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Lemon Drop Martini

Light yellow Lemon Drop Martini with sugar-rimmed flass and lemon wheel

The Lemon Drop Martini is an extremely well-established classic. It’s sweet enough to disguise the alcohol flavor, so it’s popular with occasional and social drinkers. It actually tastes very much like the candy for which it was named. Lemon Drop Martinis are great for drinking on a night out dancing. And they’re one of those ... Read the full article →

Western Sling

Orange-ish cocktail by poolside with cherry, orange and straw

The Western Sling cocktail is an easy-going fruity drink featuring three ounces pineapple juice – and most of an ounce of simple syrup, too. But it’s not as sweet as it sounds, because there’s also lemon juice and gin. It’s a variation on the Singapore Sling, and like the Singapore, the alcohol in it can ... Read the full article →

KGB cocktail

Amber cocktail in martini glass with twist of lemon

The KGB cocktail is not named for the former Russian intelligence agency, and does not contain vodka. I just wanted to clear that up right off the bat, because that was my initial assumption the first time I heard about it. That said, it does contain one ingredient that can come from Russia – Kimmel. ... Read the full article →

Pacifist

Red cocktail in martini glass with lemon twist on white background

The Pacifist cocktail is as easy-going as the name might lead you to believe. It’s brandy and rum with a tiny bit of fruitiness – but the only sweetness is what comes from the raspberry syrup, so it’s not an overtly fruity drink. It’s really just a very friendly drink that has no hostile intentions ... Read the full article →

Grinch

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Tired of Christmas drinks with cute names and more peppermint schnapps than you can drink in a month? Then the Grinch is the cocktail for you. Let’s face it. Who doesn’t get the holiday grouches at least now and again during the interminable eighteen-month Christmas season? Who doesn’t feel a little homicidal upon realizing you ... Read the full article →

New York Sour

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The New York Sour is an interesting looking cocktail because it floats a little red wine on top of a yellowish base. It also bears the distinction of being a good thing to do with cheap whiskey and cheap red wine. You can’t say that about many things in life. The flavor is similar to ... Read the full article →

Mirage

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The Mirage cocktail isn’t what you expect from looking at it. It blends a number of fruit flavors you don’t normally put together into one exotic taste that’s hard to describe.  Let’s just melon, pineapple, lemon and strawberry may not sound quite the ticket, but they work surprisingly well together. This drink is on the ... Read the full article →

Eagle

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The Eagle isn’t one of the better-known cocktails. It uses raw egg, which is a little scary in this day and age to many people (and particularly to bars with lawyers), but you can use an egg substitute instead for safety. It also uses Creme de Violette, which no one’s thought of much in years, ... Read the full article →

Tequila Sunset

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There are a couple of different recipes under the name Tequila Sunset. The most common one online involves orange juice and blackberry brandy. This is not that recipe. The Tequila Sunset I like is one of those fantastically simple cocktails that hits just the right note. It blends lemon juice and honey with tequila. You ... Read the full article →

Prohibition

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What ingredient does a cocktail called Prohibition absolutely have to feature? That’s right – gin. But this is not your typical gin cocktail. Kina Lillet is a wine aperitif made from Bourdeaux wines and citrus liqueurs. As you’d expect from that description, it’s a little fruity but not terribly sweet. This, along with the apricot ... Read the full article →

Rum Sidecar

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The Rum Sidecar, as you can probably guess, is basically a traditional Sidecar in which rum replaces cognac. But the alcohol ratios are a little different in the Rum Sidecar, and this one doesn’t call for a sugar-rimmed glass because the natural sweetness of the rum is enough. This cocktail is of average strength, with ... Read the full article →

Peking

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The Peking cocktail isn’t very well-known. It’s a moderately strong cocktail served in a martini glass. The Peking got its name from its hint of a mysterious, almost musky flavor that’s hard to place: that’s the Pernod, a liquor flavored with licorice and other herbs. You only use one-fourth of an ounce of it, so ... Read the full article →

Pimm’s Cup

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Pimm’s Cup is actually more a punch than a cocktail. It starts with a potation called Pimm’s No. 1 Cup, a potation created in the 1840s by the owner of Pimm’s Oyster Bar in London. It was served as the house ale, and the recipe was perfected over many years until it became what you ... Read the full article →

Harrison

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The Harrison is one of the lesser-known cocktails we’ve ever talked about here, probably� because it uses raw egg white. Bars are understandably wary of putting raw egg ingredients into cocktails anymore. But many home bartenders feel raw egg isn’t as unsafe as its publicity would have you believe. If you’re afraid of raw eggs, ... Read the full article →

Amaretto Sour

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The Amaretto Sour belongs to a family of mixed drinks known as – you guessed it – “sours.” These cocktail recipes are defined by having at least one liquor (or liqueur), lemon or lime juice and a bit of sweetener. They include classics like the Margarita, Sidecar and Whiskey Sour. The smooth, sweet taste and ... Read the full article →

Deauville Cocktail

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The Deauville Cocktail dates back to 1930 and originated in New Orleans. It’s very simple to make, and works well for a pitcher of pre-mixed drinks at a party. It’s a great drink year round, for any occasion – fruity but not too sweet, enjoyable for experienced and occasional drinkers alike. One tip: the better ... Read the full article →

Pink Lady

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The Pink Lady was popular in the 1950s. It’s pink and fluffy with egg froth on the top, so on first sight you might expect it to be cloyingly sweet, but it’s actually drier than most modern cocktails. The classic recipe just uses gin, grenadine, cream and an egg white, but one of the variations ... Read the full article →

White Lady

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The classic recipe for the White Lady, or Delilah, is basically a Sidecar with gin in place of brandy. But variations on it add other ingredients, which you can experiment with to find out exactly what you prefer. The overall flavor is citrus with herbal notes from the gin – light, refreshing, and neither dry ... Read the full article →

Long Island Iced Tea

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The Long Island Iced Tea is one of the all time greats. It’s a stealth drink, like the Zombie. It goes down so easy, the high alcohol content sneaks up on you. It’s also a great pre-mixer to make in pitchers and serve at parties. Summertime is an ideal time to serve the Long Island ... Read the full article →

French 75

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When you want champagne, but it doesn’t have the kick you’re looking for, you can always go for the French 75. It’s a champagne, gin and lemon cocktail with a hell of a kick. Sounds like an odd combination, but it ends up being a pretty interesting blend of fruit and herbal flavors. The French ... Read the full article →

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