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I'm a fan of a version of an old fashion. Rye, freshly squeezed orange, luxardo cherry juice and a dash of bitters. No added sugar.
 
Fussy bartenders will muddle both a cherry and orange in. Then remove them and put fresh ones in place for a better appearance. Doesnt matter to me suppose. My palette tells me muddled tastes best..

But a true old fashioned has no fruit at all...

There is always lots of controversy re what should be in an old-fashioned. I fall into the orange slice and cherry camp, except do not muddle the cherry. Also, sugar cube and bitters, muddled along with the orange slice. I am not sure it makes a difference whether one uses simple syrup or a sugar cube. I guess I like the graininess of a sugar cube or am, at least, used to it in an old-fashioned. I personally do not love Luxardo cherries, much less their juice, for this purpose. They seem overly sweet, nearly candied, to me. When I am not lazy, I macerate Trader Joe's dried tart Montmorency cherries in bandy and sugar, and use those in whiskey cocktails. Luxardo, or even Amareno, cherries are perfect in other drinks. The Aviation springs immediately to mind.

<Coat the chilled glass with 1/4 ounce of absinthe>

Herbsaint is supposedly the original anise liqueur used in a Sazarac. (Not sure whether it is was ever a true absinthe.) It seems readily available again. I use it but am not sure how much difference it makes. It is traditional to toss from the glass whatever of the Herbsaint does not actually coat the glass, but I do not get throwing away liquor! A fabulous cocktail, whatever the specific details used in making it. Clearly has all of the attributes of a "man cocktail."
 
Lately Ive been drinking rum aged according to original tradition (In wooden stills). Same stills that were used for the British Navy daily rations since 1655.

Anything less...would be uncivilized.
That's my DIY aftershave using the rum, witch hazel, orange rind, sandalwood, and bay leaf oil too. And a few menthol crystals.
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No idea what it's called, but I like it;
50% Tomato juice, V8, or Clamato
50% Beer of your choice

Great for mornings

Coffee, but instead of Milk or Cream, Bailey's and Kalua.
 
Sounds like the beginnings of a michelada. They’re great.

Oh, a michelada.. That's the ticket. Paired with Mexican nachos (not Tex-mex, etc).

IMO, Mexican nachos are simple: Thick tortilla chips, refried beans, melted cheese, onions, jalapenos, tomato.
As opposed to those greasy, flimsy, ground beef ones where all the toppings are on the middle chips and the others are just greasy plain chips. Don't get me worked up!!
 
Mine is the traditional Martini, 4 parts gin, 1 part dry vermouth, shaken or stirred (doesn't matter) served up with an olive.
I add a few chopped jalapeno and serrano peppers to the olive jar and let them marinate to give them a little kick but that's just me.
 
Three ounces of Bulleit Rye
One ounce Antica red Vermouth
Three quick hits of Agostura Bitters
All poured over ice in a shaker.
Stir fifty times, clockwise.
Pour over Luxardo cherry with some syrup in a nice presentation glass.
THE ABSOLUTELY PERFECT MANHATTAN.
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Caipirinha has been mentioned already. That's my go-to drink. I'm lucky enough to have a local liquor store that stocks a small selection of cachacas, not just the usual 51 brand. Some of the small batch ones are much, much better.

Other favorites:

Jack-and-Ginger where Jack is Irish

Gin/tonic where only Plymouth gin is used of course, and finished with a drop of Angostura bitters

My own version of Kirschwasser which I make by soaking sour cherry kernels and apricot kernels in vodka for several weeks. Goes great with Dr.Pepper.

My homemade sour cherry liqueur. The recipe is a family secret :D
(but I can be bribed)
 
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stamsad, you are a doing some great stuff. I really like sour cherries, but have trouble finding them. Where do you get them? "Drink Kirschwasser from a shell . . . .")
 
A friend has some sour cherry trees and he shares his crop with me. I have a few trees too but also plenty of birds that eat them, haven't found a good solution for that.
As for the sour cherry kernels, you can actually buy them online. They are used as a spice in Turkish and Levantine baking under the name "mahlab". One good source is Penzeys Spices, they have an online store but also many brick-and-mortar stores. I happen to have one of their stores nearby, it's great.
I use about 3-4oz of cherry kernels and 5-10 apricot kernels per 1.75L bottle of vodka. Shake vigorously once every 3-4 days. Good to drink in as little as 2 weeks.
 
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I honed my craft when Paul Harrington was the only game in town. (wired magazine, cocktail articles)
I really like:
Astoria Cocktail - gin, dry vermouth, orange bitters
Aviation - gin, maraschino liqueur, lemon juice. (other versions call for creme de violette. Mine don't)
 
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