Classic Cocktail Recipes

Such a simple cocktail but so good that we some times forget about it.  Sometimes simple is better.
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Legend has it, Rum Runners were invented in the late 1950’s at the Holiday Isle Tiki Bar in Islamorada, Florida. Supposedly, the bar had an excess of rum and certain liqueurs, hence all the somewhat bizarre number of liqueurs that are included in almost any recipe out there for a Rum Runner, that needed to be gotten rid of to make room in the liquor closet. They named the drink after the real “Rum Runners” that inhabited the Florida Keys in the early days running Rum in from Cuba and the islands.  Many changes are made as the Rum Runner passed through time. Most recipes are altered by using different amounts of the same ingredients. Sometimes an ingredient may be substituted or changed and the recipe will remain intact. The only ingredient that remains sacred is of course the Rum. 
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The Rob Roy is a cocktail created in 1894 by a bartender at the Waldorf Hotel in New York City. The drink was named in honor of the premiere of Rob Roy, an operetta by composer Reginald De Koven and lyricist Harry B. Smith loosely based upon Scottish folk hero Robert Roy MacGregor.

Like a Manhattan, the Rob Roy can be made sweet, dry, or perfect. The standard Rob Roy is the sweet version, made with sweet vermouth. A dry Rob Roy is made by substituting dry vermouth for the sweet vermouth, this is not usual. A perfect Rob Roy is made with equal parts sweet and dry vermouth. Overwhelmingly, the Rob Roy is made with sweet Vermouth.

The Rob Roy is usually served in a cocktail glass and granished with a maraschino cherry (for the sweet version). Funniest use of this drink in a move is the 1970’s movie “Turning Pointe” where the heroine goes on stage after being dumped and drinking a half a dozen of these. Drunk ballerinas are always funny. 
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A great take on “Gin and Juice”, the addition of Cointreau and Grenadine offset the tart of the fresh lemon and orange juice in the Red Lion. Great to look at and even better going down, it’s one of our new favorites.
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A very old drink the Ramos Fizz has been around since 1888, however, it became widely available in the mid 1930’s. A more labor entensive drink with multiple ingredients, it is fun to make and drink. One of the best parts is watching the foam appear on the top of the drink as you add the sparkling water!
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Great winter cocktail this is one for little by the fire and reading a good book or enjoying the company of friends.  A little different it is also made with an extra 1/2 oz of Drambuie for an even smokier flavor.
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The creamier version of the Pink Lady for this recipe is thought to have been around since the 1920’s. As most older drinks there are many versions this one uses both cream and an egg white. Once named on Esquire’s list of the ten worst cocktails, most likely due to it’s girly nature and color, it is still a great drink that has more kick then one would think.

Basically a gin martini with Crème de Cassis, currant flavor, the Parisian’s flavor is a little sweeter and fruitier. Great if you need something to take the edge off the gin taste.

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The Orange Buck is a great drink, tart and refreshing. We made this one with fresh squeezed organic juice to it was very tart. If you want more sweetness you can add 1/2 oz of simple syrup for a slightly sweeter taste.

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The original Old Fashioned recipe would have used whiskeys available in America in the late 1800’s, either Bourbon or Rye Whiskey. The first recipe is from 1895. But in some regions, especially Wisconsin, brandy is substituted for whiskey (sometimes called a Brandy Old Fashioned). Eventually the use of other spirits became common, such as a gin recipe becoming popularized in the late 1940s. The first mention of the drink was for a Bourbon whiskey cocktail in the 1880s, at the Pendennis Club, a gentlemen’s club in Louisville, Kentucky.

Common garnishes for an Old Fashioned include an orange slice or a maraschino cherry, although these modifications came around 1930, sometime after the original recipe was invented. The practice of muddling orange and other fruit gained prevalence as late as the 1990s. In muddling the fruit make sure to muddle the fruit but try not to muddle the peel too much. You want to release the oils and fruit flavor but not a lot of the acid. As with spirit only drinks what whiskey/brandy you make this drink with matters. The fun is in trying to find which one you really like!

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