Recipes By Rosie Schaap
137 recipes found
Updated Harlem Cocktail
Traditionally, the Harlem cocktail does not include lemon juice. I’ve added it to this updated version because the additional acidity mellows the sweetness imparted by the drink’s other components. If you’ve got an extraction juicer, fresh pineapple juice makes this drink especially bright and lively — but canned juice will work fine. I like to finish the drink with a couple dashes of Angostura bitters, but consider them optional — to your taste.
The Goldfish
The author and bartender Gary Regan revised the recipe for this Prohibition-era cocktail to prevent the strong flavor of the Goldwasser (a herbaceous liqueur) from overpowering the gin. The flecks of gold in the liqueur make this a particularly festive cocktail.
El Vergel
The aromas and flavors of corn, poblano chiles, grapes and citrus fruits harmonize in this elegantly spicy cocktail.
What-You-Will Punch
I named this punch after the subtitle of Shakespeare’s comedy “Twelfth Night”: A wonderfully boozy play merits a suitably potent (and fun) drink. The whiskey-based punch includes nutmeg and cinnamon, flavors that evoke the winter holiday from which the play takes its title — but it’s delicious any time of year. Be sure to prepare the oleo-saccharum in advance.
Pickled Cocktail Onions
This flavorsome — and relatively fast — recipe comes from Los Angeles-based bartender Gabriella Mlynarczyk. Pickled onions are the classic garnish for the Gibson cocktail, but if you love these briny, crunchy, little alliums as much as I do, you might find yourself tossing them into your gin and tonics and vodka and sodas, too (and adding them to cornichons and mustard as accoutrements for pâté).
A Beer and a Shot
Do you really need instructions for this? Of course not. But I’ve heard more than one bar regular refer to a beer and a shot, with tongue in cheek, as his or her favorite “cocktail.” The classic combo of a beer (on draft or in a bottle) and a shot of whiskey is also often called a boilermaker, but some will insist that it’s only a boilermaker if the whiskey is added directly to the beer. I’d rather keep the components separate, thanks, and, in keeping with venerable dive-bar tradition, I’ll take mine with very cold beer that doesn’t demand much from the palate (usually a lager) and bottom-shelf bourbon.
Pirlo
Like Andrea Pirlo, the celebrated Italian midfielder with whom it shares its name, the drink called Pirlo comes from Brescia, in northern Italy. But I can’t think of an aperitivo hour anywhere where it would not be perfectly at home. My friend Damiano Abeni, also a Brescian, introduced me to the Pirlo in Rome. It’s the easiest thing ever to make: Stripped to its essentials, the drink simply combines Campari with sparkling white Italian wine. But Damiano specifically uses Pignoletto frizzante (“NO PROSECCO allowed,” he wrote to me by email, caps his), and prefers to garnish with half a slice of Sicilian blood orange of the Tarocco variety. He favors 2-3 parts of wine to one part Campari, allowing that one “can play with the proportions,” and that in warm weather, ice may be added — but for Damiano, the addition of ice usually means “more Campari.” Unsurprisingly, he forgoes the club soda — but you may wish to add some if you like extra fizz (and lower alcohol).
Tabletop
Dr. Brown's Cel-Ray Soda is a divisive drink, with ardent fans and staunch detractors. Wherever you stand on the matter, it's exactly right in Pamela Wiznitzer's refreshing take on a daisy.
Serpent’s Tooth
Given the presumed provenance of its name — Shakespeare’s tragedy “King Lear” — this vintage cocktail may be unsuitable for family gatherings (“How sharper than a serpent’s tooth it is to have a thankless child!”), but its bracing blend of whiskey, vermouth, lemon juice, kümmel (a caraway-laced liqueur) and bitters is delightful nonetheless.
Black Velvet
The story goes that a steward at the Brook’s Club in London created this classic in 1861 to observe the death of Prince Albert. I hope the steward was aware that there's something beautifully subversive about combining a laborer’s favorite, porter, with champagne, the stuff of monarchs and other aristocrats. Social statement or not, it’s a great drink. The usual proportions are 50/50, but there’s nothing wrong with playing with them. I tend to favor a bit more champagne than Guinness, for a lighter Black Velvet.
Stout Float
How many of my favorite flavors can be packed into a glass? Plenty. Stout, coffee, chocolate, and vanilla make for a grown-up, earthy (but still fun) take on a float. I prefer a deeply chocolatey stout for this, but it’s just grand with any deep, dark porter you love—although I’d steer clear of oyster stouts for this. The vanilla seeds in the whipped cream may seem like a minor detail, but they’re not: they help to bring all the flavors together, and the small, brown flecks complement the rich color of the stout.
Eye of the Komodo
My friend Michael Sharkey is one of the best home bartenders I know, and he sometimes surprises me with delicious new creations when I visit. His latest is the Eye of the Komodo (he originally christened it Ojo del Komodo — but I botched and Anglicized it, probably because I think the Eye of the Komodo sounds more like a ‘60s horror movie). Built on a foundation of what Michael calls “lizard liquid” and fortified by mezcal, it is bright green, satisfyingly spicy and garnished with a vegetal “eyeball.” What’s not to love?
The Vesper
Gin or vodka? The Vesper — which first appeared in Ian Fleming’s novel ‘‘Casino Royale’’ — lets you have it both ways. Lillet stands in for its close cousin, dry vermouth. I normally stir rather than shake, but, in this case, I defer to James Bond.
Brooklyn Sunrise
The name and color of this cocktail may bring to mind sunlight playing on the East River (or, if you prefer, the arguably more romantic Gowanus Canal). Whatever it evokes, it’s delicious — a bold but balanced blend of botanical flavors from floral gin, gentian liqueur and Aperol.
Rum Raisin Hot Cocoa
Sorrel
This Jamaican drink, traditionally made with hibiscus flowers and spices, is both bracing and thirst quenching. If you’d like a boozy version, it can serve as the base for a rum punch. Or follow the advice here and serve it with simple syrup and rum on the side as an option for guests.
Sazerac
Rye is absolutely vital in a Sazerac, among the most supernaturally alluring of drinks and frequently a bartender’s favorite. Peychaud’s bitters, which are made by the Sazerac Company in Louisiana, are asked for here, and are lighter than the more commonly found Angostura variety. If you can’t get your hands on some, try using your own favorite bitters. (The New York Times)
Brown Corduroy
Spiced Brown Sugar Syrup
Brown sugar brings a deeper, richer flavor to a simple syrup than white sugar. Infused with clove and cinnamon, it’s perfect for winter cocktails.
Fernet Branca 'Oreo Cookies'
Kenneth McCoy’s Old-Fashioned
McCoy’s old-fashioned strikes a balance between the muddled fruit and minimalist models.
Wassail
Here is the the beauty of wassail: more than just another nice-tasting drink, it’s part of a long (if largely forgotten) tradition of celebrating the life that winter can seem determined to snuff out. It’s a fragrant, warming concoction mixed in bulk (this recipe makes 12 servings) and set out for sharing, all but demanding that you call in a crowd. There’s really no such thing as wassail for one. A punch bowl is good for this, although you can also ladle it into individual cups. (The New York Times)
Brighton Beach Breeze
Sorel liqueur, a newer liquor with notes of hibiscus, ginger, cinnamon and clove, can be found at a well-stocked liquor store. It can also be used to perk up Manhattans or margaritas. Here, it gives a Caribbean kick to that preppy summer classic, the Sea Breeze. (The New York Times)
Chícharo Pea-queño
Dawn Kinstle, a bartender at Lot 2 in Brooklyn, devised this punningly-named cocktail, in which juice from the pods of English peas is combined with tequila, mint, lime and just a touch of salt to bright, refreshing and gorgeously green effect. Making the pea-pod juice is simpler than it sounds, though it does require the use of an extraction juicer: you just juice the pods and then strain the liquid. Kinstle favors just four or five grains of gray sea salt to finish the drink.