To unearth the most innovative, out-there and otherwise extraordinary cocktails of the year, we visited an untold number of bars, lounges and restaurants from coast to coast. The result of our exhaustive research: Tasting Table's Best Cocktails of 2011. Here you'll find the stories behind the shakers, plus recipes so you can try each and every drink at home--no matter where you live. A hearty cheers, then, to the year's most outstanding drinks.
Smashing Pumpkin
Most of the drinks at Graffiato, Top Chef contestant Mike Isabella's Italian-inspired spot in Chinatown, are named after bands or songs. The Billy Corgan-fronted '90s group gets a mention in this autumnally appropriate seasonal cocktail: The depth of pumpkin and allspice flavors are tempered with a spritzy lemon soda. ... Read More →
Sparkling Manhattan
Beverage consultant Derek Brown, who created the cocktail program at R.J. Cooper's avant-garde culinary playground, has never been a fan of bourbon Manhattans, which he calls "flabby and confectionary." He generally prefers rye, but recently stumbled on a bourbon version topped with Champagne. Brown's take uses a soda charger for a focused, effervescent elixir topped with a brandy-soaked cherry. ... Read More →
Boudoir
Sip this sultry concoction while peeking at the mesmerizing cabaret-meets-performance-art at turn-of-the-century French lounge SAX. The playful drink skirts a line between flirty, effervescent peach and the risqué punch of rye. ... Read More →
Back and Forth
The Back and Forth was conceptualized as a sparkling version of the El Presidente, but using rum and orange Curaçao. After tasting and testing, it became a different drink entirely. Floral and slightly sweet, with a herbaceous finish, this is a cocktail that begs to be paired with food: The Columbia Room staff recommends foie gras French toast with tomato marmalade. ... Read More →
Cardamom Punch
Always ahead of the curve, co-owner and mixologist Stefan Trummer brings a forward-thinking drinking philosophy to the Virginia suburbs. Executive chef Clayton Miller's creative cooking style led Trummer to concoct "the perfect fall drink." Here, bright citrus meets exotic spice meets cachaça's earthy notes. ... Read More →
Maple Snow
With this sweet, potent warmer, mixologist Megan Snow plays with the Vermont tradition of drizzling maple syrup on fresh snow. The ice's slow dilution renders two distinct drinks as people sip it. "The first will give you a warming kick, and the last will be mild-mannered and nicely sweetened. Just the thing for coming in out of the cold." ... Read More →
Larry's Negroni
The classic ruby-tinged Negroni has an easily memorized recipe--equal parts gin, vermouth and Campari. But Occidental assistant general manager Larry von Wiegel tinkered with ratios and ingredients to create this drink, substituting earthy Italian apertivo wine and a cocoa- and caramel-scented vermouth. "It's like that perfect Armani suit tailored within an inch of its life--or that perfect black dress." ... Read More →
Smooth as Velvet
For this complex "hoptail" at the casual Alexandria tavern Virtue Feed and Grain, Todd Thrasher reduces Guinness with sugar, adds it to whiskey and blackcurrant soda from England, then tops it all with sparkling wine. The result is a multilayered, fizzy concoction with notes of dark chocolate, berries and wood. ... Read More →
Mono Medio
Estadio and Proof beverage manager Adam Bernbach created this cocktail as a sherry-inflected version of the bourbon Brown Derby. Initially it was not as refreshing as he had hoped, so he added "the cooler element of ice and soda, and then the gin and mint to accentuate the cool and add some herbal notes." ... Read More →
The Rites of Autumn
Igor Stravinsky's "The Rite of Spring" may have influenced the name, but Lynn House's main inspiration came from the apples in her backyard, which she blends with rosemary for the base of the drink. Like a cool version of mulled cider, The Rites of Autumn features fall's trademarks: apples, baking spices and, of course, booze. ... Read More →
The Affiliate
Like the name suggests, The Affiliate was created to work with you. Featuring a funky eight-year-old Jamaican rum and ruby red Dry Sack, mixologist Charles Joly's drink exudes comfort. Keep this recipe on hand for when the weather cools and winter rolls around. ... Read More →
Old Money
Benjamin Schiller's Old Money balances whiskey and Aperol with enough walnut liqueur to create a luxurious texture. Because the cocktail contains no sugar or citrus, large batches can be mixed and stashed in bottles--just in case you're ever in immediate need of a serious (or celebratory) drink. ... Read More →
Negroni Thyme
Made with gin, sweet vermouth and Campari, Clint Roger's version of the Negroni has all the usual suspects. But it's the final flourish that separates it from all others: orange sorbet scooped on top. The move may sound like heresy to some, but it acts as ballast to the classic's signature bitterness. ... Read More →
Latin Manhattan
You won't find Jose Cuervo on this restaurant's wall of small-batch tequilas. You won't find an oversize Margarita on the cocktail list either. Instead, Jenny Kessler crafted Mexico's answer to the Manhattan, pairing flavorful reposado tequila with Nardini Amaro, and garnishing the glass with a single cherry infused with locally made Hum botanical liqueur and vanilla beans. ... Read More →
Panacea
The combination of tea, lemon and whiskey sounds a lot like a Hot Toddy. But the Panacea stands out because in addition to its star-anise-flavored simple syrup, this creation by Matthew "Choo" Lipsky is served cold. One Hot Toddy is often enough to soothe the soul, but from our experience, one Panacea only leads to a second. ... Read More →
Board of Directors
Though it only features four ingredients, the Board of Directors has the complexity of a drink with four times as many. (Blame the Green Chartreuse, a liqueur made with over 100 herbal extracts.) The cocktail's real appeal, though, is how effortlessly drinkable and refreshing it is, as fitting for a festive holiday dinner as a summertime night out--or a night well spent with mixologist Mike Ryan. ... Read More →
No Contest
Consider this the thinking drinker's tiki drink. Instead of loading in the fruit juice, Paul McGee mixes rum and port with epic portions of bitters, creating an arresting mix of flavors that inspires slow, contemplative sipping. Sure, you still get to drink out of a tiki glass with a pineapple garnish. But this drink is serious. ... Read More →
Scots Pine
The Scots Pine may be one of the few cocktails at The Aviary that you can easily recreate at home, but it's by no means run-of-the-mill. True to form, the drink is a medley of surprising flavors and textures, courtesy of aged tequila, St-Germain, yuzu, grapefruit and Alba Scots Pine Ale, a Scottish beer made with pickled pine and spruce shoots. ... Read More →
Baron Row Milk Punch
Toby Maloney created Milk Punch as a way of preserving fresh summer fruit for the winter, taking cues from Colonial-era books and at least one recipe from Benjamin Franklin. It requires some work--and yields a giant quantity--but the concoction comes out tangy, boozy and, interestingly enough, shelf-stable. For a simple (and smaller) rendition, try Maloney's streamlined Baron Row Milk Punch. Our Founding Fathers certainly knew how to drink. ... Read More →
Vintage Caprice
This old-time bar serves plenty of historic cocktails, but there's one drink that's aged in a literal way: Bartender Danny Cymbal's Vintage Caprice ($18). The blend of Beefeater gin, Dolin dry vermouth, Benedictine and orange bitters is aged for four months in sherry-washed bourbon barrels, which mellow the golden liquid. To serve, Cymbal simply stirs the aged drink over ice before pouring it into a coupe. ... Read More →
Hey Hermano!
Anything goes at the R&D bar, where new drinks from new bartenders appear nightly. General manager Matt Wallace has delivered sushi-themed cocktails, and Mia Sarazen once paid boozy homage to her favorite TV show, Arrested Development. Hey Hermano! ($11) transported character Buster Bluth's signature expression, "Hey, brother," to Mexico. Sarazen served a ginger-beer-lengthened Tequila Buck spiced with locally made Miracle Mile Chocolate Chili Bitters. ... Read More →
Italian Greyhound
Meticulous, market-driven cocktail maven Matt Biancaniello continually innovates in his back corner of the Hollywood Roosevelt's lobby. He recently riffed on the Greyhound, an aromatic cocktail traditionally made with vodka and grapefruit juice. Biancaniello's Italian Greyhound ($16) combined Campari supercharged with Japones pepper, Aperol and passion fruit--crunchy seeds and all. The dried chiles leave a lingering heat on the tip of the tongue. ... Read More →
Jonestown Sour
Bar Manager Krishna Vutla developed the Jonestown Sour ($12) in honor of last month's Test Kitchen reunion. To accentuate his chosen pisco's Quebranta grape flavor, he mixed it with a spicy black pepper-cardamom-grape coulis. Simple syrup, fresh lemon juice and a few hard shakes created a frothy balance. Thanks to Vutla's beverage, nobody in this culinary cult has to drink the Kool-Aid. ... Read More →
The Swarm
The Latin-influenced cocktail menu at this John Sedlar restaurant is a natural progression from barman Julian Cox's work at Sedlar's Rivera. The Swarm ($12) was an especially potent concoction that involved reposado tequila, piney Douglas fir eau de vie, muddled mango, and a rounding touch of fino sherry. A splash of Cox's own Hellfire bitters--which features a fiery combination of serrano, jalapeño and habanero chiles--delivers a slow burn. ... Read More →
Bamboo Gen
Head bartender Zahra Bates applied her signature twists to a classic bamboo cocktail for the Bamboo Gen ($15). "Gen" is short for Genever, Holland's precursor to gin, which is joined by dry manzanilla sherry, shiso bitters and a slug of the sweet-tart Hungarian dessert wine Tokaj (Bates uses a 2004 3 Puttonyos Aszú.) An aromatic shiso leaf is rested against the inside of the finished drink ... Read More →
Round Heels
This circus-themed bar is replete with a big-top mural, a '60s British rock soundtrack and coasters that read, simply, "YES." According to our bartender, Round Heels ($13) refers to "loose women" who get drunk and end up on their backs. Oblique? Yes. Risqué? Maybe. A great cocktail? No doubt. Shaking vanilla-scented Banks rum with honey, lemon juice, pineapple juice and torn mint leaves results in a heady cocktail. ... Read More →
Sazerac Rusticum
Going downstairs from Picca means trading ceviche for pasta and pisco for amari. Julian Cox developed the Italianate cocktail program with bar manager Kate Grutman. She previously worked with amari at Mozza and Terroni, and harnessed her knowledge in the Sazerac Rusticum ($12), an herbaceous Sazerac variation involving rosemary-infused dry vermouth, and Aperol loaded with wild fennel plus grapefruit, orange and lemon peels. Grappa provides a bright, boozy kick. ... Read More →
Whiskey Paddle
Justin Pike has carved out an apothecary-like niche on Venice's fashionable Abbot Kinney Boulevard. With the Whiskey Paddle--a deliciously spicy, medicinal tipple--Pike has one cocktail that begets another. Aged in a rye barrel for more than six weeks, the mellowed concoction is combined with lemon juice, orange juice and maple syrup to create the Barrel Sour ($12), a more tart revision of the original drink. ... Read More →
Silvio Swizzle
A small drawing of a purple coupe is the only indication you've reached The Varnish, a nouveau speakeasy hidden in the back of a reborn Cole's in Downtown. For the bar's cocktail compendium, general manager Chris Bostick created the Silvio Swizzle ($12), named for the earthy Italian amaro. Velvet Falernum, fresh lime juice and Austrian peach liqueur smooth out the acidity and join two rums: Ron del Barrilito Two Star and Appleton Estate VX. A final dusting of cinnamon garnishes a drink that seamlessly bridges summer and fall. ... Read More →
Los Muertos
Creating a cocktail that's both extremely drinkable and interesting is no easy feat. Gitane's Alex Smith achieves this by adding to tequila two ingredients you don't customarily see paired with the spirit: sweet vermouth and homemade grapefruit marmalade. ... Read More →
Nonna del Diavolo
Locanda's opening bar manager, Eric Alperin of Los Angeles' Varnish, created an invigorating mixture of rye whiskey, ginger and Strega (the saffron-spiked Italian herbal liqueur) that has the spicy warmth and freshness that come from a healthy pour of homemade ginger syrup. Rest assured, there is nothing devilish about the cocktail--except the temptation to enjoy it. Often ... Read More →
Lunatics in the Garden
Named after a poem by Rainer Maria Rilke about the Carthusian Order tending botanical plants, the drink gets a dose of those herbs from absinthe and monk-made Chartreuse. For a twist on the Last Word, the drink that drove the charge of the cocktail revolution, Alex Conde creates a stark, refined drink with lush texture and a complexity that the original drink never had. ... Read More →
Soda Jerk
This is bartender Kevin Diedrich's ode to yesteryear. The bitterness of the Campari is balanced by passion-fruit-and-vanilla-agave syrup; the frothy drink tastes like an adult version of a soda-fountain favorite. ... Read More →
Breakfast of Champions
Beyond the endless variations of the Bloody Mary, there was very little innovation of brunch cocktails in the cocktail world. That was until Brandon Josie took the challenge himself, blending banana, coffee, maple and walnuts to create the closest replica of a perfect breakfast in a glass. ... Read More →
Amorosa
We got the recipe for Orson bar manager Ian Adams' unusual, layered apéritif of Campari, cinnamon-rose kombucha, cachaça and house-made Curaçao just in the nick of time. Orson will be closing in the middle of November, but the Amorosa will live on.
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Potrero Pinot
Under Carlo Splendorini, Michael Mina's bar is as much a destination as the restaurant is. Splendorini's penchant for sophisticated, nuanced cocktails makes his drinks some of the finest in San Francisco. For the Potrero Pinot, he first makes an Oregon Pinot syrup, then mixes it with rye, cherry liqueur and lemon for a subtle smokiness. ... Read More →
Smokey Local
The newly revamped Harry Denton's Starlight Room is now the place for a drink with a view. Bar manager Joel Teitelbaum has created a menu for drink aficionados and novices alike. His Smokey Local could convert even a non-whisk(e)y drinker. Artful layers of rye, sherry and maraschino are finished with a hint of peaty Scotch for a shockingly light whiskey cocktail. ... Read More →
Zapotec Sour
Circolo is going through a transformation, including a new cocktail menu designed in part by drink guru H. Joseph Ehrmann. Try the Zapotec Sour, a mezcal-based creation that reflects the spirit's smoky earthiness, rounded out with blackberries, Earl Grey tea and lime, and softened by egg white. ... Read More →
Sprezzatura
Sprezzatura loosely translates from Italian as "displaying a nonchalance in the accomplishment of a challenging task." Jason "Buffalo" LoGrasso's Sicilian amaro-based cooler personifies this attitude: His unlikely combination of ingredients works in perfect concert. ... Read More →
Improved Improved Wisecracker
For a seminar at the Manhattan Cocktail Classic, the annual NYC booze-fest, Tad Carducci, co-proprietor of The Tippler, along with Ron Zacapa rum brand ambassador Danny Valdez, elevated Valdez's rum-lemon-juice-bitters cocktail with the addition of fiery harissa. At The Tippler, Carducci has tweaked the recipe yet again by incorporating amaro and mole bitters; árbol chile ensures it packs even more of an appealingly heated punch.
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Celery Gimlet
One of the highlights of Double Crown having morphed into Saxon + Parole is the bar, overseen by Naren Young. Here he makes alluring cocktails like the Celery Gimlet, with powerfully perfumed Junipero gin. For a light and refreshing take on the classic tipple, Young brightens the drink with salt and vinegar, what he deems "two of the most underused ingredients in the cocktail lexicon." ... Read More →
Monkey Gland
The original Monkey Gland, an iconic 1920s-era cocktail, called for grenadine. But Julie Reiner, the booze brains on the new all-star culinary team at the revamped Monkey Bar, gives it her own spin with pomegranate molasses. Slightly sweet, it's a good introductory cocktail for vodka fans who want to venture into gin territory. ... Read More →
Drunk Monk
A few years before he opened Empellón, chef Alex Stupak tossed a bag of dried hoja santa leaf, an aromatic herb bought at Kalustyan's, to Mathew Resler, his soon-to-be bar manager, and said, "Make a drink out of this." Resler complied with this frothy tequila concoction. ... Read More →
Wildest Redhead
Red-haired Meaghan Dorman, who presides over the cocktails at this Iroquois hotel lair, was insulted that the Wild Redhead, a lemon juice-Cherry Heering cocktail featured in the circa-1970s Jones Complete Bar Guide, didn't reflect its sassy moniker. Dorman amplified the drink, creating this spicier, boozier version that lives up to her brazen expectations. ... Read More →
Ship of Fools
Oysters and absinthe are the draws at the perpetually packed hipster hangout Maison Premiere. But barman Maxwell Britten is equally fond of mezcal. The Ship of Fools, a contemporary take on the traditional sour, melds the smoky agave-based spirit with fennel and vegetal rum. ... Read More →
Pacquiao's Punch
Enzo Lim's punch is inspired by Filipino boxing champion Manny Pacquiao and served in a glass so you don't need to rely on a bevy of friends to share a bowl. It will plunge you back into summer even when the barometer says otherwise. Still, its herbaceous, gingery bite may bode well for winter colds: Lim says salabat, ginger tea, is a traditional wellness remedy in the Philippines. ... Read More →
Boiler-Bach
At first glance, you may think Avery Glasser's Boiler-Bach is simply a glass of beer. But this riff on the Seelbach cocktail and Boilermaker technique, in which beer is mixed or chased with booze, melds hoppy, Pennsylvania-made Stoudt's pilsner with Cointreau and a trio of bitters. A shot glass of bourbon is plopped in as a final touch. ... Read More →
North Garden
Jason Littrell loves Laird's Bonded Apple Brandy. He even named this drink after the brandy's distillery in Virginia. Essentially a heady apple-brandy Old-Fashioned, it marries the smoke of Scotch with a hint of woody bourbon. ... Read More →
V.O.C.
Genever and Batavia Arrack, rum's Southeast Asian ancestor, were important products during the era of the Dutch East India Trading Company. For this historically-minded cocktail (V.O.C is an acronym for The Dutch East India Company) The Beagle's Matt Piacentini makes his own Swedish Punsch, an aged blend of rum, Batavia Arrack, lemon juice, tea and spices. This easier-to-make version is just as complex in flavor. ... Read More →
Joan Harris
Who says a brewery can't get in on the craft-cocktail renaissance? Matthew Stipe created this red-hued refresher in homage to the disarmingly astute and underestimated secretary on Mad Men--a drink, in other words, that packs more punch and depth than appearances might suggest. While he likes to use house-brewed lager, a briskly hopped craft beer like Victory Prima Pils will also do the job. ... Read More →
Miso Mule
Portland, Oregon, transplant Adam Bryan has a knack for thoughtful tweaks that quietly dazzle without veering into show-off territory. He gives his Sazerac an autumnal twist with Calvados, and gives Campari a sunny twist by infusing it with pineapple. His Miso Mule goes a step further, harnessing a most unlikely quintet of ingredients into a refresher that's at once salty, smoky, sweet, crisp and tinged with heat. ... Read More →
Smashing Pumpkin
Most of the drinks at Top Chef contestant Mike Isabella's Italian-inspired spot in Washington, D.C., are named after bands or songs. The Billy Corgan-fronted '90s group gets a mention in this autumnally appropriate seasonal cocktail: The depth of pumpkin and allspice flavor is tempered with a spritzy lemon soda. ... Read More →
Sazerac Rusticum
Below the popular Los Angeles restaurant Picca, diners trade ceviche for pasta and pisco for amari. Julian Cox developed the Italianate cocktail program with bar manager Kate Grutman. She previously worked with amari at Batali's pizza magnate, Mozza, and harnessed her knowledge in the Sazerac Rusticum, an herbaceous Sazerac variation involving rosemary-infused dry vermouth, and Aperol loaded with wild fennel, grapefruit, orange and lemon peel. Grappa provides a bright, boozy kick. ... Read More →
No Contest
Consider this the thinking drinker's Tiki drink. Instead of loading in the fruit juice, Paul McGee mixes rum and port with epic portions of bitters, creating an arresting mix of flavors that inspires slow, contemplative sipping. Sure, you still get to drink out of Tiki glass with a pineapple garnish. But this drink is serious. ... Read More →
Celery Gimlet
One of the highlights of this new restaurant is the bar, overseen by Naren Young. Here he makes alluring cocktails like the Celery Gimlet, with powerfully perfumed Junipero gin. For a light and refreshing take on the classic tipple, Young brightens the drink with salt and vinegar, what he deems "two of the most underused ingredients in the cocktail lexicon." ... Read More →
Soda Jerk
This is bartender Kevin Diedrich's ode to yesteryear. The bitterness of the Campari is balanced by passion-fruit-and-vanilla-agave syrup; the frothy drink tastes like an adult version of a soda-fountain favorite. ... Read More →
Goodfella Flip
It's doubtful you'll find another place in the Midwest that sweats the small stuff the way Ted Kilgore does. House-made vermouth and dozens of bitters? Yep. Ice spears fashioned by a local ice-carving company? You bet. Duck-fat-infused Grand Marnier? Wow, okay. Fortunately, Kilgore has the good sense to marry these flourishes with an abiding respect for restraint. Here he uses a heady espresso syrup to slingshot a bittersweet flip into a higher realm of nightcap excellence. ... Read More →
Italian Buck
The hardbound, 100-page book on the bar isn't an encyclopedia. Rather, it's the cocktail menu assembled by head barkeep Jamie Boudreau. Heavy on obscure classics and freewheeling new creations, it includes cerebral concoctions like the aged La Bicyclette, a gin-based drink aged in oak for 12 weeks and served in a flask. Boudreau's Italian Buck is an erudite nod to the mania for bitters--a fusion of artichoke-laced Cynar and citrusy Amaro Montenegro made bright and punchy with lime and ginger beer. Smart, in other words, but not too smart for its own good. ... Read More →
Something Sazerac Something Something
This vaguely named libation celebrates the changing of the seasons, as warm summer days transition into brisk fall evenings. Mixologist Josh Berner of the Cleveland Park restaurant Ripple wanted to incorporate flavors from both: farmers' market fresh peaches and cherries, and cozy autumnal spices. An absinthe rinse adds a whiff of heady aromatics. ... Read More →
Expatriate
Ciaran Wiese has made Arizona's second-largest city one of the country's most unlikely destinations for innovative mixed drinks. Nothing is off-limits; his creations have included such head-scratchers as blue cheese and fenugreek. But he also turns out cocktails of classic elegance, like this fall-friendly harmony of apéritif wines, applejack and bitters. ... Read More →
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