Description: A modern classic that layers a smoky Islay float over a bright, gingery Scotch sour — one of the most influential 21st-century cocktails. Cultural Background: Created by bartender Sam Ross at Milk & Honey in New York in 2005, named half-jokingly for its honey-and-ginger "medicinal" quality. Tips: Make the honey-ginger syrup by simmering equal […]
Description: A Whiskey Sour topped with a floating layer of dry red wine, creating a striking gradient in the glass and an extra layer of flavor. Cultural Background: Dates to the late 1800s Midwestern US, sometimes also called a "Continental Sour" in older bartending guides. Tips: A full-bodied, slightly tannic red wine (like a Malbec […]
Description: The whiskey-based sibling of the Tom Collins, long and refreshing with a fizzy soda top. Cultural Background: Collins drinks trace back to 19th-century London headwaiter John Collins, with a whole family of variants named after him depending on the base spirit used. Tips: Build the soda top gently to preserve as much carbonation as […]
Description: A muddled, citrus-forward bourbon drink that splits the difference between a Whiskey Sour and a Mint Julep. Cultural Background: Popularised in its modern form by bartender Dale DeGroff in the early 2000s, though "smashes" as a drink category date to the mid-1800s. Tips: Muddle the mint gently — over-muddling releases bitter chlorophyll from the […]
Description: An equal-parts Scotch cocktail that's neither bloody nor sandy — smooth, fruity and surprisingly gentle for a whisky drink. Cultural Background: Named for the 1922 Rudolph Valentino bullfighting film of the same name, and first published that same year in Harry MacElhone's cocktail book. Tips: Fresh orange juice makes a real difference here — […]
Description: Essentially a Manhattan made with Scotch instead of American whiskey, giving it a smokier, maltier character. Cultural Background: Created in 1894 at the Waldorf-Astoria Hotel in New York to mark the premiere of an operetta called "Rob Roy," based on the Scottish outlaw of the same name. Tips: A blended Scotch works better than […]
Description: A simple hot whiskey drink long used as a comfort remedy for cold weather or the early symptoms of a cold. Cultural Background: Toddies date back centuries, with roots in both the British Isles and colonial-era India, where the word "toddy" originally referred to a fermented palm-sap drink. Tips: Use water that's hot but […]
Description: A warming, after-dinner drink that layers cold, lightly whipped cream over hot, whiskey-spiked sweetened coffee. Cultural Background: Created by chef Joe Sheridan at Foynes Port in Ireland in the 1940s to warm weary transatlantic flying-boat passengers; popularised in the US after a 1952 San Francisco Chronicle travel piece. Tips: Whip the cream only lightly […]
Description: A New Orleans classic that splits its base between rye and cognac, rounded out with vermouth, Bénédictine and two bitters. Cultural Background: Created in the 1930s at the Hotel Monteleone's Carousel Bar in New Orleans's French Quarter (Vieux Carré means "old square" in French). Tips: Don't skip the Bénédictine — its honeyed, herbal sweetness […]
Description: An equal-parts modern classic that balances bourbon against two Italian liqueurs and fresh lemon — bittersweet and citrus-forward at once. Cultural Background: Created by bartender Sam Ross (also behind the Penicillin) in 2007 or 2008, named after the M.I.A. song playing in the bar at the time. Tips: Equal parts makes this drink easy […]