This page lists my versions of classic cocktails. Some of them follow the standard recipes, such as IBA. Others have been adjusted using a combination of ingredient analysis and taste tests. The images contain suggestions for specific liquors to use.


Recipes





Cocktail families
Family Description
Sours Base liquor, lemon or lime, and a sweetening agent. (Can also include triple sec, juice, and egg white.)
Manhattan family Base liquor and sweet vermouth
Martini family Base liquor and dry vermouth
Old-fashioned family Base liquor, bitters, and a sweetening agent
Highballs Cocktails with large non-liquor element
Campari cocktails Cocktails with Campari as a central element
Duos Base liquor and a sweeter liqueur; often with cream.





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20th Century Cocktail
Sour
Gin 1.5 oz
Lemon juice 0.5 oz
Lillet Blanc 0.5 oz
Creme de cacao 0.5 oz








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Amaretto Sour
Sour
Amaretto 1.5 oz
Lemon juice 1 oz
Simple syrup 1 tsp
Egg white 1 egg
Bourbon 3/4 oz
Notice the low amount of syrup. Often the listed recipe of this cocktail is way too sweet, given the sugar content of the Amaretto.








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Aviation
Sour
Gin 2 oz
Maraschino 2 tsp
Creme de violette 2 tsp
Lemon juice 0.5 oz
The official IBA recipe of this cocktail is too dry.








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Between the Sheets
Sour
Cointreau 1 oz
Light rum 3/4 oz
Cognac 3/4 oz
Lemon juice 0.5 oz
Simple syrup 0.5 tsp








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Blood and Sand
Manhattan family
Scotch 1.5 oz
Orange juice 1 oz
Cherry Heering 3/4 oz
Sweet vermouth 3/4 oz
The official IBA recipe of this cocktail is too sweet. Even after this customization it is possibly still too sweet.








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Boulevardier
Campari cocktail
Rittenhouse rye 1.5 oz
Sweet vermouth 1 oz
Campari 3/4 oz
A negroni with rye in place of gin. I use less negroni than official recipes, which I find too bitter.








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Bramble
Sour
Blackberries 6 berries
Plymouth gin 2 oz
Creme de Mure 3/4 oz
Lemon juice 3/4 oz
Demerara syrup 0.5 oz








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Brandy Alexander
Duo
Cognac 1.5 oz
Cream 1 oz
Creme de cacao 3/4 oz








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Cosmopolitan
Sour
Vodka citron 2 oz
Cranberry juice 1.5 oz
Cointreau 3/4 oz
Lime juice 3/4 oz








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Daiquiri
Sour
Light rum 2.25 oz
Lime juice 1 1/4 oz
Simple syrup 3/4 oz
You can with good effect mix a more neutral rum (like this Banks 5), and a rum with more character.








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Gin and Tonic
Highball
Tonic 2 oz
Gin 1 oz








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Godson
Duo
Scotch 1.5 oz
Cream 1 oz
Amaretto 0.5 oz
The official recipe for this cocktail is unbalanced, with way too high sweetness.








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Grapefruit Collins
Sour
Sparkling water 3 oz
Old Tom gin 2 oz
Grapefruit juice 1 oz
Lemon juice 3/4 oz
Simple syrup 0.5 oz








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Hawaiian cocktail
Sour
Light rum 2 oz
Pineapple juice 1 oz
Angustura 1 dash
Simple syrup 0.625 oz
Lime juice 0.5 oz








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Hemingway Daiquiri
Sour
Light rum 2 oz
Grapefruit juice 1 1/4 oz
Maraschino 0.5 oz
Lime juice 0.5 oz
A more dry version of the daiquiry. Hemingway was a hardcore drinker, as well as diabetic.








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Kentucky Corpse Reviver
Sour
Bourbon 3/4 oz
Lillet Blanc 3/4 oz
Cointreau 3/4 oz
Lemon juice 3/4 oz
I prefer this version of the corpse reviver, which has bourbon in place of gin.








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Manhattan
Manhattan family
Rye 2 oz
Angustura 2 dash
Sweet vermouth 3/4 oz








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Martini
Martini family
Gin 1.5 oz
Dry vermouth 1/4 oz
This classic cocktail is oddly drier than all the other. I personally find them too dry, and rarely drink them.








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May Daisy
Sour
Cognac 2 oz
Lemon juice 1 oz
Green Chartreuse 3/4 oz
Simple syrup 3/4 oz








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Mojito
Sour
Mint 10 leaves
Light rum 2 oz
Sugar 2 tsp
Sparkling water 2 oz
Lime juice 3/4 oz








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Negroni
Campari cocktail
Gin 1 1/4 oz
Sweet vermouth 1 1/4 oz
Campari 3/4 oz
I use less negroni than official recipes, which I find too bitter.








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Old-fashioned
Old-fashioned family
Angustura 2 dash
Rye 1.5 oz
Sugar 1 tsp








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Pina Colada
Highball
Pineapple juice 2 oz
Light rum 1.75 oz
Coconut cream 1 oz
Pineapple rum 3/4 oz








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Pink Elephant
Sours
Gin 2 oz
Creme de Mure 2 tsp
Maraschino 1 tsp
Simple syrup 1 tsp
Grapefruit juice 3/4 oz
Lime juice 0.5 oz








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Sunflower
Sour
Gin 1 oz
Elderflower liquor 1 oz
Lemon juice 1 oz
Cointreau 1 oz
Absinthe 1 dash








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Tom Collins
Sour
Sparkling water 3 oz
Old Tom gin 2.25 oz
Lemon juice 1.5 oz
Simple syrup 3/4 oz








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Vieux Carre
Manhattan family
Rye 1 oz
Cognac 1 oz
Sweet vermouth 1 oz
Angustura 1 dash
Peychaud’s 1 dash
Benedictine 1/4 oz








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Whisky Sour
Sour
Rye 2 oz
Salt 1 pinch
Egg white 1 egg
Lemon juice 3/4 oz
Simple syrup 3/4 oz








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Willoughby
Manhattan family
bitters 2 dash
Bourbon 1.5 oz
Sweet vermouth 1.5 ox
A Manhattan is too dry for most people. This is a more palatable version of the great cocktail.