Modern gimlet

For ➊
6 cl gin
1 cl lime juice*
1 cl simple syrup (1:1, sugar:water)
lime wheel for garnish

Add all ingredients to a cocktail shaker.
Add ice and shake until chilled.
Strain into a chilled coupe or cocktail glass. (Add a splash of soda, if wanted).
Garnish with a lime wheel.

*Before fresh juice was standard in cocktails, Rose’s Lime Cordial was the traditional substitute for simple syrup and lime juice. Some still insist that a gimlet is not a gimlet without Rose’s, but we prefer to use fresh citrus whenever possible.

This cocktail was created for English sailors as a way to prevent scurvy. It used Rose’s Lime Cordial, lime juice mixed with syrup, to add vitamine C. This preventative drink turned out to be delicious as well. Modern Rose’s Lime Cordial is a much sweeter concoction than the original and should be replaced by fresh juice. Replace the sugar in the syrup with stevia, if wanted.

Orange & Aperol

For ➊
5 cl Aperol
10-15 cl fresh orange juice*
ice
5 cl of ice-cold sparkling water

Mix the Aperol with ice cubes in a shaker. Pour into a high cocktail glass.
Add fresh orange juice, more ice and sparkling water.
Enjoy.

*Use half lemon, half orange juice. Or diluted rhubarber syrup. Or pureed watermelon or melon flesh. Adjust liquid.

Limonana

For ➋
6 tbs (115 g) sugar
12 cl plus 6 tbs (9 cl) water, divided
12 cl fresh lemon juice
4 stems worth of mint leaves (about 40 leaves, which is about 2 g) with the stems discarded, plus a few extra sprigs for garnish if desired
18-20 ice cubes
1-2 drops orange blossom water (optional)

Add the sugar and 6 tbs of water to a small saucepan. Heat over medium heat, stirring constantly, until the sugar is dissolved. Cool to room temperature.
Add the cooled sugar syrup, remaining 12 cl water, lemon juice, mint leaves, ice cubes, and orange blossom water (if using) to a blender. Pulse a few times to break up the ice and then process until slushy.
Pour into 2 tall glasses, garnish with mint leaves if desired, and serve immediately.

Wikipedia on the name: In Israel, the name came from an advertising campaign conducted in the early 1990s. At that time, public-bus advertising was in its infancy in Israel. The Fogel Levin advertising agency undertook a bus-only campaign to prove the effectiveness of this new medium. Fogel Levin advertised a soft drink called Limonana and printed its ads through the Galgalei Zahav (Wheels of Gold) company. The ads, describing the drink as a blend of lemon and mint, reported, "Rabinowitz drinks Limonana" and, "Ohana drinks Limonana", referring to celebrities of the time. The ad campaign created a buzz[4] and consumers flocked to stores and kiosks to try the new flavor. Two weeks into the campaign, with consumers and stores clamoring for the product, the advertising agency admitted that no such drink existed. Spurred by customer demand, first restaurants and then soft drink manufacturers began to produce the flavor combination.

Paloma

For ➊ drink
4.5 cl reposado tequila (or any good quality blanco)
juice of half a ruby grapefruit
1.5 cl of agave syrup or sugar syrup*
7.5 cl club soda
a squirt of fresh lime juice (optional)

Pour some kosher salt on a plate. Rub half of rim of a highball glass with grapefruit wedge; dip rim of glass in salt..
Mix the grapefruit juice, tequila and sugar syrup until well mixed.
Pour over a tall glass filled with ice and top up with soda water. You could add a squirt of lime juice. And rim the glass with salt.**

*To reduce your sugar intake, simply leave the sugar out. It's less sweet but delicious.
**Combine grapefruit juice, lime juice, and sugar in glass; stir until sugar is dissolved. Stir in mescal, add ice, and top off with club soda. Garnish with grapefruit wedge.
***Replace the fresh grapefruit and soda with sparkling grapefruit lemonade.
***Or have a related Margarita.

Little is known about the historical origin of the Paloma, the most popular tequila-based cocktail in Mexico. Some believe that it is named after La Paloma ('The Dove'), the popular folk song composed in the early 1860s. Diffords guide states it was created by the legendary Don Javier Delgado Corona, owner and bartender of La Capilla, in Tequila, Mexico.
More Paloma recipes @ https://www.liquor.com/slideshows/paloma/#gs.PclY1XI

Margarita

For ➊ drink
9-12 cl fresh squeezed lime juice
3 cl Cointreau, triple sec or another orange liqueur
4.5 cl oz Blanco tequila
kosher salt (optional)
lime wheel
Glass: Cocktail or rocks

Add the ingredients to a shaker filled with ice and shake.
Strain into a chilled cocktail glass or rocks glass filled with fresh ice.
Garnish with a lime wheel.
For a slightly sweeter drink, add a dash of agave syrup (one part water, two parts agave nectar) before shaking. Or replace the Cointreau with it.

*Do another version, try 6 cl tequila, 3 cl lime juice, 3 cl agave syrup (1 part water/ 1 part agave nectar)
**Or have a related Paloma.

A very fino martini

For ➊
4 cl Bombay gin*
0.5 cl fino sherry

Stir gin and sherry over ice-cubes in a mixing glass.
Strain the drink (without ice!) into a pre-cooled cocktail glass. Garnish with a lemon twist.

*Optionally, replace gin with top vodka.
**Some recipes recommend 4 cl gin  + 2 cl manzanilla or fino

Negroni sbagliato

For ➊ drink
6 cl spumante (or prosecco / champagne/ white chardonnay)
3 cl sweet vermouth
3 cl Campari
1 slice orange for garnish

Stir well over ice in a balloon-size wine glass.
Garnish with a slice of orange.

Made by mistake (sbagliato) in a Milano bar: instead of gin , use spumante. Or prosecco. Or champagne. Or white wine.

Boulevardier

For ➊
3 cl Campari
3 cl sweet vermouth
4.5 cl bourbon / Bulleit Rye whiskey*

Pour ingredients into a mix glass. Add ice.
Stir until the cocktail is cooled.
Strain in a cooled Martini glass or tumblr. Finish with an orange twist or even an olive. It can be served over ice like a Negroni.

*Change bourbon to 6 cl. The original cocktail used a ⅓/⅓/⅓ part, as in the Negroni, but might be too sweet with the strong Campari.
Change 1 measure of bourbon to 2 measures of rye whiskey, and you get a '1794'. Change the sweet vermouth to a dry one, and you get an 'Old Pal'.

The Boulevardier' was served in the Paris Harry's bar. It appeared in the 1927 bar guide, 'Barflies and Cocktails'. It was the signature drink of Erskine Gwynne, expatriate writer, socialite and nephew of railroad tycoon Alfred Vanderbilt. Gwynne edited a monthly magazine, a sort of Parisian New Yorker, named 'The Boulevardier', obviously, a Negroni with bourbon in lieu of gin. The Negroni, however, would not see print for another 20 years, and Americans had never heard of Campari in 1927.

Cucumber lemon water

For ➊-➋ l
½ lemon, thinly sliced
¼ cucumber, thinly sliced
ice
1-2 l water

In a large pitcher add the lemon and cucumber, then the ice and then water.
Let sit in the fridge for a few minutes before serving. Pour into a large wine glass, put your feet up and relax.
Once the water is down to only ¼ full refill with water. You can do this several times, keep in the fridge.
Infuse overnight if possible.

The cucumber acts as an anti-inflammatory and the lemons boost immunity.

Bob Dylan's finest mint julep

For ➊ drink
6 tbs Bourbon whiskey
1 tbs powder sugar
4 mint sprigs
1 tbs water

A traditional way to make a julep is to bruise the mint leaves, and put them in a glass with sugar, and add ice and bourbon. Bob Dylan described in his Theme Time Radio Hour how to make, by his preferences, a perfect mint julep:
“First up, you take four mint sprigs, two and a half ounces of bourbon. I'd put three. A table spoon of powder sugar, and a table spoon of water. You put the mint leaves, powder sugar and water in a Collins glass. You fill the glass with shaved, or crushed ice, and then add bourbon. Top that off with more ice. And... I'd like to garnish that with a mint sprig. Serve it with a straw. Two or three of those, and anything sounds good."

Read more Bob Dylan suggestions: Bob Dylan's perfect meatballs.

Quick mint cider

For ➊ drink
½ tbs white mint syrup*
15 cl brut cider**

Freeze long-stemmed glasses until frosted. Put mint syrup in glass. Pour cider in.

*Avoid syrups that are too sweet, or that contain artificial colouring or flavours.
Or make your own fresh mint syrup.
Or put some sugar and fresh mint leaves in a larger glass and pour over the cider.
**Use a good Normandy bitter apple cider, not too sweet.

This is a quick version of a traditional mint cider punch. (Put a good bunch of chopped fresh mint and 1,5 l apple cider in a pot, bring to boil and simmer for 5 m. Cool and strain. Add 25 cl lemonade or soda and refrigerate. Add 10 cl lemon vodka and 10 cl green apple vodka before serving. Cut the vodka if you want.) This also inspired the Rumor cocktail (mix white old rum, mint, cider, fresh lime and top with soda).
Recently, the Japanese beverage giant Suntory launched a soft drink Cool Mint Cider, with just too much sugar in it, and dressed with icy penguins.

Cold brewed coffee

For ➎-➓ cups of coffee cups or glasses
12 tbs lightly roasted espresso coffee, ground coarsely* **
0.9 l water**

Put the coffee in your container, French press preferred.
For a French press, pour the coffee into the bottom of the canister. Gradually add the water. Stir gently, making sure all the coffee grounds are moistened.
Let stand at room temperature for at least 12 h. Don’t rush this. The long steep time is important for proper extraction.
For the French press, simply press down on the plunger to move grounds to the bottom.
Pour.
Coffee extract should be diluted with each serving. From a 50-50 concentration of water to 70-30 ratio. Be aware that some flavors are lost if you drink the extract straight.
The concentrate will keep for up to 2 weeks covered and chilled in the fridge. Add ice, milk, or your other favorite coffee things and enjoy.

*A smaller grind will result in cloudy coffee.
**Or 450 g coffee to 2.25 l water.

Mint julep

For ➊ drink
10 cl good Bourbon whiskey*
5 cl (4 tbs) white mint syrup**
6 tbs crushed ice
fresh mint sprig to garnish

Put a deep glass*** in the freezer for 30 m or more. When frosted, take them out by the edges with a towel.
Fill with crushed ice. Pour in mint syrup*, then bourbon.
Serve with a fresh sprig of mint and a short straw, peeping just above the rim.

*Or Tennessee sour mash.
**Avoid syrups that are too sweet, or that contain artificial colouring or flavours.
Or make your own fresh mint syrup.
Or use another method: see Bob Dylan's finest mint julep.
***Silver goblets may be used to great effect.

Mint juleps were developed in the 18th century in the Eastern American states like Virginia, but have now become a traditional Southern drink, due to the bourbon or sour mash used to make it. Mint juleps show up in popular culture, with several songs about it, including the great One Mint Julep by the Clovers, also a big hit for Ray Charles about the disastrous combination of just 1 mint julep & just 1 bad woman.
The julep uses a similar mixing method as the mojito. The word 'julep' is derived from Arabic 'julab' and Persian 'gulab', meaning 'rosewater'.
Read more on mint drinks: quick mint cider.

Old-Fashioned

For ➊ cocktail
1 sugar cube (or ½ ts loose sugar)*
3 dashes Angostura bitters
club soda
6 cl rye whisky or Bourbon

Place the sugar cube (or ½ ts loose sugar) in an old-fashioned glass.
Wet it down with 2 or 3 dashes of Angostura bitters and a short splash of water or club soda. Crush the sugar.
Rotate the glass so that the sugar grains and bitters give it a lining. Add a large ice cube. Pour in the rye (or bourbon).
Serve with a stirring rod.

*Or use simple syrup (¼ to ¾ whiskey).

The Old-Fashioned is the ur-cocktail, dating from the early 19th century. A 'cock tail' was a morning drink made up of a little water, a little sugar, a lot of liquor, and a couple splashes of bitters. Freeze the water, make it with whiskey, and you have an Old-Fashioned. The 60's variation, with a cherry and orange peel was revived with the 'Mad Men' television series.
The Jack Daniel's bourbon variation: gently muddle orange peel, cherry, 1.5 cl sugar syrup and 4 dashes of bitters in an old-fashioned glass. Optionally, add a Maraschino cherry. Add ice and stir in part of the JD Single Barrel bourbon until it dilutes. Keep adding Single Barrel and ice. Garnish with orange peel.
It could also be made with Dutch or Belgian jenever or rum.

Montezuma chocolate cocktail

For ➋ (large)- ➍(medium)
60 cl milk
75 g plain chocolate
pinch allspice
pinch powdered ginger
1 tbs honey
7.5 cl rum
5 cl eau de vie de marc or brandy
rind ½ lemon, grated

Heat the milk gently with the chocolate, spices and honey.  When the chocolate has melted, leave to cool. Pour the milk into a cocktail shaker, add rum and brandy/eau de vie de marc, and grated lemon rind. Shake well.
Refrigerate.*
Shake again before serving.

*Serve it warm, without cooling. Don't shake,but blend.

A cold grog variation on Mexican spiced hot cocoa.

Mexican hot chocolate with tequila & cayenne

For ➋ servings
70 cl milk
125 g premium dark chocolate, broken into chunks
6 tbs cocoa
2 tbs cane sugar
⅛-¼ ts cayenne (or paprika)
12 cl tequila (or white rum)
10 cl heavy whipping cream
ground cinnamon for garnish

Warm the milk in a medium size heavy saucepan on medium heat, watching carefully.
Add the chocolate, the cocoa and the sugar.
Heat until the chocolate dissolves, whisking to combine all ingredients.
Season with the cayenne pepper. Start with ⅛ teaspoon and season to your taste.
Pour the warm milk into 2 large mugs and add 2 oz of tequila.
Top with whipped cream. Sprinkle whipping cream with cinnamon.

Zombie cocktail

For ➊
1 measure* dark rum
1 measure* white rum
1 measure* old rum (optional)
½ measure* apricot brandy**
2 measures* pineapple juice
½ measure* lime juice
2 ts powdered sugar***
cocktail cherry & pineapple wedge

Add all the ingredients into a cocktail mixer with ice and shake, then pour into a hurricane glass. Spear the pineapple and cherry onto a cocktail stick and place on the edge of the glass.
Finally add a straw.

*1 measure would be 3 cl.
**Use orange curaçao instead.
***Use a (grenadine or cinnamon) syrup instead.

The Zombie, also known as skull-puncher, is a cocktail with an extremely high alcohol content (1 Zombie equals 3-4 average cocktails, hence the Zombie name). It is made of fruit juices, liqueurs, and various rums. The first recipe seemed to have had 3 different kinds of rum, lime juice, falernum, Angostura bitters, Pernod, grenadine, and a combination of cinnamon syrup and grapefruit juice. It was invented by Donn Beach of Hollywood's Don the Beachcomber restaurant in late 1934. It became popular at the 1939 New York World's Fair. It survived as a trendy cocktail at tiki Hawaiian style parties of the 40's and 50's.

Red negroni

For ➊
4 cl gin
4 cl Campari
4 cl sweet (red) vermouth

In a mixing glass, add ingredients and cracked ice. Stir for at least 15 s.
Strain into a chilled cocktail glass.
Twist an orange peel and garnish.

The negroni was invented in Florence, Italy in 1919, at Caffè Casoni. Count Negroni invented it by asking the bartender, Fosco Scarselli, to strengthen his favorite cocktail, the americano, by adding gin rather than the normal soda water.
The 'negroni sbagliato' ("wrong negroni" in Italian) uses sparkling wine (e.g., prosecco) instead of gin.
Negroski is a recipe with vodka again as substitute for gin.
Cardinaloski is a negroski with some angostura drops.
Punt e Mes negroni instead replaces standard red vermouth with a specific, distinctively more bitter-tasting brand called Punt e Mes.
The cin cyn uses Cynar an artichoke based liquor, instead of Campari.
Pinkish negroni is made with pink wine (instead of gin).
A raultini is a variation using Aperol instead of Campari, giving its distinctive orange color, lighter alcohol content, and a bit of sweetness.
The most basic variation is served straight up in a martini glass with a splash of carbonated water floating on top of the alcohol mixture and a twist of lemon zest replacing the orange peel, known as the American version.
Other Italian versions substitute spumante brut or vodka for gin. A sparkling negroni is made with champagne or prosecco.

The Roux mystery: Mayan hot chocolate

For ➋
50 cl boiling water
1 chilli pepper, cut in half, seeds removed
125 cl light cream (or non-skimmed milk)
1 vanilla bean, split lengthwise
1 to 2 cinnamon sticks
250 g bittersweet chocolate, crushed
2 tbs sugar (or honey)
1 tbs ground almonds
whipped cream*

Boil water in a large saucepan. Add pepper and cook until reduced to 25 cl. Remove pepper. Strain water.
In a saucepan heat cream over medium heat. Add vanilla bean and cinnamon stick. When bubbling, lower the heat. Add chocolate and sugar. Whisk until melted. Take of heat. Remove vanilla bean and cinnamon. Add chilli flavoured water to taste.
Serve in small cups, with (crushed) almonds or hazelnuts and a dot of whipped cream.

*Optional.
**Replace half of the cream with strong coffee to change the taste to mocha.

When the gypsy Roux, played by Johnny Depp, receives his favourite kind of chocolate from Juliette Binoche in 'Chocolat', it's a kind of chocolat chaud, reminiscent of the original Maya chocolate drink. This brew was suggested at What's Cooking.

Orange chocolate martini

For ➊ cocktail
25 cl cold chocolate milk
3 cl of Grand Marnier orange liquor (or vodka) (from the freezer)*

Pour the chocolate milk into a chilled glass then add the Grand Marnier. Stir to combine.
Serve.

*For a more potent drink, use 3 cl of vodka and 3 cl of Grand Marnier.