Florida

I can think of a dozen combinations to represent the sunshine state, but all of them include orange juice. Kirschwasser is a little bit of a outlier, but a good idea for making a drink taste more tropical. If you have an orange for the garnish, juice the rest for the drink. Trust me.

So this is nearly a variation on a Screwdriver--just with gin and kirsch and a bit of other flavors. In that sense, it is a much better drink. Maybe it's not one you will make yourself at home on a bender weekend as you stumble your way around the crap in your horder home (Yes, I'm judging people who only drink screwdrivers incessantly). But I can see this drink as one that a bar might put out there as a refreshing spring drink.

• 2 oz. gin (Bombay Sapphire used)
• 1/2 oz. kirschwasser
• 1/2 oz. Cointreau
• 1 tbsp. lemon juice
• orange juice 
• orange slice (optional)

Combine all ingredients except orange juice and slice in a shaker with ice. Shake and strain into a Collins glass full of fresh ice. Top with orange juice and garnish with orange slice.

Flamingo

More the pink bird than the Spanish dance form, the Flamingo is very dry, spicy and classic (I mean gin and brandy) in its flavor. The pink color is no indication of sweetness, just a near perfect match to that lanky bird. I can think of no better shade for a drink at cocktail hour.

Bombay Sapphire in this drink keeps the dryness firm against sweet apricot brandy. The botanicals are so lightly infused that they don't bowl you over like some of the local gins I'm drinking right now. The British really have a way with dry gin, which in the classic cocktail sense is the base of almost all cocktails before vodka became more prevalent.

• 2 oz. dry gin (Bombay Sapphire used)
• 1/2 oz. apricot brandy
• 1/2 oz. lime juice
• 1 tsp. grenadine

Combine all ingredients in a shaker with ice. Shake and strain into a chilled cocktail glass. 

Rendez-Vous

Legend tells of a meeting of the Buddah, Lao Tso, and Confucius on a mountain path. This is the sublime Rendez-Vous of British gin, German kirschwasser and Italian Campari. It's is nearly perfect, certainly legendary, and full of interesting flavor. No sugar or juice means that Campari is unchecked and kirsh adds a thick texture that's hard to ignore. If I had to change anything, I'd use more Campari--just a bit.

• 2 oz. gin
• 1 oz. kirschwasser
• 1/2 oz. Campari
• lemon twist

Combine all ingredients except twist in a mixing glass with ice. Stir and strain into a chilled cocktail glass. Garnish with the twist. 

Bronx Terrace Cocktail

This is the driest and most tart of the Bronx Cocktail series. It's like a pissed off gimlet with no sugar except what is stuck on that cherry and that which comes in small proportions in dry vermouth. This makes it an excellent drink to have if you are dieting or craving vitamin C!

I don't really know why the drink is called a "Terrace." I have to think that a Bronx terrace might be a little loud and uncomfortable, just like this drink.

• 2 oz. dry gin
• 1/2 oz. dry vermouth
• 1 oz. lime juice
• maraschino cherry

Combine liquid ingredients in a shaker with ice. Shake and strain into a chilled cocktail glass. Garnish with the maraschino cherry. 

Bronx Silver

The Bronx Silver belongs to the Bronx Cocktail series of drinks involving gin and juice. I used fresh squeezed orange juice in this one because it is clearer than store bought juice somehow and it will give you the requisite silver sheen on top.

Egg white is responsible for the opaque quality of this cocktail, and its richness. But don't let that fool you. This is a dry tasting drink despite the juice. There's only dry vermouth and gin otherwise, so it is more tart and stiff tasting than the original Bronx Cocktail.

• 2 oz. dry gin
• 1/2 oz. dry vermouth
• 1 egg white
• 1 oz. orange juice

Combine all ingredients in a shaker with ice and shake to chill. Use a fine strain mesh to strain out orange pulp while pouring into a chilled cocktail glass. 

Bronx Cocktail

This is the first and original of the Bronx series of cocktails. It is also known as a gateway cocktail. Those too gentle-palated for a dry Martini will find the wetness of this gin cocktail a nice starter course on gin served up. Sweet vermouth really adds complexity to what would simply be a gin and juice drink.

• 2 oz. dry gin
• 1/2 oz. dry vermouth
• 1/2 oz. sweet vermouth
• 1 oz. orange juice

Shake all ingredients in a cocktail shaker full of ice. Strain into a chilled cocktail glass. 

Knockout Cocktail

This cocktail will knock out your taste buds. With a full ounce of Pernod, it is strong on herbal anise flavor, but white creme de menthe cools the spiciness, as does a heaping gob of dry vermouth.

I like the color of this cocktail, absinthe green. That kind of glowing nuclear radiation color that tastes just like it appears--and tastes great with that glowing maraschino cherry. Don't substitute absinthe for Pernod here, it's too dry and you need that sweetness to give you some relief from the powerful spices and herbs.

• 2 oz. dry vermouth (Mancino used)
• 1 1/2 oz. gin (Bombay Sapphire used)
• 1 oz. Pernod
• 1/2 tsp. white creme de menthe
• maraschino cherry

Shake all ingredients except cherry in a shaker full of ice. Strain into a chilled cocktail glass. Garnish with cherry. 

Dirty Martini

Judging by how many orders I fill for this drink a night, I assume that the Dirty Martini is the most popular white spirit cocktail right now. I often scoff at these orders, mainly because drinkers don't seem to want any vermouth in their Martinis, and the olive brine really makes vermouth seem unnecessary anyway. The other problem I have with Dirty Martini drinkers is that they prefer vodka, usually good vodka, which defeats the point of making the drink dirty. At least it does to me.

Unlike the commonplace Dirty Martinis you see these days, the original recipe is with gin and good helping of vermouth. Olive brine is the smallest portion of the three ingredients. Back in the prohibition days, vermouth was what saved a cocktail from terrible tasting liquor. At least the vermouth had flavor, and olive brine does a lot to kill stench. I'm glad to say that the original recipe for Dirty Martinis is still solid with quality gin.

Bombay Sapphire is one of the driest and most flavorful of gins out there. There's a lot going on in it. Adding Mancino vermouth with more than 20 botanicals just makes it that much better. The olive brine prevents the cocktail from becoming overly spiced. It does wonders for improving your appetite before dinner.

• 3 oz. gin (Bombay Sapphire used)
• 1 oz. dry vermouth (Mancino used)
• 1/2 oz. olive brine
• olives (Tipsy Olives used)

Combine liquid ingredients in a shaker with ice. Shake and strain into a chilled cocktail glass. Garnish with olives.

Free Silver

The Free Silver is part of a series of (usually gin) drinks that achieves an off-white color with either milk or eggs or both. This is a cream drink, but the amount of cream is slight enough that it doesn't add texture, only color. That is a good thing, because cream and lemon juice tend to curdle quickly. There is a method to making this drink that prevents some of that unpleasantness; when done correctly you have a fizzy and tart drink with an opaque off-white color.

For this I used Lyon dark rum and Bombay Sapphire gin, which was a good call. You can really taste the spiciness of dry Bombay Sapphire rising over the sweetness of dark rum. It is not at all disconcerting that the drink has white bubbles.

• 2 oz. gin (Bombay Sapphire used)
• 1 oz. dark rum (Lyon Bijou Batch used)
• 1 oz. lemon juice
• 1/2 tsp. sugar
• 1 tbsp. milk
• sparkling water

Combine gin, rum lemon juice and sugar in a shaker with ice. Shake and strain into a chilled highball glass full of ice. Add sparkling water and milk at the same time and stir.

Hoffman House

Is this a Martini? According to my standards for the drink, I'd say yes. It is a gin drink with a smaller portion of dry vermouth and an olive, so it's a Martini in everything except in name. But there's the addition of orange biters that changes things slightly. You get a fruity and spicy bite that gin doesn't quite provide and seems at odds with olive brine.

A couple of things made this drink exceptional. One was the use of Bombay Sapphire gin, which is dry and has a lot of citrus botanicals. So it was bright. I used Mancino vermouth, which is complex while still dry. My homemade orange bitters make use of cinchona laden amari like Meletti and Picon Bierre, so it is less like a spice cabinet and more like bitter fruit zest. Then the Tipsy Olives, soaked in vermouth, are so richly flavored and sweet (not bitter or harsh like so many olives) you can taste it on the first sip, and you'll be swooning with the last swallow when you take down the olive and all of it's dry vermouth brine.

If you're tired of the regular dry Martini, try the Hoffman House for something different from the dirty and sweet variations of the drink.

• 2 oz. gin (Bombay Sapphire used)
• 1/2 oz. dry vermouth (Mancino used)
• 3 dashes orange bitters
• cocktail olive (Tipsy vermouth olives)

Combine all ingredients except olive in a mixing glass with ice. Stir and strain into a chilled cocktail glass. Garnish with olive.  

Silver Bullet

Another "silver" Jagermeister drink, the Silver Bullet is probably named because it is the mythologized weapon that can kill the werewolf. That is to say that this drink hits the spot.

That's really a matter of opinion, though. Not many people find Jagemeister's dark and root herb flavor appealing. This cocktail really plays up citrus notes in the gin, in this case it's Bombay Sapphire with its lemon zest botanicals. The cocktail is much brighter and a strongly flavored gin cuts through more with a smaller portion than the Silver Streak.

• 2 oz. gin
• 1 oz. Jagermeister
• 1/2 oz. lemon juice

Combine all ingredients in a shaker with ice. Shake and strain into a chilled cocktail glass. 

Gin Sour

I know that everybody is drinking Whiskey Sours now and that gin is kind of old hat. But the Gin Sour is really a splendid drink when you don't want to overthink things. It's just a sour, but with gin. You don't have to use the best gin, but a good dry one like Bombay Sapphire helps. You can have fun trying sweeter gins like Hayman's as well. The point is, this cocktail is just as nuanced as a whiskey drink.

• 2 oz. gin
• 1 oz. lemon juice
• 1/2 tsp. simple syrup
• orange slice
• maraschino cherry

Shake gin, juice and simple syrup on ice in a shaker. Strain into a sour glass or wine goblet and garnish with orange slice and cherry.