one hundred drinks

in one hundred days!

[onehundreddrinks]

57. Rosemary Smash

1 1/2 oz gin

3/4 oz lemon juice

3/4 oz rosemary simple

3 oz soda

Dash herbal or citrus bitters

Combine gin, lemon juice and simple in an ice-filled cocktail shaker. Shake vigorously and strain into a lowball glass filled with ice. Top with soda, dash bitters on top, and garnish with a rosemary sprig and lemon wheel.

Rosemary simple

1/2 c. granulated sugar

1/2 c. water

2 bruised rosemary sprigs

Combine ingredients in a saucepan and bring to a boil, stirring aggressively. Lower heat to medium-low and simmer for 2-3 minutes, continuing to stir. Cool and store in an airtight glass container for up to 2-3 weeks in the fridge.

Spring is here again and it's time for smashes. Crisp, refreshing, and infinitely tweakable, you can make pretty much any sweet herb into a smash ingredient. Basil, tarragon, or lavender would be delicious alternatives to rosemary if you want to mix it up.

[onehundreddrinks]

56. Fresh Lemongrass Sour

2 ounces lemongrass-infused vodka (see below)

3/4 ounce freshly squeezed lime juice from 1 lime

1/2 ounce simple syrup

1 egg white

3 dashes lemon bitters

lime zest strips for garnish

In an empty cocktail shaker, dry shake vodka, lime juice, simple, and egg white without ice for 30 seconds (careful -- it will expand!). Add ice and continue to shake for another 20-30 seconds. Strain into a glass, add three dashes of bitters and garnish with lime zest strips.

My first egg white cocktail, and it’s a doozy. On the nose, lime juice competes with distinct, aromatic zest and straw and earth from the lemongrass. The flavor is a wild fusion of silky smooth meringue and lime bite. The mouthfeel is unlike anything else I’ve had before -- creamy mellowness spreads across the tongue followed by tannic tartness.

A few prep notes -- the first time you dry shake an egg cocktail, it will probably pop open, spraying eggy frothy mess all over your kitchen. To avoid having to hose down your kitchen afterward, intermittently vent the shaker as you shake and shake over the sink. Also, to make the lemongrass infusion, peel and clean four lemongrass stalks and cut them into one-inch lengths. Put these in a container with two cups of overproof vodka and let sit for 1-2 weeks to taste, shaking daily. Finally, I might make this again with a little less sugar, maybe 3/8 oz per serving.

This recipe is from Stir And Strain.

[onehundreddrinks]

55. New York Sour

2 oz rye or bourbon

1 oz lemon juice

1 oz simple syrup

1/2 oz fruity red wine, like malbec

Add whiskey, lemon juice, and simple to a cocktail mixer with ice. Shake well and pour over ice into an Old Fashioned glass. Carefully layer red wine over the top with a bar spoon. Garnish with a lemon wheel.

Sweet and tart like a plain sour, but with a luscious fruitiness and texture from the wine. And gosh, it's pretty.

[onehundreddrinks]

54. Diamondback

1 1/2 oz rye

3/4 oz green Chartreuse

3/4 oz apple brandy

Pour all ingredients into a cocktail mixer filled with ice and stir. Strain into a cocktail glass, garnish with a cherry (not pictured), and serve.

Lots of Chartreuse drinks are light and crisp, focusing on the Chartreuse's herbal sunniness. The Diamondback is different: deep, aggressive rye and apple brandy instead focus on Chartreuse's rich peatiness and vegetal side.

Sorry for the long delay -- I hope nobody missed me too much. While I still hope to make one hundred drinks in one hundred days, I think those days are rather less likely to be sequential than they've been.

[onehundreddrinks]

53. Margarita

2 oz tequila

2 oz lime juice

1/2 oz Cointreau

2 tsp agave nectar

Combine all ingredients in an ice-filled cocktail mixer and shake vigorously. Strain into an old fashioned or margarita glass filled with ice, garnish with a lime slice, and serve.

Sweet, tart, rich, and frothy, with an incomparable alcohol bite, it's a fabulous drink for a warm summer day. Since it's chilly where I am during this time of year, I guess that means I better grab the next flight to Mexico.

[onehundreddrinks]

52. Martini (Contemporary)

2 oz gin

Splash dry vermouth

Rinse a cocktail glass with vermouth and discard. Shake gin in ice-filled cocktail mixer and strain into glass. Garnish with three olives and serve.

Nothing like a dry martini at the office.

[onehundreddrinks]

51. Jamaican Smash

1 1/2 oz dark rum

3/4 oz lemon juice

1/4 oz simple syrup or 2 tsp castor sugar

1/2 oz Cointreau

4-6 mint leaves, plus one for garnish

1 oz soda water

1 dash (3 drops) Jamaican #1 bitters

2 dashes (8 drops) Jamaican #2 bitters

Place all mint leaves except one in an Old Fashioned glass; add sugar and Cointreau; and muddle. Add ice, rum, and bitters, and top with soda; stir gently, garnish with last mint leaf, and serve.

I like to take a mint leaf and carefully place it against the inside rim of the glass so it points upright on its own. Citrus, herbs, and fizz, this is a tasty combination.

[onehundreddrinks]

50. The Abbey

1 1/2 oz gin

3/4 oz Lillet Blanc

3/4 oz orange juice

2 dashes Angostura bitters

Combine all ingredients in a cocktail mixer with ice and shake well. Strain into a chilled cocktail glass, garnish with a cherry, and serve.

The bitters adds a powerful bite to this otherwise subtle and fruity cocktail. I'd recommend making it with one dash instead of two, but otherwise, it's a tasty and gorgeous drink.

[onehundreddrinks]

49. Manhattan

2 oz rye whiskey

1 oz sweet vermouth

dash Boker's bitters

Combine all ingredients in a cocktail shaker with ice, shake, and strain into a chilled cocktail glass. Garnish with a cherry and serve.

Sharp rye combined with the sweet vermouth is a great counterpoint, and the bitters adds some delicious complexity to the whole thing.

[onehundreddrinks]

48. Uno Besito

2 oz blanco tequila

1 oz lime juice

1 oz pineapple juice

1/2 oz agave nectar

1/4 oz grenadine

Combine all ingredients in a cocktail shaker with ice and shake vigorously. Strain into an ice-filled old fashioned glass, garnish with a lime slice, and serve.

A pineapple and pink variation on a classic margarita. Tart and spicy from the tequila, but with tropical fruitiness and a fun color. Based on a drink called "Dos Besitos" from Death and Company in NYC.

[onehundreddrinks]

47. Planter's Punch

2 1/2 oz spiced rum

1 oz lemon juice

1/2 oz pineapple juice

1/2 oz orange juice

1/4 oz simple syrup

1/4 oz grenadine

3 dashes Angostura bitters

Combine all ingredients except the bitters in an ice-filled cocktail mixer or glass and stir. Strain into an ice-filled highball glass and dash bitters on top. Garnish with an orange slice and cherry, add a straw, and serve.

A versatile drink that's very accessible but has lots of flavor, planter's punch can be made with all sorts of tart juices and garnishes for a fun flourish.

[onehundreddrinks]

46. Rye Sour

1 1/2 oz rye whiskey

1 oz lemon juice

1/2 oz simple syrup

Shake ingredients with ice. Strain into an ice-filled Old Fashioned glass with a sugared rim, garnish with an orange slice and maraschino cherry, and serve.

While my concoction here did not exactly follow the recipe, it sure went down easy. The rye adds a bit of a kick over a standard bourbon-based sour, which I like. Yum!

[onehundreddrinks]

45. White Lady

2 oz gin

1/2 oz lemon juice

1/2 oz Cointreau

Shake all ingredients in an ice-filled cocktail mixer. Strain into a cocktail glass, garnish with a lemon twist, and serve.

A sweet and citrusy gin drink, this is simple to make and easy to enjoy.

[onehundreddrinks]

44. French 75

1 oz gin

1/2 oz lemon juice

1/2 oz simple syrup

2 oz Champagne or other sparkling wine

Shake gin, lemon juice, and simple syrup in an ice-filled cocktail mixer. Strain into a Champagne flute or cocktail coupe, top with sparkling wine, and garnish with a lemon twist.

The bubbles bring the lemon scent into the nose of the cocktail, which when combined with a fresh lemon twist, makes this a wonderfully lemony alternative to straight sparkling wine. Nice.

[onehundreddrinks]

43. Corpse Reviver #2

1 oz gin

1 oz Lillet Blanc

1 oz Cointreau

1 oz lemon juice

1 splash absinthe (or Pernod)

Combine ingredients in an ice-filled cocktail mixer and shake. Strain into a chilled cocktail glass, garnish with an orange twist, and serve.

A classic with good reason. I love the orange and anise nose as they layer over the gin, Lillet, and creamy Cointreau, tied together with tart lemon.

[onehundreddrinks]

42. Private and Confidential

3/4 oz gin

3/4 oz vodka

3/4 oz Lillet Blanc

1/2 oz St. Germain

Shake all ingredients in an ice-filled cocktail mixer. Strain into a chilled cocktail glass, garnish with a lemon twist, and serve.

Light, crisp, and floral, this refreshing drink comes from Balthazar in NYC.

[onehundreddrinks]

41. Creme de Violette G&T

1 1/2 oz gin

1 tsp lime juice

1/2 oz creme de violette

4-5 oz tonic water

Pour gin, lime juice, and creme de violette into an ice-filled collins glass. Top with tonic, stir, and serve.

The creme de violette is a delightful addition to a gin and tonic, adding a much mellower and smoother flavor than the bright and cheery St. Germain I started this blog with.