5 classic cocktail recipes & how to style them

Whiskey sour

Typically, I like to get my whiskey recommendations from my trusted mixologist friends. For my home bar, I rotate brown liquors, but Slow & Low is the current “poison.”

Whiskey sour list

Supplies: 

Short whiskey glass
Bar spoon
Boston shaker
Paring knife
Strainer
Jigger
Zester/channel knife
Hand citrus squeezer
Blended whiskey
1 lemon
Powdered sugar

Those lemons, though

If I’m making a big batch of cocktails and require lots of lemons, I juice earlier in the day. For super-large batches, I use the KitchenAid stand mixer citrus attachment.

Whiskey sour recipe

Makes one serving.

Ingredients: 

2 ounces blended whiskey
Juice of 1/2 lemon
1/2 teaspoon powdered sugar 
1/2 slice lemon

Directions:

Shake blended whiskey, juice of lemon and powdered sugar with ice and strain it into a whiskey sour glass. Decorate with the half-slice of lemon and serve.

Pictured: A little swirl and taste before the shake!

Whiskey sour styling

Serve in a chilled short whiskey glass. Garnish with a thin strip of lemon peel.

Margarita

People always ask me about my tequila preference and my response is smoky mezcal. Technically, tequila is a mezcal. Both are made from the agave plant. Mezcal brands like Ilegal are complex and have many agave varieties in the mix.

Instead of using triple sec (also known as orange liqueur), I opt for orange bitters. Believe me, this started as an accident because I wanted to save a few coins. Bitters are a botanical mixture and can be found in your grocery store.

Also, yes, I’m judging you if you use the plastic lime-shaped juice! Buy fresh lime — always.  

Margarita list

Supplies: 

Boston shaker
paring knife
Strainer
Jigger
Hand citrus squeezer
Tequila or mezcal
2 – 4 limes
Orange bitters or triple sec
Simple syrup
2 chilled margarita glasses
Kosher or cocktail salt
Shallow dish

Margarita recipe

Margarita recipe

Serves 2

Ingredients:

3 ounces mezcal or tequila
1/5 ounces fresh lime juice
1 ounce simple syrup (recipe below)
16 shakes orange bitters

Directions:

Place 2 glasses in the freezer to chill.
Cut a few limes in half and juice the citrus. Cut and set aside several half moon slices of lime for garnish.
Set aside a flat saucer full of salt (optional)
In a Boston shaker, combine the mezcal, juice, syrup and orange bitters.
Add a few ice cubes.
Happily and vigorously shake.
Remove the glasses from the freezer. Using a cocktail strainer, pour the margarita into the glasses.
Rub a lime slice around rim of each glass. Spinning the rim of the glass on the plate of salt in a circular motion, rim the vessel with salt (optional).
Garnish with lime wedge.

Simple syrup recipe

Ingredients:

1/2 cup sugar
1 cup water

Directions:

To a medium saucepan over medium-high heat, add the sugar and water. The sugar will dissolve in about 5 minutes.
Turn off the heat, cover and let cool.
Transfer to an airtight container and place in the fridge. It will last several weeks.

Margarita styling

Wet the rims of your chilled margarita glasses by running the cut side of a lime around the tops. Have a dish of kosher or cocktail salt standing by. Press the rim of the glass into the salt, twisting to pick up more salt. Pour in the mixed margarita. Garnish with a thinly sliced wedge of lime.

I rimmed this with a honey salt from Beautiful Briny Sea.

Aviation

On my first attempt to make this early 20th century-born cocktail, the airy color scared me. Using my favorite gin loosened my mouth up.

Crème de violette is the key ingredient here. I tested The Bitter Truth. Brooklyn-based Beverage Director and Denizen rum ambassador Shannon Mustipher also suggests Rothman & Winter. 

I’m fond of the no-red-dye and all-real-ingredient cocktail cherries. If you can buy something similar to Mess Hall Cocktail Co. brand, do that.

Aviation list

Supplies: 

Two coupe or martini glasses
Boston shaker
Bar spoon
Jigger
Paring knife
Strainer
Hand citrus squeezer
Gin
Crème de violette liqueur
Maraschino liqueur
Maraschino cherries
Lemon
Ice

Aviation recipe

Serves 2

Ingredients:

Ice cubes
4 ounces gin
1 ounce maraschino liqueur
1 ounce crème de violette liqueur
1 ounce lemon juice
2 maraschino cherries

Directions:

Into a shaker, add ice cubes and all the ingredients except the cherry. Shake until well chilled. Pour into 2 glasses and garnish with cherries.

Aviation styling

Drop a cherry into each of the 2 coupe or martini glasses before pouring the cocktail. 

Moscow mule

Copper mugs are all the rage this season.  From Pinterest to your local HomeGoods, you’ll find these inexpensive vessels. How does one fill the burnt orange “by the firepit” staple?  Moscow mule is the answer.

No shaking involved with this cocktail. You just need great ice cubes. For the folks without the high-tech fridge ice maker, I keep a tray of something like this crushed ice cubes tray in my freezer.

Moscow mule list

Supplies: 

2 copper mugs or highball glasses
Bar spoon
Paring knife
Jigger
Hand citrus squeezer
Crushed ice
Spicy ginger beer like Bruce Cost   
Vodka
2 limes
Candied ginger
Toothpicks

Moscow mule recipe

Ingredients:

8 ounces ginger beer
3 ounces vodka
1/4 ounce lime juice

Directions:

Combine ingredients in a copper mug or highball glass and stir gently. 

Moscow mule styling

Make it pop with a garnish! Add ice and top with lime wheels and/or candied ginger speared on toothpicks. 

Champagne and sage

This is my holiday go-to cocktail — so elegant. Pull out your sparkling wine or Champagne. 

Your glassware cabinet should be lined with flutes and coupes. Let me keep it real here; bar purists would say to serve Champagne in coupes only, but I always find my drink spills out from moving about. Use flutes.

I learned this trick from watching the pros. Give your sage a good smack to open up the flavors and natural oils.

Champagne and sage list

Supplies: 

6 Champagne flutes
1 nice bar towel
Champagne or sparkling wine
St-Germain or other elderflower liqueur
1 bunch fresh sage leaves
Wooden spoon

Champagne and sage recipe

Serves 6

Ingredients:

1 bottle Champagne or sparkling wine
6 ounces elderflower liqueur
1 bunch fresh sage leaves

Directions:

Place the glasses in the freezer to chill. 
Carefully clean and dry the sage leaves. Set aside.
Remove the glasses from the freezer. Tilt each flute and pour champagne a little over halfway.
Add 1 teaspoon of elderflower liqueur per flute.

Champagne and sage styling

Smack a sage leaf and insert it stem-down into flute. Repeat for remaining cocktails. Cheers!

5 classic cocktail recipes & how to style them