Seville

Instagram has been an amazing source of new recipes for me. I have dozens of drinks bookmarked, and when I'm interested in trying something new, I often browse the list for ideas. That's how I found the Seville. My friends over at Cocktail Detour shared this lovely drink, and it instantly became a part of my repertoire.

The Seville is a variation on the classic Martini. It's still quite dry, but the floral flavor of Lillet Blanc and nutty hints of fino sherry make it a bit sweeter and more delicate. Two dashes of orange bitters and two orange twists (one flamed) lend a hefty dose of citrus. I particularly love this drink with Barr Hill Gin, which is distilled with honey.

Let's quickly talk about flaming twists! This does not involve actually touching the flame to the peel. Instead, you express the oils of the peel the same way you do with a regular twist, but you do it through a flame, roasting them before they hit the drink. You should see the flame flare up briefly as the oils pass through. This adds a slightly smoky, toasty flavor to the citrus oil and can really change the character of a cocktail. I added a decorative twist afterwards just for fun.

History: The Seville was created by Nick Mautone, who works as a cocktail consultant in New York. (Yes, that's a job, and yes, I want to do it.) He created it for the Michelin-starred restaurant Country (now closed).

Seville

2 oz. gin (Barr Hill recommended)
3/4 oz. Lillet Blanc
2 dashes orange bitters
1/2 oz. fino sherry (to rinse)
2 orange twists

Rinse a coupe with the sherry and express one of the orange twists into it. Combine the remaining ingredients in a mixing glass with ice and stir until chilled. Strain into the prepared glass and flame the second orange twist over the top.

Recipe adapted from Cocktail Detour.

Recipe Round-Up: The Negroni

Unless you're living under a rock (or, you know, not on social media), you probably know that it's Negroni Week! Sponsored by Imbibe and Campari, this is a week-long celebration of what is arguably the cocktail world's favorite drink. Bars around the country serve Negronis and Negroni variations, with proceeds from the drinks going to various charities. I'm only getting in on the tail end of the week, but if you're reading this before June 10th, see what venues are serving Negronis for a good cause near you here.

The Negroni and I have a tumultuous history. When I first tried one, I did not like it at all, and I said as much in my original Negroni post three years ago. In the cocktail world, thinking that Negronis are anything less than amazing is a fairly controversial opinion, but I was prepared to stand by it unless I magically developed a taste for them. And I did. Not magically, exactly; I think it was a combination of buying better sweet vermouth (and storing it properly in the refrigerator) and developing a taste for more bitter drinks in general. Other less polarizing cocktails eased me into the flavors of the Negroni, and before I knew it I was a convert. But I still understand how someone might not enjoy them, especially if they're new to Campari or cocktails in general. So whether you love a classic Negroni or are looking for your gateway drink, I've rounded up some Negroni variations in honor of this iconic equal-parts cocktail.

Assume that all of these should be stirred over ice and strained into a rocks glass over ice (though the last two can also be served in a coupe). Alternatively you can build them in the glass for an even easier cocktail.

Classic Negroni

1 oz. gin
1 oz. Campari
1 oz. sweet vermouth
Orange twist

The original: easy to remember, easy to make, and always great. Opinions will differ on the best gin and sweet vermouth for the job, but my go-tos are The Botanist or Wire Works and either Cocchi Vermouth di Torino or Carpano Antica Formula.

White Negroni

2 oz. gin
1 oz. Lillet Blanc
3/4 oz. Suze
Lemon twist

This variant from London bartender Wayne Collins is actually a lot more yellow than white, but let's not nitpick. Suze and Lillet make this Negroni a bit lighter but more herbal. It does diverge from the typical equal parts ratio, since Suze can be a bit overpowering. See my full post on this drink here.

Negroni Bianco 

1 oz. gin
1 oz. Luxardo Bitter Bianco
1 oz. blanc vermouth
Orange or grapefruit twist

This truly white Negroni is known as the Negroni Bianco, and it is my favorite drink on this list. In fact, it's easily one of my favorite drinks of all time. (Someone told me recently that I say that a lot on here. Well, tough. It's true, especially in this case.) It's beautifully light and balanced, still bitter but not overpowering. It would be a perfect introductory Negroni. I wish I'd had one years ago - I might have started liking Negronis sooner.

Special Negroni

1 oz. gin
1 oz. Aperol
1 oz. Lillet Blanc
Orange twist

I have a feeling this recipe exists under other names, but ever since I was served one at Canary Square in Boston, I call it the Special Negroni. This is the ultimate introductory Negroni - milder, sweeter, and a bit more citrusy, but still preserving all the crucial parts of the original.

Toffee Negroni

1 oz. aged rum
1 oz. Aperol
1 oz. Amontillado sherry
Grapefruit twist

I had never heard of this Negroni until I saw it in Kara Newman's equal parts cocktail book Shake. Stir. Sip. Created by Lynette Marrero, it has a deep toffee sweetness with just the right amount of bitterness.

Deconstructed Negroni

1 oz. gin
3/4 oz. dry vermouth
Dehydrated Campari
Orange twist

This one is a bit more of a novelty than a go-to recipe, but it seemed like I ought to include it. A bartender at Roosevelt in Denver told me how they dehydrated Campari and used it to serve a colorless Negroni with a Campari rim. I tried it at home and was pretty pleased with the result. See how to make it here.

Boulevardier

1 1/2 oz. bourbon
1 oz. Campari
1 oz. sweet vermouth

This is another drink that definitely goes on my list of all-time favorites. I find the juniper notes of gin one of the more polarizing things about a Negroni, and subbing in bourbon makes a smoother drink that's more akin to a Manhattan. Say what you will, but I'll order a Boulevardier over a Negroni any day. See my original post on the Boulevardier (from before I developed my undying love for this cocktail) here.

Old Pal

1 oz. rye
1 oz. Campari
1 oz. dry vermouth
Orange twist

A close relative of the Boulevardier, the Old Pal is an even lighter cocktail that uses dry vermouth instead of sweet. You can take it one step further and try a Pen Pal, which additionally swaps the Campari for Aperol.

I've seen a ton of other interesting Negroni variations this week... what's your favorite?

White Negroni

Hello again! It's been a little while since I posted. The past couple of weeks have been quite busy. We had lots of family visit, and my sister and I went on a quick weekend trip to London! It's something we had been talking about doing for a while, and I'm so glad we finally did.

We had both been to the city before, so this time we didn't do any of the usual touristy stuff - no museums, no tours, not even a peek at Big Ben. Instead, we just walked around the city, did a little shopping, and went to lots of bars and restaurants. It was really perfect. I had a long list of cocktail bars I wanted to check out, and right at the top was Nightjar, a world-famous spot renowned for their elaborately presented drinks. It didn't disappoint - the cocktail menu was insane, and each drink was a veritable work of art. Other highlights were the American Bar at the Savoy hotel, where Harry Craddock invented such classics as the Corpse Reviver #2, and Dandelyan, which effortlessly spanned the gap between simple, well-made cocktails and really innovative ingredients and techniques. I could have spent much longer in the city, but as weekend trips go, it was pretty much perfect!

A couple of weeks ago, I introduced Suze, a new bottle in my bar. Ever since then, I've been itching to try a White Negroni, one of the more popular Suze cocktails. A Negroni, as you probably know, is made with equal parts gin, Campari, and sweet vermouth. The White Negroni swaps out the Campari for Suze and the sweet vermouth for Lillet Blanc. (You can also use Cocchi Americano, dry vermouth, or blanc vermouth if you don't have the Lillet.) While the drink lacks the Negroni's ruby red hue, its name is a bit misleading, as it is definitely not white - the Suze turns it a bright, sunny yellow.

The White Negroni may look like a pale imitation of its namesake, but it's anything but. It is a little less sweet than a Negroni, with a lighter flavor and mouthfeel, but with a bigger, more herbaceous finish. It preserves the spirit of the iconic cocktail, with sweet and bitter and strong flavors mixing perfectly together. The version I made comes from The PDT Cocktail Book, and doesn't use equal parts like a traditional Negroni - I prefer this, as I find the flavor of Suze pretty intense, and PDT's 3/4 oz seems perfect to me. But other books, such as A Proper Drink, do recommend 1 ounce of each ingredient. Try some different ratios and figure out what you like best!

History: The White Negroni was created by London bartender Wayne Collins in either 2001 or 2002 (I've seen both dates). He was in Bordeaux to participate in a cocktail contest hosted by Plymouth Gin. Nick Blacknell, a brand ambassador for the gin, asked Collins for a Negroni, but he didn't have any Campari. He reached for the Suze instead, and the locally-made Lillet instead of vermouth. Another Plymouth ambassador, Simon Ford, brought the recipe back to New York, where Audrey Sanders of Pegu Club helped make it famous.

White Negroni

2 oz. gin (Plymouth recommended)
1 oz. Lillet Blanc
3/4 oz. Suze

Combine all ingredients in a mixing glass with ice and stir until chilled. Strain into a rocks glass with one large piece of ice, or into a coupe. Garnish with a lemon twist.

Recipe adapted from The PDT Cocktail Book.
History from A Proper Drink and Gin Foundry.

Pale King

After finally feeling like I have a bit of a handle on the different varieties of gin and whiskey, I'm trying to learn more about rum.

My Bar School post about rum is really quite basic, and if I was to write an updated one, I would structure it differently. I've learned that the most important way to separate varieties of rum is by geography and the sugar source you start with. As different regions tend to have their own styles, these two things go hand in hand, and you can use one to infer the other. They can tell you a lot about how a rum is going to taste.

I used to think there were too many countries producing rum to learn what all of the different varieties were like, but it can be quickly simplified if you know whether the country in question was previously a Spanish, English, or French colony. The Spanish style of rum, produced in places like Cuba, Puerto Rico, and Panama, is a lighter style made from molasses. Former British colonies such as Jamaica and Guyana use molasses or Demerara sugar as a base, and create darker, heavier, spicier rums. And former French colonies like Haiti and Martinique use sugar cane juice, producing dry, grassy rums.*

This French style of rum is known as Rhum Agricole, and it's mentioned specifically in many recipes because of its distinctive flavor. Many of the best brands come from Martinique, which is the only producer to have a specific designation ("Appellation de Origine Contrôlée") for its rhum agricole. But other countries do produce a similar style without the same official standards. I was happy to learn that Barbancourt, a brand from Haiti, is also an agricole-style rum. It's quite affordable ($20) and easy to find. I picked up a bottle of Barbancourt White, which the Death & Co cocktail book recommends as an option for a less vegetal-tasting agricole that's still got it's signature sharp, tangy flavor. It's quite good, and very different from the molasses-based white rums I've usually purchased in the past.

I was so enchanted by the specific flavor of the Barbancourt that I really wanted a spirit-forward cocktail that would put it front and center. I kind of wanted a rum martini, but I wasn't sure if that would work. But I remembered a great drink I had at Loyal Nine that was basically exactly that (going back to look at the menu, it was the Georgetown Club), so I knew it could be done. I used Lillet instead of vermouth, which I thought might help smooth out the sharp edges of the rum. A dash of grapefruit bitters and a lemon twist tied it all together. It was exactly what I wanted.

The color of this cocktail is a beautiful pale yellow, and this name just sprung into my mind. It's an homage to the novel by David Foster Wallace, which I freely admit I haven't read.

*If you want a great guide to rum basics, check out Inu a Kena's Rum 101, which does a great job of breaking down all this and more. It also has more information on each individual producer's style.

Pale King

2 1/2 oz. white rhum agricole (I used Barbancourt White)
1 oz. Lillet Blanc
1 dash grapefruit bitters (I used Scrappy's)

Combine all ingredients in a mixing glass with ice. Stir until well chilled. Strain into a coupe glass and garnish with a lemon twist: expel the oils and rub the peel around the sides of the glass, then discard.

Charles Lindbergh

One great bar in Boston that has been a cocktail inspiration for me is Island Creek Oyster Bar. As at its neighboring bars also run by Jackson Cannon, Eastern Standard and The Hawthorne, the cocktails at ICOB are never anything short of fantastic. It was the first place I ever tried an Air Mail, and it has since become one of my favorite cocktails. Last time I was there, I ordered the Charles Lindbergh, particularly because of the inclusion of Tempus Fugit's Kina L'Aero D'Or, one of my new obsessions. It was really good, and I knew I'd like to make it at home.

Luckily, it turns out the Charles Lindbergh is an old cocktail, dating back to the classic Savoy Cocktail Book, and the original recipe wasn't hard to find: gin, Kina Lillet, apricot brandy, and a dash of orange juice. Lacking the last two ingredients, I came up with my own variation using a dash of Cointreau and about 1/4 tsp. apricot preserves. I also used the Kina L'Aero, which is sweeter and more bitter than the Lillet Blanc on the shelves today, but probably more similar to the original recipe. The result is surprisingly similar to what I remember from the bar, and thoroughly enjoyable. You could just as easily make it with Lillet Blanc or even dry or blanc vermouth; you'd be in for a different experience, but I think it would still be a very quaffable cocktail. It's nicely balanced, sweet with a bitter finish, with flavors of citrus, apricot, and botanicals.

Charles Lindbergh

History: Charles Lindbergh was, of course, the famous pilot who flew the Spirit of St. Louis from New York to Paris on the first nonstop solo flight across the Atlantic. He was only 25 years old. Harry Craddock of the Savoy Hotel in London invented this cocktail to celebrate the occasion. It would later appear in the 1930 Savoy Cocktail Book.

Charles Lindbergh

1 1/2 oz. gin
1 oz. Kina L'Aero D'Or, Lillet, or Cocchi Americano
1 dash Cointreau
1/4 tsp. apricot preserves

Combine all ingredients in a mixing glass and stir to mix in the preserves. Add ice and stir until chilled. Fine-strain into a coupe glass. Twist a lemon peel over the cocktail and discard.

Recipe adapted from Cocktail 101.

Corpse Reviver #2

When it comes time for a Halloween cocktail, you don't need to look any further than the classics. Flip through any good cocktail menu and you will find some excellent libations with some thoroughly macabre names: Death in the Afternoon, Blood and Sand, Last Word, Zombie... the list goes on. But my personal favorite has to be the Corpse Reviver #2.

I've been meaning to make a Corpse Reviver #2 for the blog for a while, so Halloween seems like the perfect excuse. That said, this is a cocktail for any time of year (sans cherry juice blood, of course). If you're wondering what corpse it is supposed to revive, I'm afraid to say that it's you - the gruesome name is actually a nod to the fact that this cocktail was invented as a hangover cure.

This sour, citrusy cocktail is made with equal parts gin, lemon, Lillet, and triple sec. A wash of absinthe in the glass gives it a delightful hint of anise and a slight eerie green tint. I decided to use Kina L'Aero d'Or instead of Lillet, which gave the cocktail an intriguingly bitter finish - a different experience than with Lillet, but something I definitely recommend trying if you have a bottle. A bit of juice from my jar of Luxardo cherries, slightly reduced in a saucepan, made a spooky, bloody garnish.

History: The fact that this cocktail is called the Corpse Reviver #2 immediately suggests that there is at least one other Corpse Reviver floating around, and that’s true - the Corpse Reviver #1, sometimes just called a Corpse Reviver, made with Cognac, apple brandy or Calvados, and sweet vermouth. Both of these recipes date back to the publication of The Savoy Cocktail Book in 1930, but the idea of a Corpse Reviver has been around a lot longer than that.

Prior to 1930, the term likely didn't refer to a specific cocktail at all; it was rather a catch-all term for a cocktail consumed to cure a bad hangover. Everyone had their own recipe. The earliest mention of a Corpse Reviver is in Punch magazine in 1861, in a brief article entitled “A Smash for a Sensationalist,” a humorous piece about the Trent Affair that I confess I have some difficulty really understanding. But it ends by describing a hangman who “expectorated twice with a marked gaiety of manner, and after liquoring up a Sling, a Stone Wall, and a Corpse-Reviver, he merrily danced forth into the middle of the room and sang a pleasant little song….”

The earliest printed recipe for a Corpse Reviver comes from 1871, in The Gentleman's Table Guide by E. Ricket and C. Thomas. It calls for a 1:1 mixture of brandy and maraschino and two dashes of Boker's bitters, served in a wine glass. The 1903 Steward's Handbook and Guide to Party Catering by Jessup Whitehead has a different recipe, calling for "a long, thin liqueur-glass filled with equal portions noyeau, maraschino and yellow chartreuse, one on top of the other without mixing them; to be taken off with one draught." Here I presume that noyeau is an almond liqueur like Crème de Noyeaux, which makes this a very different cocktail from any of Corpse Revivers above (and one that seems more likely to cause a hangover than cure one).

The two recipes that remain well-known today were popularized by Harry Craddock in The Savoy Cocktail Book. I don't think it's known whether he developed the recipes himself or not, but many of the cocktails in the book were his invention. #2 has stood the test of time better than #1, and is certainly better known. 

Corpse Reviver #2

3/4 oz. gin

3/4 oz. Lillet, Cocchi Americano, or Kina L'Aero D'Or

3/4 oz. Cointreau or triple sec

3/4 oz. lemon juice

Absinthe rinse (I used Herbsaint)

Combine gin, Lillet, triple sec, and lemon juice in a shaker with ice. Shake until chilled. Wash a coupe with absinthe and strain the cocktail into the coupe.

Try as a hangover cure if you want, but take care; Harry Craddock notes that "Four of these taken in swift succession will unrevive the corpse again."

Recipe from The Savoy Cocktail Book. Lots of this history came from an article by Cara Strickland for Tales of the Cocktail.

20th Century

I've already gone on at length about how much I love Tempus Fugit's Crème de Cacao. After buying it, I started encountering their other spirits at a lot of bars, in particular the Gran Classico and the Kina L'Aero D'Or (great name, right?). The Gran Classico is an amaro, and the Kina L'Aero is a kind of aperitif wine called a kina or a quinaquina. These wines are infused with citrus and spices, most importantly cinchona bark, which contains quinine (see my Gin and Tonic post for more on this). The most well-known spirit in this category is Lillet Blanc, which used to be called Kina Lillet. It was reformulated in the 80's and is no longer as bitter as it once was. Kina L'Aero D'Or would make a good substitute in something like a Vesper, which was created when Lillet was more bitter.

Anyway, I eventually decided to buy both the Gran Classico and the Kina L'Aero D'Or, and I've been thoroughly enjoying both of them. The Kina L'Aero came with a couple of classic cocktail recipes on the side of the bottle, including this one: the 20th Century. It also makes use of the crème de cacao, so I definitely wanted to give it a try.

It may sound odd to add crème de cacao to bitter wine, gin, and lemon, but it blends surprisingly well with the other bright flavors, giving them a lovely richness. I think the Kina L'Aero D'Or probably has a lot to do with how nicely the recipe works; Lillet might not hold up as well against the sweetness of the crème de cacao.

History: Though you may not have heard of the 20th Century before, it's actually quite an old cocktail, invented in 1937 by a Brit named C.A. Tuck. The recipe was published in the 1937 Café Royal Cocktail Book by William J. Tarling. It was recently resurrected by Ted Haigh's book Vintage Spirits and Forgotten Cocktails.

Tuck named this cocktail for the Twentieth Century Limited train that ran between Chicago and New York City from 1902 until 1967. It was advertised as "the most famous train in the world," and it was quite a fancy way to travel - a red carpet was literally rolled out for passengers as they got on and off. Naming the 20th Century after the train was a nod to its elegance and sophistication, and I think the cocktail fits the bill.

20th Century

1 1/2 oz. gin
3/4 oz. kina (Lillet Blanc, Cocchi Americano, or Kina L'Aero D'Or)
3/4 oz. crème de cacao
3/4 oz. lemon juice

Combine all ingredients in a shaker with ice and shake until chilled. Strain into a coupe glass and garnish with a lemon twist.

Recipe from Tempus Fugit.

Trois Pêches

A few days ago I received an email from Ménage à Trois Vodka inviting me to participate in their Galentine's Day Blogger Challenge.

Galentine's Day is a new one for me. Apparently, this holiday occurs on February 13th, and it's a day for women to celebrate female friendships. As far as I can tell, this involves lots of manicures, spa days, brunches, romantic comedies, and - of course - cocktails.

Now, the cynical side of me could really have a field day with this. The whole Galentine's Day thing is definitely not my usual style. But the thing is, I love any excuse to celebrate and have a good time with friends. I've never been in the "Valentine's Day is too commercial" camp. A holiday that's all about telling the people you care about that you love them? I can get behind that. And I can get behind Galentine's Day too. Especially when there's vodka involved.

Ménage à Trois Vodka, to be exact. This is a new venture for the long-time winemakers, and it comes in three flavors: original, berry, and citrus. I got to try all three, which arrived in a big box full of Galentine's Day goodies. The original is really an excellent go-to vodka; I subbed it for the gin I usually put in my martini, and was quite impressed by its smooth flavor. But for a Galentine's Day cocktail, I wanted to play with the flavors in the citrus vodka.

What I like about the Ménage à Trois Citrus is that it's not too sweet. It may smell a bit like orange candy, but the taste is well-balanced: subtly sweet and tart with a hint of bitterness and spice and a lot of citrus flavor. I decided that peaches would be the perfect thing to pair it with, and I think it works perfectly. I chose St. Germain and Lillet Blanc to add some delicate floral notes that I think do a nice job of enhancing the taste of the vodka. Bright and flavorful, this peach martini is sure to be a hit at your Galentine's Day celebration, or any night with your girlfriends. Or any friends, for that matter.

Thanks to Ménage à Trois for the opportunity to taste their new vodkas! If you want to see more Galentine's Day cocktail recipes, search #matvgalentinesday on Twitter or Instagram, or check Ménage à Trois Vodka's Facebook page.

Trois Pêches

1 1/2 oz. Ménage à Trois Citrus Vodka
1/2 oz. St. Germain
1/2 oz. Lillet Blanc
1/2 peach

Combine all ingredients in the bottom of a shaker and muddle the peach to release its juices. Add ice and shake until well chilled. Fine-strain into a coupe glass. The mixture will be thick, with lots of peach pulp, but it's worth it - be sure to strain out all that delicious vodka! Garnish with a peach slice and a spring of thyme.

For a sparkling twist on this recipe, try adding a splash or two of champagne!

Eveleigh Lemonade

Sometimes you can imagine exactly how a cocktail will taste just by looking at the recipe. That's how I felt with this one, and I knew it had to be good. Chamomile-infused tequila is utterly perfect with lemon and honey, yielding a refreshing twist on spiked lemonade. Since the scent and taste of chamomile usually reminds me of cold winter evenings, this makes a nice end-of-summer cocktail to help ease the way to autumn flavors.

I did find that the honey didn't mix in quite well enough, leaving the cocktail a little more sour than I would have liked. Adding more was hopeless since the drink was so cold by then, so I mixed in a tiny bit of simple syrup. What I'd recommend is using honey simple syrup (equal parts honey and water) instead of straight honey, and maybe amping up the amount to as much as 1/2 ounce. Try it and see what you like.

Also, the recipe calls for Cocci Americano, which is a white Italian aperitif wine. It is often used instead of Lillet in the Vesper Martini. Here, I did the opposite, substituting Lillet since I don't have a bottle of Cocci Americano.

History: According to this article, the Eveleigh Lemonade was invented by Dave Kupchinski, bar manager of Eveleigh in Los Angeles, for an edition of the Sporting Life sponsored by Combier. It's still on the menu at Eveleigh.

Eveleigh Lemonade

1 oz. chamomile-infused tequila*
1/2 oz. Cocci Americano (I used Lillet)
1/2 oz. triple sec
3/4 oz. lemon juice
1/4 oz. honey (or honey simple syrup to taste)

Combine all ingredients in a shaker and shake with ice until well-chilled. Strain into an old fashioned glass filled with ice. Garnish with a lemon wheel.

*For chamomile-infused tequila: Imbibe provides instructions for infusing an entire bottle of tequila, but I wasn't really planning on making that many cocktails, so I took about three ounces of tequila blanco and mixed in a small handful of chamomile and half the zest of a small lemon. I let it sit overnight, but I think more like three hours would be better. If you don't have chamomile, just use a chamomile tea bag.

Recipe adapted from Imbibe.

Dillionaire

I came across the Dillionaire while looking for recipes that used Bittermen's Boston Bittahs. When I saw the ingredients, I knew I had to try it. Any recipe that mixes Luxardo Maraschino Liqueur with fresh dill has got to be interesting. Plus, an adorable name? Sold.

Dill is not something you see in cocktails very often. Or in anything else, for that matter. I've only used it once in my entire life, when I made pickles. But a small packet of dill seeds came with a set of herb seeds I bought, and I figured why not plant them? I'd find a use for a dill, or else just make a bunch more pickles. I didn't expect it to end up in a cocktail, but I'm glad to put my little shrub of dill to good use.

I had to make some substitutions in order to pull this one together. I don't have any tonic syrup and wasn't really ready to spring for a bottle, so I replaced the 1/2 oz. tonic syrup and 3 oz. club soda with 3 1/2 oz. tonic water (Fever Tree). I also don't have Hendricks Gin, so I used Wire Works. Finally, I don't have Cocchi Americano, so I substituted Lillet. I don't think any of these changes affected the final cocktail too grievously.

The Dillionaire has a decidedly savory flavor and aroma. The tonic and dill flavors comes in strong at first, but then give way to sweetness in the middle of your sip. That's when you taste the maraschino liqueur and the chamomile. Then it's all bitterness. A really complex, interesting cocktail. And very refreshing! It's a really unique twist on your average Gin & Tonic.

History: The Dillionaire was invented by Nick Caruana, who writes the awesome cocktail blog The Straight Up - be sure to check it out. I want him to teach me how he takes those awesome cocktail photos.

Dillionaire

2 oz. gin (Hendricks recommended)
1/2 oz. Luxardo Maraschino Liqueur
1/2 oz. Cocchi Americano (I used Lillet)
1/2 oz. lime juice
2 droppers Bittermen's Boston Bittahs
3 slices cucumber, 1 reserved for garnish
3 sprigs dill, 1 reserved for garnish
3 1/2 oz. tonic water

Place two cucumber slices and two sprigs of dill in the bottom of a shaker. Add Luxardo and muddle. Add Cocci Americano, gin, one dropper of Bittermen's, lime juice, and ice. Shake until well chilled. Double-strain into a rocks glass filled with ice. Add tonic water and the second dropper of Boston Bittahs. Garnish with the remaining cucumber slice and sprig of dill.

Recipe adapted from The Straight Up.

Vesper Martini

"Shaken. Not stirred."

Did you know that James Bond was named after an ornithologist? And he enjoys a good cocktail. A few too many, even. We have so much in common.

For me, the Vesper was a great introduction to the world of traditional Martinis. Even though I love gin, a Martini was way too in-your-face with it than I could handle. But I found that the Lillet and vodka softened the Vesper and made it more drinkable. From there, I slowly inched my way into traditional Martinis, olives and all. Preferably lots of olives. I never thought I would take a sip of a Martini and say "there's too much vermouth in this." But I have, and it's all because I made that first Vesper.

History: The Vesper has its origin in the following passage from Ian Fleming's novel Casino Royale:

"A dry martini," he said. "One. In a deep champagne goblet."
"Oui, monsieur."
"Just a moment. Three measures of Gordon's, one of vodka, half a measure of Kina Lillet. Shake it very well until it's ice-cold, then add a large thin slice of lemon peel. Got it?"
"Certainly, monsieur." The barman seemed pleased with the idea.
"Gosh, that's certainly a drink," said Leiter.
Bond laughed. "When I'm... er... concentrating," he explained, "I never have more than one drink before dinner. But I do like that one to be large and very strong and very cold and very well-made. I hate small portions of anything, particularly when they taste bad. This drink's my own invention. I'm going to patent it when I can think of a good name."



Soon after, Bond names the drink after his love interest Vesper Lynd. However, Bond doesn't order the Vesper in any of the other books, opting for traditional gin or vodka Martinis (and a whole lot of other things).

The recipe for the Vesper was in fact developed by Fleming's friend Ivar Bryce. If you mix one up today, it won't be quite the same. Kina Lillet changed its formulation in 1986, and tastes less bitter than it used to. They also dropped the Kina from their name in the 1960's. Kina refers to quinine, which gives Lillet its bitterness. It was not removed along with the name change, as some people think. A lot of folks advocate for using Cocchi Americano as a substitute for present-day Lillet.

Gordon's gin has also been reformulated with a lower alcohol content since the book's publication in 1953, as have most vodkas. If you want the drink the way Fleming's Bond would have liked it, use Tanqueray and 100 proof vodka (Bond mentions that he prefers grain vodka).

As for the whole "shaken, not stirred" thing, it probably has to do with Bond liking his drinks "very cold." I've also heard a theory that he wants them to be more dilute than they should, so that his enemies will think he's drunker than he actually is. Whatever the reason, you've got to be pretty cool to pull off such a mixology faux pas. As for whether you should shake or stir your own Vesper, I say try it both ways and see what you like.

Just don't drink too many.

Vesper

3 oz. gin
1 oz. vodka
1/2 oz. Lillet blanc or Cocchi Americano

Combine ingredients in a shaker or a mixing glass with ice. Either shake or stir until it is very cold. Strain into a cocktail glass and garnish with a thin slice of lemon peel. Oh, and keep an eye on your drink.

Nouveau Carre

Hot on the heels of the Vieux Carre comes this unique concoction, which takes the mix of rye, Cognac, and sweet vermouth and gives it a makeover - with tequila. It seemed odd to me at first, but wait until you taste it. I realized ahead of making this that just about every tequila cocktail I can think of employs some kind of citrus juice. Tequila just goes so well with lemon, lime, and orange. But it can also work beautifully with other spirits, and that's what this cocktail is about. It calls for aged anejo tequila, which is more flavorful than its blanco and reposado counterparts, and much more reminiscent of the whiskey in the original cocktail. It's mixed with sweet, herbal Benedictine, rounded out with Peychaud's bitters and Lillet blanc. I don't think I've talked about Lillet yet; it's an aperitif wine similar to dry vermouth, most famous for its inclusion in the Vesper Martini of James Bond fame. The finished product is really a very different take on a spirit I use often. Definitely worth mixing up.

History: The Nouveau Carre was invented by Jonny Raglin in 2005. Raglin is currently one of the owners of the Comstock Saloon in San Francisco. According to their website, he claims his secrets to success are to always use three ingredients in his cocktails, and have The Savoy Cocktail Book in your pocket.

Nouveau Carre

1 1/2 oz. anejo tequila

3/4 oz. Lillet Blanc

1/4 oz. Benedictine

3 dashes Peychaud's bitters

Combine all ingredients in a mixing glass or shaker with ice. Stir until well-chilled. Strain into a cocktail glass or coupe. Garnish with a lemon twist.

Recipe from theSpeakista and The PDT Cocktail Book.