#293 Cocktail: Tropical

    This is a recipe by David Embury from 1950's, bu reformulated by Gaz Regan, due to the fact that the original one asked for muddled pineapple with sugar and it didn't include the bitters.
     A tasty cocktail that, depending on the type of bitters you use, the taste can change tremendously.

2 ounces dark rum

1/2 ounce pineapple juice

1/2 ounce fresh lime juice

grenadine to taste

Angostura bitters to taste

#292 Cocktail: Whiskey Old-Fashioned

    The first documented definition of the word "cocktail" was in response to a reader's letter asking to define the word in the May 6, 1806, issue of The Balance and Columbian Repository in Hudson, New York. In the May 13, 1806, issue, the paper's editor wrote that it was a potent concoction of spirits, bitters, water, and sugar; it was also referred to at the time as a bittered sling. J.E. Alexander describes the cocktail similarly in 1833, as he encountered it in New York City, as being rum, gin, or brandy, significant water, bitters, and sugar, though he includes a nutmeg garnish as well.
    By the 1860s, it was common for orange curaçao, absinthe, and other liqueurs to be added to the cocktail. The original concoction, albeit in different proportions, came back into vogue, and was referred to as "old-fashioned". The most popular of the in-vogue "old-fashioned" cocktails were made with whiskey, according to a Chicago barman, quoted in the Chicago Daily Tribune in 1882, with rye being more popular than Bourbon. The recipe he describes is a similar combination of spirits, bitters, water and sugar of seventy-six years earlier.
    The first mention in print of "old fashioned cocktails" was in the Chicago Daily Tribune in February 1880. However, the Pendennis Club, a gentlemen's club founded in 1881 in Louisville, Kentucky, claims the old fashioned cocktail was invented there. The recipe was said to have been invented by a bartender at that club in honor of Colonel James E. Pepper, a prominent bourbon distiller, who brought it to the Waldorf-Astoria Hotel bar in New York City.
    With its conception rooted in the city's history, in 2015 the city of Louisville named the old fashioned as its official cocktail. Each year, during the first two weeks of June, Louisville celebrates "Old Fashioned Fortnight" which encompasses bourbon events, cocktail specials and National Bourbon Day which is always celebrated on June 14.

Wikipedia

1 cube of sugar

3 dashes Angostura bitters

3 ounces bourbon or straight rye whiskey

#256 Cocktail: Seelbach

      "For the last 20 years, if you were in the bar business and knew one thing about the bartender Adam Seger, it was that he was the man behind the Seelbach cocktail.
      The Seelbach is named after the Seelbach Hotel (today the Seelbach Hilton), a storied century-old lodging in downtown Louisville, Ky., that is mentioned briefly in “The Great Gatsby.” Shortly after being put in charge of the hotel’s bar and restaurant operations in 1995, Mr. Seger declared that he had discovered a recipe for a pre-Prohibition cocktail that was once the hotel’s signature drink. He tested it, liked it and put it on the menu.
        After two decades of yarn-spinning, Mr. Seger, 47, who left the hotel in 2001 and recently helped open the Tuck Room in downtown Manhattan, has decided to come clean that he concocted not only the drink but also the story behind it."

The New York Times

        The cocktail is beautifully delicious!!! The adding of the Cointreau gives a really nice orange flavor and the bourbon compliments it with a nice sweeteness. One of the most delicious champagne cocktails I ever had

 3/4 ounce bourbon

1/2 ounce triple sec

7 dashes Angostura bitters

7 dashes Peychaud's bitters

8 ounces Champagne

#251 Cocktail: Remember the Maine

    A classic cocktail adapted from a recipe but Charles H Baker Jr., which insisted that, when making the drink, you should only stir clockwise.
    Charles H Baker Jr, an American journalist who counted Ernest Hemingway and Errol Flynn among his many friends, wrote for magazines such as Gourmet, Esquire and Town and Country, and was described by Margaria Fichtner, a columnist for the Miami Herald, as having an ‘unquenchable enthusiasm for what he called “the gentle art of imbibation”’.
    Baker writes in his 1939 book, The Gentleman's Companion: An Exotic Drinking Book.

(scotchwhisky.com)

2 ounces bourbon

3/4 ounce sweet vermouth

1/4 ounce cherry liqueur

absinthe to taste

Angostura bitters to taste

#232 Cocktail: Preakness

   "Ooooh, the weather outside is frightful,
     And this cocktail is so delightful"

  I thought about this when I was going home today, through a snow storm, to make this cocktail.
  Historians tell us that George Backert, head barman at Baltimore’s Emerson Hotel, invented the Preakness Cocktail as a contest entry. It seems the Pimlico racetrack owners were looking for a good evening cocktail to serve at the first Preakness Ball in 1936, and Backert’s simple twist on the classic Manhattan won the honor of becoming the first official cocktail of the afterparty. ( https://cold-glass.com )

2 ounces bourbon or rye whiskey 

1 ounce sweet vermouth

Benedictine to taste

Angostura bitters to taste

#230 Cocktail: Pegu Club

       The Pegu Club or the Pegu is a gin-based cocktail that was the signature drink of Burma's Pegu Club. The club was located just outside Rangoon, and its members were those Britons who were senior government and military officials and prominent businessmen. The club was named after the Pegu, a Burmese river. The recipe appears in the Savoy Cocktail Book of 1930 by Harry Craddock as "The Pegu Club Cocktail," and the 1930 edition of Cocktails by "Jimmy" late of Ciro's London as "Pegu Club." However, it appears to be first listed in Barflies and Cocktails by Harry McElhone of the famous Harry's New York Bar in Paris
       The Pegu Cocktail has all but disappeared from memory in present-day Myanmar, however there has been a resurgence in awareness and availability due to tourism. A version of the cocktail is served at the Governor's Residence Hotel and the historic Strand Hotel in Yangon, as well as the Road to Mandalay, which is an Orient Express cruise boat on the Irrawaddy River. It is also served at the Los Angeles Athletic Club's 100-year-old Invention bar, and there is a cocktail lounge in New York City that adopted it as its name.

(Wikipedia)

2 ounces Gin

1 ounce triple sec

1/2 ounce fresh lime juice

Angostura bitters to taste

Orange bitter to taste

#229 Cocktail: Planter's Punch

      Planter's Punch is an IBA Official Cocktail made of dark rum, several juices, grenadine syrup, sugar syrup, and Angostura bitters.
     The cocktail has been said to have originated at the Planters Hotel in Charleston, SC. The September 1878 issue of the London magazine Fun listed the recipe as follows:

A wine-glass with lemon juice fill,

Of sugar the same glass fill twice

Then rub them together until

The mixture looks smooth, soft, and nice.

Of rum then three wine glasses add,

And four of cold water please take. A

Drink then you'll have that's not bad—

At least, so they say in Jamaica.

    The recipe in Gaz Regan book is slightly changed. He relies heavily on the grapefruit juice both Angostura and Peychaud's bitters

2 ounces dark rum

1/2 ounce fresh lime juice

1/2 ounce fresh lemon juice

1 ounce fresh orange juice

2 ounces fresh grapefruit juice

Angostura bitters to taste

Peychauds bitters to taste

#221 Cocktail: Paddy

      As Gaz Regan says, "Paddy cocktail is the Irish Manhattan", and he is right when he says that. The only difference between the two is the fact that in this one you have to use Irish whiskey (of course you have to use this, because otherwise it would't be Paddy :) )
      The cocktail was made for he first time in 1930 and appeared in Harry Craddock's "The Savoy Cocktail Book" 1930. The 1930 recipe doesn't say anything about the lemon twist garnish, but the one in Gaz Regan's book adds this subtle aromatic dimension

2 ounces Irish whiskey

1 ounce sweet vermouth 

Angostura bitters to taste

     

#219 Cocktail: Old Cuban

     This cocktail is soooo delicious!
      ......but the recipe is not that old as the name states. It was created by Audrey Sanders, the New York's Libation Goddess in 2002.
       The name of the cocktail comes from the fact that the base alcohol should be the Bacardi 8 anejo rum and as the Imbibe magazine stated, it is a " hybrid between a Mojito and French 75"

1/2 ounce fresh lime juice

3/4 to 1 ounce simple syrup

6 fresh mint leaves

1 1/2 ounce Bacardi 8 anejo rum

2 dashes Angostura bitters

Moet & Chandon champagne

#200 Cocktail: Millennium

        The cocktail was created for the New Year\s Eve in 1999 by Gaz Regan and his wife, Mardee. It's a simple recipe, but the drink can be quite complex if enough bitters is added ( this ingredient really makes the cocktail come alive).

 2 1/2 ounce bourbon

1/2 ounce peach schnapps 

3 dashes angostura bitters

#192 Cocktail: Martinez

      Thought to be the ‘Father’ of the Martini, or at least acknowledged to have had a huge amount of influence on it, the Martinez’s origins belong in a cloudy haze of uncertainty.
      It most likely started life sometime in the 1860’s or 70’s, but is first known to have been published in O.H. Byron’s The Modern Bartender, in 1884. Byron’s succinct summary of the Martinez states that it is the “same as Manhattan, only you substitute the gin for whisky.” The difficulty in this very simple statement is that he gives two versions of the Manhattan and no suggestion of which the Martinez is to follow; both a dry and sweet Manhattan were recorded. In the years since, this has added greatly to the confusion. ( www.ginfoundry.com )

       The most recognized version of the classic recipe, as printed in an 1887 revised (and posthumously published) edition of Jerry Thomas’ book How To Make Drinks or the Bon Vivant’s Companion, substitutes Old Tom Gin for whiskey to create something approximating a gin Manhattan

      2 ounces gin

1 ounce sweet vermouth

1/4 ounce maraschino liqueur

Angostura bitters to taste

#189 Cocktail: Maiden's Prayer

   The cocktail is adapted from Harry Craddock's 1930 "Savoy Cocktail Book" recipe.
   Well, there is the name. And with cocktails, there is usually a story attached to the name. In this case, the story starts with an ultra-popular 19th century musical piece “The Maiden’s Prayer” about the purity of young women. All good. But with cocktail types being what they are, someone in the early 20th century decided to give the name to a cocktail with, perhaps, a lascivious wink. To make matters worse, the name was applied to multiple different (and sometimes god-awful) drinks, one of which Esquire, in 1949, suggested be “served on the edge of the couch”. Ugh. Maybe they should have called that cocktail “The Lecher’s Quest”. In any event, confusion and sleaze do not make for popular cocktails (well maybe a little sleaze, but certainly not confusion). But there are good versions of the Maiden’s Prayer, you just need to look in the right places. (www.putneyfarm.com)

1 ounce gin

1 ounce triple sec

1/2 fresh lemon juice

1/2 fresh orange juice

Angostura bitters to taste

#171 Cocktail: Kentucky Longshot

    It is a delicious, peach flavour, drink and I think that is one of the best cocktails for those who do not like bourbon, but still want to try some. I say that because that taste of the bourbon is way in the back of the flavours covered by the peach liqueur and the ginger one.
    The cocktail was created in 1998 by Max Allen Jr. in the Seelbach Hilton Hotel in Louisville, Kentucky and it was created as the signature drink for the 1998 Breeder's Cup

2 ounces bourbon

1/2 ounce ginger liqueur 

1/2 ounce peach brandy 

1 dash Angostura bitters

1 dash Peychaud's bitters

#166 Cocktail: Jockey Club No.2

    The name of the cocktail comes from the largest commercial organisation in British horseracing.
     It founded as one of the most exclusive high society social clubs in the United Kingdom, sharing some of the functions of a gentleman's club such as high-level socialising. It was called 'The Jockey Club' in reference to the late medieval word for 'horsemen', prounced 'yachey' and spelt 'Eachaidhe' in Gaelic.

     The original 1930 recipe for this cocktail called for creme de noyau, but Gaz Regan replaced that with the amaretto and also dropped the orange bitters, leaving only the Angostura one, so in conclusion, this is a new recipe for the Jockey Club, therefore is called "No.2"

2 ounces Gin

3/4 ounce Amaretto

3/4 ounce fresh lemon juice

Angostura bitters to taste

#159 Cocktail: Income Tax

   The cocktail is almost identical to another drink called "Bronx". Just by adding the Angostura bitters to the recipe, the "Bronx" was transformed into "Income Tax".
    The origin of the cocktail is unknown. Some people say that first appeared in the "Savoy Cocktail Book", others say that was first published in "Mr. Boston". Also the name history is also unknown. But when you think that the Angostura is bitter and also the taxes are bitter, then we might come to a conclusion about the name.

     1 1/2 ounce Gin

1/4 ounce Dry Vermouth

1/4 ounce Sweet Vermouth

1 ounce fresh orange juice

Angostura bitters to taste

#153 Cocktail: Hawaiian

    When you hear the name "Hawaiian" for a drink , and especially for a cocktail, you immediately think of a tropical cocktail, with a small umbrella and a combination of vivid colors. Well, this time.....wrong. This cocktail appeared in 1935 and first time appeared in the "Old Mr. Boston" barguide.
    Old Mr. Boston was a distillery located at 1010 Massachusetts Avenue in Boston, Massachusetts from 1933 to 1986. It produced its own label of gin, bourbon, rum, and brandies, as well as a few cordials and liqueurs.
    The "Mr. Boston" name is known not only for its brands of distilled spirits, but also for its unique reference book, (Old) Mr. Boston Official Bartender's Guide, used by both professional and home bartenders as the "Bible of Booze." The Guide was first published 1935, according to the first date published in the Guide's publisher information page, the early days after the Repeal of Prohibition, when the distillery started up business again.
     In the original recipe, the two dashes of Angostura were missing and they were added by Gaz Regan so the drink will receive a more complexity. Enjoy!!!

2 onces Gin

1/2 ounce Cointreau

1/2 pineapple juice

2 dashes Angostura aromatic

     

#153 Cocktail: Hop Toad

    The drink here is adapted from a recipe in Crockett's "The Old Waldorf Astoria Bar Book", but the ratios are not the same as the original ones.
     David Wondrich gives a nice description or tale in the Esquire Magazine regarding this cocktail:

      "A slippery one, this, but worth catching if the effort required isn't too great. Here's the thing of it: It's as easy to mix as an Alka-Seltzer and twice as restorative -- provided you can get the main ingredient. It calls, you see, for apricot brandy. But not just any apricot brandy. It calls for Hungarian apricot brandy, and nothing else will do. In Hungary, they make the stuff by mashing up a mess of apricots, fermenting it, and running it through the still a couple times -- yielding what the French would call an eau de vie.Delicately perfumed, smooth, and yet still a little bit fiery. Here, we make apricot brandy by flavoring grape brandy with apricots, perhaps even artificial ones, and then sweetening the shit out of it. It has an unfortunate tendency to taste like cough syrup, and that not of the highest grade. It's not recommended for anyone over legal drinking age. Or under it. (Our lawyers made us add that. Thanks, guys.) If you do get your hands on some of the stuff -- "barack palinka," they call it, and it is in fact imported here* -- you might as well try the venerable Hop Toad"

1 1/2 ounce dark rum

1 ounce apricot liqueur 

1/2 ounce fresh lime juice

Angostura to taste

#117 Cocktail: Esquivel

      The drink is adapted from a recipe by Ted Haigh (Dr. Cocktail). The name of the drink comes from a band leader named Juan Garcia Esquivel.  He was one of the foremost exponents of a sophisticated style of largely instrumental music that combines elements of lounge music and jazzwith Latin flavors. Esquivel is sometimes called "The King of Space Age Pop" and "The Busby Berkeley of Cocktail Music."
      The cocktail was created for Byron Werner, who rediscovered Esquivel after years of obscurity and allowed him several years of revitalized fame before his demise.
       It was created to characterize Esquivel himself: sweet, spicy, tropical, tangy

2 ounces light rum

1/2 ounce Kahlua

1 ounce pineapple juice

orange bitters to taste

Angostura bitters to taste

     

#103 Cocktail: Deadly Sin

  This cocktail is adapted from a recipe by Rafael Ballesteros of Spai, a member of DrinkBoy community board of cocktilians.
   The cocktail has a powerful hint of orange from the bitters and the orange twist dropped in the glass, which compliments the mellow taste of bourbon. I can say that the drink is a twist on classic cocktail, the Manhattan, by adding a tinny drop of maraschino liqueur and use less sweet vermouth.
    For the people who love the Manhattan, the Deadly Sin can be a nice alternative

2 ounces Bourbon

1/3 ounce sweet vermouth

1/2 maraschino liqueur

1 dash orange bitters

#92 Cocktail: Caribbean Cosmopolitan

  This cocktail is nothing else but a twist on the cltassic Cosmopolita (see the name) by adding a tropical juice such as the pineapple juice.
   No big history behind this one, just that was created by Garry Reggan for Trotter's Bar in Trinidad. Based on this recipe, you can experiment with different base spirits like citrus vodka or the orange-flavored rum.

2 ounces Bacardi Limon

1/2 ounce triple sec

1/2 ounce fresh lime juice

1/4 ounce pineapple juice

1/4 ounce cranberry juice

Angostura bitters to taste