Created in Italy out of a tradition of bitter aperitifs meant for sipping before dinner, The Negroni cocktail typically uses gin as the base spirit. Here we swap in boubon to significant effect.
American Negroni
SpiritWhiskey
Cocktail familyMartini
FlavorsBoozy
Makes
Ingredients
1 1/4ozBourbon
1ozCocchi di Torino or Carpano Antica
3/4ozAperol
3/4ozCampari
1dash Angostura Bitters
Method
Add all ingredients to mixing glass.
Fill glass with ice.
Stir for 30-40 seconds until well-diluted.
Serve over a big rock in an old- fashioned glass, garnished with a lemon twist and cherry.
This is a play on the 150+ year old Sazerac, and while first made with brandy, rye stepped in after a late 1800s phylloxera disease killed a French grape crop. This variant splits the base, and uses crème de banane for a surprising twist.
Bananarac
SpiritBrandy · Liqueur · Whiskey
Cocktail familyOld-Fashioned
FlavorsBoozy · Fruity · Herbal
Makes
Ingredients
1ozPierre Ferrand 1840 Cognac
1ozRittenhouse 100-Proof Rye
1/2ozTempus Fugit Creme de Banane
3/4tspDemerara Syrup
1dash Peychauds or Angostura Bitters
Rinse of St. George Spirits Absinthe Verte
Method
Prepare chilled double old-fashioned glass by rinsing with a touch of absinthe or a spray from an atomizer.
Add ingredients to mixing glass, add ice and stir for 30-40 seconds.
Strain into an old-fashioned glass, up or over a 2” ice cube, express twist and discard.
The Last Word is far from the final statement on 4-ingredient cocktails, but it could be one of my favorites. Originally the Prohibition-era signature drink of the Detroit Athletic Club, the recipe was published in the 1950s but didn’t become part of the cocktail revolution until just this side of the turn of the century. It was almost lost to obscurity until it was rescued in the mid-aughts by a Seattle bartender. It’s amazing how differently these variations taste, with huge swings in flavor profile but barely different ingredients. The possibilities here are endless, and serve as the ideal template for further experimentation. One variant, The Paper Plane made up of equal parts bourbon, Amaro Nonino Quintessentia, and lemon, is one of my absolute favorites.
Final Ward
SpiritWhiskey
Cocktail familyEqual-Parts · Sour
FlavorsFresh · Herbal
Makes
Ingredients
3/4ozRye
3/4ozGreen Chartreuse
3/4ozMaraschino Liqueur
3/4ozFresh Squeezed Lemon Juice
Method
Combine all ingredients, then fill your shaker with ice and shake until chilled and diluted, about 15 seconds.
Named for the county where I live, I created this peach Manhattan variant to celebrate Atlanta’s historic impact on the 2020 election. To go all-out Georgia, use Atlanta-based distilleries’ ‘American Spirit Works(ASW)’ Resurgens Rye and Blended Family’s peach liqueur.
Fulton County
Joey TrotzAtlanta GA2020s
SpiritWhiskey
Cocktail familyMartini
FlavorsBoozy · Fresh
Makes
Ingredients
2ozRye Whiskey
1/4ozPeach Syrup
1/4ozPeach Liqueur
3/4ozDolin Dry White Vermouth
1dash Fee Bros. Peach Bitters
1dash Fee Bros. Barrel-Aged Aromatic Bitters
Method
Add all ingredients except for garnish to a mixing glass.
Fill with ice and stir for 30-40 seconds until well-chilled and diluted.
