A newsletter for the industry pro (or aspiring pro).

Cocktails

It’s Time to Bring Back These Underrated Classics

February 14, 2024

Story: Punch Staff

photo: Amber Fouts

Cocktails

It’s Time to Bring Back These Underrated Classics

February 14, 2024

Story: Punch Staff

photo: Amber Fouts

Revamped by today’s best bartenders, these overlooked gems—from New Orleans’ obscure Martini variation to an orgeat-laced gin sour—are ready for their close-up.

At this point in cocktail history, more than two decades into the revival, just about every Golden Age recipe—and Dark Age recipe, for that matter—has been rediscovered, revived and reintroduced to the drinking public. But despite the endless poring over of Harry Craddock’s Savoy Cocktail Book and Jerry Thomas’ How to Mix Drinks by bartenders seeking drink-making inspiration, a number of recipes have remained unappreciated—seemingly too odd, unlikely or downright weird to warrant a second look. But for the bartenders spotlighted in our “D List” column, which covers history’s forgotten drinks, these formulas possess the trappings of something worth keeping around, unorthodox ingredient list and all. 

For some, the intrigue lies precisely in each drink’s seemingly incongruous makeup. Take, for example, the Metexa, whose very description, “tequila aperitif”—let alone its oddball combination of the agave spirit, Lillet and Swedish punsch—might raise an eyebrow. The Chauncey, meanwhile, is a supercharged equal-parts combo of whiskey, gin, Cognac and sweet vermouth from the 1934 Old Waldorf-Astoria Bar Book. “The whiskey-gin mix, you don’t see that too often,” notes bartender Frank Caiafa. “But then there’s also Cognac—three lead ingredients, in equal parts, softened and modified by vermouth. Anything like that really gets your eye.”

Equally unlikely is the Yellow Parrot—a mix of absinthe, yellow Chartreuse and apricot liqueur—that has stood the test of time to become a fan favorite at Brooklyn’s Maison Premiere. The Cloister cocktail likewise proves that what might sound overly bold on paper can, in fact, come together in the glass. When Christina Rando first served the heady mixture of yellow Chartreuse, gin, two types of citrus and simple syrup from the pages of the Playboy Bartender’s Guide, she recalls, “the guest was so happy that she ordered three more.”

Other recipes feel so well-suited to modern drink-making that it’s a wonder they aren’t on more menus today. An absinthe-laced Martini riff, a little-known Whiskey Sour variation and a proto-Daiquiri all come to mind—each recalls a time-tested classic and subverts our expectations of it. 

But on paper, few drinks rival the absurdity of the Creole-Rum Sazerac, a ’70s-era concoction typically consisting of Pernod, two types of rum, Angostura bitters, lemon juice and a hit of bottled hot sauce. To bring it up to snuff without losing its character, bartender Drew Pompa leans on a split base of Guyanese and Jamaican rums. “The Sazerac is a very serious drink,” he notes of its namesake. But “flipping it, twisting it, and doing a total, all-out fuckup of the original ... resulted in a very delicious cocktail I would be proud to serve to any guest.”

Get to know these cocktails, and more underrated drinks from the history books that deserve a second chance, through the 32 recipes below.

The D List, Revived
Suissesse Cocktail Recipe Peychauds Bar NOLA
Recipes

Kirk Estopinal’s Absinthe Suissesse

A minty brunch staple in New Orleans.

Picon Punch recipe
Recipes

Zac Overman’s Picon Punch

A "house Picon" helps revive the Basque American classic.

Death in the Afternoon Cocktail Recipe
Recipes

Lulu at Le Monocle

A modern riff on Ernest Hemingway's absinthe and Champagne cocktail.

Chauncey Cocktail Recipe
Recipes

Chauncey

A historic equal-parts formula that requires little tinkering.

Pancho Villa
Recipes

Pancho Villa

A forgotten Filipino classic.

Douglas Fairbanks Cocktail Recipe
Recipes

Fairbanks Loan No. 2

This loose interpretation of the Douglas Fairbanks is “reminiscent of a Daiquiri on steroids.”

Ruffignac Cocktail Recipe
Recipes

Dauphine’s Roffignac

A highball from the 19th century that swaps the traditional Cognac for tequila.

Yolanda Martini
Recipes

Yolanda

A vermouth-forward sleeper hit, revived by LyAnna Sanabria.

Recipes

Two Dylans

Tomato and curry leaf give this little-known Whiskey Sour variation an update.

Pauline Daiquiri Recipe
Recipes

The Gibson’s Pauline

A unique unaged rum gives this 1920s rum sour a wintry Daiquiri profile.

Rum Cow Drink Recipe
Recipes

Rum Cow

A tropical dessert drink, upgraded for the modern palate.

Obituary martini cocktail
Recipes

Obituary

A drier take on the lesser-known New Orleans Martini.

Fourth Regiment COcktail Recipe
Recipes

Fourth Regiment

The ideal warm-weather Manhattan made with savory celery shrub.

Peach Thunderbolt
Recipes

Peach Thunderbolt

A revamped take on the historic rum julep riff of the same name.

Army Navy Dutch Kills
Recipes

(Lou’s) Army Navy

A stiffer formula and a sunken cocktail cherry set this take on the classic gin sour apart.

pablo moix punch
Recipes

Cane & Table’s Royal Hawaiian

Served over crushed ice, this updated take on the tropical classic is built for summer drinking.

Recipes

Rose City

A reverse Martini made with cherry eau de vie and red currant preserves.

Recipes

Thunderbird

Citrusy, creamy and refreshing all at once.

Creole Rum Sazerac
Recipes

Creole-Rum Sazerac

Far from your average Sazerac.

Pousse Cafe Le Loup
Recipes

Pousse Café

A modern Pousse Café made with layers of colorful liqueurs, creamy Calpico and aquavit.

Gem Cocktail Recipe
Recipes

Ned King’s Gem

A pre-tiki cocktail from the 19th century, reinvented for the modern drinker.

Widows Kiss Cognac Cocktail
Recipes

Deke Dunne’s Widow’s Kiss

An autumn-ready stirred drink made with apple brandy, Cognac and two French liqueurs.

hot pants cocktail recipe
Recipes

Hot Pants

A modern take on the 1974 tequila cocktail.

Brainstorm Cocktail
Recipes

Al Sotack’s Brainstorm

A pre-Prohibition Irish whiskey cocktail with dry that drinks like a modified Old-Fashioned.

cloister cocktail recipe
Recipes

Cloister

A gin sour with two types of citrus and yellow Chartreuse.

Recipes

Moonraker

A modern-day Champagne Cocktail inspired by the moon landing.

Metexa Cocktail Recipe
Recipes

Metexa

A modernized take on an obscure tequila aperitif.

Banshee Punch
Recipes

Banshee

A tropical dessert drink that calls on "banana bunch liqueur."

Yellow Parrot Absinthe Cocktail Recipe
Recipes

Yellow Parrot

An unlikely, equal-parts combination of absinthe, yellow Chartreuse and apricot liqueur.

Cherry Bounce Cocktail Recipe
Recipes

Cherry Bounce

A bourbon-based sour inspired by a homemade liqueur of the same name.

Recipes

Brunelle Frappé

A modern spin on a 1930s classic absinthe cocktail.

Recipes

Fountain Inn’s Syllabub

A 500-year-old frothy wine cocktail reimagined for the 21st century.

Related Articles