Black Pearl (Niku Version)

2 oz Rye, High West Double Rye
1 oz Virgin Islands Rum, Cruzan Blackstrap
1 oz Pedro Ximénez Sherry
2 ds Blackstrap Bitters
2 bsp Simple syrup (Okinawan Sugar is preferred, demarara or brown sugar simple syrup is fine.)
1 twst Lime peel (as garnish)
Instructions

Mix contents in glass with ice, stir, pour over single rock cube garnish with a twist of lime peel.

Notes

Sophisticated rum & coke flavors with a nod towards Dr. Pepper.

History

Created by former head bartender at Lani Kai. His name is Joseph Swifka. Refined version here - House drink at Niku Steakhouse in San Francisco.

YieldsDrink
Year
2023
Authenticity
Altered recipe
Creator
Former head bartender at Lani Kai. His name is Joseph Swifka. Refined @ Niku Steakhouse
Curator rating
Not yet rated
Average rating
4.5 stars
(4 ratings)
Similar cocktails
  • Tony Chestnut — Rye, Sherry, Nocino, Amaro, Rich simple syrup 2:1, Orange peel, Candied chestnut
  • Night Ritual — Rye, Palo Cortado Sherry, Ginger liqueur, Bénédictine, Bitters, Islay Scotch, Orange peel
  • Country Life — Bourbon, Jamaican rum, Port, Orange bitters, Orange peel
  • Screened-in Peach — Bourbon, Demerara Rum, Manzanilla sherry, Peach liqueur, Amaro, Bitters, Demerara syrup, Salt Solution
  • Frost on the Blossoms — Bourbon, Dry vermouth, Cherry Liqueur, Bitters, Maple syrup

Expat (Little Branch NYC)

2 oz Bourbon
1 oz Lime juice
1 oz Simple syrup
5 lf Mint (one as garnish)
Instructions

Shake bourbon, lime, simple, and four leaves mint with ice. Fine strain into a coupe. Garnish with additional leaf.

Notes

Personally had this at Little Branch

YieldsDrink
Year
2009
Authenticity
Authentic recipe
Creator
Lauren Schell, Little Branch, NYC
Source reference

https://www.eater.com/drinks/2015/5/26/8628313/nine-awesome-cocktails-t…

Curator rating
Not yet rated
Average rating
Not yet rated
Similar cocktails
  • Kentucky Maid — Bourbon, Lime juice, Simple syrup, Cucumber, Mint
  • Ex-Pat — Bourbon, Bitters, Lime juice, Simple syrup, Mint
  • China Clipper — Gold rum, Lemon juice, Simple syrup, Lemon peel
  • Double Fill-Up — Rye, Lemon juice, Simple syrup, Pomegranate molasses, Mint
  • The Crippled Creek — Bourbon, Lemon juice, Pomegranate molasses, Cane syrup, Dijon Mustard, Cucumber

Curated to remove copyrighted information and photo (all available at link).

Lust For Life (The Breslin NYC)

2 oz Gin, Plymouth Navy Strength
1 oz Lemon juice
1 oz Lavender syrup
5 lf Mint
1 oz Club soda
1 spg Mint (as garnish)
Instructions

In a cocktail shaker, combine the mint leaves and lemon juice, and gently muddle. Add the remaining ingredients except the soda, along with ice. Shake vigorously, and strain into a highball glass over fresh ice. Top with club soda, and garnish with a sprig of mint.

Notes

Personally had this when the Breslin first opened

YieldsDrink
Year
2010
Authenticity
Authentic recipe
Creator
Aisha Sharpe, The Breslin, NYC
Source reference

https://www.villagevoice.com/aisha-sharpe-on-the-breslins-gin-heavy-coc…

Curator rating
Not yet rated
Average rating
Not yet rated
Similar cocktails
  • Eagle's Dream (Robert Hess) — Gin, Crème de Violette, Egg white, Lemon juice, Sugar
  • Jacqueline — Gin, Crème Yvette, Egg white, Lemon juice, Syrup of roses, Cucumber
  • Fougere Rose — Gin, Bergamot liqueur, Suze, Lime juice, Grapefruit juice, Orange flower water
  • Sweet Moonlight — Old Tom Gin, Crème de Violette, Cassis, Crème de Cacao, Lemon juice, Egg white
  • Lady in Blue — Gin, Crème de Violette, Blue Curaçao, Lemon juice, Simple syrup, Orange flower water

Tropical Depression

1 1⁄2 oz Light rum (White rum, not Jamaican or Agricole)
1⁄2 oz Jamaican rum, Wray & Nephew Overproof (See note)
1⁄2 oz Lime juice
1⁄2 oz Simple syrup (1:1)
1⁄4 oz Crème de Banane
1⁄4 oz Fernet Branca
Instructions

Shake with ice and strain into a cocktail coupe.

Notes

Originally made with 2 oz Wray & Nephew which was a bit overwhelming. Splitting it with 3 parts of a solid Daiquiri rum to 1 part Wray & Nephew was my fix. Other funky white overproof Jamaican rums will probably work well too.

History

I was inspired by the banana-Fernet combination from the Lost Horizon and the Banana Toronto (on my blog). The direction that I took it was a Daiquiri with a funky Jamaican white rum in the mix. For a name, I dubbed this one the Tropical Depression as a tribute drink to my co-worker at Drink at the time who was just airlifted off their Caribbean cruise ship after testing positive with Covid (the depression part was that they were locked in a cabin for a day or two before the helicopter became available) in December 2021 during the first Omicron wave.

YieldsDrink
Year
2021
Authenticity
Your original creation
Creator
Frederic Yarm, Boston, MA
Source reference

https://cocktailvirgin.blogspot.com/2021/12/tropical-depression.html

Curator rating
Not yet rated
Average rating
Not yet rated
Similar cocktails
  • Harpo's Special — Light rum, Curaçao, Bitters, Lime juice, Simple syrup, Lime
  • Santiago — Cuban rum, Maraschino Liqueur, Bitters, Herbal liqueur, Lime juice, Simple syrup
  • Peg Leg — Rum, Grapefruit bitters, Lime juice, Simple syrup, Demerara syrup, Grapefruit peel
  • Anne Bonny's Last Call — Light rum, Orange liqueur, Coconut liqueur, Lime juice, Pineapple syrup, Pineapple, Basil, Lime
  • La Florida Cocktail — Blended rum, White Crème de Cacao, Sweet vermouth, Lime juice, Grenadine

Thymely Gibson Martini

2 oz Gin, Tanqueray 10
1⁄4 oz Fleur de Thym, Bigallet (Bigallet Thym)
1⁄4 oz Bianco Vermouth, Comoz Blanc
1 Cocktail onion (Preferably home made)
Instructions

Stir with ice. Strain into chilled cocktail glass. Garnish with a cocktail onion.

Notes

Making your own cocktail onions creates a much better Gibson than the commercial cocktail onions I have tried.

This is not a dry martini, but the modest sweetness accentuates the savory character of the thyme, and works with the umami of the pickled onion. This isn't a mass appeal cocktail, but if you like thyme and Gibsons, this one is for you.

History

I wanted to create a savory Gibson martini riff with thyme liqueur. The first iteration used dry vermouth and was too dry (Noilly Prat), along with having too much thyme, and included celery bitters which seemed an unnecessary distraction. I simplified it by dialing back the thyme and vermouth, and using Comoz which, while sweet, is somewhat drier than Dolin Blanc and much drier than Italian bianco vermouths.

YieldsDrink
Year
2023
Authenticity
Your original creation
Creator
Shawn C., Fresno, California
Curator rating
Not yet rated
Average rating
4 stars
(1 rating)
Similar cocktails
No similar cocktails found.

Capitán (Pisco)

1 1⁄2 oz Sweet vermouth, Cinzano
1 1⁄2 oz Pisco (quebranta)
1 Olive (unpitted, as garnish)
Instructions

Stir; strain; up in coupe; garnish with unpitted olive

YieldsDrink
Authenticity
Authentic recipe
Creator
Roberto Meléndez, Bar Capitán Meléndez, Lima, Peru
Source reference

https://punchdrink.com/recipes/capitan/

Curator rating
Not yet rated
Average rating
Not yet rated
Similar cocktails
  • Pirueta — Blanco tequila, Sotol, Celery bitters, Ancho Reyes Verde chile liqueur, Grenadine, Cocktail onion
  • Danube — Sweet vermouth, Rye, Zwack liqueur, Orange peel, Salt
  • Dirty Tuxedo — Vodka, Manzanilla sherry, Islay Scotch, Maraschino Liqueur, Olive, Lemon peel
  • Sweetie Pie — Rhum Agricole, Allspice Dram, Apple cider, Salt, Apple
  • Luz Muerta — Rhum Agricole, Mezcal, Bitters, Ginger syrup, Pineapple juice, Salt Solution

One Pedal Driving

6 lf Sage (one as garnish)
1⁄2 oz Maple syrup
2 oz Bourbon (pecan-infused; see Notes)
1 oz Lemon juice
1 Egg white
8 dr Cardamom bitters (as garnish)
Instructions

Muddle 5 sage leaves in maple syrup. Add bourbon/lemon/egg/ice. Shake, strain to remove ice/leaves, then shake again to add froth. Pour onto large cube and garnish with bitters and extra sage leaf.

Notes

For the infused bourbon, toast one part pecan halves in an air fryer 300 degrees for 4 minutes. In a sealable jar, combine with 2 parts bourbon. Let sit, shaking occasionally, for a few days. (Taste often; there’s a tipping point between enough flavor extracted, and too bitter, that you don’t want to overshoot.)

History

Made for Reddit Original Cocktail Competition, October 2023 (Maple & Whiskey).

Picture of One Pedal Driving
Craig Eliason
YieldsDrink
Year
2023
Authenticity
Your original creation
Creator
Craig Eliason, Saint Paul, Minnesota (USA)
Source reference

https://www.reddit.com/r/cocktails/comments/16wr39b/original_cocktail_c…

Curator rating
Not yet rated
Average rating
Not yet rated
From other users
  • Sage and cardamom in the nose. Sip has the tart depth of a whiskey sour, with a nutty overtone. Distinctive peach in the finish and aftertaste.
Similar cocktails
  • Carpano Sour — Bourbon, Sweet vermouth, Lemon juice, Simple syrup, Egg white, Maraschino cherry
  • Rattle-Snake Cocktail — Rye, Absinthe, Lemon juice, Egg white, Rich simple syrup 2:1
  • Chamomile in my shoes — Blended Scotch, Amaro Meletti, Absinthe, Lemon juice, Egg white, Honey syrup
  • The Crippled Creek — Bourbon, Lemon juice, Pomegranate molasses, Cane syrup, Dijon Mustard, Cucumber
  • One Night — Speyside Scotch, Allspice Dram, Bitters, Lemon juice, Simple syrup, Egg white, Violet water

Holiday in the Mediterranean

1 1⁄2 oz Gin
1 oz Rosato Vermouth, Martini & Rossi (Martini & Rossi Fiero Aperitivo)
1⁄3 oz Licor 43
1⁄3 oz Mastika (Skinos Mastiha)
Instructions

Stir with ice, strain into chilled cocktail glass.

Notes

The vanilla of the Licor 43 takes some of the harsher edges off of the Fiero, rounding out the flavor. I found the two work together in other cocktails as well. I enjoyed the results so much that I picked up another bottle of Fiero.

History

I built this around Martini & Rossi's Fiero Aperitivo. Fiero is an orange vermouth style, a wine aperitif, with an orange zest/juice dominated profile. I became aware of it while trying to locate "Rossi Aperitif", an ingredient in a few cocktail's from Grassi's 1936 "1000 Misture." This led me to some old advertising posters that featured a big Sun-like orange, with a bottle of the aperitif balanced on its head, looking up with its tongue out, thirsting for a taste.

I can't be certain, but Fiero appears to be a modern version/relaunch of this "Vin Aperitif" as in a 1930's poster by Jean Droit. The 2020 launch of Fiero was aimed at the Aperol spritz market, but there is some parallel to wine based Cappelletti Aperitivo and Fiero seems to have noticeable wormwood as with vermouth.

I decided to combine Fiero with the vanilla notes of Spain's Licor 43, and the sweet resin of Skinos Mastiha to create a bright, sweet, fun orange-vermouth cocktail in the summer holiday vein. Tanqueray London Dry gin was the base spirit.

YieldsDrink
Year
2023
Authenticity
Your original creation
Creator
Shawn C, Fresno, California
Curator rating
Not yet rated
Average rating
5 stars
(1 rating)
Similar cocktails
  • Martini Sour — Gin, Dry vermouth, Tartaric acid powder, Wine tannin, Simple syrup, Lemon peel
  • Steppin' Out — Gin, Palo Cortado Sherry, Dry vermouth, Crème de Banane, Lemon peel
  • Time Release — Gin, White port, Sloe gin, Herbal liqueur
  • Bargain Must Be Made — Genever, Dry vermouth, Maraschino Liqueur, Islay Scotch
  • North of Sunset — Gin, Dry vermouth, Strega, Maraschino Liqueur, Raspberry syrup, Lemon peel

Genepy Passion

1 1⁄2 oz Gin (Hendrick’s “Flora Adora” limited edition works well)
3⁄4 oz Herbal liqueur (Dolin Genepy le Chamois)
1⁄2 oz Cherry Liqueur, Luxardo
3⁄4 oz Lime juice
1⁄4 oz Passion fruit juice (Muddle and strain juice of one passion fruit)
Instructions

Combine in a shaker filled with ice, shake, and strain into coupe glass.

Notes

I prefer fruity cocktails on the refreshing/tart side, so will usually up the lime juice to 1 oz. If prefer sweeter, can add a little more cherry liqueur and/or simple syrup.

YieldsDrink
Year
2023
Authenticity
Your original creation
Curator rating
Not yet rated
Average rating
5 stars
(3 ratings)
Similar cocktails
  • ChemoTAXOL — Gin, Herbal liqueur, Rhubarb bitters, Corn liqueur, Lemon juice
  • Youngstown Tube — Gin, Herbal liqueur, Apricot liqueur, Fernet Branca, Lime juice, Agave syrup
  • Yellow Bell — Gin, Herbal liqueur, Bitters, Lime juice, Honey syrup, Green bell pepper
  • Gin Basil Smash — Gin, Lemon juice, Simple syrup, Basil
  • Ms. Mary — Gin, Herbal liqueur, Agave syrup, Lemon juice, Rosemary
Subscribe to