Gin Cobbler

Cobblers are just a way to sweeten and showcase the flavor of a base spirit. You enjoy these with a little soda and sliced citrus to give the drink a whiff of juice. But it is really just spirits and soda. And even a dry gin like Broker's comes out tasting rich and rewarding in this very old recipe.

• 2 oz. gin (Broker's used)
• 1 tsp. sugar syrup 
• sparkling water
• orange slice

Build cocktail in a highball glass with sugar syrup and gin. Fill with ice and stir. Top with sparkling water and garnish with the orange slice. 

Claret Cobbler

This proves you can make a cobbler with anything; here is a case of a wine cobbler. Cobblers are sweeter and fizzy rocks drinks with a little fruit to change the scent of the base liquor. They tend to not be as strong as a Martini, or any of those Prohibition era cocktails. Cobblers predate Prohibition, a time when people openly drank punch outside, unafraid of Prohibition officers.

Apothic Red is as good as a Cabernet Sauvignon: it is a blend of Zinfandel, Merlot, Shiraz and Cab. I like how creamy it is on the tongue, and sugar and soda bring out this creaminess. The truth is that you don't want to use your best wine. This isn't a strong drink, but I can see it as a way to enjoy your red wine a little faster, say on a hot day. A rich Cab or Claret becomes pretty refreshing in a cobbler.

• 4 oz. full bodied Cabernet Sauvignon or Claret
• 1 tsp. lemon juice
• 1 tsp. sugar
• 2 oz. sparkling water
• orange slice

Dissolve sugar in lemon juice and sparkling water in a red wine goblet. Add red wine and ice and stir gently. Garnish with an orange slice. 

Brandy Cobbler

Cobblers are sweet and fizzy drinks with lemon juice. They are slightly different from Fizzes by being sweet and using sweeter liquors like rum, port, sherry, etc. and often a liqueur. Rich E & J XO needs nothing but a little sugar to taste like an after dinner drink. The fruit garnish is a nice touch, though.

• 2 oz. brandy (E & J XO used)
• 1 tsp. sugar
• sparkling water
• maraschino cherry
• lemon slice

Combine brandy and sugar and a little sparkling water in a Collins glass and stir until sugar dissolves. Add ice and top with sparkling water. Stir and garnish with fruit.

Port Wine Cobbler

I'm finding that I enjoy most cobbler drinks as they are similar to punch. They are also very colonial-style cocktails with ingredients that were available to our forefathers who first came to America. In this way, cobblers impart a sort of fun sense of "period" cocktail when you are enjoying one. This cobbler is sweeter than most, but a nice alternative to a wine spritzer.

Notice that I used a Michigan cherry rather than maraschino. I felt that this also accompanied the colonial flavors of the drink.

• 3 oz. port wine
• 1 tsp. sugar
• 2 oz. sparkling water
• orange slice
• maraschino cherry

Dissolve sugar in sparkling water in a wine goblet. Add port and crushed ice and stir gently. Garnish with fruit.

Bourbon Cobbler

Cobblers are rich drinks by definition. This one is really like a liquid peach cobbler and has little in common with the Rum Cobbler or Sherry Cobbler. These really feature the spirit by itself and the addition of granulated sugar fruit, especially pineapple. The Bourbon Cobbler is an attempt to play up the Southerness of bourbon and the peach flavor of Southern Comfort. Fresh peaches are a must, but only for the garnish.

• 2 oz. bourbon (Four Roses yellow label used)
• 1 oz. Southern Comfort
• 1 tsp. peach brandy (Peachtree used)
• 2 tsp. lemon juice
• 1/2 tsp. sugar 
• peach slice
• club soda

Combine all ingredients except peach slice and club soda in a shaker with ice. Shake and strain into a highball glass filled with fresh ice and top with club soda. Garnish with peach slice. 

Rum Cobbler

Such a simple drink it doesn't even qualify as a Daiquiri which has lime juice. It's also small and really accentuates the flavor of a rum. I didn't know that Ronrico silver label was that complex until I tried this. It's just rum, soda, and sugar.

• 2 oz. light rum
• 2 oz. club soda
• 1/2 tsp sugar
• lime slice
• orange slice
• pineapple spear

Combine light rum and simple syrup in a wine goblet with ice. Stir until chilled and add club soda and fruit garnishes.

Sherry Cobbler

You have to be in the right mood for this sherry drink. You want a rich sipper that is not too alcoholic and will last you a while? Go ahead. It's not great for multiple tipples in one night, and might be improved by the quality of sherry used. I do think it is worthwhile for a holiday occasion when it's cold outside and you are mingling in a large party. It won't make you too tipsy but it is attractive and sociable.

Cobblers are an old fashioned cocktail that make use of a wine spirit and sugar. I think of them as dessert cocktails like eggnog. Amontillado sherry is definitely good after dinner.

• 4 oz. Amontillado sherry
• 1/2 tsp. triple sec. 
• 1/2 tsp sugar
• lemon twist
• pineapple spear

Add triple sec and sugar syrup to a wine goblet full of ice. Stir until the glass begins to frost over. Pour sherry over the ice and add lemon twist and pineapple spear garnishes.

Scotch Cobbler

This is a pretty rich drink as the name suggests, but it wasn't bad considering that it was a hot day and the drink was well chilled. It really helps to use Cointreau or white curacao to get the effect of light orange flavors that tame the liquor. The bartender at Bar Dupont suggested a fired orange peel to go with the orange liqueur in the drink.

• 2 oz. scotch
• 1/2 oz. honey
• 1/2 oz. white curacao or Cointreau
• mint sprig or singed orange peel (shown)

Combine all ingredients except mint and orange twist in a mixing glass with ice. Stir and strain into an Old Fashioned glass with large ice cubes. Garnish with mint sprig, or squeeze orange peel over an open flame to singe the fruit oils and drop it in the glass.