The Pink Lady is built on a foundation of gin, with lemon juice for tartness and egg white for body, along with a note of grenadine to both sweeten and color the drink. But the Pink Lady needs additional fortification, and that's where a mild dose of applejack comes in; this lends more depth and backbone to the drink, and makes it about as unassuming as the brick that file clerk is packing around in her purse. More
Some things in life are worth celebrating. And it is only proper to toast new beginnings: champagne on the New Year, and the Baracktail on tomorrow's inauguration. As I was creating this, I wanted it to be redolent of Barack... More
Developed by Canadian beer expert and author Stephen Beaumont, the Green Devil utilizes one of Belgium's landmark ales, Duvel, and accents its subtle flavor with a dose of gin and a touch of absinthe. Using a full-flavored, aromatic gin such as Martin Miller's Westbourne Strength, and a small amount of good absinthe (Marteau is a good one for this drink, though Lucid, Kubler or several other brands also work well), More
If you're searching for the appropriate cocktail, then allow me to suggest the Bee's Knees. This is a speakeasy classic, and not necessarily in a good way: thanks to the Volstead Act, professionally manufactured booze was in short supply, leading many drinkers to turn to slapdash spirits such as the notorious bathtub gin. To mask the flavor of these noxious spirits, plenty of strong flavors and rich sweeteners were added to the cocktail shaker, resulting in some bloodcurdling bad concoctions. More
Dating to at least 1930, Satan's Whiskers is actually relatively modest in firepower, perfect for celebrating a festive evening without making it an early night. Gin is mixed with equal parts sweet and dry vermouth and fresh orange juice, and the mixture is given crisp depth by adding orange bitters and the gentle sweetness of orange liqueur. This last point results in two versions of the cocktail: the curled version, which uses orange curacao for the liqueur; the straight version employs Grand Marnier. More
Originally named for a Philadelphia social club with roots tracing back to the 1880s, the Clover Club was, for decades, one of the marks of the sophisticated boozer, a manly drink (despite its pink hue) shaken by the bucketload in the wood-paneled lounges of the early 20th century. More
Over the years, the drink has faced some challenges--bottles of Holland House Collins Mix in my parents' liquor cabinet spring to mind. Was squeezing a lemon really so difficult? But successfully navigating its course from horse-and-carriage days to the digital age, the Tom Collins is built for survival. Keep some lemons and soda water on-hand this weekend and knock together a Collins in between grilling stints. More
Here's a recipe that's sure to make your dad forget all about that six-pack in the back of the fridge. The Mississippi Watermelon-Basil Martini is made with gin and a hint of lime. More
Let's be honest: The Bronx is unlikely to be anyone's favorite drink. But while it's not exactly bottled excitement, The Bronx is actually pretty good, and surprisingly refreshing. Be sure to use fresh-squeezed orange juice (and if you add a dash or two of Angostura bitters, you've got a somewhat tastier Income Tax Cocktail on your hands), and approach it with an open mind. More
