Recipes By Robert Simonson
110 recipes found
NoMad Espresso Martini
The espresso martini, made with vodka, coffee liqueur and fresh coffee, has became a global sensation since it was invented in the 1980s by British bartender Dick Bradsell. At the NoMad Bar in Manhattan, it is one of the most popular cocktails on the menu. But Nathan McCarley-O’Neill, the bar director, has put his own stamp on the recipe, including cold brew liqueur, cold brew concentrate and a touch of aquavit. “By using a concentrate, we reduced the amount of water and dilution being added to the cocktail,” he said. “This meant that the espresso martini had a distinct freshness to it.” For the NoMad drink, Mr. McCarley-O’Neill makes his own concentrate, but for home bartender purposes, a high-quality purchased brand like Stumptown can be substituted. The drops of saline solution — a common trick that cocktail bartenders have been employing for more than a decade — serve to bring out the drink’s innate flavors.
Amaretto Sour
Jeffrey Morgenthaler, the bar manager of Pépé Le Moko and Clyde Common in Portland, Ore., enjoyed amaretto sours as a young man. As a bartender, he embarked on a project to make a better version of this often-mocked drink, which was typically composed of just amaretto and sour mix. He boosted the alcoholic strength by mixing in nearly a full ounce of overproof bourbon, replaced the sour mix with real lemon juice and added an egg white — a common ingredient in many sour recipes from the past. Given all the alterations, he might have given the cocktail a new name, but decided against that. “There wouldn’t have been any point,” he said. “There’s a big difference between if I took this drink and made it good, and if I invented a new drink with amaretto. The latter wouldn’t have the same gravitas.”
Classic Eggnog
Aaron Goldfarb, a liquor writer who was raised Jewish, was not introduced to the joys of eggnog until he married a woman who loved Christmas. Making a batch of homemade eggnog became his self-designated duty at their annual Christmas party in Park Slope, Brooklyn. For the spirits, Mr. Goldfarb prefers Maker’s Mark or another bourbon with a heavy wheat content, which lends sweetness. He also cautions against using spiced rum, as he feels the spirits involved already possess enough intrinsic baking-spice qualities. Mr. Goldfarb loves a slightly aged nog; see Tip for his advice.
Fade to Black
A spin on the old drink category of the flip — which involves the use of a whole egg — the Fade to Black illustrates the potential versatility of cocktails using beer. Rich, dessertlike and potent, this is that rare beast: an after-dinner beer cocktail. Using raw egg has become a common practice in cocktail bars over the past decade. There is no good substitute for the texture and flavor that a raw egg lends, so readers who fear contamination may want to refrain.
Fair Play
This light-bodied, low-in-alcohol, aperitif-style cocktail from Natasha David shows off the benefits of its collection of disparate ingredients. The Lillet assumes easy, refreshing drinking; the Suze and vermouth lend a slight bitterness and subtle complexity; and the bourbon anchors it all. The marmalade, meanwhile, nods to brunch, and may make you hunger for a bit of food.
Make-Ahead Martini
Daniel Osborne, the bar manager at Abigail Hall in Portland, Ore., can satisfy orders for gin and vodka martinis and rye and bourbon manhattans in an instant. Each drink is mixed in bulk, diluted and chilled well ahead of time. Advocates of this process say it results in not only quicker service but also a better, colder and more viscous drink. “Dilution and chill are main ingredients” in a martini, Mr. Osborne said. To find out for yourself, you need to plan only a day before cocktail hour. This recipe will yield two drinks. If you wish to have more ready in advance, simply double or triple the measurements.
Tuxedo No. 2
This version of the Tuxedo cocktail first appeared in a cocktail book in 1900. Essentially a traditional martini that is lent sweet and herbal notes by small amounts of maraschino liqueur and absinthe, it is a gentler, more delicate version of its austere cousin. Jarred Roth, beverage director of the Bar Room at the Beekman in New York, prefers the Brooklyn-made Greenhook gin and the soft French Dolin vermouth.
Disco Ball
This equal-parts drink is not a proper cocktail but a shot, meant to be drunk in one go. If there are any booze bullies that can back mezcal into a corner, it’s the tag team of green and yellow Chartreuse. They dominate here, creating a liquid riot of herbs in a glass, with a background smokiness the only hint that the mezcal’s still hiding in there. The drink is on tap at the Grain and Grape Exchange in Jacksonville, Fla.
Cold-Fashioned
This simple riff on the old-fashioned has become a popular way to serve Mr. Black cold brew liqueur in many bars across America. Tom Baker, the founder of Mr. Black, prefers a simple recipe calling for equal parts rye whiskey and Mr. Black, with no sugar or bitters required. But each bar has its own take. This formula, which comes from Peppi’s Cellar, a bar in the NoLIta section of Manhattan, opts for Irish whiskey and a few dashes of orange bitters. The Irish whiskey lends a gentle touch to the drink, softening the kick of the coffee. But, really, with this drink, it’s all about what sort of whiskey you like (bourbon also works), and how much you like that cold brew flavor, so adjust the proportions and ingredients to your taste.
Bee’s Knees
This recipe from Marshall Minaya of Valerie, a bar in Midtown Manhattan, is classic, adhering to the original’s mixture of gin, lemon juice and honey. The addition of Barr Hill Gin, a spirit from Vermont that is finished with raw honey, adds an extra honeyed note to the cocktail.
Striptease
Yana Volfson, the beverage director at Cosme, created this elegant yet lively drink for that Manhattan restaurant. It draws its ingredients equally from France and Mexico. The fiery mezcal is calmed by the subtly sweet and fruity blanc vermouth. The guanabana nectar (also known as soursop), which has litchi-like characteristics, adds yet another unexpected flavor note to this twist on a margarita. The drink is a perfectly balanced amalgam of the unusual and the familiar. Goya makes a guanabana nectar that can be found in many New York City bodegas.
Negroni and the Goat
The chef Stephanie Izard created this drink as the June 2014 Negroni of the Month for the restaurant Nostrana, in Portland, Ore. The name is a reference to the Chicago restaurant Girl & the Goat, where Ms. Izard is the executive chef. The substitution of Aperol for Campari makes for a gentler drink, while the addition of Averna, a Sicilian amaro, lends a sturdy bottom note.
Dubonnet Cocktail
Now that a reformulated Dubonnet has been introduced in the United States, a cocktail is in order. The most famous one is this mix of Dubonnet and London dry gin; this recipe is endorsed by Lynn House, a bartender and brand representative for Heaven Hill, the distiller that makes Dubonnet in the United States. She helped reconfigure the American recipe for Dubonnet. This cocktail is a bit stronger than that reportedly preferred by Queen Elizabeth II, who opts for two parts Dubonnet to one part gin. The recipe works equally well on the rocks. Another old cocktail that once went by the same name calls for dry sherry instead of gin. It is also worth a try.
Yukon Cornelius
The bartender Natasha David likes to create beer cocktails because she doesn’t like beer and wants to “make it taste better.” With this drink, she did so by combining it with a sprawling and unlikely array of flavors: herbal aquavit, sweet peach liqueur, spicy ginger syrup and smoky mezcal. The flavorful result is bright, fruity and unexpected.
Grasshopper
The Grasshopper served at Dante, a New York City cocktail bar, is a fairly straightforward affair, calling on the crème de menthe, crème de cacao and cream demanded by the drink’s classic formula. To this, Dante adds an extra dose of both mint and chocolate flavor. The mint comes in the form of Branca Menta, the minty cousin to the Italian amaro Fernet Branca. Meanwhile, a slight shower of shaved chocolate on the drink’s surface crowns the cocktail. Be sure the crème de menthe brand you end up using is of the green variety, and not the clear. The color of the cocktail, said Linden Pride, an owner of Dante, is “part of its success story; it catches people’s attention.”
Deathbed Manhattan
Allen Katz, founder of the New York Distilling Company in Williamsburg, Brooklyn, spent years worrying over his first rye whiskey, tasting and testing it until it was ripe for bottling. So it only makes sense that he would fuss over the manhattan recipe that uses his new Ragtime Rye. After some tests, he settled on splitting the vermouth component between two products: the bolder, fruitier Martini & Rossi sweet vermouth and the more complex, dry, herbaceous Punt e Mes. Otherwise, it’s a straightforward version of this classic cocktail, which traditionally called for rye. And it lives up to its name: It’s so good, you may request it as your final drink.
Caesar Cocktail
Sometimes it seems there are as many Caesar recipes as there are Canadians of drinking age. The building blocks are usually the same: vodka, hot sauce, Worcestershire sauce, lime juice, spices (for the rim of the glass) and clam-tomato juice, be it the standard Mott’s Clamato or one of the newer brands. But every bar and citizen has a special twist, usually in the departments of spices and garnish. This recipe is an adaptation of the one used by the bartender London Richard at his restaurant Sorso, near Calgary, Alberta. For vodka, he prefers Calgary’s own Burwood Vodka. For the spiced rim, the nationally popular mix known as Montreal steak spice plays a part. The garnish is a pickled pineapple and a bacon-wrapped, cream-cheese stuffed pickle. This version is a bit less complicated. But since a Caesar is a form of individual expression, follow your creative urge wherever it takes you. As long as you’ve got the Clamato and a decently complex spiced rim, you’ll end up with a wonderfully savory eye-opener that may render the Bloody Mary a dim memory.
Whist Cocktail
Thad Vogler, an owner of two San Francisco restaurant-bars, is a big believer in simplicity in cocktails, keeping the number of ingredients to a minimum. The Whist, drawn from “The Savoy Cocktail Book,” which was published in 1930, fits that profile. If the recipe is simple, the rewards are complex, owing to the variegated nuances found in all three liquors. It also shows how a little Calvados can go a long way in terms of flavor. Take this drink toward the end of your evening, as it is potent.
Bourbon Milk Punch
With a place of honor in the New Orleans drink pantheon alongside the Sazerac and the Ramos Gin Fizz, bourbon milk punch is enjoyed morning and night in the Crescent City, but most commonly at brunch. Restaurants and bars often pride themselves on their particular rendition. This one comes from the famed French 75 Bar in Arnaud’s restaurant in the French Quarter. It is easily whipped up before or after a meal, and offers near-immediate gratification.
Kingston Negroni
The bartender Joaquín Simó created this funky rum twist on the classic Negroni formula while working at Death & Co, a popular New York cocktail bar. According to Mr. Simó, Carpano Antica vermouth possesses enough strength of flavor to stand up to the powerful Smith & Cross, an overproof, pot-stilled Jamaican rum.
Boss Colada
This refreshing creation by Nick Detrich was the best-selling drink at his New Orleans bar, Cane & Table, in 2014. The recognizably tiki-esque mélange of rum and fruit juices is given a delightfully sharp edge by a full ounce of the bitter herbal liqueur Baska Snaps, while the heavy portioning of Peychaud’s bitters helps to dry out the cloying sweetness of the pineapple juice and the orgeat, an almond-flavored syrup. An unlikely but well-balanced cocktail, it is perfect in the hotter months, but good all year round.
The Sanctimonious Kid
At many bars, cocktails tend to come these days in boat-size portions. But some New York City bars, like the one at Wylie Dufresne’s Alder restaurant, offer so-called short drinks that are about the half the size of a regular serving. This one, named for an Old West bandit, is made ahead of time and dispensed from a tap at Alder. At home, you can mix it yourself — and double the measurements if you want the full-size version. Infusing your own tequila requires a little forethought but not much work, and produces enough to spice up future drinks.
Agridulce Royale
Grapefruit Cooler
This is a rare vodka drink from Audrey Saunders, who was once famous for eschewing the flavorless spirit at her celebrated New York cocktail bar, Pegu Club. In keeping with her exacting style, the drink has been painstakingly workshopped down to the last dash of bitters. The combination of grapefruit-flavored vodka, a special grapefruit syrup and a grapefruit twist produces a bright complexity of flavor that one doesn’t expect from a vodka cocktail. And the honey syrup adds a sweet note familiar to anyone who has ever drizzled a line of honey onto her morning grapefruit.