Espresso Martini
Cold espresso, vodka and coffee liqueur shaken hard enough to build its own crema.
Mojito
Rum, lime, mint and soda — built in the glass, and ruined more often by over-muddling than by anything else.
Daiquiri
Rum, lime and sugar. The simplest real test of whether a bar knows what it is doing.
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.
Old Fashioned
Whiskey, sugar and bitters — the drink that defined the word cocktail, and still the best argument for it.