Cocktail à la Louisiane

First documented 70 years ago in Arthur's Famous New Orleans Drinks and How to Mix 'Em, the Cocktail à la Louisiane has been largely ignored since then. It's worth the effort to search out the ingredients (or a talented bartender in a well-stocked establishment) and bring this drink into the 21st century.

Irish Cocktail

This classic drink is similar to the Improved Holland Gin Cocktail, but uses Irish whiskey instead of malty genever.

Vermouth Cocktail

The Vermouth Cocktail illustrates the flavorful beauty of good vermouth, with just a little adornment. If you're prone to dismiss this drink out of hand because it's based on vermouth, then you're denying yourself the opportunity to see what the original fuss from the nineteenth century was all about.

Bourbon Renewal Cocktail

This recipe comes from Jeffrey Morgenthaler of Portland's Clyde Common. Sweet crème de cassis mixes with oaky bourbon to produce a delicious take on the classic whiskey sour.

The 151 Swizzle

Following Wednesday's post on the appeal of higher-proof spirits in cocktails, here's a drink that may appear formidable at first glance, but if treated with due respect is as gentle as can be: the 151 Swizzle.

Millionaire Cocktail

There are a few cocktails that go by this name, but my favorite is this version with rye (or bourbon), grenadine, pastis, curaçao or Grand Marnier, and an egg white. It's rich and mildly creamy, with mellow whiskey flavors rounded out by sweet fruitiness and just a hint of anise.

The Claridge

But while the Slope keeps me coming back to the magical interaction between rye whiskey, apricot brandy, and bitter vermouth, the Claridge keeps the stone fruit's appeal alive when it's mixed with gin and dry vermouth.

Boulevardier

Essentially a Negroni with whiskey swapped in for gin, this classic is a beautiful cocktail in its own right.

Manhattan Cocktail

The stiff, smooth union of whiskey and vermouth is a classic of the cocktail canon.

Modern Cocktail No. 2

The Modern Cocktail No. 2 shows how wonderfully blended scotch can work in a cocktail. As written in the Savoy Cocktail Book from 1930, the Modern #2 matches the smooth richness of blended scotch with the sharp tang of sloe gin, with dashes of absinthe, grenadine and bitters lending additional complexity.