Complex Flavor
Cocktails featuring Complex notes.
Bourbon Manhattan
A cornerstone of classic American cocktails, this sophisticated and spirit-forward libation elegantly balances the sweetness and spice of bourbon with the herbaceous complexity of sweet vermouth and the aromatic punctuation of bitters.
Bourbon Penicillin
A significant variation of the modern classic Penicillin, substituting bourbon for Scotch whisky. This swap creates a more approachable yet equally complex drink, trading smoky and peaty notes for the sweeter, fuller-bodied profile of bourbon.
Naked & Famous
A modern classic that masterfully balances smoky mezcal with bittersweet Aperol and herbal Yellow Chartreuse, all brightened by fresh lime juice. Created by Joaquín Simó at Death & Co in 2011.
Trader Vic Zombie
A potent and complex tiki cocktail that simplified and popularized Don the Beachcomber's original secret recipe. Victor Bergeron's more approachable version helped make the Zombie a global staple of Polynesian-themed restaurants.
Oaxaca Old Fashioned
Reposado tequila meets smoky mezcal, agave and bitters for Phil Ward's modern agave spin on the Old Fashioned.
Sazerac
Rye, sugar, Peychaud's bitters, and an absinthe rinse compose this potent, aromatic New Orleans standard.
1934 Zombie
The original Donn Beach Zombie with gold Puerto Rican rum, dark Jamaican rum, and 151-proof Demerara rum—the authentic recipe that launched the tiki craze.
Naked and Famous
A quintessential modern classic created by Joaquín Simó at Death & Co. in 2011. This audacious equal-parts cocktail combines smoky mezcal, honeyed Yellow Chartreuse, bittersweet Aperol, and fresh lime juice in perfect harmony.
Black Magic
The legendary Mai-Kai Tiki cocktail featuring dark rums, tropical juices, and coffee—a complex, powerful creation representing the pinnacle of Polynesian Pop culture.
Bourbon Vieux Carré
A timeless New Orleans classic that beautifully encapsulates the city's multicultural heritage. This sophisticated cocktail masterfully blends American rye whiskey, French cognac and Bénédictine, Italian sweet vermouth, and Creole bitters for a harmonious and richly layered experience.
Don the Beachcomber's Planter's Punch
Donn Beach's 1937 masterpiece that transformed the rustic Jamaican punch into a complex tiki classic with three distinct rums, falernum, grenadine, and Angostura bitters.
Brown Sugar Caipirinha
A contemporary evolution of Brazil's national cocktail that substitutes traditional white sugar with brown sugar to introduce a richer, more complex flavor profile. This variation adds notes of caramel, toffee, and molasses that complement the grassy, funky notes of cachaça.
Mezcal Margarita
A modern classic smoky twist on the beloved Margarita—mezcal's earthy, complex character balanced with fresh lime, agave, and orange liqueur.
Paper Plane
Bourbon, Aperol, Amaro, and lemon. A modern equal-parts cocktail with perfect balance.
White Mezcal Negroni
A modern classic that brilliantly marries the smoky, earthy notes of Mexican mezcal with the floral bitterness of French aperitifs, creating a sophisticated variation on the White Negroni structure.
Vieux Carré
Walter Bergeron's New Orleans classic blends rye, cognac, sweet vermouth and Bénédictine with dual bitters for a silky, spirit-forward sipper.
Blood and Sand
Scotch, sweet vermouth, cherry brandy, and orange juice. An unusual but balanced equal-parts cocktail.
Perfect Manhattan
The pinnacle of cocktail balance, splitting vermouth between sweet and dry styles to achieve sophisticated equilibrium between whiskey's spice and vermouth's complexity.
PKNY
A defiant evolution of the Painkiller born from a trademark lawsuit, featuring a complex blend of three rums, acid-adjusted orange juice, and modern mixology techniques for superior balance and depth.
Trinidad Sour
A modern classic that boldly features Angostura bitters as its base, balanced with orgeat syrup and lemon juice for a surprisingly harmonious and complex drink.
Black Boulevardier
A modern evolution of the Boulevardier with added Amaro Averna—bourbon, Campari, sweet vermouth, and dark herbal complexity.
Mezcal Paloma
A smoky reinvention of Mexico's beloved Paloma, where mezcal's earthy complexity transforms the classic grapefruit highball into a sophisticated, layered cocktail.
Widow's Kiss
A potent and evocative cocktail from the Gilded Age, a complex marriage of robust apple brandy and two of the world's most enigmatic herbal liqueurs: Bénédictine and Yellow Chartreuse.
47 Degrees North
A sophisticated variation of the Alaska cocktail with blanc vermouth that softens the gin and Yellow Chartreuse for a more approachable profile—a modern craft cocktail masterpiece.
Blood & Sanguinello
A modern interpretation of the Prohibition-era Blood and Sand cocktail, elevated by using distinctly flavored Sanguinello blood orange juice for a complex, balanced drink that bridges classic sensibilities with the modern palate.
Bourbon Bastard
A bourbon-centric interpretation of the classic Suffering Bastard, a legendary hangover cure born in World War II Cairo. This potent and restorative cocktail balances bourbon, gin, lime, bitters, and ginger beer in a complex interplay of spirits and refreshing elements.
Pegu Club #2
A definitive gin sour from the twilight of the British Empire, perfectly balanced and bracingly tart with botanical complexities of gin, bright lime, orange curaçao, and aromatic bitters.
Bacanora Naked and Famous
A Sonoran variation of the Naked and Famous using Bacanora instead of mezcal—drier, more herbaceous, and mineral-driven with desert terroir.
Bourbon and Famous
A theoretical but compelling variation of the modern classic Naked and Famous, substituting bourbon for mezcal to create a rich, warming cocktail with notes of caramel, spice, herbs, and a bittersweet citrus finish.
Corpse Reviver #1
A potent, spirit-forward pre-Prohibition reviver featuring Cognac, Calvados, and sweet vermouth—a sophisticated morning-after remedy with rich fruit and herbal complexity.
Oaxacan Hanky Panky
A modern classic that reimagines the early 20th-century Hanky Panky by substituting gin with smoky mezcal, creating a sophisticated and complex drinking experience.
Pegu Royale
A modern, effervescent twist on the classic Pegu Club cocktail, elevating the original gin-based sour with Champagne to create a celebratory and more complex libation.
Rye Boulevardier
A sophisticated defiance of the classic Negroni, featuring assertive rye whiskey balanced by the bittersweet complexity of Campari and rich sweet vermouth.
Winter Sbagliato
A contemporary, seasonal interpretation of the classic Negroni Sbagliato, incorporating alpine amari, aged spirits, and spiced elements to create a warming drink suited for colder months.
Bittered Hanky Panky
A bold evolution of the classic Hanky Panky with increased Fernet-Branca—gin, sweet vermouth, and pronounced herbal bitterness for adventurous palates.
Miraflores
A modern bridge between South American and Italian spirits, combining pisco with Cynar and Aperitivo Cappelletti for a complex, bitter-sweet experience.
Pomegranate Sea Breeze
A contemporary evolution of the classic Sea Breeze, featuring pomegranate liqueur instead of cranberry juice for deeper, more complex sweet-tart flavors and a stunning ruby color.
Trader Vic's Suffering Bastard
A rum-centric tiki cocktail that's more robust and complex than the original gin and brandy Cairo creation. Essentially a more potent variation of the Mai Tai, featuring a blend of aged rums with citrus, orgeat, and curaçao.
Oriental
A sophisticated pre-Prohibition cocktail representing the intersection of American whiskey tradition and early 20th century's global cocktail culture. The elegant balance of spicy rye, rich sweet vermouth, bright orange curaçao, and tart lime creates a complex yet refreshing flavor profile.
Very French Martini
A sophisticated evolution of the French Martini, created by Simon Difford, substituting vodka with complex, aromatic Cognac to elevate a popular fruit-forward template into a drink of remarkable character.
Ward Eight
Boston's most significant contribution to classic cocktail canon, a robust and nuanced riff on the Whiskey Sour. This testament to Gilded Age political history balances the spicy character of rye whiskey against bright citrus and the subtle complexity of real pomegranate grenadine.
Obituary Cocktail
A potent and aromatic spin on the classic Gin Martini, distinguished by a haunting whisper of absinthe. Born in New Orleans, this cocktail offers complex, herbaceous, and licorice-tinged flavors.
Spiced Jungle Bird
A contemporary evolution of the Malaysian Jungle Bird that introduces warming spices like cinnamon, allspice, and clove, creating a complex interplay of bitter, sweet, tropical, and spiced notes perfect for both summer and cooler evenings.
Tequila Espresso Martini
A modern, agave-forward interpretation of the classic Espresso Martini. By substituting tequila for vodka, this variation introduces a complex, earthy dimension that complements and elevates the rich bitterness of espresso.
Ward 8
Boston's most significant contribution to classic cocktail canon - a robust whiskey sour elevated by orange juice and the sweet, ruby kiss of grenadine. Born from 19th-century political machinations, it's both refreshingly tart and subtly complex.
Spicy Lemon Drop
A modern evolution of the classic Lemon Drop that transforms the original's straightforward sweet-sour profile into a complex interplay of tart, sweet, and heat through chile-infused vodka.
Equal Parts Smoke
A modern conceptual cocktail embodying the elegant simplicity of equal-parts recipes with the dramatic flair of smoked cocktails. Built on the foundation of the Naked & Famous, it harmoniously balances smoky mezcal with herbal Chartreuse, bittersweet Aperol, and bright lime.
Green Chartreuse Naked and Famous
A bold, herbaceous variation of Joaquín Simó's modern classic, substituting Green Chartreuse for Yellow to create an intense, vegetal, and profoundly complex equal-parts cocktail with assertive mezcal.
Perfect Hanky Panky
A sophisticated variation of the classic Hanky Panky that splits the vermouth between sweet and dry styles, achieving perfect balance between botanical gin and herbal complexity.
Texas Tea
The bigger, bolder, bourbon-fueled cousin of the Long Island Iced Tea. With six spirits and a fresh sour mix, it epitomizes the 'everything is bigger in Texas' philosophy while maintaining surprising balance when crafted with quality ingredients.
Turf Club
A sophisticated gin cocktail that bridges the gap between the sweeter Martinez and the drier Martini, featuring complex aromatics from maraschino liqueur and absinthe.
Vampiro
A uniquely Mexican cocktail that offers a captivating blend of savory, sweet, tart, and spicy flavors, setting it apart from its more famous cousin, the Bloody Mary.
Violette Casino
A sophisticated modern classic that bridges the gap between the Casino and Aviation cocktails, combining Old Tom gin, maraschino liqueur, and a whisper of crème de violette for elegant complexity.
Rosé Vesper
A modern, 21st-century reinterpretation of the classic Vesper martini, distinguished by the incorporation of rosé elements that impart a delicate fruit-forward character and a visually stunning blush hue. This evolution softens the original's potent bite, creating a more approachable cocktail.
Tuxedo #3
A sophisticated Martini variation distinguished by the addition of fino sherry, which adds unique nutty and saline complexity to this elegant gin cocktail from the Golden Age.
Clarified Jungle Bird
A modern classic transformation using milk washing to create crystal clarity while preserving the signature rum, Campari, and pineapple harmony.
Sea Breeze Cooler
The original Sea Breeze from the 1930 Savoy Cocktail Book—a complex gin-based cooler with apricot brandy, lemon juice, and grenadine, topped with sparkling water.
Rusty Compass
A modern craft cocktail that brilliantly reimagines the classic Rusty Nail, steering it into smokier, more complex territory with peated Scotch, Drambuie, and Cherry Heering.
Rum Vieux Carré
A modern adaptation of the classic New Orleans Vieux Carré, substituting aged rum for cognac to create a warmer, sweeter profile that bridges Caribbean and Crescent City influences.
Clarified Hurricane
A sophisticated interpretation of the New Orleans classic using milk washing to create crystal clarity while preserving the rum and passion fruit essence.
Broken Plane
A darker, more complex cousin to the Aviation that adds Cynar and Amaro to create a bittersweet cocktail evoking the melancholy of grounded flights and mechanical failures.
Dublin Minstrel
A modern classic cocktail that reimagines the Last Word with Irish whiskey, created by Simon Difford in 2015.
Equal Parts MacElhone (Boulevardier)
A rich and sophisticated sibling to the Negroni, the Boulevardier swaps gin for the warmth of whiskey, creating a timeless cocktail that embodies the spirit of 1920s Paris.
Last of the Oaxacans
A modern classic that brilliantly substitutes the gin in a traditional Last Word with the smoky complexity of mezcal.
Mai Tai Swizzle
The complex, grapefruit-driven, and historically significant forerunner to the more famous Trader Vic's Mai Tai, created by the father of tiki culture, Donn Beach.
Mezcal Blood and Sand
A modern, smoky reinterpretation of the contentious Scotch classic, the Blood and Sand, transformed by the complex, layered, and assertive character of mezcal.
Mezcal Boulevardier
A modern classic, a smoky and complex variation of the Prohibition-era Boulevardier that swaps bourbon for mezcal.
Mezcal Coffee Negroni
A modern classic that exemplifies the craft cocktail renaissance, brilliantly fusing the smoky, earthy notes of Mexican mezcal with the rich, roasted bitterness of coffee.
Money For Nothing
A sophisticated split-base cocktail from San Francisco's late Lord George bar, balancing bonded rye and reposado tequila with French Pineau des Charentes and bright citrus.