Old Pal
Harry MacElhone credited his “old pal” and barfly William “Sparrow” Robertson with the inspiration for this drink.
- story: Leslie Pariseau
- photo: Daniel Krieger
Cloud 9
When bartender Toby Maloney visited Jeremy Oertel at Mayahuel looking for a White Negroni, Oertel created this tequila-based riff with Lillet and gentian liqueur.
- story: Leslie Pariseau
- photo:
Breakfast
Akin to a Negroni or a Boulevardier, this cocktail is essentially "breakfast encapsulated," says the drink’s creator, Aaron Polsky of NYC's Amor y Amargo.
- story: Leslie Pariseau
- photo:
Between the Sheets
This potent sour is a rum-laced riff on the Sidecar christened by Harry MacElhone of Harry's New York Bar in Paris.
- story: Leslie Pariseau
- photo:
Attention
Thanks to the resurgence of absinthe and crème de violette, this lost classic is finding its way back into the barman's repertoire.
- story: Leslie Pariseau
- photo: Daniel Krieger
Brandy Smash
The original and most popular variant of the smash throughout its heyday was the Brandy Smash, traditionally a mixture of spirit, water, sugar and mint, built over crushed ice.
- story: Lizzie Munro
- photo:
Yellow Jacket
For weeks, NYC cocktail bar Employees Only had toyed with the idea of mixing together tequila and elderflower liqueur, but there was a piece of the puzzle missing—yellow Chartreuse.
- story: Leslie Pariseau
- photo: John Kernick
Mendo Sidecar
First created during World War I, this Cognac-based cocktail traditionally had only two other ingredients: Cointreau and lemon juice. This version uses Germain-Robin XO brandy and maraschino liqueur.
- story: Leslie Pariseau
- photo: Sara Remington
Blue Moon
The Blue Moon was, like the Aviation and the Attention, an early adopter of violet-flavored liqueur, and one of the few classics to specify a red wine float.
- story: Leslie Pariseau
- photo: