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.

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.

Old-Fashioned

It’s another classic, the Old-Fashioned:

• 2 ounces Eagle Rare 10-Year Bourbon
• 1 teaspoon Demerara Syrup
• 2 dashes Angostura Bitters
• 1 dash Bitter Truth Aromatic Bitters

Stir all the ingredients over ice, then strain into a double rocks glass over one large ice cube. Garnish with an orange and a lemon twist.

Okay, the above recipe doesn’t come from Dr. Cocktail’s book, but he does hold forth on what makes an Old Fashioned. This is one of the “primal” cocktails, and I as mentioned in the write up for Pink Gin, cocktails started out as spirit, water, sugar and bitters – that’s it.

Navy Grog (The Ancient Mariner)

There may not be nary a drop of water to drink, so try The Ancient Mariner:

• 1.00 ounce Demerara rum (not the 151-proof kind)
• 1.00 ounce dark Jamaican rum (Coruba)
• 0.75 ounce fresh lime juice
• 0.50 ounce grapefruit juice
• 0.50 ounce simple syrup
• 0.25 ounce Allspice Dram

Build in a double old-fashioned glass filled with crushed ice. Garnish with a lime wedge and a mint sprig.

Ah, Tiki drinks. How I love ’em. And this one features Allspice Dram, the key ingredient in another favorite cocktail of mine, The Lion’s Tail.

Pimm’s Cup

Need a refreshing drink? Try a Pimm’s Cup:

• 2.0 ounces Pimm’s #1 Gin Sling
• 7-Up, bitter lemon, lemonade, ginger ale or ginger beer.

In an iced highball glass, pour in the Pimm’s #1. Fill with 7-Up if you’re modern, bitter lemon or lemonade if you are British, or ginger ale (or ginger beer). Stir. Garnish with a long wedge of cucumber, and breathe deep as you sip.

It has been unseasonably warm here, and when I came in from working on the farm I wanted something cold, tall and refreshing. So I made a Pimm’s Cup.

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.