10430 A Classy Drunk Mon Jan 29 16:18:00 -0800 2007 http://www.chow.com/stories/10430 Tue, 30 Jan 2007 00:18:00 GMT Decades-old cocktails get resurrected—with a twist Decades-old cocktails get resurrected—with a twist—in the country's most fashionable bars. http://www.chow.com/assets/2007/01/10_129_240x240.jpg Lessley Anderson and Michele Foley 70 The Ten 1 At Manhattan speakeasy Employees Only, you’ll find Pimm’s Cup, a drink that dates back to Victorian London, and the Manhattan, a favorite of the American humorist Ring Lardner (1885–1933), among other old standards. But they don’t taste like they did back then. Employees Only mixologists spike their Pimm’s Cup, for instance, with Cointreau and fresh lime juice for added depth and kick, although that’s not the way the drink was traditionally made.

“There are a lot of cocktail dorks running around, saying you can’t make it like this and you have to make it like this. It’s depressing,” says Employees Only co-owner Jason Kosmas. “Our drinks aren’t so much a period piece as a continuation of that period—like how people would have made then, if they had better access to the ingredients we have now.”

Many bars around the country are putting their own spin on the classics. Here are some of the more interesting reinterpretations.

1. Sidecar.
Classic: Brandy, orange liqueur, lemon juice served up with a sugared rim.
Spin: Cuban Side Car—Captain Morgan spiced rum, Tuaca (an Italian vanilla and citrus liqueur), orange liqueur, fresh lemon and orange juices. (Ibiza Dinner Club, Seattle)

2. Ramos Gin Fizz.
Classic: Gin, lemon and lime juices, egg white, cream, sugar, orange flower water, club soda.
Spin: Bourbon Fizz (a.k.a. Porcupine’s Elixir)—Old Pogue bourbon, lemon juice, orange bitters, egg white, Sprite, cinnamon. (Dino, Washington, D.C.)

3. Sazerac.
Classic: Rye, sugar, bitters, absinthe or a substitute (Herbsaint, Pernod, or Ricard), lemon twist.
Spin: Harmony—Pear and green tea–infused 209 gin, Lillet Blanc, Chartreuse, lemon juice. (Range, San Francisco)

4. Old Fashioned.
Classic: Rye or bourbon, bitters, sugar, muddled maraschino cherries and orange slices, water.
Spin: The same, only no “fruit salad,” as they put it. (The Alembic, San Francisco)

5. Negroni.
Classic: Gin, sweet vermouth, Campari.
Spin: S.F. Negroni—Vya vermouth, 209 gin, and Aperol, an orange-flavored aperitif. (The Last Supper Club, San Francisco)

6. Manhattan.
Classic: Rye or bourbon, sweet vermouth, Angostura bitters, a maraschino cherry.
Spin: Manhattan Cocktail—The same, plus orange curaçao. (Catherine Lombardi Cocktail Bar, New Brunswick, New Jersey)

7. Pimm’s Cup.
Classic: Lemon-lime soda or ginger ale, slice of lemon, slice of cucumber, Pimm’s No. 1.
Spin: Pimm’s Cup—Pimm’s No. 1, Cointreau, lime juice, ginger soda, cucumbers, fresh mint. (Employees Only, New York City)

8. Hot Buttered Rum.
Classic: Dark rum, cloves, allspice, a cinnamon stick, sugar, butter, freshly grated nutmeg.
Spin: Hot Buttered Rum—Charbay Tahitian Vanilla Bean Rum, vanilla bean ice cream, brown sugar, cream, cinnamon, nutmeg, allspice, butter. (Cyrus, Healdsburg, California)

9. Moscow Mule.
Classic: Vodka, ginger beer, lime wedge.
Spin: Moscow Mule—Vodka, ginger beer, lime, freshly grated ginger, club soda. (The Gilt Club, Portland, Oregon)

10. Bramble.
Classic: Gin, crème de cassis, simple syrup, lemon juice.
Spin: Bramble—Gin, simple syrup, lemon juice, and freshly muddled blackberries. (East Side Company Bar, New York City)

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