Abbey (with Battle Standard Barrel Finished Gin)

The Abbey is a pleasing drink with lots of bitter and sweet orange flavors. I love how balanced that it is, and Lillet Blanc and gin are just classic pairings that will please most cocktail drinkers.

For this cocktail, I chose K.O. Distillery's Barrel Finished gin. It has round citrus notes and an almost tea-like flavor. All of this perfectly complemented this Golden Age of Cocktails special, which I enjoyed at Vermilion restaurant in Old Town Alexandria.

• 1 1/2 oz. gin (Battle Standard Barrel Finished gin used)
• 1 1/2 oz. Lillet Blanc
• 1 oz. orange juice
• 3-5 dashes orange bitters (Regan's used)
• orange twist (optional)

Combine all liquid ingredients in a shaker with ice. Shake and strain into a chilled cocktail glass. Twist orange zest over the glass and drop it in. 

Pendennis Club Cocktail

I was surprised at how elegant this cocktail was. Tart, yet bitter, a bit harsh but well balanced--sort of like on the edge of comfort that is more exciting than unpleasant. If that's not an endorsement, than it is just best to say that the Pendennis Club is classic and requires appreciation and the right ingredients.

The recipe calls for Peychaud's bitters, and I used the maximum amount, five dashes, to provide the pink color and the dry bitterness it is known for. I also wanted a strong and less juniper tasting gin, so Battle Standard Navy Strength it was. My own apricot brandy made up the sweetness.

• 2 oz. gin (Battle Standard Navy Strength used)
• 1 oz. apricot brandy
• 1 oz. lime juice
• 3-5 dashes Peuchaud's bitters
• 1 tsp. sugar syrup

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

Allen Cocktail

So who is this Allen guy? Someone messaged me on Instagram to tell me that this drink is like an Aviation. Yes, it is. An Aviation with no creme de violette, anyway. It is a very classic drink with a good portion of gin and maraschino liqueur, as it should be.

I'm trying to use more local gins so today I'm featuring K.O. Distillery's Battle Standard Navy Strength gin. It packs a broadside of alcohol at 114-proof. That makes this diminutive cocktail go a little farther for sure.

• 2 oz. gin (Battle Standard Navy Strength used)
• 1/2 oz. maraschino liqueur
• 1 1/2 oz. lemon juice

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

Imperial Cocktail

Sometimes a standard Martini isn't enough in terms of liquor or flavor. That's when you need an Imperial Cocktail. The word "imperial" implies lots of things in the world of drinks. Often it denotes an especially alcoholic drink. This is true here. There's a good punch of gin and a whole ounce of dry vermouth. Imperial also means richly flavored or something extra has been added. That can be witnessed with the dashes of Angostura and maraschino liqueur.

For this cocktail I chose KO's Navy Strength gin at 114 proof. That was enough to set this Martini variation over the top.

• 2 oz. gin (KO Battle Standard Navy Strength gin used)
• 1 oz. dry vermouth (Dolin dry used)
• 2 dashes Angostura bitters
• 1/2 tsp. maraschino liqueur

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

Three Stripes Cocktail

Super easy and straight-forward for a Martini/ Bronx Cocktail variation, the Three Stripes is so easy to drink that it is dangerous. Vigorous shaking changes the color of this orange juice drink to a cloudy white, which is awesome! And dry vermouth keeps it from turning into a lollypop.

I've used Battle Standard gin by KO distillery before and it is usually a good call. It is dangerously strong, so it goes a little farther in a cocktail with a lot of low or non-alcoholic ingredients like this.

• 2 oz. gin (Battle Standard used)
• 1 oz. dry vermouth
• 1 oz. orange juice

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

Fifty-Fifty Martini

Sometimes you want a little more out of your Martini. The Martini was originally a wine cocktail with a good helping of vermouth (fortified wine) and some bad prohibition-era gin to back it up. It was really a vermouth-lover's drink and did its best to hid the poor quality of spirits available at the time. If one purpose of the cocktail is to spread the expensive stuff thin over a lot of cheap liquor so that it goes farther and has more effect, than the Martini is guilty of this.

But following prohibition, the quality of gin went way up as imports became available. People's tastes changed and they wanted stronger drinks. Most vermouths made in California were of lesser quality than the stuff from France and Italy. We imported less of the good vermouths because of our taste for dry cocktails, until eventually only poor quality vermouth was available in most bars. So we had the reverse of the original cocktail with almost no vermouth present.

Now, though, you can get good stuff all around. And most bars don't mind pouring a little more vermouth in a cocktail. It's not something that they often charge for. So go ahead. Get a Martini made with half gin, a strong one like KO Battle Standard Navy Strength gin, and Dolin extra dry. You won't regret it--or maybe you will.

• 2 oz. gin (KO Battle Standard Navy Strength used)
• 2 oz. dry vermouth (Dolin extra dry used)
• Spanish olive

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