SAVEUR drinks

The Libertine

Credit: Todd Coleman 

Kentucky vs. Morocco Cocktail

Credit: Chuck Ortiz

Cynar Julep

Credit: Helen Rosner 

Punch Romaine

Credit: Todd Coleman 

Watermelon Margarita

Watermelon gives the Silver Coin Margarita, from Austin's Fonda San Miguel, its refreshing kick.

Credit: Andre Baranowski 

Strawberry Rhubarb Smash

Jenny Lee-Adrian, who adapted this cocktail from one served at the NYC restaurant Little Giant, describes the combination of strawberry, rhubarb, and bourbon as "spring in a glass."

Credit: Ganda Suthivarakom

Raspberry-Rose Collins

The best and most surprising part of this tall, refreshing drink is the taste of rose on the finish.

Credit: MacKenzie Smith 

Tequila Old Fashioned

Aged reposado tequila adds smooth vanilla notes to a light, citrusy twist on a classic old fashioned from Pittsburgh restaurant Verde Mexican Kitchen & Cantina.

Credit: Farideh Sadeghin 

Martini

When Ernest Hemingway "liberated" the bar at L'Hotel Ritz in Paris in 1944, he bought martinis for everybody. Even in peacetime, gin lovers consider this a perfectly acceptable gesture.

Credit: Christopher Hershiemer 

Gin and Tonic

The nicely bitter flavor of tonic offsets gin's faintly herbal flavor admirably.

Credit: Martyn Thompson

Old Fashioned

A bartender at the Pendennis Club in Louisville, Kentucky, invented this cocktail, ostensibly to mask the flavor of bourbon for a Civil War veteran and club member who didn't cotton to its flavor.

Credit: Russell Kaye 

Martinez

In the 1880s, Old Tom gin, a style with quite a bit more sweetness than London dry, was just beginning to gain popularity in America. This is the drink that put it over the top.


Credit: Andre Baranowski 

The Sidecar

This classic cocktail was likely invented at Harry's New York Bar in Paris, circa 1931. For best results, use a good quality cognac when making this elegant libation.

Credit: Christopher HIrsheimer

Hotel Monteleone's Vieux Carré

The recipe for this potent drink, named for the French Quarter, or Vieux Carré ("old square" in French), comes from the Hotel Monteleone's rotating Carousel Bar.

Credit: Todd Coleman 

Brown Derby

Named for the famous hat-shaped restaurant, this was the signature drink at LA's 1930s Vendome Club.

Credit: Todd Coleman 

The Thousand-Dollar Mint Julep

This version of the classic three-ingredient cocktail—which combines three parts bourbon to one part of a simple syrup bracingly infused with fresh spearmint—is sanctioned by the Kentucky Derby itself as their official mint julep recipe.

Credit: Helen Rosner 

Moonwalk

Joe Gilmore, Head Barman at the Savoy Hotel's American Bar, invented this cocktail in 1969 to commemorate the first moon landing. 

Credit: Helen Rosner