8 classic cocktails for men (and how to make them)

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Have you ever peered into your cocktail glass, swirled its contents, taken a sip and then pondered the meaning of life as its flavors merged with your very consciousness? No? Well then put down your Long Island Iced Teas and Rum and Cokes and check out our picks for some of men’s finest classic cocktails.

8 Dry Martini

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What it is – The Dry Martini is a drink as strong as it is classy – and it’s not for the faint of heart.

11 parts gin

3 parts dry vermouth






Makes you feel like – Your word is your James Bond.

7 Mint Julep

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What it is – Served almost ceremonially for Kentucky Derby attendees, the Mint Julep is a part of American tradition.

3 oz. bourbon whiskey

Granulated sugar (to taste)

Sprigs of mint leaves (to taste)

Makes you feel like – Rocking back and forth on your wrap-around porch in the Deep South, listening to the birds chirp while gently petting your double-barrel, sawed-off, flip-action shotgun.

6 Manhattan

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What it is – It’s a trip back in time in a glass; the Manhattan was the drink of choice for many at the turn of the century.

2 oz. Whiskey

1/2 oz. sweet vermouth

1 cup ice cubes

1 maraschino cherry

1 dash bitters

Makes you feel like – You’re closing a shady, Prohibition-era business deal.

5 Old Fashioned

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What it is – Even at the turn of the 20th century the right way of making this sweet, bitter, fruity, Bourbon-y drink involved doing it the old-fashioned way. That’s seriously how old-fashioned it is.

2 tsp. simple syrup

1 tsp. water

2 dashes bitters

1 cup ice cubes

1.5 oz. bourbon whiskey

1 slice orange

1 maraschino cherry

Makes you feel like – A cocktail historian.

4 Tom Collins

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What it is – Sour, fizzy and refreshing – this was your grandpa’s favorite drink.







3 parts gin

2 part lemon juice

1 part simple syrup

4 part seltzer

Makes you feel like – The father of American mixology.

3 Rusty Nail

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What it is – Incredibly simple, yet undeniably powerful, the Rusty Nail was a common concoction served in New Orleans in the late 60’s.

Crushed ice

5 parts Drambuie

9 parts scotch

Twist of lemon (optional)

Makes you feel like – A hard-nosed badass.

2 Vieux Carre

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What it is – Named after a Creole neighborhood in New Orleans, this is not something most modern bars will have the ingredients for.

3/4 oz. rye whiskey

3/4 oz. cognac

3/4 oz. sweet vermouth

1/2 tsp benedictine

2 dashes bitters

Makes you feel like – You’re back in NOLA’s French Quarter, circa 1936.

1 Scotch in a Glass

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What it is –

There really isn’t a drink that better encapsulates being a reserved, introspective, powerful and astute man than scotch in a glass.

1 scotch

1 glass

Ice (optional)

Makes you feel like – Don Draper.



(Previously published on June 28, 2013.)