A Home Bar Collection

Original creations, whiskey and gin classics, and a run of rum favorites.

Chapter I

House Creations

Developed in the bar and added only after successful clinical trials, with friends and family as willing lab partners.

Al's Shortcut Smash

Substitutes peppermint schnapps when fresh mint is not on hand
1½ oz bourbon · ¾ oz agave or simple syrup · ¼ oz peppermint schnapps · 3–4 lemon wedges (or ¾ oz fresh lemon juice) · topped with 2–3 oz club soda
Muddle lemon, agave, and schnapps, then add bourbon with ice and shake. Strain over fresh ice, garnish with orange, and top with club soda. ¼ oz Grand Marnier optional.

Al Fashioned

The most frequently ordered drink at the bar — complex, yet retains a unique character
1½ oz bourbon · ½ oz Grand Marnier · ½ oz B&B · ½ oz agave · Angostura bitters & Luxardo cherry

Pirate's Courage

Steeped in shipwreck legend and rum-soaked infamy — sworn to by pirates, denied by everyone else
2 oz dark rum · ½ oz falernum · ¼ oz curaçao · pineapple Demerara syrup, to taste · Angostura bitters

Laissez Les

1 oz cognac · ½ oz Grand Marnier · ½ oz agave, to taste · Angostura bitters

Chapter I is dedicated to my good friend Rob, who is always willing to have one more.

Chapter II

Classic Favorites & New Legends

Gin, rum, tequila, and vodka standards.

Chapter III

Whiskey & Rye

Bourbon, rye, and cognac, built the old-fashioned way.

Chapter IV · Sugarcane & Sun

Rum Beach

Seven essentials for the beach and the backyard alike, from Caribbean staples to tiki-bar mainstays.

Chapter V · Juniper & Craft

The Gin Room

Gin standards, properly measured.

Chapter VI · Compiled For The Home Bar

A Guide to Spirits & Liqueurs

Six bottles worth knowing on their own terms — and where each finds its natural place beside gin.

Chapter VII · Speak Like A Regular

Bar Terminology

The words behind the recipes — for anyone reading a method line and wondering what it actually means.