Classic Cocktails: Extended

(This post is part of a series that I’m using to help write my next book, the new edition of 100 Classic Cocktails, and provide inspiration for home bartenders in these times of social distancing. Some of the recipes are ones I’m trying to workshop, and I’m asking my readers to test the recipes at home if able and send me their thoughts on the questions I have. Others are ones I think I’ve nailed that can be easily made with common household ingredients, and I’m sharing them to help my readers keep their spirits up while spending a lot more time at home than usual. I’ll always specify which is which. For more background on all of this, including the book, you can check out the first post in the series here. All posts will be tagged “(100) Classic Cocktails”.)

Reports of the end of this book-writing process have been greatly exaggerated! It turns out that we still have some space to fill in the page count, which means more recipes are going in.

If you’d like to follow along at home, here are a few that could stand a little feedback! As before, they are all fairly accessible for the home bartender:

Applejack Rabbit
1¾ oz. ~100º Apple Brandy (or 2 oz. ~80º Apple Brandy)
½ oz. Grade B Maple Syrup
½ oz. Lemon Juice
¼ oz. Orange Juice

Shake. Strain into a chilled cocktail glass.

Question: I’m pretty confident in these proportions, but it isn’t coming out quite right for me, because all I have is Grade A maple syrup. Dialing up to ¾ oz. of maple makes it too sweet, in my book, without entirely solving the flavor issue, so I think what it needs is the richness of Grade B in these proportions. My question, then, is simple for those of you possessing Grade B maple syrup: did you enjoy this drink?

Blinker
2 oz. Rye
1 oz. Grapefruit Juice
½ oz. Grenadine OR Raspberry Syrup

Shake. Strain into a chilled cocktail glass.

Question: Did you use raspberry syrup or grenadine, and what did you think of the result? The Blinker is traditionally a grenadine drink, but Ted Haigh recommended a raspberry version in his influential book Vintage Spirits and Forgotten Cocktails, which has become the more popular version in recent years. Bonus question: What did you think of the balance of grapefruit juice in the drink? Was it too sour? Not sour enough? Did it meld well with your rye? Etc.!

Rosita
1½ oz. Reposado Tequila
½ oz. Campari
½ oz. Sweet Vermouth
¼ oz. Dry Vermouth
1 ds. Angostura Bitters OR 2 ds. Angostura Bitters

Stir. Strain into a chilled cocktail glass. Express a lemon peel over the glass and discard OR express a grapefruit peel over the glass and discard.

Question: Two very subtle variations on this one: how many dashes of bitters to use (1 is fairly standard, but I think I prefer 2) and whether to use a lemon or grapefruit peel for the finishing touch. Let me know which permutation(s) you went with, how you liked the balance, the flavor, the brightness and presence or absence of the citrus, or any other flavor notes you might have.

White Lady
1½ oz. Gin
¾ oz. Lemon Juice
¾ oz. Curaçao or Triple Sec
Egg White

Shake without ice, then again with ice. Strain into a chilled cocktail glass.

OR

2 oz. Gin
½ oz. Lemon Juice
½ oz. Curaçao or Triple Sec
Egg White

Shake without ice, then again with ice. Strain into a chilled cocktail glass.

Question: The first recipe uses the Savoy Cocktail Book’s proportions, while the second is a more contemporary version. I like one of them better than the other, but I won’t say which just yet; this drink has never been my cup of tea, and I want to make sure that the recipe I include is a good representation of this cocktail, and not simply one I enjoy more because it tastes less like how this cocktail is meant to taste.