarding rum-lawyer nonsense when Mount Gay Eclipse and Planteray OFTD are sitting right there.

• 4 oz pineapple juice
• 2 oz blended aged rum, usually Mount Gay Eclipse
• 1 oz black blended overproof rum, usually Planteray OFTD
• 1 oz tangerine juice, Cuties or Halos preferred
• 1 oz cream of coconut
• 1/2 oz orgeat

1. Add all ingredients to a shaker with ice.
2. Shake hard until cold and fully mixed.
3. Dirty pour into a tiki mug.

• The Painkiller: The classic tropical reference point; Island Codine is the more premium Old Man Ski riff.

• Category: Old Man Ski cocktail.
• Painkiller-inspired, but a bit more interesting and boozier.
• Planteray OFTD was formerly Plantation OFTD. Whatever.
• Old Man Ski does not use Pusser’s here because they are litigious dicks toward bars.

Based on the Mt. Vernon egg nog recipe attributed to George Washington, though the surviving version is likely from the 1800s. Old Man Ski’s version tracks later batch tweaks and the actual bottles used over time.

• 1 quart cream
• 1 quart whole milk
• 1/2 cup sugar
• 1/2 cup brown sugar, plus 2 tablespoons for the 2024 modification
• 12 medium eggs, or 10 large eggs, or 8 extra-large eggs, separated
• 2 cups brandy; if doubling, plan on two 750 ml bottles
• 1 cup rye whiskey
• 1 cup dark rum: 1/2 Pusser’s-style dark/navy rum and 1/2 Planteray/Plantation overproof rum
• 3/4 cup sherry, plus 1/4 cup for the 2024 modification
• A lot of freshly grated nutmeg
• A couple dashes vanilla
• Pinch of cinnamon, or a couple drops Elemakule Tiki Bitters; 2024 batch used both

1. Separate the eggs. In a big pot, beat the yolks until smooth and pale yellow.
2. Slowly add the sugar and brown sugar while beating.
3. Add the cream and milk while beating, then add the brandy, rye whiskey, rum, and sherry. Mix until smooth.
4. Add nutmeg, vanilla, cinnamon, and/or tiki bitters to taste.
5. In a mixer bowl, whisk the egg whites until stiff peaks form.
6. Fold the egg whites into the yolk, cream, and liquor mixture until there are no streaks.
7. Serve immediately or refrigerate and age 4–5 days or longer. Thanksgiving-to-Christmas aging is acceptable if kept cold.

• 2024 modifications: brown sugar increased by 2 tablespoons; sherry increased by 1/4 cup; cinnamon and Elemakule Tiki Bitters both used.
• 2024-12-08 batch note: accidentally used lactose-free 2% milk; adjusted with a little more sugar to taste; added more sherry than the previous year.

• Category: Old Man Ski cocktail.
• Yield note from the source recipe: “Not too much, double it.”
• Previously used rums: Havana Club, Pussers, and Plantation/Planteray Overproof.
• Previously used rye: Redemption.
• Previously used brandy: Pere Dom Napoleon.
• Previously used sherry: Hartley & Gibson Cream.
• Rum tracking: recipe needs dark/navy rum under Rum — Blended Aged and overproof dark rum under Rum — Black Blended Overproof. Havana Club is noted as a prior bottle but not required for the current spec.

Created in 1973 at the Aviary Bar in the Kuala Lumpur Hilton, the Jungle Bird became a modern classic by pairing tropical pineapple and lime with bitter Campari and dark, molasses-rich rum. Blackstrap rum gives this version its backbone without turning it into syrupy tiki sludge.

• 1/2 oz fresh lime juice
• 1/2 oz simple syrup, or raw sugar
• 3/4 oz Campari
• 1 1/2 oz unsweetened pineapple juice
• 1 1/2 oz black blended rum; Cruzan Black Strap recommended

1. Add all ingredients to a cocktail shaker with ice.
2. Shake until well chilled.
3. Strain into a clean glass over fresh ice.
4. Garnish with a lime twist.

• Category: Modern cocktail.
• Cruzan Black Strap is recommended when available.

Invented at the Soggy Dollar Bar in the British Virgin Islands, the Painkiller became one of the signature drinks of the 1970s tiki revival. Pusser’s Rum later became tightly associated with the recipe, but any good dark or navy-style rum can carry it.

• 2 oz Pusser's Rum or another dark/navy rum
• 4 oz pineapple juice
• 1 oz orange juice
• 1 oz cream of coconut, such as Coco Lopez
• Freshly grated nutmeg

1. Add rum, pineapple juice, orange juice, and cream of coconut to a cocktail shaker with ice.
2. Shake vigorously so the cream of coconut fully blends with the juices.
3. Strain into a large glass or hurricane glass filled with fresh ice.
4. Grate fresh nutmeg generously over the top.
5. Garnish with an orange slice or cherry if desired.

• Island Codine: Old Man Ski’s more premium, boozier Painkiller-adjacent version with tangerine, orgeat, aged rum, and overproof black rum.

• Category: Modern cocktail.
• Pusser's standard rum should be classified as Blended Aged rum; higher-proof Pusser's versions belong under Black Blended Overproof.

Created by a Drunk Ski and turned into a spicy blood red margarita with a split tequila-and-rum base. The name is not a tequila-law lecture; it is a cocktail name. The Aztecs did not rule the five specific municipalities designated by the Denominación de Origen for tequila, but their cultural influence, trade networks, and linguistic reach (Nahuatl gave the world the word tequila) made the name feel right. So fuck it.

• 1 oz lime juice
• 1 oz blanco tequila, such as Espolòn Blanco
• 1 oz blended lightly aged rum, such as Mount Gay Eclipse
• 1 oz Cointreau
• 1/2 oz Ski's cherry syrup
• 1/2 oz Angostura bitters

1. Add lime juice, blanco tequila, lightly aged rum, Cointreau, cherry syrup, and Angostura bitters to a shaker with ice.
2. Shake well until chilled.
3. Strain over fresh ice.
4. Blending may work, but Old Man Ski has not tested that version yet. Proceed like a scientist, not a coward.

• Classic Margarita: Base template for the Margarita branch before Old Man Ski starts adding cherry syrup, rum, and Angostura mayhem.

• Category: Old Man Ski cocktail.
• Margarita branch note: start from the Classic Margarita template, then this house riff adds rum, cherry syrup, and a heavy bitters backbone.
• Do not use rail tequila here. Espolòn Blanco works; a decent reposado could make it richer.
• Ski's cherry syrup is the syrup from cocktail cherries, with a little nutmeg and vanilla extract in the house version. Luxardo cherry syrup will be close but slightly different.
• For the ingredients filter, cherry syrup is tracked as Cherries: if there are cocktail cherries, there is cherry syrup.

The classic Margarita belongs in the same clean sour family as the Daiquiri and Gimlet: base spirit, fresh lime, and a sweetener. Here the Cointreau or quality triple sec takes the place of simple syrup, bringing orange and structure instead of plain sugar.

• 2 oz high-quality Blanco tequila
• 1 oz Cointreau, or quality triple sec
• 3/4 oz fresh lime juice, about 1 fresh lime
• Kosher salt or flaky sea salt, for the rim
• Lime wedge, for rim and garnish
• Ice for shaking and serving

1. Run a lime wedge around the rim of a rocks or margarita glass. Dip the rim into a shallow plate of coarse salt and set the glass aside.
2. Add Blanco tequila, Cointreau, and fresh lime juice to a cocktail shaker.
3. Fill the shaker with ice and shake hard for 10–15 seconds, until the outside of the tin is completely chilled and frosted.
4. Fill the prepared glass with fresh ice and strain the drink over the ice.
5. Garnish with a fresh lime wheel or wedge.

• Daiquiri: Same sour blueprint — spirit, lime, and sweetener — with rum and simple syrup instead of tequila and Cointreau.
• Gimlet: Same clean lime-sour family; Cointreau takes the sweetener role that simple syrup plays in a Gimlet.
• Aztec Sacrifice Margarita: Old Man Ski’s blood-red house margarita riff with tequila, rum, cherry syrup, and bitters.
• Avocado Margarita: Creamy house variation built from the classic tequila-lime-orange template, with avocado changing the texture and attitude.

• Softer build: add 1/4 oz agave syrup or simple syrup if you want it rounder.
• Triple sec build: use a quality triple sec if Cointreau is not on the shelf.

• Category: Classic cocktail.
• This little bastard is supposed to be tart. If it is too tart for your bitch-ass palate, add 1/4 oz agave syrup or simple syrup to round it out.
• For the love of God, never use bottled lime juice for a real Margarita. Fresh lime or go make something else.
• Cointreau or good triple sec is the sweetener here, doing the job simple syrup does in the Daiquiri and Gimlet while adding orange flavor.
• Margarita family note: this is the clean base template. Future house variations should link back here instead of cross-linking every margarita cousin to every other cousin like a conspiracy board.
• Avocado Margarita relation: same base Margarita frame, but avocado turns it creamy and ridiculous in the best way.

The Manhattan is one of the great classic whiskey cocktails, usually built on a two-to-one ratio of whiskey to sweet vermouth with aromatic bitters. Rye is the traditional choice for its dry spice, though bourbon has become a common and very drinkable variation with a rounder, sweeter profile.

• 2 oz bourbon whiskey; rye is traditional if you want the classic spicier version
• 1 oz sweet vermouth
• 2 dashes Angostura bitters
• Ice for stirring
• Brandied or maraschino cherry, or lemon twist

1. Chill a coupe, cocktail glass, or rocks glass.
2. Fill a mixing glass with ice.
3. Add bourbon, sweet vermouth, and Angostura bitters.
4. Stir for 20–30 seconds until cold and properly diluted.
5. Strain into the chilled glass, or build/stir in a rocks glass over a large cube if that is the mood.
6. Garnish with a cherry or lemon twist.
7. Optional but highly encouraged around here: hit the glass with cherry, apple, or peach smoke from the smoke gun before serving.

• Dry Manhattan: dry vermouth instead of sweet vermouth.
• Perfect Manhattan: equal parts sweet and dry vermouth.

• Category: Classic cocktail.
• House spec uses bourbon, but rye is the traditional Manhattan whiskey and gives a drier, spicier drink.
• This is the perfect time to break out the smoke gun: cherry, apple, or peach smoke all fit.
• Dry Manhattan: use dry vermouth instead of sweet vermouth.
• Perfect Manhattan: use equal parts sweet and dry vermouth. Annoyingly named, but useful.

The Old Fashioned grew out of the earliest 1800s definition of a cocktail: spirit, sugar, water, and bitters. As bartenders later piled on liqueurs, vermouth, absinthe, and other “improvements,” traditionalists asked for whiskey made the old-fashioned way. Louisville’s Pendennis Club and Colonel James E. Pepper helped popularize the drink, while the modern revival stripped away mid-century muddled fruit and soda to return it to its bones.

• 2 oz bourbon or rye whiskey
• 1 sugar cube, or 1/4 oz simple or demerara syrup
• 2–3 dashes Angostura aromatic bitters
• A few drops of water, if using a sugar cube
• Large-format ice cube
• Wide orange peel
• Cherries, optional

1. Add sugar cube to an Old Fashioned or rocks glass, saturate with bitters, and add a few drops of water; or use syrup instead.
2. Muddle until the sugar is nearly dissolved.
3. Add a large ice cube and pour in the whiskey.
4. Stir briskly for 20–30 seconds until chilled and properly diluted.
5. Express orange peel oils over the drink, rub the peel around the rim, and drop it in.
6. Add cherries if desired.

• Category: Classic cocktail.
• Use bourbon for a rounder, sweeter drink or rye for a spicier, drier one.
• I treated the syrup amount as 1/4 oz, not 2.5 oz, because 2.5 oz would turn this into whiskey pancake runoff.
• Simple syrup or demerara syrup also work in place of a sugar cube.