The Sazerac is an institution and I love the rye-based versions dearly. But I also like split-base recipes that recognize the Cognac roots of the cocktail (and Cognac-only versions too!). This version of the Sazerac plays up the cocktail’s “Improved” qualities, splitting the aromatic ingredients between four different products, as well as splitting the base.

Ever since I wrote a piece for PUNCH about the Roffignac, I’ve wanted to develop my own spec. Though we’re taking a bit of a shortcut with this method and not making our own shrub, the à la minute “shrub” works and I love the way the plum and Cognac go together. A great drink for September that straddles summer and fall.

The Sgroppino hails from the Veneto and is traditionally made with lemon sorbet, prosecco, and grappa or vodka; some recipes call for limoncello. In looking at this template, I saw the potential to impart deeper flavors of red fruit, while still creating something that’s absolutely perfect for summer.

The Bellini was invented in the years just after World War II at Harry’s Bar in Venice. The simple mixture of peach puree and prosecco is typically served in short glasses bearing the bar’s logo. Our version is a little more complex because of our Campari- and peach liqueur-spiked puree and the use of Cocchi Americano and soda in place of prosecco–a move I took from another classic Italian drink, the Bicicletta.

The Garibaldi–a simple but sublime mixture of fluffy orange juice and Campari–has skyrocketed to fame in recent years as part of the aperitivo craze. I was inspired to use pineapple juice by my friend Ned King’s Charles de Gaulle, which combines it with Suze, Amaro Alta Verde, and a little salt. Here, I fortified the mixture of the carciofo Cynar and pineapple with overproof bourbon for a very easy-drinking take on the template.

This is an ode to my usual digestivo: a mixture of fortified wine (almost always Italian!), amaro, and aperitivo liqueur, served in a single rocks glass with a lemon or orange twist. I named this one after two of my favorite Italian exports–Alfa Romeo sports cars and the original Campari cocktail, the Milano-Torino.

This is our take on the Amaretto Sour, which was invented in the mid-1970s. The cocktail is an example of how major templates from the American cocktail canon were adapted to employ popular liqueurs of the day, especially those from Italy, like Frangelico, Galliano and various amaretto products. Our version layers peach liqueur over bourbon, amaretto, lemon, and bitters (plus optional egg white for texture), to create a sour that tastes like a peach crisp with a nutty topping.

A big theme in 1960s and ‘70s singles bars was the offering of sweeter drinks that would supposedly appeal more to women. This drink is based on the Bushwacker, which originated on the Gulf Coast. Its inclusion in this month’s group of recipes is meant to represent the creamy, coffee-laced category that includes such famous cocktails as the White Russian and Mudslide.

Though this title makes reference to the ‘tini craze of the mid-1980s through ‘90s, it’s actually based on the drink that’s arguably the progenitor of the whole ‘tini family: the Lemon Drop. The cocktail was invented at Henry Africa’s, San Francisco’s iconic fern bar. With its mix of vodka, lemon juice, sugar and, often, orange liqueur, and its presentation in a sugar-rimmed glass, the Lemon Drop is a descendant of the Sidecar. Here, we skip the sugar rim and swap in peach liqueur.

This drink’s appearance in our ‘70s singles bar theme is meant to represent a whole slew of tropical drinks that were popular such establishments. The main inspiration was the Goombay Smash, which originated in the Bahamas and typically features aged rum, coconut and apricot liqueurs, fruit juices, and bitters. Our take Americanizes the formula a bit, building on a base of overproof bourbon. I named it after the street on which the original T.G.I. Friday’s was located.

This frozen Daiquiri riff brings us into the later twentieth century, when most people began to experience the Daiquiri in blended form and, often, with more in the way of artificial flavorings. Chain restaurants latched onto the Strawberry Daiquiri, as did tourist destinations in hot climates, like New Orleans or Key West. That said, the combination of rum, lime, sugar, and strawberries is exceedingly pleasing, especially when the strawberries have been roasted to concentrate their sweetness.

This version of the Daiquiri is based on a 1920s recipe (the “Daiquiri No. 3”) from the Floridita Bar in Havana. Beginning the following decade, the Floridita started serving these frappé with the use of electric blenders, which were a new invention at the time. In this recipe, I’m referencing an older frappé style, serving the drink over crushed or pebble ice. It goes without saying, but Ernest Hemingway was endlessly fond of this drink.

As we saw with our Proto-Daiquiri recipe, the trifecta of rum, lime, and sugar is a classic Caribbean combinatioN that long predates the Daiquiri. This version reflects new styles of rum that emerged in the late nineteenth century. To this classic-as-they-come spec, I’ve made a couple of subtle tweaks: the oils from a piece of lime peel add texture, while a pinch of salt provides a counterpoint to the sweet-tart profile of the drink.

This drink is one of my “cocktails that might have been,” i.e. a drink that could have existed even if it doesn’t survive in the historical records. My Proto-Daiquiri seeks to summarize the rum-based punches and drinks that were consumed at sea, many of which used the Caribbean trifecta of rum, lime (or citrus more broadly), and sugar. Eventually, this combination of ingredients gave us the Daiquiri.

The Improved Cocktail was a more complex take on the original formula of spirit, sugar, bitters, and water that first appeared in print in the appendix of Jerry Thomas’s 1876 edition. In 2021, I spent a lot of time with this genre and I produced a template from which I derived recipes for rye, genever, and Spanish brandy iterations. I was pleased to have the opportunity to design one with an aged rum base for this month’s theme.

The Sour is such a part of our culture that it’s hard to digest the fact that it was once a revelation. When it began to rise in popularity around the Civil War period, it was a convenient way to drink something like a Punch in a single serving, without all the fanfare of its more baroque cousin, the Fix. This version, perhaps the most “aperitiki” of our “tropitivo” drinks this month, reads like a pineapple Gimlet that’s ready for the piazza.

The Fizz as a category was popular in the last few decades of the nineteenth century and the first two of the twentieth. This drink is based specifically on the Ramos Gin Fizz, which emerged in the 1880s at the Imperial Cabinet Saloon in New Orleans. Traditionally, it consists of gin, lemon and lime, sugar, orange flower water, cream, egg white, and soda. I saw an opportunity to play with the citrus, and use Aperol and banana liqueur that combine for a fruity profile, almost like creamy strawberry-banana.

Smashes were all the rage from the 1830s through the Civil War period. In July 2021, we delved into its history and the (s)mash-up of nineteenth- and twentieth-century styles that produced the modern Smash. This one features my signature presentation and is laced with amaro and fortified wine, just like my on my Derby Smash (bourbon, rabarbaro, blanc vermouth, honey, mint). The “dry orange” bit in the title refers partially to the dry sherry and partially to a soda flavor by Polar, the pride of Worcester, MA.

I wanted to demonstrate a fancy application for our Club Pimm’s, and I immediately thought of doing a Pimm’s Cup Royale, i.e. topped with Champagne. I also wanted to integrate some of the traditional fruit and mint that are used in Pimm’s Cups and decided a Cobbler format would be the perfect vehicle. Served over crushed or pebble ice, our Pimm’s Royale is, naturally, garnished with abandon.

Here’s a fun serving suggestion for our homemade Club Pimm’s and our cucumber-lemon shrub: a do-it-yourself Pimm’s bar for your next gathering! I’m happy to say that this concept caters to drinkers and non-drinkers alike, so everyone will feel taken care of at your spring (or summer!) soirée.