Recipes By Rebekah Peppler
83 recipes found
Bijou
This classic 19th-century cocktail’s name means “jewel” in French, in supposed reference to its combination of gem-colored spirits: diamond-clear gin, ruby-red sweet vermouth and emerald-green Chartreuse. While the original — often attributed to Harry Johnson, who published a recipe in the 1900 edition of his “New and Improved Bartender’s Manual” — called for equal parts, this variation skews the drink toward modern palates by reducing the amount of green Chartreuse. The final drink is balanced and dry, yet still plenty herbal. Serve and sip as is, or split between two very small, very pretty glasses for a petite-in-stature, big-in-flavor nightcap.
Watermelon-Lime Cooler
While coolers are often stretched with something sparkling, this rose-hued drink swaps in a pour of fresh watermelon juice. The inherent sweetness — and deep pink color palette — of both the juice and the Lillet Rosé is tempered with an ounce of gin and a splash of lime’s bright acidity. (If you can’t find Lillet Rosé, use Lillet Blanc or even a blanc vermouth in a pinch.)
Batched Boulevardier
Some drinks are meant to be made and consumed immediately, others benefit from aging. The Boulevardier — a wintertime Negroni that substitutes bourbon for gin — swings both ways. Give this blend of bourbon, Campari and sweet vermouth time to mesh in a tightly sealed bottle in the fridge and the drink’s texture skews softer and more velvety. This batch recipe is lightly diluted, enough to enjoy the drink up, without ice, but not so much that it can’t be enjoyed over ice. One rule to follow: If you’re letting the batch sit for more than two weeks, leave the water out and add it the day you’re serving. Otherwise, marry it all, let it sit and drink as desired — or needed.
Sherry Margarita
Manzanilla sherry, produced exclusively in the seaside township of Sanlúcar de Barrameda in southern Spain, is extremely dry and acidic. It’s also distinctly more saline than other fino sherries (which you could also use in this recipe). Combined with a pinch of salt, manzanilla amplifies and brightens the lime, rounds tequila’s edge and allows this margarita to go down that much more smoothly.
Negroni Bianco
The Negroni deftly toes the line between sweet and bitter. A pinch of salt helps navigate that balance, muting bitter edges and highlighting sweetness, all without actually tipping the drink salty. This variation swaps in blanc (also called bianco) vermouth for the classic’s red, but feel free to use whatever vermouth you like or have on hand.
Modern Hot Toddy
Think of this drink as the darker, richer cousin to the classic hot toddy. Choose an amaro with citrus notes that is medium in body and bitterness, and use a six-ounce serving vessel. (The smaller size will help the drink retain heat.) Warming the serving vessel and the ingredients themselves helps to keep the hot toddy, well, hot, but if you’re keen on skipping one of the steps to a superiorly hot toddy, make it warming the ingredients — and drink with the urgency that choice demands.
Bamboo Shot
The Bamboo Shot takes the famous 19-century sherry cocktail and turns it into a shot. The original Bamboo — sherry, dry vermouth and a few drops of orange and Angostura bitters — is credited to the German bartender Louis Eppinger of the Grand Hotel in Yokohama, Japan. Dry and complex, it looks and tastes like a high-proof drink, but the low-A.B.V. ingredients keep its impact in check, making it an ideal shot to start a celebration — or a Tuesday night. Eating briny, buttery Castelvetrano olives as a chaser completes the shot experience — and helps round out the drink’s drier tones.
An Adaptable Old-Fashioned Cocktail
The old-fashioned is infinitely forgiving. Originally named “whiskey cocktail,” it’s a stirred, spirit-forward drink classically based on bourbon or rye. But out of want or necessity, you can venture outside tradition. This version uses 2-to-1 “rich” simple syrup, which is sweeter and thicker than the standard 1-to-1 ratio of sugar and water, but allows you to use less without sacrificing texture. This cocktail offers many a substitution; the only nonnegotiable is to use a spirit you like, as it serves as leading lady in this cocktail hour.
Sweet Vermouth Slush
Spoon and serve this vermouth-orange slush as is for a lower-A.B.V. drink or top each portion, affogato-style, with a drinker’s choice floater of hard spirit. Tequila, gin, brandy, bourbon or mezcal all work well. The key to prolonging the cocktail’s icy texture is to make sure every element is chilled: Pop whatever liquors you plan to pour over top into the fridge when you put the slush in the freezer. This simple, plan-ahead move will keep your final drink from melting too fast.
Amaro Spritz
This simple recipe takes the 3-2-1 spritz formula to heart, relying on just three quality ingredients. Amari styles vary wildly in viscosity and flavor, from intensely bitter to lightly sweet and floral, which means different bottles match different moods. To make sure you’re always prepared, stock a few of the bitter liqueurs and start drinking. Current favorites include French China-China (spiced, earthy and orange-based), Sicilian Averna (sweet, citrusy), Californian Lo-Fi Gentian Amaro (juicy, floral) and Brooklyn-based Forthave Spirits Marseille Amaro (herbal, with warm spices). To these, add any hyper-regional bottles you’ve tucked into a suitcase. All spritz nicely, especially when paired with a lime wheel.
Tonic Spritz
This simple variation gets a one-two punch of bitter quinine from both tonic and Lillet Blanc. A fortified white wine-based apéritif made outside Bordeaux, Lillet (pronounced lee-LAY) is golden hued, citrus forward and has been clinking around bars since 1872. Since all the ingredients in the cocktail (Lillet, bubbles, tonic) skew somewhat sweet — in spite of quinine’s bitter notes — make sure to seek out both dry tonic and dry sparkling wine to avoid crossing over to saccharine. If you don’t have access to dry tonic, you can also use equal parts tonic and club soda.