Red Pepper Daisy

This drink was created by John Lermayer at the Florida Room in Miami, but variations have appeared in various places - it's essentially a margarita with bell pepper and agave subbed in for the cointreau. However, it's the most basic drink you can make with a red pepper, and it's quite delicious.

1.5 reposado tequila
.5 agave syrup
.5 lime juice
3-4 dime-sized red bell pepper pieces

Muddle the pepper slices in a glass, then add all ingredients and shake for 10-15 seconds. Strain into an ice-filled rocks glass. Garnish with a slice of bell pepper.

Optionals: Top with soda and/or substitute the red pepper for jalapeños (seeds removed).

Art of Choke

Another one from RogueBeta, this was invented at Violet Hour in Chicago. It is a beautiful combination of Cynar, Chartreuse, and mint, turning three strong flavors into a cohesive whole.

1 oz White Rum
1 oz Cynar
1/8 oz Lime Juice
+1/4 oz Green Chartreuse
Mint Sprig

Combine all ingredients in a glass and muddle the mint gently. Add ice, stir for 30 seconds and strain into an ice-filled down glass. Garnish with a mint sprig

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.

Palmyra

This refreshing cocktail pleases almost every palate, especially those n00bs who have little experience with bitter liqueurs. The recipe comes from No. 9 Park, but I am not sure which bartender.

2 oz Vodka
1 1/3 oz Mint simple syrup
2/3 oz Lime juice

Combine in an ice-filled glass and shake for 10-15 seconds. Strain into a cocktail glass. Garnish with two mint leaves stuck into a lime wedge.

For the mint simple syrup, bring equal parts of sugar and water just to a boil. Add a handful of torn mint leaves and let steep for about 10 minutes before straining.

Enjoy.

Mojito

Like the margarita and the martini, the mojito has been the victim of its own success. Thanks to a huge wave of popularity in the early 2000s, the drink has been massacred countless times by poor recipes and/or variations like a mango mojito that most likely use bad artificial flavoring anyway. All this makes it the perfect drink to introduce the proper art of mixology to your friends who don't care to think about such pleasures.

1/2 Lime
8-10 Mint leaves
2 tsp. Granulated Sugar
2 oz White Rum
1 oz Selzer

Combine the limes, sugar, and mint leaves in a glass and muddle until the limes have released their juice and the mint has released its oils. Add ice and the rum and shake for 5-10 seconds. Strain into an ice-filled hi-ball and add the seltzer. Garnish with a mint sprig and serve.

Enjoy.

Caipirinha

The national cocktail of Brazil, the Caipirinha is an all-time classic that went through a trendy period a few years back when people got tired of Mojitos. That's no reason to avoid making them, though.

1-2 Limes (depending on size)
2 tsp Granulated Sugar
2 oz Cachaça

Quarter the limes and muddle them in a rocks glass with the granulated sugar. Fill the glass with crushed ice and pour the cachaça over the ice. Stir once and serve.

Enjoy.

Green Ghost

Few drinks highlight the herbaceous flavor of Green Chartreuse as well as the Green Ghost.

2 oz Gin
1/2 oz Lime Juice
1/2 oz Green Chartreuse

Combine ingredients in an ice-filled glass and shake for 15-20 seconds. Strain into a cocktail glass and garnish with a lime slice.

Enjoy.

Pendennis Club

A drink introduced to me by the fantastic Oh Gosh! cocktail blog, this is a highly complex cocktail that's still very refreshing and bright, and includes two of my favorite things, Apricot Brandy and Peychaud's Bitters. The drink was originally garnished with a lime wedge, but I prefer the twist for the nose it imparts.

1 1/2 oz Gin
1/2 oz Lime juice
1/3 oz Apricot brandy
1 bar spoon Peychaud
1/2 bar spoon Simple syrup

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

Enjoy.

Moscow Mule

The key to this drink is a good ginger beer. In my book, the spicier the better. I'm a big fan of AJ Stephan's, but it can be hard to find outside of the Boston area. Goya, which works quite well, is probably the most widely available.

1 1/2 oz Vodka
1/2 oz Lime Juice
Ginger Beer

Fill a large hi-ball with ice. Add vodka and lime juice, top with ginger beer, and give it a gentle stir. Garnish with a slice of lime. This is more of a "to taste" drink, so don't fret over the measurements.

Enjoy.

Mai Tai

I refer to these as "Might Dies" because that's how you feel after a few. Trader Vic, the grandfather of all things tiki, created this drink sometime in the 1940s. Since then, there have been hundreds of variations, most of which suck. The only thing constant between the original and the crap you get served in a tacky Polynesian restaurant is rum. This recipe comes from Robert Hess, and it is a very close approximation of the original.

1 oz White Rum
1 oz Gold Rum
1/2 oz Orange Curaçao
1/2 oz Orgeat syrup
1/2 oz Lime juice
1 oz Dark Rum (float)

The technique here is a little strange. Instead of shaking vigorously and straining, add all the ingredients (except the dark rum) to a rocks glass, fill almost completely with ice. Pour the entire contents of the glass into a shaker and shake for no more than 10 seconds, just enough to mix all the ingredients and give them a good chill. Pour the entire contents of the shaker back into the rocks glass. Float the dark rum on top. Garnish with a sprig of mint, a speared piece of pineapple and maraschino cherry (use the crappy ones here), and whatever else you have lying around.

Enjoy.

Final Ward

Phil Ward of New York's Death and Co. took a Last Word, tagged out the gin, and brought in rye. Like the Last Word, this is a delicious, complex cocktail.

3/4 oz Rye (Rittenhouse)
3/4 oz Green Chartreuse
3/4 oz Maraschino Liqueuer
3/4 oz Lime juice

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

Enjoy.

Daiquiri

Toby Maloney from the nationally praised Violet Hour in Chicago gave his recipe for this essential rum drink on a message board. I'll let him do the honors on the description, but click through for his full recipe with rum of choice.

2 oz White Rum
3/4 oz Lime Juice
3/4 oz Simple Syrup

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

Toby:

Thats it. Nothing but the basics. This is THE hardest drink to make. If it isn't to your taste add a couple of DROPS of lime or simple. This is my desert island drink. It just doesn't get better than this.

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.

Clover Club

This drink is named after a club in Philadelphia, though an excellent bar in Brooklyn has taken its name. One of the great egg white drinks, and a solid yet gentle introduction to both gin and raw egg for the novice.

2 oz Gin
1 oz Lemon Juice
1 oz Egg White
1/4-1/2 oz Raspberry Syrup (or fresh raspberries when lucky)

Combine 1/4 oz raspberry syrup and all other ingredients in a glass and shake for 5-10 seconds. Add ice and shake for 30 seconds to one minute, or until a nice foam builds up. Taste to see if more syrup or fruit is necessary. Strain into a cocktail glass (if using fresh berries, use a tea strainer).

Note: While a proper Clover Club is made with raspberries, homemade grenadine makes an excellent substitute. If raspberry syrup is unavailable, or if you have a particularly exciting grenadine, do not let tradition get in the way of your enjoyment.

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.

Oriental

A lesser-known drink that is very refreshing.

1 1/2 oz Rye
3/4 oz Sweet Vermouth
3/4 oz Triple Sec
1/2 oz Lime Juice

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

Enjoy.

Jack Rose

The quintessential applejack drink, this is also one of the best uses of homemade grenadine.

1 1/2 oz Applejack
1/2 oz Lime Juice
1 Bar Spoon Homemade Grenadine

Combine in an ice-filled glass and shake for 15-20 seconds. Strain into a rocks glass and garnish with a lime or lemon peel.

Enjoy.

Ramos Gin Fizz

Certainly one of the great cocktails in history, this drink can double as a pretty satisfying dessert. It takes quite a bit of time to do it right, but it is 100% worth it.

1 1/2 oz Gin (Plymouth)
1/2 oz Lemon Juice
1/2 oz Lime Juice
2 tbsp Cream
1 tbsp Superfine Sugar
1 Egg White
3-4 drops Orange Flower Water (no more, please)
1 oz Seltzer Water

Combine all the ingredients save the seltzer in a glass and shake for 5-10 seconds, or until the egg whites start to foam. Add 5-6 cubes worth of cracked ice and shake until your arms are ready to fall off (you are trying to wake it up, not put it to sleep). Place the glass in the freezer in a bucket of ice for 1-2 minutes, or until you are ready to shake again. Repeat until you can shake no more, or you have built up a meringue that is to your satisfaction (this is the drink where you really want to get it right). Strain into a highball, add the seltzer water, and garnish with a lemon twist.

Enjoy.

Last Word

Murray Stenson at Seattle's Zig Zag Cafe resurrected this unusually balanced drink. This is a must try.

3/4 oz Gin
3/4 oz Green Chartreuse
3/4 oz Maraschino Liqueur
3/4 oz lime juice

Combine in an ice-filled glass, and shake for 10-15 seconds. Strain into a cocktail glass with a maraschino cherry (optional) in the bottom.

Some bartenders prefer Yellow Chartreuse over the green. This substitution creates a slighter sweeter, less herbal drink. Both versions are delicious.

Enjoy.