Columbia

There's little of South America about this cocktail. Rather, I choose to see it as a drink honoring the discovery of the New World, if not Washington D.C., which I'm pretty sure it is not for the latter.

Therefore, American brandy was called for. I appreciate that this drink had some lemon acidity but vermouth and brandy kept things on the sweet and boozy side.

• 2 oz. brandy (Christian Brothers VSOP used)
• 1 oz. sweet vermouth (Cocchi di Torino used)
• 1 tbsp. lemon juice
• 1 tsp. grenadine
• dash Angostura bitters

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

Gin Rickey

The Rickey is a D.C. classic. The Gin Rickey is a little more prevalent as more people are likely to associate gin and lime juice than bourbon and lime juice. Both are good and low sugar drinks that purportedly cool you down on hot days.

• 2 oz gin
• 1 oz. lime juice
• sparkling water

Combine gin and lime juice in a shaker with ice. Shake and strain into a chilled Collins glass full of fresh ice. Top with sparkling water and stir.