Whiskey Sour

Adding to my confusion, it’s the Whiskey Sour:

• 2.00 ounces bourbon or rye whiskey
• 1.00 ounce fresh lemon juice
• 0.75 ounce simple syrup
• Soda water

Combine all except soda water in an iced cocktail shaker. Shake and strain into a 6-ounce sour glass. Top with soda water. Garnish with a cherry and a lemon twist.

When I cross referenced this with the Death & Co., they had a different recipe:

The Rob Roy

In honor of Mike Doughty, here’s The Rob Roy:

• 2.5 ounces Scotch
• 1.0 ounce sweet vermouth (or more for a sweeter drink)
• 2 dashes Angostura bitters

Combine in an iced cocktail glass. Stir and strain into a cocktail glass or onto fresh rocks in a rocks glass. Either way, garnish with a cherry.

The reason I made this in honor of Mike Doughty is due to a lyric in his song “Lorna Zauberberg”, one of my favorites:
_
Vicious mobs of candy-ravers stalk the night
And methadonians sleep right where they stand
A weeping tranny is cradling a steak knife
And you’re happily slugging Rob Roys with your man
_
Poetry.

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?

Cuba Libré

In honor of Obama’s visit, here’s the Cuba Libré:

• 2 ounces rum (Cuban preferred)
• Juice of 1/2 lime
• Coca-Cola

In an iced highball glass, combine the rum and lime juice. Fill with Coca-Cola. Garnish with a lime wedge.

No, this isn’t “Rum and Coke”. Rum and Coke was one of the first cocktails I ever had as rum was cheap and easy to find, and Coke was everywhere. But as Dr. Cocktail points out in his book, the lime juice changes everything, and he’s right.

Saint Croix Rum Fix

The fix is in. Well, the Saint Croix Rum Fix:

• 2.0 ounce Virgin Islands Rum (Cruzan Estate Dark Rum recommended)
• 0.5 ounce pineapple syrup
• Juice of 1/2 lemon
• 2 teaspoons sugar or simple syrup

In a tumbler or large wineglass, combine the ingredients. Stir until dissolved. Pack crushed ice into the glass and garnish with seasonal fruit. Serve with a straw.

I am still searching for someone to definitively help me with some classic cocktail terms. For example, I have no idea about what really defines a Fizz, or a Sling, nor a Rickey or a Collins, or a Julep or a Swizzle.

Seventh Heaven

In ancient beliefs, the best place to end up is the Seventh Heaven:

• 1.75 ounces gin
• 0.50 ounce maraschino liqueur
• 0.25 ounce grapefruit juice

Shake in an iced cocktail shaker, and strain into a cocktail glass. Garnish with a sprig of mint.

Short and sweet, this is a nice little cocktail. It is similar to several others, such as the La Floridita Daiquiri (switch the gin for rum) and the Aviation (switch the grapefruit for lemon).

Royal Bermuda Yacht Club Cocktail

A rum drink with a long name, it’s the Royal Bermuda Yacht Club Cocktail:

• 2.00 ounces Barbados Rum
• 0.75 ounce lime juice
• 2 dashes Cointreau
• 2 teaspoons Falernum

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

Just like gin and lemon are meant for each other, a similar thing can be said for rum and lime.

The big addition to the Royal Bermuda is Falernum. Falernum is a sweet syrup that has a slightly spicy flavor, but nothing like the Allspice Dram in drinks like the Lion’s Tail. It’s named after a British club established in 1844.