The Last of the Standard Cocktails

Yes, ladies and gentlemen, the time has come for my series of articles on the standard cocktail repertoire to come to an end. Once you’ve learned these, realize that there are many more cocktails out there—you might even feel the urge to create a few of your own, the science of which I will freely admit is beyond me (Gastronomy being a legitimate field of science). And there’s certainly a lot more that can be said about wine and spirits. However, even with what I have taught you in these articles, you will certainly be the life of the party through dint of hard work and practice—and I am aware of the paradoxical nature of that last statement

Gin Ricky

A highball drink with a base of carbonated water, the Ricky is typically made with gin but can also use another liquor like bourbon. In addition, the mojito is a popular derivative of the Ricky made with rum and simple syrups.

To make this cocktail, use 2 ounces of whiskey, bourbon, or gin, half a lime, and sparkling water. Combine the spirit and lime in a highball glass. Add ice, stir, and then add sparkling water, followed by another stir.

Grasshopper

A digestifi, the grasshopper is a cocktail served after dinner into a cocktail glass. Fill a cocktail shaker with equal parts green creme de menthe, creme de cacaco, ice, and dairy cream. Shake briskly and strain into the glass.

There are variations you can do, such as substituting vodka for the cream (the “flying grasshopper”), a “Frozen Grasshopper” substitutes cream for vanilla ice cream, and so forth.

Ward 8

Likely the murkiest cocktail in this article, the Ward 8 has several variations to its ingredients and its origin story. Depending on who you ask, this cocktail uses bourbon, rye whiskey, or scotch as its alcoholic base, and lemon juice, lime juice, no juice, and grenadine for flavoring.

The recipe that I’ve always gone with, and seems to be the closest thing to legitimate is:

2 ounces of rye whiskey, 1/2 ounce fresh lemon juice, 1/2 ounce fresh orange juice, and a teaspoon of grenadine syrup.

Put the rye whiskey, grenadine, lemon juice and orange juice in a shaker with ice. Strain into a chilled cocktail glass. Optionally garnish with a Maraschino Cherry.

Sidecar

The Ritz of Paris claims they created it, and I won’t claim otherwise.

To make this, you’ll need cognac, a triple sec (an orange flavored Curacao liqueur ) and some lemon juice.

5 centiliters cognac, 2 centiliters triple sec, and 2 centiliters lemon juice (alternatively, equal parts of all three, depending on who you ask). Put into an ice filled shaker, shake, strain, pour into a cocktail glass. Some sugar the rim of the glass, I don’t.

Gimlet

Perhaps best known from The Long Goodbye, this is a gin based cocktail related to the daiquiri.

Five parts gin, one part simple syrup, one part lime juice. Mix and serve in a cocktail glass and serve with a slice of lime. Like most gin based cocktails, you can replace the gin with vodka, or you can do the simplest method of the Gimlet by doing half gin and half Rose’s Lime Juice and naught else

Alexander

The Alexander is a cocktail consisting of cognac, creme de cacao, and dairy cream. Take equal parts of those three ingredients, shake with ice, strain into a cocktail glass. Garnish with nutmeg powder.

A variation can be done with brandy instead of cognac, or blue curacao for creme de cacao.

Singapore Sling

Yet another gin based cocktail! The taste of medicinal alcohol goes well with everything I suppose—Anyway, this is served in a hurricane glass.

To make this, use 3 centiliters of gin, 1.5 centiliters of cherry brandy, .75 centiliters cointreau, .75cl Dom Benedictine, 1 centiliter grenadine, 12 centiliters of pineapple juice, 1.5 centiliters of lime juice, and one dash of Angostura bitters.

Pour all ingredients into cocktail shaker filled with ice cubes. Shake well. Strain into glass. Garnish with pineapple and cocktail cherry.

Champagne Cocktail

And finally, we’ll end it with a cocktail that is not, in fact, made with gin!

The champagne cocktail is made with sugar, Angostura bitters, Champagne, and brandy.

9 centiliters champagne, 1 centiliter of cognac, 2 dashes of bitters, and one sugar cube. Put a dash of dash and the sugar cube in a champagne flute. Add cognac and chilled champagne, garnish with an orange slice and a maraschino cherry.