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
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
Rougeur
In the Rougeur, Franky Marshall stirs Lillet Rouge with two types of amari (Averna and Cappelletti) plus cherry liqueur for a drink that’s subtly fruity on the front with a…
- story: Chloe Frechette
LCD Soundsystem’s Espresso Martini
LCD Soundsystem's espresso machine was often co-opted for cocktail hour, resulting in a drink Nancy Whang calls "a network TV version of a speedball.”
- story: Leslie Pariseau
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
Bitter Handshake
An after-dinner Fernet Old-Fashioned brightened with a blood orange reduction.
- story: Leslie Pariseau
- photo: Lizzie Munro
The Long Hello
Damon Boelte, the bar director at Brooklyn’s Prime Meats, has an affinity for naming his original drinks after songs, albums and musicians including this autumnal Champagne cocktail.
- story: Leslie Pariseau
- photo: Ed Anderson
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
Davy Jones’s Locker
Brad Farran's Beastie Boys-inspired winter daiquiri.
- story: Leslie Pariseau
- photo: Daniel Krieger
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