Oaxaca Old Fashioned

A modern classic, created by Phil Ward while at Death and Co. The original featured angostura bitters, but the mole bitters from the great Bitterman's line make a fine substitution or addition.

1 1/2 oz Reposado Tequila
1/5 oz Mezcal
1 tsp. Agave Syrup
1-2 dashes Angostura Bitters, Mole Bitters, or Combination

Combine all ingredients in an ice filled glass and stir for 20-30 seconds. Strain into an ice-filled rocks glass and garnish with a flamed orange peel.

Trinidad Sour

Created by one of my favorite bartenders, Guiseppe Gonzalez, the Trinidad Sour belongs to the notorious clan of drinks made with an inordinate amount of bitters. Weirdly, it tastes of cherries, even though there's nothing with cherry in it.

1 oz Angostura
1 oz Orgeat
3/4 oz Lemon
1/2 oz Rye

Combine all ingredients in an ice-filled glass, shake for 15-20 seconds, and strain into a cocktail glass.

Moment of Silence

From the excellent RogueBeta Cocktail book. A modern classic.

1 1/2 oz Rye Whiskey
1 oz Apricot Liqueur
1/2 oz Averna
1/2 oz Angostura
1/4 oz Applejack

Rinse a down glass with Campari. Combine all ingredients in an ice-filled glass and stir for 30 seconds. Strain into the rinsed glass and garnish with an orange peel.

Jupiter's Acorn

From the wonderful Craigie on Main in Cambridge, with a nod to the original poster of the recipe.

1 oz Barbancourt 15 Year Rum
1 oz Nux Alpina Walnut Liqueur
1/2 oz Punt e Mes (or Sweet Vermouth)
1/2 oz Benedictine
1 Egg
1 dash Angostura Bitters
1 dash Mole Bitters

Combine in a glass and shake for 5-10 seconds. Add ice and shake for 20-30 seconds. Strain into a cocktail glass and top with grated nutmeg.

Hop Toad

This recipe comes from The Joy of Mixology, and it's a deceptively complex drink.

1 1/2 oz Dark Rum
1 oz Apricot Brandy
1/2 oz Lime Juice (Fresh, please)
1 dash Angostura

Combine all of the ingredients in a glass and shake for 15-20 seconds. Strain into a cocktail glass.

Enjoy.

Don's Little Bitter

File this under "bizarre" or "lol wut." A recent trend, at least in Boston, is using a healthy dose of bitters (>1 oz) in drinks. Don Lee of NYC's pdt created this strange concoction.

1/4 oz Peychaud's bitters
1/4 oz Angostura Orange bitters
1/2 oz Angostura bitters
1/2 oz Lemon juice
1/2 oz Fernet
1/2 oz Simple syrup
1 oz Rum (preferably Barbancourt 8 year)

Combine in an ice-filled glass and shake for 15-20 seconds. Strain into a cocktail glass or serve down in a chilled, empty rocks glass.

Enjoy.

Abbey

A classic Lillet cocktail, and the very first recipe in the Savoy Cocktail Book.

1 1/2 oz Gin
3/4 oz Lillet
3/4 oz Orange juice (Fresh, please)
2 dashes Angostura

Combine ingredients in an ice-filled glass and shake for 10-15 seconds. Strain into a cocktail glass.

Enjoy.

Champs Elysees

This delicious brandy cocktail seemed to be a favorite of every Boston bartender this past summer. It is quite refreshing, but not so summery that it can't be enjoyed any time of the year.

1 1/2 oz Brandy
3/4 oz Yellow Chartreuse
3/4 oz Lemon Juice
1 dash Angostura

Combine in an ice-filled glass and shake for 10-15 seconds. Strain into a cocktail glass.

Enjoy.

Rob Roy

The scotch Manhattan, this drink is one where the ratios vary a lot from taste bud to taste bud (and from scotch to scotch). I like scotch a fair amount, so I'm comfortable with the ratio Dale DeGroff gave in his essential Craft of the Cocktail. Others might want to go down to a 2:1.

2 1/2 oz Blended Scotch
1 oz Sweet Vermouth
1 dash Angostura

Combine in an ice-filled glass and stir for 15-20 seconds. Strain into a cocktail glass and garnish with a lemon peel.

Enjoy.

Toronto

Fernet is an asshole. The flavor is frontal assault on your senses. The first taste is like being punched in the face. But, it's still sooooo delicious. The best way to enjoy Fernet is as a shot (preferably with a bartender) after a long night of drinking. The second best way is in a Toronto.

2 oz Rye (Rittenhouse or other higher proof rye)
1/4 oz Fernet Branca
1/4 oz simple syrup
2 dashes Angostura

Warning: Some drinks are more forgiving than others and allow for reckless measuring. This is not such a drink. A dash too much Fernet and this drink is ruined.

Combine ingredients in an ice-filled glass and stir for 20-30 seconds. Strain into a cocktail glass. Some use an orange peel as a garnish (others even flame it), but I don't think a garnish necessary. Those new to Fernet, however, may enjoy the additional familiar flavor.

Enjoy.

Seelbach

Not for the faint of heart, but if bourbon and bitters send your heart aflutter, this is the ideal Champagne cocktail. This specific recipe comes from Gary Regan's essential Joy of Mixology.

3/4 oz Bourbon
1/2 oz Triple Sec
7 dashes Peychaud bitters
7 dashes Angostura bitters
4 oz Champagne

Build in the order specified in a Champagne flute. Garnish with an orange twist.

Enjoy.

Champagne Cocktail

One of the simplest cocktails in existence, but also one of the most sophisticated. For special occasions, or to create special occasions.

1 Sugar Cube
Angostura Bitters

Fill a champagne flute with Champagne. Place the sugar cube over the top of the Angostura and invert the bottle. When the cube has taken in a sufficient amount of bitters, drop the the cube into the bottom of the glass, preferably in front of the drink's consumer.

Note: "Champagne" can be taken to mean any sparkling wine, though this specific cocktail may demand a more rigid reading of the phrase.

Enjoy.

Widow's Touch

Invented by John Gertsen, now the head bartender at Drink in Boston, this drink is a riff on the classic Widow's Kiss. It's also one of the best cocktails to feature the excellent St-Germain elderflower liqueur.

1 1/4 oz Applejack
3/4 oz St-Germain
1/4 oz Bénédictine
1 dash Angostura

Combine in an ice-filled glass and stir for 15-20 seconds. Strain into a cocktail glass.

Enjoy.

Widow's Kiss

This is a classic fall/winter drink, over 100 years old, that combines two of the great monk-made liqueurs, Bénédictine and Chartreuse. A little on the sweeter side.

1 1/2 oz Calvados (or other apple brandy)
3/4 oz Bénédictine
3/4 oz Yellow Chartreuse
2 dashes Angostura

Combine in an ice-filled glass and stir for 15-20 seconds. Strain into a cocktail glass.

Enjoy.

Pisco Sour

The national drink of Chile and Peru is a source of considerable pride and controversy. Both countries claim to have superior pisco (a funky brandy) and the better cocktail recipe. Given my limited sampling of brands, the Peruvian piscos are much better as a group than their Chilean counterparts. This recipe is from the back of a Peruvian pisco bottle label.

2 oz. Pisco
3/4 oz. lime juice
3/4 oz. simple syrup
1 egg white
2-3 dashes Angostura bitters

Add all ingredients, except bitters, to an empty shaker. Shake dry for 10-15 seconds to emulsify. Fill shaker with ice and shake for 30 seconds. The most important thing about the drink is the meringue floating on top - vigorous shaking is critical. Strain into a cocktail glass and top with a few dashes of bitters. If you ever make it to Peru, be sure to pick up some Amargo Chuncho bitters for the most authentic pisco sour experience.

Note: Many bars use lemon juice, but the type of lemons (Lisbon or Eureka) available in the U.S. do not exist in South America. Peru's "limon" is more similar to our lime.

Enjoy.

Old Fashioned

Some argue this is the original cocktail. Unfortunately, almost every bartender totally screws it up.

2 oz. Rye
1/2 oz. simple syrup
2 dashes Angostura bitters

Add all the ingredients to a rocks glass. Top with ice and stir for 15-20 seconds. An optional finish is to express the oils of a lemon peel and wipe the rim of the glass with the peel. Discard the peel.

Enjoy.

Pegu Club

A classic from Southeast Asia during the Colonial Era. The famous Pegu Club in New York is named after the club where this drink was the signature cocktail.

1 1/2 oz Gin
1/2 oz Triple Sec or Orange Curaçao
3/4 oz Lime Juice
2 dashes Angostura
1-2 dashes orange bitters

Combine in an ice-filled glass and shake for 15-20 seconds. Strain into a cocktail glass.

Enjoy.

Vieux Carré

Along with the sazerac and the Ramos gin fizz, this is one of the essential New Orleans cocktails. A sweeter, refreshing alternative to the sazerac, with all of the same gentility. This is Ted "Dr. Cocktail" Haigh's recipe.

1 oz Rye
1 oz Brandy
1 oz Sweet Vermouth
1 bar spoon Bénédictine
2 dashes Angostura
2 dashes Peychaud

Combine in an ice-filled glass and stir for 15-20 seconds. Strain into an ice-filled rocks glass and garnish with a lemon twist.

Enjoy.

Manhattan

My favorite cocktail. When made properly (i.e. with rye) it's spicy, aromatic, and the perfect aperitif. This is my preferred ratio, but you can adjust as you please.

The Manhattan

2 1/4 oz Rye (Sazerac)
1 1/2 oz Sweet Vermouth (Vya or Carpano Antica)
1-2 Dashes Angostura

Combine in an ice-filled glass and stir for 15-20 seconds. Strain into a chilled cocktail glass and garnish with a maraschino cherry (Luxardo or homemade only, please).

Enjoy.