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

Cocktails

Our 10 Most Popular Recipes of 2022

December 29, 2022

Story: Punch Staff

photo: Lizzie Munro

Cocktails

Our 10 Most Popular Recipes of 2022

December 29, 2022

Story: Punch Staff

photo: Lizzie Munro

From a sour cherry Negroni to Chartreuse’s very own party drink, here are the cocktails you loved most this year.

Many of our most popular drinks of the past year are familiar classics that were given a fresh turn in the spotlight thanks to the exacting attention of a devoted bartender. Ned King’s New York Sour, for instance, is the result of years of tinkering with the Whiskey Sour rendition. Jelani Johnson’s Rum Old-Fashioned, meanwhile, goes the extra mile to infuse aromatics into the drink with a subtle “regal stir” and a perfectly positioned lime coin. Others on this list made sense right out of the gate. After all, who doesn’t want a frothy aperitivo sour or a smoky-spicy Margarita?

Ned King's Gem

Gem Cocktail Recipe

Ned King chose the Gem to represent the pre-tiki era on a tropical menu at his bar, Gigantic. While his spec honors the punch-like original, he abandons superfluous aspects of the 1890s recipe and adds a crucial dash of Angostura bitters to tie the whole thing together.

Read More →

Manolito’s Swampwater

Chartreuse Swampwater Cocktail

The Manolito team saw an opportunity in the Swampwater to improve on the original by using fresh ingredients and making significant tweaks to the spec. The ratio of Chartreuse to pineapple juice is flipped, basil is added, and the whole thing gets blended and garnished with mint. The rum float is optional, but strongly advised.

Read More →

Milano-Torino Sour

The most minimalist entry to the aperitivo canon, the two-ingredient Milano-Torino, or “Mi-To” as it’s affectionately known, is also one of the most flexible templates. Typically comprising equal parts Campari and sweet vermouth, the drink shines when personalized as Dan Sabo demonstrates here with a base of Campari and dry vermouth, which gets the sour treatment courtesy of both grapefruit and lime juice and an egg white for a frothy finish.

Read More →

Jelani Johnson's Rum Old-Fashioned

Best Rum Old Fashioned Recipe

Taking first place in our rum Old-Fashioned tasting was Jelani Johnson’s recipe, which calls for a blend of three rums: Mount Gay XO from Barbados, Hamilton 151-Proof Demerara rum from Guyana and Smith & Cross from Jamaica, complemented by a teaspoon of rich cane sugar syrup and a dash each of Angostura and Bittermens ‘Elemakule Tiki bitters. “This drink is trying to do something, trying to take you to a Caribbean place,” said St. John Frizell. “It doesn’t taste like a rye Old-Fashioned; it’s a rum Old-Fashioned.” The drink was stirred with an orange twist and served with a lime coin, adding just the right amount of aromatics for what bar owner Paul McGee likened to a “Ti Punch–style serve.”

Read More →

Pornstar Martini

Born a Star Pornstar Martini

The evocatively named cocktail, created at the Townhouse in London in 2003 by Douglas Ankrah, is a Martini in name only, but has gone on to become a modern classic in the U.K. Made with vanilla vodka, passion fruit liqueur and passion fruit purée, the final flourish is a shot glass of chilled Champagne served alongside the drink (intended to alternate with the cocktail as a palate cleanser).

Read More →

Sour Cherry Negroni

Sour Cherry Negroni Hawksmoor NYC

London import Hawksmoor’s first New York City location opened last fall with a Sour Cherry Negroni on the menu, which has since become one of the top sellers. The riff on the classic aperitif uses acid-adjusted sour cherry juice and rosé vermouth to put a contemporary spin on the familiar template. “Our approach is simplicity and flavor without inundating guests with obscure ingredients or long-winded descriptions,” says Ciarrai Kelly, Hawksmoor’s head bartender.

Read More →

Hot Lips

Hot Lips Cocktail Recipe

“This cocktail is a brilliant mix of flavors that just work,” says Lynnette Marrero of this smoky-spicy Margarita made famous at The NoMad.

Read More →

Division Bell

Division Bell Cocktail Recipe

Phil Ward, an early mezcal evangelist, was among the first bartenders in the United States to recognize the spirit’s adaptability, especially in spirit-forward constructions. His Oaxaca Old-Fashioned, created at New York’s Death & Co. in 2007, split the tequila base with a measure of robust, smoky mezcal to add depth to the familiar template in what would go on to become a modern classic. But he had even more luck letting mezcal stand in for the base spirit altogether in classic blueprints. His Division Bell, for example, sees mezcal take the place of gin and Aperol that of Chartreuse in a simple riff on the Last Word.

Read More →

Ned King's New York Sour

NY Sour Cocktail Recipe

Ned King’s admiration for the New York Sour started with its enticing appearance, but he’s gained an appreciation for its effect on his guests, too. Because it’s a variation on the classic Whiskey Sour, King says it provides his customers with a stepping stone to the more complex drinks on his bar’s menu. When building his version, he begins with a sturdy base of 100-proof rye, lemon juice, and 2:1 cane sugar syrup. For the float, he uses a Spanish red, Pedro González Mittelbrunn Castilla y León—its “currant-raisin-spice character” complements the rye whiskey, King notes—being sure not to exceed his ideal measure of a half-ounce of wine.

Read More →

Harrison Ginsberg's White Negroni

The unanimous winner in our White Negroni blind tasting, Harrison Ginsberg’s recipe combines equal parts gin and Cocchi Americano with a smaller measure of Suze—for the requisite “gentian punch,” as Toby Cecchini described it—and a teaspoon of verjus blanc for a bright boost. The combination of ingredients presented a fresh green pepper quality that was unexpected but not unwelcome, and still held true to the aperitivo nature of the original White Negroni.

Read More →

Related Articles