Recipes
Drinks from the old books, with and without alcohol. Each one names its source and scales to the size of your party.
Drinks from the old books.
Or start from what you have at home169–180 of 228 recipes
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The 1862 Whiskey Cocktail Behind the Old Fashioned
Gum syrup, two dashes of bitters and a wine-glass of whiskey, shaken with fine ice and strained over a piece of lemon peel: Jerry Thomas’s 1862 Whiskey Cocktail, the plain drink later called the Old Fashioned.
The Aviation as Ensslin Printed It (1916)
Two-thirds gin to one-third lemon juice, with two dashes of maraschino and two of crème de violette, shaken with cracked ice and strained: the Aviation as Hugo Ensslin printed it in New York, before the violette went missing.
The Bloody Mary as First Described (1939)
Half tomato juice and half vodka, shaken cold: the Bloody Mary as New York’s columnists first described it in 1939, before salt, pepper and Worcestershire went in.
The Daiquiri as Straub Printed It (1913)
Two-thirds of a jigger of lime juice, one-third of rum and a spoon of powdered sugar, shaken with fine ice: the Daiquiri as Jacques Straub first printed it in 1913.
The Gimlet as MacElhone Printed It (1923)
Plymouth gin and Rose’s lime juice cordial in equal halves, stirred and served in the same glass, iced only if you like: the Gimlet as Harry MacElhone printed it in London in 1923, with a note that it was popular in the Navy.
The Hot Toddy as Jerry Thomas Made It (1862)
A teaspoon of sugar, a wine-glass of whiskey and boiling water in place of the ice, stirred in a small glass with no lemon at all: the hot toddy as Jerry Thomas’s 1862 bar book made it.
The Mai Tai as Trader Vic Told It (1944)
Aged Jamaica rum, fresh lime, orange curaçao, orgeat and rock candy syrup, shaken with shaved ice: the Mai Tai as Victor Bergeron said he first mixed it in 1944.
The Manhattan as Byron Printed It (1884)
Half a wine-glass of whiskey, half of Italian vermouth, two dashes of curaçao and two of Angostura, stirred with fine ice: the Manhattan as O. H. Byron printed it in 1884, among the first recipes in print.
The Moscow Mule as First Described (1942)
Vodka, lime juice and ginger beer over ice: the Moscow Mule as Hollywood columns first described it in 1942, with the two-ounce shot and squeeze of lime of the first full account.
The Oldest Dry Martini We Found (1904)
Half Tom gin, half Italian vermouth, two dashes of orange bitters and a piece of lemon peel, stirred with ice and strained: the oldest recipe we have found printed as a dry Martini, from 1904, when dry meant no syrup.
The Screwdriver as Newsweek Reported It (1944)
Half orange juice and half vodka over ice: the Screwdriver as Newsweek reported it from wartime Ankara in 1944, five years before Time called it the newest American mix.
Tom Collins, the 1876 Gin and Soda
Gin, lemon juice and a few dashes of syrup, shaken with shaved ice and filled up with soda: the Tom Collins as Jerry Thomas first printed it in 1876.
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Absinthe Frappé, Shaken until the Shaker Frosts
A pony of absinthe and a pony of water with a dash of anisette, shaken with fine ice until the shaker frosts, strained and topped with seltzer: the absinthe frappé of 1895.
Absinthium Romanum, Roman Wormwood Wine
Apicius’s Roman vermouth: mild white wine steeped for a day with wormwood, mastic, bay and saffron, unsweetened and bitter by design.
Always alcohol-freeAdynamon, Pliny’s Wine Without Strength
White grape must boiled with half its volume of water until the water is gone: the Roman ‘wine’ given to people who were not allowed wine. Alcohol-free.