The Architecture of the Cocktail: Constructing The Perfect Cocktail From The Bottom Up. Amy Zavatto

most delicious savory cocktails there is to be sipped.

      THE NOTES

      Place 6 or 7 square ice cubes into a cocktail shaker. Pour in 2 fluid ounces (60ml) of vodka, coating the ice. Add 3 fluid ounces (90ml) of tomato juice, ½ teaspoon of grated horseradish, 2 dashes each of hot sauce and Worcestershire sauce, and ½ fluid ounce (15ml) of fresh lemon juice. Finish with ¼ teaspoon of coarse salt, ¼ teaspoon of black pepper, and ¼ teaspoon of celery salt. Shake in a vertical motion for 30 seconds. Strain slowly into an ice-filled Collins glass. Garnish with a lemon wedge and a celery stalk.

BOSOM CARESSER

      One of the many wonderful results of the renaissance of classic cocktail culture the free world ‘round is the long-lost discovery of cocktails that use egg as an ingredient. Eggs are a miraculous game changer in any recipe, be it fresh mayonnaise or a drink like this one, as the textural changes they add are nothing short of a little miracle. Whip or shake one hard enough and poof, you have something frothy, creamy, or velvety. And in the case of the Bosom Caresser, the egg is the solidifying, hold-it-together girder that makes the drink. As with any recipe that contains raw egg, remember to refrigerate your eggs as you normally would, removing them for use just prior to making the cocktail. And, of course, once it’s made, don’t walk away and leave it sitting out for an hour. Drink it!

      THE NOTES

      Place 6 or 7 square ice cubes into a cocktail shaker. Drop in the egg yolk, and then pour in 1½ fluid ounces (45ml) of brandy, ½ fluid ounce (15ml) of Cointreau, and 1 teaspoon (5ml) of grenadine. Shake in a vertical motion for 30 seconds. Strain slowly into a wineglass.

BRANDY ALEXANDER

      Praised in song (who wouldn’t want to be the subject of Canadian songstress Feist’s boozy eponymous ballad?) and sipped with relish, the Brandy Alexander falls into that lovely, oft-forgotten category of dessert drinks. But dessert in a glass is a pleasure worth pursuing and doing correctly, especially when it comes to the use of heavy-lifter materials like cream. Adding the cream as one of the first ingredients to your shaker allows it to stay near icy cold, allowing maximum froth potential as the cream’s molecules hold together like two securely nailed beams. What you get: a creamy, cold, gently sweet treat that, at first sip, is a little like taking your first step into new snow.

      THE NOTES

      Place 6 or 7 square ice cubes into a cocktail shaker. Pour in ¾ fluid ounce (22ml) of Scotch, coating the ice. Pour in 1 fluid ounce (30ml) of heavy cream, allowing it to coat the ice cubes. Add in 1 fluid ounce (30ml) of brandy and 1 fluid ounce (30ml) of white crème de cacao. Shake in a vertical motion for 30 seconds. Strain slowly into a cocktail glass. Grate fresh nutmeg over the top.

BRONX

      Using the right amount of materials can be just as important as using the right materials when it comes to creating something. Take the Bronx cocktail, for instance. An argument could be made that this drink needs to be adjusted for the taste of the individual sipper, as—without the orange juice—it is basically a perfect martini, a drink whose proportions of vermouth, whether “dry” (very little vermouth) or “wet” (more vermouth), are continuously argued about. But the Bronx is meant to be a refreshing drink, and the addition of both sweet and dry vermouth in equal amounts is part of its fresh, flavorful charm.

      THE NOTES

      Place 6 or 7 square ice cubes into a cocktail shaker. Pour in 1½ fluid ounces (45ml) of gin, coating the ice. Add 1 fluid ounce (30ml) of fresh orange juice and 1 teaspoon (5ml) each of sweet and dry vermouth. Using a long bar spoon, stir for 30 seconds. Strain slowly into a coupe glass. Using a channel knife or standard vegetable peeler, gently slice only the skin (avoiding the bitter pith) of an orange above the drink and drop the peel into the glass.

BROOKLYN

      You might argue that the rise in popularity of the County of Kings and the rise in popularity of the New York City borough’s namesake tipple had a not entirely unparallel upward zoom in favor. Those who already loved them both knew their charms; but there were those who were uninitiated and needed convincing (“Why would anyone schlep out to Bushwick or for that matter mix rye and dry vermouth?!” could have easily once been the fictional decry). But just as Brooklyn has become the new black in popular NYC culture, so has its cocktail taken a sturdy spot on the lists of many a de rigueur bar. Why? The combination of spicy, snappy rye; dry, herby vermouth; and a gently bittersweet one-two punch of the once impossible to find Amer Picon (an Italian amaro) and maraschino liqueur adds a thought-provoking, entirely satisfying complexity to this king of a drink.

      THE NOTES

      Place 6 or 7 square ice cubes into a cocktail shaker. Pour in 1 ½ fluid ounces (45ml) of rye, coating the ice. Add in ½ fluid ounce (15ml) of dry vermouth, ¼ fluid ounce (8ml) of Amer Picon, and ¼ fluid ounce (8ml) maraschino liqueur. Shake in a vertical motion for 30 seconds. Strain slowly into a coupe glass. Using a standard vegetable peeler, gently slice only the skin (avoiding the bitter pith) of an orange above the drink and drop the peel in the glass.