Mia Glanz puts her own spin on the modern classic cocktail.
• ¾ oz (22 mL) lemon juice
• ¾ oz (22 mL) Aperol
• ¾ oz (22 mL) bourbon
• ¾ oz (22 mL) Mia Amata amaro
The Paper Plane Updated
It’s better with bitters
It’s right there in the original description of a cocktail, dating back to 1806: “a stimulating liquor, composed of spirits of any kind, sugar, water and bitters – it is vulgarly called a bittered sling.”
In other words, bitters are what make a cocktail a cocktail. And that makes bitters an essential part of any home or professional bar.
The Last Wall
This Mexican-influenced variation on the classic Last Word cocktail was created by bartender Tarquin Melnyk to highlight the fresh, juicy Ms. Better’s Green Strawberry Mah-Kwan bitters. “It has the biggest wow factor when people are trying bitters for the first time,” he says.
• 1 oz (30 mL) mezcal, preferably Siete Misterios
• 1 oz (30 mL) green Chartreuse
• 1 oz (30 mL) Luxardo Maraschino liqueur
• 1 oz (30 mL) fresh lime juice
• 2 dashes Ms. Better’s Green Strawberry Mah-Kwan bitters
The right glass for the right drink
In the months before the Rosewood Hotel Georgia’s subterranean bar, Prohibition, opened, head bartender Brad Stanton spent countless hours obsessing over every detail, from a state-of-the-art ice-maker to stylish copper bar tools.
One of the things he obsessed over most was the glassware.
Elderflower Tom Collins
Recipe by Robyn Gray, head bartender at Prohibition in the Rosewood Hotel Georgia.
• 2 oz (60 mL) Old Tom gin
• 1 oz (30 mL) lemon juice
• ¾ oz (20 mL) elderflower liqueur
• Soda water
Shake gin, lemon juice and elderflower liqueur in a cocktail shaker with ice. Strain into a Collins glass filled with fresh ice, then top with soda water. Garnish with 3 lemon wheels. Serves 1.
—by Robyn Gray
Liquid Sunshine
Recipe by Brad Stanton, head bartender at Prohibition in the Rosewood Hotel Georgia.
• 2 oz (60 mL) pisco, preferably Encanto
• ¾ oz (20 mL) cantaloupe juice
• 2 tsp (10 mL) lemon juice
• 2 tsp (10 mL) orange juice
• 4 to 5 fresh mint leaves
• 1/2 oz (15 mL) maple syrup
Twentieth Century
This classic cocktail dates back to 1937 and is named not for the time period, but for the stylish 20th Century Limited train from New York to Chicago. It’s a perfect example of how an aperitif (Lillet) and a liqueur (crème de cacao) can combine to lift a cocktail above the ordinary.
Complement your home bar with versatile liqueurs
One could argue that without liqueur, a drink isn’t a cocktail. It’s just booze in a glass.
Old Fashioned Party Base
Nightingale head bartender Rhett Williams created this base to take the time-consuming part out of making an Old Fashioned, and to make it versatile enough to use with just bourbon, brandy, rye or rum. It’s perfect for hosting a crowd. Note that this recipe needs at least 24 hours before it’s ready to use.
How to stock your spirits cabinet
Every cocktail starts with a base spirit. Every home cocktail bar should do the same. The question is, what spirits do you really need to stock at home? What’s worth spending money on (and what isn’t)? After all, those bright, shiny bottles can be expensive.