The Gimlet

Though technically I added soda to this and made it a Gin Rickey, the Gimlet is probably one of the tastier of the vintage cocktails no longer seen today.

The Gimlet
Gin
Lime Juice

While not as good as rum and lime juice, the Gimlet is a refreshing drink. The flavor of the gin is cut ever so slightly by the lime juice, but neither ingredient overpowers the other. A neat mix of flavor.

The Whiskey Sour

The Whiskey Sour was my drink of choice for many years before switching back to Rum. I used to make it with lemon lime Gatorade.

The Whiskey Sour
Whiskey
Sours Mix

Amis calls for lemon juice and sugar, but he didn't live in a day when you can go down to the store and buy premixed sours. It's a lot less hassle than making your own, but can lead to heartburn.

The Whiskey Sour is still probably my favorite drink after Rum, Soda, and Lime juice.

The Old Fashioned

In reading the book, it seemed like the only drink Amis mentioned as the Dry Martini was the Old Fashioned. He once said it was the best drink on the other side of the spectrum from said Dry Martini, and he was actually right.

The Old Fashioned
Mostly Whiskey
Sugar
Angostura Bitters
Orange Juice
Maraschino Cherry Juice

I followed the method he described in the book--dissolving the sugar in some warm water, adding the bitters, then the whiskey (he calls for bourbon, I used 7 Crown) and the oj and cherry juice, stirring, then adding ice and stirring again. I forwent the fruit garnish, as I dont like cherries, and I didnt feel like slicing an orange.

This drink is a little time consuming to make, but not anymore so than my homemade mojitos, and it has the added bonus of being the only whiskey + fruit juice drink that I have found good, let alone tolerable.

The Old Fashioned has made whiskey interesting again

The Tigne Rose

This drink may be the precursor to the Long Island Iced Tea, or it may have been just created by someone only had one shot left of everything in his cabinet and put them all together.

The Tigne Rose
1 tot Whiskey
1 tot Rum
1 tot Vodka
1 tot Gin
1 tot Brandy

I don't know why anyone would want to drink this if not for experimental purposes. This drink has no taste but all aftertaste, but not good aftertaste like the Rusty Nail. This is just awful.

The Vodka Martini

I needed to get some vodka today to make some rigatoni's so I figured I might as well try the more popular version of the martini

The Vodka Martini
Mostly Vodka
Some Dry Vermouth
Olives

I'm not sold on this drink. It seems to me that the Gin martini is better because Gin at least is supposed to have some flavor to it. Vodka by nature is not supposed to have color and very little taste, so this drink just tastes like alcohol.

The Margarita

The Margarita is the only acceptable way to drink Tequila, in my book. Shots are just a waste of time, if i want to get drunk real fast, I'll do shots of something more amazing, like Rumple Minze or something. Also, Tequila mixes in nothing else very well.

The Margarita
Mostly Tequila
Some Triple Sec
Sweetened Lime Juice/Sours Mix
Rim Salt

Sadly most people in today's age think that Margaritas are tequila and prepackaged margarita mix. While this is an acceptable shortcut, the full recipe is so much better. Pre-packaged mixes have a tendency to be too sweet or too acidic sometimes. Also I prefer my margaritas on the rocks. The frozen margarita just leads itself to brain freeze more often.

I never, ever, drink flavored margaritas. Just like the daiquiri, the margarita is best served in it's original concoction.

The Cuba Libre

To most people this drink is just rum and coke, but throw in a little bit of lime and you end with the Cuba Libre.

Cuba Libre
Rum
Cola
Lime Juice

My favorite incarnation of this drink involves using Pepsi Max Cease Fire. I suppose Diet Coke Lime would work the same, but Pepsi Max is more caffeinated. Cease Fire is a special release from Pepsi, so I snag it up while I can. I once tried this drink with Pepsi Twist a few years ago and it was terrible. Fake lemon flavoring bad, fake lime flavoring good. Amazing, I know.

Rum is the only drink that is acceptable to be mixed in cola for me, and even then I don't think its all that great, the daiquiri is a far better rum drink.