Tom Collins

In search of refreshment? Have a Tom Collins:

• 2 ounces gin
• 1 ounce fresh lemon juice
• 1 ounce simple syrup
• Soda water

Combine all except soda water in an iced cocktail shaker. Shake and strain into a highball or collins glass with 2 or 3 lumps of ice. Top with soda water. Garnish with a cherry and an orange wheel.

I am on vacation this week, but since I’m addicted to work this means that I’m taking a week off to work on the farm. After spending about seven hours on a tractor, I was in search of refreshment, and nothing quite hits the spot like a Tom Collins.

White Lady

Gin and lemon meet again in the White Lady:

• 1.50 ounces gin
• 0.75 ounce Cointreau
• 0.75 ounce fresh lemon juice

Combine in an iced cocktail shaker. Shake, and strain into a cocktail glass.

I was first introduced to the White Lady through my friend Justin. When he was the cocktail chef at the Oakleaf, he would host “Throwback Thursdays” which would feature vintage cocktails. Each menu would have a theme, and I loved this one:

The Gimlet

A confusing drink is The Gimlet:

• 2.5 ounces gin or vodka
• 0.5 ounce Rose’s Lime Juice Cordial
• 0.5 ounce fresh lime juice

Combine in an iced cocktail shaker. Shake and strain into a cocktail glass.

I say confusing, because in the Appendix to Dr. Cocktail’s book he says the Gimlet should consist of gin and Rose’s Lime Juice Cordial, but because it was too sweet, he combined the recipe with that of the Gin Rickey. But what part was Gimlet and what part was Rickey?

The Singapore Sling

Another favorite of mine, The Singapore Sling:

• 2.00 ounces gin
• 0.75 ounce Cherry Heering (or other cherry-flavored brandy)
• 2 teaspoons Benedictine
• 2 teaspoons Cointreau
• 2.00 ounces pineapple juice
• 0.75 ounce fresh lime juice
• 2 dashes real pomegranate grenadine
• 1 dash Angostura Bitters
• Soda water

Combine all except soda water in an iced cocktail shaker. Shake, and strain into a highball or collins glass with a couple of lumps of ice. Top with soda water. Gernish with a cherry, a pineapple slicem, and an orange wheel.

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Last Word

One of my favorites, it’s the Last Word:

• 0.75 ounce Beefeater London Dry Gin
• 0.75 ounce Green Chartreuse
• 0.75 ounce Luxardo Maraschino Liqueur
• 0.75 ounce lime juice

Shake all ingredients with ice, then strain into a coupe. No garnish.

This is one of my go-to cocktails, and I’m surprised it wasn’t included in Dr. Cocktail’s book. It is vintage, having been invented in Detroit in the 1920s, and it was forgotten for many years.

The Martini

Presenting the venerable Martini:

• 1.5 ounces dry London gin
• 1.5 ounces French dry vermouth
• 1 dash orange bitters
• 1 lemon twist

Stir the gin and vermouth vigorously and long in a tall glass filled with ice (or an actual martini pitcher). Add the orange bitters. Strain into a “martini” cocktail glass. Garnish with an olive.

Okay, it is easy to argue that there isn’t a cocktail more classic than the Martini, and it is also easy to argue about how to make a Martini. The recipe above comes from a bar in Barcelona, Spain, called Dry Martini. It was one of the best Martinis I’ve ever had, so I decided to recreate it at home.

Pink Gin

“What is a cocktail?” A question raised by Pink Gin:

• 3 ounces Plymouth Gin
• 6 goodly dashes Angostura bitters

Shake in an iced cocktail shaker. Strain into a stemmed cocktail glass, sans garnish.

According to Wikipedia, the first use of the word “cocktail” to refer to a beverage was in 1806:

“Cock-tail is a stimulating liquor, composed of spirits of any kind, sugar, water, and bitters”

So, what happens when you forget the sugar and water? What makes a cocktail a cocktail and not just swilling booze from a bottle? Can I put a small cube of ice in a glass of Powers and call it a cocktail? There is an entire class of two ingredient cocktails called the “highball” but the second ingredient is usually a fizzy soda product that is more than just water. I was not looking forward to making this drink.