Espresso Martini
Cold espresso, vodka and coffee liqueur shaken hard enough to build its own crema.
Pina Colada
Rum, pineapple and cream of coconut. The confusion between cream of coconut and coconut cream ruins more of these than anything else.
Mint Julep
Bourbon, sugar and mint over a mountain of crushed ice. The cup should frost before you drink it.
Whiskey Sour
The sour template in its most familiar form — and the easiest place to learn what egg white actually does.
Manhattan
Rye, sweet vermouth and bitters. Two ingredients and a dash, and the vermouth is the one that decides whether it works.
Old Fashioned
Whiskey, sugar and bitters — the drink that defined the word cocktail, and still the best argument for it.