Classic cocktail recipes from your friends at TCD

ThirdCoast Digest’s Erin Petersen went on the prowl for the city’s best (and most atmospheric) cocktail hours. But for those of you that aren’t feeling the bar scene, host your own Depression-Era cocktail hour at home with some of these lively libations:

Brandy Old Fashioned

3 oz brandy
4 dashes Angostura bitters
1 tsp sugar
1 dash water
Sweet or Sour soda (7-Up, 50/50, etc)

Muddle the sugar with the bitters and the water in the bottom of an old-fashioned glass. Add the brandy, ice cubes and sweet soda. Stir, garnish with a lemon peel, and serve. If you want to make it true- Wisco style, muddle a couple of Maraschino cherries with the sugar and bitters and garnish with an orange slice. If you’re from south of the state line, use whiskey in place of brandy and mix with sour soda.

Manhattan

2 oz rye whiskey
1/2 oz sweet vermouth
2-3 dashes Angostura bitters
Maraschino cherry for garnish

Pour all ingredients into a glass full of ice, stir well and strain into a chilled cocktail glass.

2 1/2 ounces Scotch
1 ounce sweet vermouth
Dash of angostura bitters
Maraschino cherry or twist of lemon peel

Shake the Scotch, vermouth, and bitters with ice; then strain into a chilled cocktail glass. Garnish with a maraschino cherry or lemon peel.

Sidecar

1 1/2 oz. Brandy
1/2 oz. Triple Sec
1/2 oz. Lemon or Lime Juice

Combine all the ingredients in a shaker filled with ice, shake well and strain into a cocktail glass.

The Kentucky Dandy

2 oz. Maker’s Mark
4 oz. Ginger beer

Stir, then add a dash of cayenne pepper. Serve over ice in an 8 oz. tumbler.   Thanks to Howie Goldklang for this recipe!

The Blue Blazer

2 1/2 ounces Whiskey
2 1/2 ounces Boiling Water
1 Teaspoon Powdered Sugar
1 Lemon wedge
1 Lemon Twist

Take two large fireproof mugs. In one, pour in the whiskey.  In the other, pour in the water. With a match or lighter, ignite the whiskey.  To mix the whiskey and water, pour the liquids back and forth cup to cup about four or five times which will create the effect of liquid fire.

To the blended whiskey and water, stir in the powdered sugar and squeeze in the lemon wedge.  Pour into a 4-ounce heat proof whiskey glass and garnish with lemon wedge.   Recipe courtesy of TCD’s own Cate Miller.

Did we miss your favorite? Leave a comment and share your own fave drink tips.