Whiskey Smash

2 oz Whiskey
3⁄4 oz Simple syrup
3 wdg Lemon
6 lf Mint (plus a sprig as garnish)
Instructions

Muddle lemons, mint and syrup in a shaker. Add whiskey and Shake. Double strain into a rocks glass over fresh ice. Garnish: mint sprig.

Notes

In PDT book, it calls for Rittenhouse, but Meehan credits Degroff. In "Craft of Cocktail" Degroff's older version is made the same but: 2 lemon, 2-3 mint, .75 syrup, 1.5 Maker's Mark bourbon, 1oz water.

History

Apparently based an old recipe by Jerry Thomas, modified with the inclusion of citrus by Dale Degroff. See comments for more.

Yields Drink
Year
1999
Authenticity
Unknown
Creator
Dale Degroff, Rainbow Room, NYC.
Source reference

Meehan, Jim. PDT Cocktail Book. 2011. p. 265

Curator rating
Not yet rated
Average rating
4 stars
(4 ratings)
From other users
  • 11.23 - used 2 lemon rinds, 2 orange slices, and 3/4 of shitty triple sec. was fine!
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applejack commented on 8/11/2020:

I'm pretty sure the first instance of a "smash" in print was in Jerry Thomas' "Bar-Tender's Guide & Bon Vivant's Companion" from 1862, with whiskey (bourbon or rye), gin and brandy variants.  Prep was a dirty dump, not strained.

dustinw84 commented on 8/12/2020:

You're right. I have a re-print of Thomas's book, and he includes a brandy, gin, and whiskey smash. However, none of them include citrus. He simply call's them "a julep on a small plan." Directions are to basically shake whiskey, mint, sugar and water together. I also checked Wondrich's Imbibe and couldn't find anything about the inclusion of citrus with the smash.

yarm commented on 8/12/2020:

The Smash was originally a Julep on the small scale (Juleps could be doubles and ornate) that was in Jerry Thomas' 1862 book. Degroff at the Rainbow Room circa 1998 has been attributed for the inclusion of citrus in the Smash, and it took off here in Boston around 2005 with Eastern Standard's Whiskey Smash. Eastern Standard used a variety of Bourbons for that depending on the year, but it was never rye -- Bourbon is softer/rounder than rye and works better with lemon and mint for my palate. This gave new life to the Smash which otherwise would never appear on a menu over the better known Julep.

The Prestidigitator

1 1⁄2 oz Gin (Barrel-Rested GIn)
1 oz Sweet vermouth, Cocchi Vermouth di Torino
1⁄2 oz Madeira, Broadbent
2 ds Orange bitters
1 Cherry
Instructions

Stir with ice, serve up with cherry

Notes

Original calls for High Wire Hat Trick Barrel-rested gin; I made with Chemist South Slope barrel-rested gin

History

May have been created by High Wire distilling; source is unclear.

Yields Drink
Year
2017
Authenticity
Authentic recipe
Creator
Uncredited
Source reference

The Southern Foodways Alliance Guide to Cocktails, p. 91

Curator rating
Not yet rated
Average rating
4.5 stars
(3 ratings)
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Roman Holiday (Peacock Alley)

2 oz Gin, Bombay Sapphire
1⁄2 oz Aperol
1⁄2 oz Cynar
1 oz Orange juice
Instructions

Shake and strain into chilled cocktail glass. Garnish: Orange peel and brandied cherry.

Notes

There are many drinks by this name. Can also be served on the rocks with splash of soda, or less 1/2 oz of gin the let amaro shine.

History

According to the book, this was created for a promotional even in 2010.

Yields Drink
Year
2010
Authenticity
Unknown
Creator
Frank Caifa, Peacock Alley (Waldorf Astoria Bar), New York, New York
Source reference

Caiafa, Frank. Waldorf Astoria Bar Book. 2016.

Curator rating
Not yet rated
Average rating
3 stars
(4 ratings)
From other users
  • A little weird. Not an aesthetically attractive drink, and pretty bitter. Not a whole lot interesting going on here.
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The Holy Grail

1 1⁄2 oz Amaro Montenegro
1⁄2 oz Mezcal, Del Maguey Vida
3⁄4 oz Pineapple juice
1⁄2 oz Lime juice
1⁄4 oz Orgeat
Instructions

Shake it all up and strain over rocks in a DOF glass. Garnish with pineapple wedge and a few nice fronds.

Picture of The Holy Grail
Yields Drink
Year
2019
Authenticity
Your original creation
Creator
Eddie Boyd, Antiques on High, Columbus, Ohio, USA
Curator rating
Not yet rated
Average rating
4 stars
(17 ratings)
From other users
  • Changed proportions & added reposado tequila: 1.5oz Altos Repo, 0.5oz Bozal Espadin-Barril mezcal, 0.5oz Amaro Montenegro. Fabulous! (I'm sure the original is great too but wanted more of a kick :) ) — ★★★★★
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happyrobot commented on 4/24/2022:

This cocktail really shows off the Montenegro. Delicious. I subbed out the Mezcal for an Islay scotch (Ardbeg Wee Beastie) just because that was the closest bottle.

Kudos. Tasty. Would make again and again and again.

shadowkirby commented on 5/27/2022:

Super funky drink, but all comes together well. Great for something different.

Good Morning, Sunshine

1 1⁄2 oz Cognac, Pierre Ferrand Ambre (10 year)
1⁄2 oz Zucca
1⁄2 oz Earl Grey Tea Syrup
3⁄4 oz Lemon juice
1 Egg white
6 dr Rhubarb bitters
Instructions

Dry shake, wet shake, strain into a chilled coupe. Garnish with 6 drops of rhubarb bitters, swirled (Brooklyn Hemispherical if you can still find them, otherwise Fee's).

Yields Drink
Year
2020
Authenticity
Your original creation
Curator rating
Not yet rated
Average rating
Not yet rated
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Daiquiri No. 4

2 oz Light rum
3⁄4 oz Lime juice
3⁄4 oz Maraschino Liqueur
Instructions

Shake. Up. Double strain to coupe. Garnish with a maraschino cherry

Yields Drink
Authenticity
Authentic recipe
Creator
Sasha Petraske
Source reference

Regarding Cocktails pg. 97

Curator rating
Not yet rated
Average rating
4 stars
(2 ratings)
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Dead Letter Office

1 1⁄2 oz Bourbon
1⁄2 oz Curaçao, Pierre Ferrand Dry Curaçao
1⁄2 oz Falernum, Velvet Falernum
1⁄2 oz Grapefruit juice
1⁄2 oz Lemon juice
3 ds Bitters, Angostura
1 twst Grapefruit peel (as garnish)
Instructions

Shake, strain, rocks, twist.

Yields Drink
Year
2020
Authenticity
Your original creation
Creator
Rafa García Febles, NYC.
Curator rating
Not yet rated
Average rating
4 stars
(19 ratings)
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drinkingandthinking commented on 1/12/2025:

Bourbon comes through nicely without dominating. I used Noble Oaks and would recommend using a similar premium bourbon. A more balanced and complex whisky sour worth trying.

Si-Güey

3 ds Orange bitters
1⁄4 oz Curaçao
2 oz Reposado Tequila
1⁄4 oz Islay Scotch (as float)
Instructions

Build the drink in the order given in a whiskey glass. Add 1 large ice cube and stir. Float Scotch.

Yields Drink
Authenticity
Authentic recipe
Creator
Milk&Honey
Source reference

Sasha Petraske Regarding Cocktails pg. 51

Curator rating
Not yet rated
Average rating
3 stars
(2 ratings)
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Vampari

1 oz Blanco tequila
1 oz Campari
1⁄2 oz Triple sec, Cointreau (Blood Orange Cointreau)
1⁄2 sli Blood orange
1 twst Blood orange peel
Instructions

Pour all the ingredients into a mixing glass filled with ice and stir for 20-30 seconds (dependent on the quality of your ice), condensation on the outside of the mixing glass is a good indication your drink is sufficiently chilled and diluted. Pour over a large cube of ice in a double old fashioned glass, garnish with half a slice of Blood orange and lastly take a peel of blood orange, express the oils and discard the peel.

Notes

Blanco Don Julio, Patron Silver and Vivir Blanco have been tested and work a treat.

Yields Drink
Year
2020
Authenticity
Your original creation
Creator
Piers Knight, Reading, Berkshire, UK
Curator rating
Not yet rated
Average rating
4.5 stars
(3 ratings)
From other users
  • Quoted as being Nosferatu's favourite cocktail by Blood lust weekly, this will sate the 'thirst' of any denizen of the night. — ★★★★★
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applejack commented on 8/09/2020:

I don't think Blood Orange Cointreau is available in the US.  Any idea how it compares to Solerno?

Piers Knight commented on 8/10/2020:

Well Blood Orange Cointreau is sourced from Corsica and I believe the blood oranges used in Solerno originate from Sicily, so laterally, they're both geographically Italy adjacent; I haven't personally tried Solerno in lieu of Blood Orange Cointreau, but I imagine it would make a suitable substitution, considering the relative Mediterranean climates of Corsica and Sicily, the flavour profiles shouldn't be too dissimilar.

Exit Club Cocktail

1 1⁄2 oz Gin
1⁄2 oz Aromatized wine, Lillet Blanc (Or Cocchi Americano)
1⁄2 oz Bianco Vermouth
1⁄2 oz Herbal liqueur, Jeppson's Malort (Other malörts will work too)
2 ds Orange bitters
1 twst Orange peel (As garnish)
Instructions

Stir with ice, strain into a cocktail coupe, and garnish with an orange twist.

History

I wondered what a Martini riff would be like with malört as a modifier? Would it be elegant as well as tasty? Therefore, I started with the Poet's Dream and besides swapping the liqueurs, I exchanged the dry vermouth for a split of Cocchi Americano and blanc vermouth since I figured that a little extra sweetness would round out the edges here. For a name, I paid tribute to a punk club in Chicago (given the Chicago-loved herbal liqueur) called Exit where I had been taken years ago.

Yields Drink
Year
2020
Authenticity
Your original creation
Creator
Frederic Yarm, Boston, MA
Source reference

https://cocktailvirgin.blogspot.com/2020/08/exit-club-cocktail.html

Curator rating
Not yet rated
Average rating
4 stars
(5 ratings)
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