John Cox

Blogs · @wyome

Tagged mixology · everything

Tasting Table

Sparkling Apple Cider Sangria Recipe

This Tasting Table recipe makes a fall sangria built on dry French-style sparkling hard cider rather than sweet cider, with apple brandy, maple syrup, cinnamon, and orange, and its main argument is that a two-hour-minimum maceration of the fruit in the brandy is what gives the drink its layered flavor. The Q&A sections add useful specifics: Calvados or Laird's are recommended over generic applejack, and a muddle-and-ground-cinnamon shortcut is offered for hosts short on time.

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Food52

Spiced Bourbon Cocktail With Pomegranate Syrup

This is a branded cocktail recipe from a Food52 Test Kitchen feature, sponsored by Basil Hayden's, for a bourbon sipper built on a homemade cinnamon-pomegranate syrup, lime and grapefruit juice, black walnut bitters, and a rosemary garnish. What sets it apart from other fall bourbon drinks is the syrup method: simmering cinnamon sticks in pomegranate juice before sugar is dissolved gently, not boiled, so the spice stays bright and the syrup keeps for about two weeks. The page is mostly a how-to for that drink, with a short bio of photographer and bartender Elliott Clark, the Apartment Bartender, who created it.

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PUNCH

5 Underrated Gin Cocktails, From a Martini Riff to a Tropical Fizz | PUNCH

The article surveys five overlooked gin-based cocktails worth rediscovering, from the Cardinale—an austere aperitivo combining gin, white wine, and Campari—to the Star Daisy with its unusual blend of London dry gin, apple brandy, and dry Curaçao. Lesser-known drinks like the Gin Fizz Tropical (a tropical silver fizz from a 1939 cocktail guide), the Wibble (a London 1990s creation slowly spreading through European cities), and the Obituary (a New Orleans Martini variation enhanced with absinthe) represent a canon of underappreciated classics that bartenders and cocktail enthusiasts are gradually reviving.

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PUNCH

A Bloody Mary for Every Mood

This roundup showcases six contemporary variations on the Bloody Mary cocktail, ranging from a savory evening-focused version called the Hail Caesar to innovative interpretations like an Umami Mary inspired by Korean hot pot and modernist takes incorporating techniques like celery air, demonstrating how the drink has evolved beyond its brunch origins into offerings at upscale lounges and cocktail bars.

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www.tastingtable.com

The 20 Best Tiki Bars In The US

Tiki bars represent a distinctly American form of escapism rooted in 19th-century fascination with the South Pacific, evolving from kitschy nautical themes at pioneer spots like Trader Vic's into dynamic contemporary establishments that blend classic cocktails with inventive riffs and immersive theming. The article profiles over 20 tiki bars across the U.S.—from Smuggler's Cove in San Francisco to Wusong Road in Boston—each offering unique interpretations of tropical escapism, from wine-based tiki cocktails in California wine country to robot-fueled tiki in Nashville. Modern tiki bars remain temples of rum and vacation fantasy while constantly adapting their aesthetics, menus, and experiences to contemporary tastes and local cultures.

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www.nytimes.com

The 22 Best Alcohol Gifts for Cocktail Lovers

This is a curated gift guide featuring approximately 20 cocktail-related products and books, ranging from barware and spirits to garnishes and cocktail recipe collections. Each item includes recommendations from industry experts like bartenders and spirits specialists, along with details about quality, design, and specific use cases. The selections emphasize craft, aesthetic appeal, and thoughtful curation rather than gimmicky bar accessories.

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www.esquire.com

The Truth About the Martini

The martini has experienced a remarkable cultural resurgence in recent years, partly due to social media appeal and meme culture, but more fundamentally because it remains the perfect antidote to modern life—a serious drinker's reward that doesn't mask its alcohol but instead delivers it cold and bracing to calm the mind after a difficult day. Ruck traces the drink's history through Esquire's archives, noting that it was deeply unfashionable in the 1970s and '80s when young people rejected it as a symbol of bourgeois decadence, before its gradual rehabilitation into a drink of timeless sophistication. The piece combines personal anecdotes about martinis consumed around the world with practical guidance on preparation (ice cold, straight up, gin or vodka) to argue that the cocktail's enduring appeal lies in its uncompromising nature and its essential role in the lives of serious, busy people.

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www.esquire.com

Esquire’s Best Martinis in America: 2025 Edition

Esquire's guide celebrates martinis being creatively reimagined by bartenders across America rather than treated as a sacred, untouchable classic. The piece showcases over twenty exceptional martinis from restaurants nationwide—ranging from faithful traditional versions to inventive variations featuring ingredients like za'atar, pineapple amaro, pickled okra, matcha, and even anchovy-fat-washed vodka. Rather than prescribing one correct way to make a martini, the collection demonstrates that the drink's enduring appeal lies in its flexibility as a canvas for seasonal ingredients, local flavors, and bartender creativity.

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www.apartmenttherapy.com

16 Bar Cart Essentials for Creating Perfect Cocktails at Home

A shopping guide built around the bar cart's resurgence (thank "Mad Men" and mid-century design trends), it walks new owners through the 16 essentials needed to stock one properly. It covers the full gamut—bottle openers, mixing glasses, strainers, shakers, jiggers, muddlers, three distinct glassware styles (rocks, highball, coupe), ice buckets, wine stoppers, a bartending knife, a cocktail reference book, and even a non-alcoholic mixer option—plus a reminder to stock the five core base spirits, with a delivery-service plug for sourcing them. Worth keeping as a practical checklist/gift-guide for setting up a home bar from scratch.

Permalink cocktailsshoppingmixologydecor

gardenandgun.com

coolmaterial.com

10 Bourbon Cocktails You Need to Try

A rundown of ten classic and modern bourbon cocktails worth having in your repertoire, arguing that bourbon deserves a place in mixed drinks despite purist objections to using it beyond neat pours. It runs through recipes and quick histories for staples like the Old Fashioned, Manhattan, Mint Julep, and Boulevardier alongside lesser-known options like the New York Sour, Scofflaw, Gold Rush, and a bacon-garnished shot called the Mitch Morgan, pitching both winter sippers and summer-friendly highballs. Worth keeping as a practical reference card for mixing bourbon drinks at home rather than a deep dive into any single cocktail.

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Esquire

25 After-Dinner Drinks for a Perfect Nightcap, According to Experts

This is a collection of 20 after-dinner cocktail recipes curated by bartenders and cocktail experts, featuring spirits-forward classics like the Negroni and Sazerac alongside amaro-focused drinks that showcase digestif liqueurs. The selections emphasize how amaro and bitters can elevate simple two- or three-ingredient drinks, with expert commentary explaining flavor profiles and suggesting substitutions for personalization. Recipes range from warm options like Irish Coffee and Trap's Toddy to refreshing choices like Dark and Stormy, all positioned as dessert alternatives or palate cleansers following meals.

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Savored Sips

Spicy Watermelon Margarita

This is a recipe for a spicy watermelon margarita combining fresh watermelon puree, tequila, triple sec, lime juice, and muddled jalapeño, rimmed with Tajin seasoning for a balanced sweet-spicy cocktail. The piece includes the complete ingredient list, step-by-step instructions, and several variations such as a sweet watermelon margarita without heat and a watermelon daiquiri using rum instead of tequila.

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Bon Appétit

This Is the Summer You Make Your Perfect Margarita

The margarita's fundamental recipe—tequila, triple sec, and fresh lime juice—is simple enough for beginners yet flexible enough for endless customization. The piece walks through seven key variables you can adjust: choosing different tequilas based on aging (blanco for brightness, reposado or añejo for warmth), tweaking sweetness levels, swapping orange liqueurs, adding fresh ingredients like chiles or herbs, deciding whether to salt the rim, serving it up or on the rocks, and topping it with sparkling additions. These modifications let you adapt the drink to your taste, available ingredients, or the preferences of whoever you're making it for.

Permalink summerrecipescocktailsmixology

Garden & Gun

Liquid Smoke Cocktail

Science has identified roughly five hundred chemical compounds responsible for smoke flavor, which skilled producers of Scotch and mezcal have learned to harness—using peat smoke and pit-roasting respectively—while tequila producers largely avoid it through modern cooking methods. Bartender Amanda Schmadel created the "Postcard Home" by layering two complementary smoke flavors: smoky mezcal and Amaro Sfumato Rabarbaro, an Italian liqueur made from naturally smoky rhubarb root, which proved far more balanced than adding wine or other amari that overwhelmed the drink. The resulting cocktail is restrained and sophisticated enough to serve as an aperitif before smoked meat, with lemon providing brightness that prevents the dual smoke notes from becoming overbearing.

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