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Cable Car (cocktail)
Proof that spiced rum can make a serious drink. Tony Abou-Ganim built it in 1996 for the Starlight Room atop San Francisco's Sir Francis Drake Hotel, where the Nob Hill cable cars pass by. Those cable cars gave the drink its name and the bar its line about sitting "between the stars and the cable cars."
Structurally it is a Sidecar with spiced rum in place of brandy: orange curaçao, fresh lemon and a little sugar, with a sugared rim. The spice reads as warmth rather than sweetness, which makes it a good pick for anyone who likes a citrus sour but wants something cozier than a Margarita.
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Breakfast martini
A barspoon of orange marmalade shaken with gin, triple sec and lemon, and the result is bright, bitter-edged and easy to love. Salvatore Calabrese created it in 1996 at the Library Bar in London's Lanesborough Hotel after a breakfast of marmalade on toast.
It has lasted because it is almost impossible to get wrong: the ingredients live in any kitchen, the marmalade adds body and a pleasant bitterness, and it works as a brunch drink without tasting like a gimmick. Use a thick-cut marmalade for more of that bitter peel.
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Gin-Gin Mule (cocktail)
Picture a Mojito and a Moscow Mule meeting halfway, with gin doing the talking. Audrey Saunders created it in 2000 at Beacon in New York, the same bartender behind the Old Cuban a year later.
Gin, lime, mint and ginger beer make it long, spicy and very refreshing, and the gin's botanicals keep it more interesting than either parent. It is the one to order when you want something tall and cold that still tastes like a proper cocktail. Saunders's original used muddled fresh ginger, so a bar that makes its own ginger element is a good sign.
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Old Cuban
Audrey Saunders called it "a Mojito in a little black dress," and that is exactly right. Aged rum, lime, mint, sugar and Angostura bitters are shaken, strained and topped with Champagne, so you get the Mojito's freshness with more depth and a lot more polish.
It debuted in 2001 and had its big moment at Bemelmans Bar in New York's Carlyle Hotel, and it now sits on the International Bartenders Association's official list. Order it when you want a celebration drink that is not just a glass of fizz, and drink it fast while the bubbles are lively.
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White Negroni (cocktail)
The Negroni with the red taken out: gin, gentian liqueur such as Suze and Lillet Blanc in equal measure, stirred and served cold. Wayne Collins created it in 2001 at VinExpo in Bordeaux, and it caught on after Audrey Saunders put it on the menu at Pegu Club in New York.
Expect something drier, more floral and more earthy than the classic, with the gentian bringing a bitterness that is root-like rather than orange. Negroni fans who find Campari too sweet tend to love it. It does depend on the bar stocking a gentian liqueur, so it is more at home in cocktail bars than hotel lobbies.
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Porn star martini
Snobs roll their eyes, and it keeps turning up on menus anyway. Douglas Ankrah created it in 2002 at The Townhouse in Knightsbridge, London, first calling it the Maverick Martini after a Cape Town club, and it now sits on the International Bartenders Association's official list.
Vanilla vodka, passion fruit, passion fruit liqueur, vanilla and lime come shaken and tart-sweet, usually with a shot of sparkling wine on the side. It is the friendliest drink here for anyone who does not usually order cocktails. Fresh passion fruit is what keeps it sharp rather than syrupy, so it is worth asking how a bar makes it.
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Chartreuse swizzle
A tiki-style crushed-ice drink built on green Chartreuse, the intense French herbal liqueur, which is usually a supporting player. Marcovaldo Dionysos devised it for a Chartreuse competition in San Francisco, it first appeared on a menu in 2003 at Harry Denton's Starlight Room, and it took off after joining the opening menu at Clock Bar in 2008.
Pineapple, lime, falernum and mint tame the liqueur into something lush, herbal and dangerously drinkable. It is a strong drink in a long glass, so pace yourself, and it is now on the International Bartenders Association's official list.
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Spicy Fifty
Vanilla vodka, elderflower cordial, lime, honey and two thin slices of red chili, shaken hard. Salvatore Calabrese made it a signature drink on the first menu at his London bar Fifty, which opened in February 2005, and it is now on the International Bartenders Association's official list.
The heat arrives late and gently behind the floral sweetness, which is why it suits people who are curious about spicy cocktails but wary of a mouth on fire. Ask for the chili seeds out if you want even less burn.
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Hugo (cocktail)
The spritz for people who find the Aperol version too bitter. Roland Gruber created it in June 2005 at his bar in Naturno, South Tyrol, as a riff on the Spritz Veneziano, first calling it Otto before renaming it.
Today it is prosecco, elderflower, soda and fresh mint over ice: light, floral and gentle enough for a long afternoon. The original used lemon balm syrup, and elderflower took over because it was easier to find. It takes about a minute to make at home, which is a big part of why it has spread so far beyond the bar that invented it.
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Nuclear Daiquiri (cocktail)
Not a drink for the timid. Gregor de Gruyther created it in 2005 at LAB bar in London, pairing overproof unaged Jamaican rum with a big pour of green Chartreuse, lime and falernum.
It tastes like a Daiquiri turned up to full volume: funky, herbal, sharp and seriously strong, served straight up in a chilled coupe. One is usually enough. Choose it when a regular Daiquiri feels too polite, or as a nightcap, and skip it if you prefer your rum drinks soft and fruity.
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Gin basil smash
Gin, lemon, sugar and a big handful of basil, muddled and shaken until the drink turns vivid green. Jörg Meyer created it in the summer of 2008 at Le Lion in Hamburg, first selling it as the Gin Pesto, and blogged about it that July.
It is the easiest modern classic here to make at home and one of the most rewarding: herbal, fresh and bright without any hard-to-find bottles. The trick is plenty of basil and a fine strain to catch the leaf. If you like a Gin Sour or a Southside, this is the next one to try.
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Trinidad sour
A full ounce and a half of Angostura bitters as the base spirit, which sounds like a dare and drinks like a revelation. Giuseppe Gonzalez created it in 2009 at Clover Club in Brooklyn, with orgeat, lemon and a little rye to round it out.
The result is spiced, nutty and surprisingly balanced, with a deep red color and a long clove-and-cinnamon finish. It is now on the International Bartenders Association's official list. Pick it when you want something no one at the table has tried, and note that the rye is a small supporting splash, not the point.
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