After completion of their “Bright College Years”, I imagine Yale graduates in springtime Connecticut back in the ‘30’s and ‘40’s rushed to a campus bar and threw back a couple of Yale cocktails in celebration. I think it’s kind of cool that a few universities had the wherewithal to create their own private drinks, and I imagine if you graduated from one, you owe it to yourself to partake. Did you know that Cole Porter wrote the Yale Fight Song while attending? Go Bulldogs!

Here we go –

• 2 ounces gin
• 1 ounce dry vermouth
• 3 dashes Crème de Yvette (you can substitute w/ Crème de Violette)
• 1-2 dash(es) bitters

Shake contents with ice in shaker ‘til cold. Serve up in a cocktail glass.

With 36 athletic teams represented, Cornell must constantly have reason for celebration or commiseration. Their official cocktail is a pretty one, using an egg white to create a rich foam. Long winters in upstate New York so I imagine a night in a toasty bar with a couple of Cornells might be just the ticket.

Here we go –

• 2 ounces gin
• 1 egg white
• 3+ dashes Maraschino liqueur
• 2-3 dashes lemon juice

Shake above ingredients with cracked ice in shaker ‘til frothy & cold. Serve up in a cocktail glass with maraschino cherry as garnish.

This colonial college libation is a pretty adventurous one. The use of an olive as garnish is a bold move, yet one that carries the drink back to its sophisticated martini drinker’ roots. No idea when it was actually invented, but I found this one in a recipe book dated 1939, so the kids were knockin’ back in NJ pre-War. I can imagine the undergrads enjoying this one at their celebratory bonfire after beating Yale and Harvard back in the day.

Here we go –

• 2 ounces gin
• 1 ounce dry vermouth
• 2-3 dashes of lime juice

Shake ingredients gently in an ice-filled shaker ‘til terribly cold. Serve up in a cocktail glass with an olive for garnish.

Just a quick pop to lighten your load before the in-laws arrive. I find this little two ounces is a great chilled bite that’s perfect for taking the edge off. The orange juice middle sort of hugs everything else in the shake. Best served in a small cocktail glass ice cold.

Here we go –

• ½ ounce gin
• ½ ounce dry vermouth
• ½ ounce orange juice
• 5 dashes bitters, orange if you have them.

Shake with crushed or cracked ice ‘til freezing. Pour up into a small cocktail glass, garnish with a small slice of orange peel.

Another one of those “be careful” drinks, the Little Devil is a true oldie but goodie. Its citrus-y enough to go down quickly and easily, but there is an alcohol bite that will haunt you going down and later while you’re slurring. This is a drink that lives up to its name.

Here we go –

• ¾ ounce white rum
• ¾ ounce gin
• ½ ounce lemon juice
• ½ ounce Cointreau

Shake with ice ‘til ice cold. Serve up in a cocktail glass. Garnish with lemon peel.

Figured I’d kick-off with this one. It’s an easy drink to mix and you can make up a batch ahead of time if you’re having guests over. This was the first purely Christmastime cocktail I ever tried, and I still love it during the holidays. The peppermint flavor makes it a strictly seasonal drink but one most will really enjoy.

Here we go –

• 3 oz Gin or Vodka (I prefer gin)
• ½ oz Dry Vermouth
• 2 capfuls Peppermint Schnapps

Shake with ice ‘til North Pole cold, strain into one of those Christmas Martini glasses you picked up on sale last year and garnish with a peppermint stick or candy cane.

This is just a cozy drink, plain and simple. Perfect for a party, fireside chat or to pour before a festive dinner. The bitter sweet combination of the Campari, even as the smaller pour of the three ingredients used, really and pleasantly permeates this cocktail. This is complex holiday pick and one that drinks quite well with a soft, jazzy Christmas album. It’s another one of those old school drinks where the ingredients, while blended, really stand apart on the tongue.

Here we go –

• 3 oz Gin
• 1 oz Cherry Brandy
• ½ oz Campari

Shake with ice ‘til cold, strain into cocktail glass and garnish with a cherry.

Wow! A bartender chum was over recently and pointed out, as I was making Gimlets, that you can layer juice over the drink for a little flavor blast. We made a few and I pulled a bar bible and discovered that indeed, this drink existed, calling for pineapple as the juice. You want to take a nice bite of this drink when first poured to pierce the layers and experience the flavors separately. By your second sip, the drink’s ingredients combine. This drink is perfect for your guests who may not appreciate strong booze flavors.

Here we go –

• 2 oz Gin
• ¾ oz Roses Lime Juice
• Pineapple juice

Make your Gimlet by combining gin and Roses over ice in a rocks glass. Stir and softly pour pineapple juice over the drink to the top. Don’t stir, drink.

Since I use “why not?” as my standard answer when offered almost any libation, I knew I had to try this one when I came across it in an old recipe book. I’m an apricot Brandy fan and am starting to figure out that this spirit is ripe for a comeback, seeing how popular and called for it once was. Apricot brandy must have been a bar “must have” back in the day, it’s asked for in a lot of old cocktails..

Here we go –

• 1 oz Gin
• 1 oz Dry Vermouth
• ¾ oz Apricot Brandy
• 2-3 dashes Lemon Juice

Shake with ice in a shaker, strain cold into cocktail glass.

I’m getting quite used to combining apricot brandy with bourbon, cointreau, Applejack and other brown liquors, so when I see a drink calling for it with a gin or vodka, I get interested. I really believe it’s the small addition of bitters that pulls this one all together.
I use Orange bitters in this one and I love it. Try this one it goes down easy.

Here we go –

• 1 oz Gin
• ½ oz Apricot Brandy
• 3 dashes Bitters (try orange)
• Dash or 2 of Lemon Juice

Shake in shaker with cracked ice, strain into cocktail glass,, garnish with a lemon peel.

Our first ‘X’ cocktail, let’s see how long she stands alone on our recipe page. Be forewarned, this is a strong tasting drink that, out of the few I poured for, only two asked for another. That being said, I really liked this drink and did happen to have a bottle of the fairly expensive yellow Chartreuse needed (birthday present). If your of an experimental mind and wish to sip a pretty unique tasting cocktail, pour one…or at the very least order one out the next time your drinking at a bar in the know.

Here we go –

• 1 oz Gin
• 1 oz Yellow Chartreuse
• 1 oz Cherry flavored Brandy

Shake with cracked ice, serve on the rocks in a rocks glass.