A working bar book

After Hours

Recipes, ratios, and house notes.
Built one good drink at a time.

Gin · Shaken · Bright

Modern Gimlet

Yield
1 drink
Glass
Coupe or small stemmed cocktail glass
Ice
Served up
Garnish
Lime wheel
  • 2 oz (60 ml) gin
  • 3/4 oz (22 ml) fresh lime juice
  • 3/4 oz (22 ml) simple syrup
  1. Add the gin, lime juice, and simple syrup to a shaker with ice.
  2. Shake until chilled.
  3. Fine-strain into a chilled glass.
  4. Garnish with a lime wheel.

Rye · Stirred · Spirit-forward

Rye Old Fashioned

Yield
1 drink
Glass
Rocks glass
Ice
One large cube or fresh rocks
Garnish
Orange twist, lemon twist, and Luxardo cherry
  • 2 oz rye whiskey
  • 1 sugar cube
  • 4 dashes Angostura bitters
  • 1 dash soda water
  1. Place the sugar cube in a mixing glass and saturate it with the bitters and soda water.
  2. Muddle until the sugar is mostly dissolved.
  3. Add the rye whiskey and ice; stir until chilled and diluted.
  4. Strain over fresh ice in a rocks glass.
  5. Express the orange and lemon twists over the drink and add them with a Luxardo cherry.

Tequila · Shaken · Classic

Traditional Margarita

Yield
1 drink
Glass
Rocks glass
Ice
Fresh rocks
Garnish
Salt rim
  • 2 oz (60 ml) blanco tequila
  • 3/4 oz (22.5 ml) fresh lime juice
  • 3/4 oz (22.5 ml) Cointreau
  1. Prepare a salt rim on the glass.
  2. Add all liquid ingredients to a shaker with ice.
  3. Shake until chilled.
  4. Strain over fresh ice in the prepared glass.

Tequila · Shaken · House ratio

Preferred Margarita

Yield
1 drink
Glass
Rocks glass
Ice
Fresh rocks
Garnish
Optional salt rim and lime wheel
  • 2 oz (60 ml) blanco tequila
  • 1 oz (30 ml) fresh lime juice
  • 1/2 oz (15 ml) agave syrup
  • 1/2 oz (15 ml) dry curaçao
  1. If desired, prepare a salt rim on the glass.
  2. Add all ingredients to a shaker with ice.
  3. Shake until chilled.
  4. Strain over fresh ice.
  5. Garnish with a lime wheel if desired.

Mezcal · Highball · Grapefruit

House Mezcal Paloma Highball

Yield
1 drink
Glass
Chilled highball
Ice
Cold, hard cubes or a clear spear
Rim
Partial fine-salt or salt-and-Tajín rim
Garnish
Grapefruit peel or thin grapefruit wedge
  • 1 1/2 oz (45 ml) joven mezcal, preferably espadín
  • 1/2 oz (15 ml) blanco tequila
  • 1 1/4 oz (37 ml) fresh pink grapefruit juice
  • 1/2 oz (15 ml) fresh lime juice
  • 1 bar spoon regular agave syrup, approximately 0.15–0.25 oz
  • 1 dash orange bitters
  • 1 tiny pinch fine salt
  • 2 1/2–3 oz (75–90 ml) chilled grapefruit soda
  1. Chill the highball glass and apply a partial salt or salt-and-Tajín rim.
  2. Add the mezcal, tequila, grapefruit juice, lime juice, agave syrup, orange bitters, and tiny pinch of salt to a shaker with ice.
  3. Shake briefly to chill.
  4. Strain into the prepared glass over fresh ice.
  5. Top with chilled grapefruit soda and stir gently once.
  6. Garnish with grapefruit peel or a thin wedge.

Bourbon · Stirred · Bitter

Boulevardier

Yield
1 drink
Glass
Rocks glass
Ice
One large cube
Garnish
Flamed orange peel
  • 1 1/2 oz (45 ml) bonded bourbon
  • 3/4 oz (20 ml) sweet vermouth
  • 3/4 oz (20 ml) Campari
  1. Add all liquid ingredients to a mixing glass with ice.
  2. Stir until chilled and properly diluted.
  3. Strain over one large cube in a rocks glass.
  4. Flame or express an orange peel over the drink and garnish.