5 COCKTAILS
EVERY GUY
SHOULD KNOW
HOW TO MAKE
Details
by Michael Ampo
Whether it is neat, straight up or on the rocks, a gentleman should be able to make a drink that
is as elegant and sophisticated as he is. Cocktails are celebrations of different flavours from all
four corners of the globe and choosing from this myriad of variety is no mean feat. That said,
there are the essentials that you simply cannot do without – those cornerstones of bygone
bars which still form the basis of mixology today. Below are 5 classic cocktails that every guy
should be able to make. And remember, it’s always cocktail hour somewhere in the world…
1 The Old Fashioned
Every gentleman should know
how to make an Old Fash-
ioned, Don Draper’s no-non-
sense drink of choice. Its first
appearance was at a Kentucky
gentleman’s club in the 1880’s:
gloriously simple yet sophis-
ticated, this is a whisky-based
cocktail that should be drunk
with gravitas.
Ingridients:
1 sugar cube, 3
dashes Angostura
bitters, club soda,
2 ounces whisky
2 The Martini
This is one of the most elegant cock-
tails out there, period. Shrouded in
mystique, yet simple to make, there
really is nothing to it. And a gentle-
man knows that there is only one
way to make a Martini – with gin,
stirred not shaken. Sorry, James.
Ingredients: 1 ounce dry ver-
mouth, 4 ounces London dry gin
3 The Daiquiri
4 The Manhattan
An American-Italian love
affair which originated in New
York’s Manhattan Club over a centu-
ry ago. As famous as it is enduring,
this drink has stood the test of time
for good reason. And it even mirrors
NYC’s area code… 2-1-2.
Ingredients: 2 ounces rye whiskey,
1 ounce Italian vermouth, 2 dashes
Angostura bitters
21 | Colossium . August 2018
5 The Negroni
If you only master one
drink, make it the Dai-
quiri, the gold stan-
dard of sour cocktails.
Reassuringly hard to
perfect, this is a per-
fectly balanced drink
of classic proportions.
Understanding each
component will let
you explore countless
of variations, such as
the Margarita and the
Dark & Stormy.
Ingredients: 2
ounces white rum, 1/2
teaspoon superfine
sugar, 1/2 ounce lime
juice
The definitive aperitif, the Negroni is
one of the indispensable cocktails. It
is made with the ‘Golden Ratio’ – one
part dry, one part sweet, one part bit-
ter. Orson Welles commented in 1947
that, “The bitters are excellent for your
liver, the gin is bad for you. They bal-
ance each other.” Do raise your glass to
Count Negroni.
Ingredients: 1 1/2 ounces London dry
gin, 3/4 ounce Campari, 3/4 ounce
Italian vermouth