Guide: Drinks Every Man Should Know

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You don’t need to prove your manly sophistication by knowing how to make a lot of drinks, just take pride in mastering a few classics. These seven cocktails have proven their significance and distinction over time. Now make your mark by confidently executing proper technique and by knowing quality ingredients.

Martini
The key element in a good martini is temperature. Start with a cold glass and chilled Bombay Sapphire gin. Add four parts gin to one part Noilly Prat dry vermouth and shake liberally. As the ice melts it softens the liquor and brings out the aroma. Strain, pour and add a good olive or two. Make it a Dirty Martini by adding a little olive juice into the mix.

Gin & Tonic
It should be simple with both ingredients in the name, but there’s a little more to it. Most importantly, never stir a gin and tonic. A highball should not have a uniform taste but variation throughout the drink. Place several cubes of ice in a glass and add three ounces of Bombay Sapphire gin, then the tonic. Go without the lime and use fresh tonic out of a single serving bottle.

Bloody Mary
There’s no need to wait until brunch to make this libation. Place ice in a glass and add four dashes of black pepper, a few shakes of celery salt and three or four dashes of Tabasco and Worcestershire sauce. Add three ounces of Chopin vodka and six ounces of the best tomato juice you can find. Stir it up and squeeze in a lime wedge. Hold off gnawing on a celery stalk.

Old Fashioned
Cole Porter wrote a song about it and FDR claimed it as his favorite in the White House. Drop a sugar cube in the bottom of a glass and soak it with a few dashes of Angostura bitters. Add a little water to dissolve the sugar and mash it up. Fill with ice and three ounces of Johnnie Walker Gold Label or Crown Royal Reserve. Garnish with an orange slice.

Manhattan
A thoroughly American drink preferred by Frank Sinatra and the Rat Pack. Mix three ounces of Woodford Reserve bourbon, three-quarters of an ounce of Martini & Rossi sweet vermouth and a dash or two of Angostura bitters. Stir in ice and strain into a Martini glass.

Sidecar
Thought to have been invented in Paris during World War I, you can’t skip the premium ingredients with this drink. Pour two ounces of Remy Martin V.S.O.P. Cognac, one ounce of Cointreau and juice of half a lemon. Shake with ice and serve on the rocks.

Margarita
Probably the drink you’ll make most often for guests, so it’s one you should perfect. Coat the glass rim with a lime then coarse salt. Mix two ounces of Don Julio Silver tequila, one and a half ounces of Key lime juice and three-quarters of an ounce of Cointreau. Shake till cold, strain into a glass and serve on the rocks.

Tip: since ice is an integral part of each drink, make sure it’s fresh and made from filtered water.

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