Old Gus' Roadmug Recipes

You can subtitute Bénédictine for Drambuie.

If you can't find Amer Picon, subtitute Averna or 3 dashes Angostura bitters.

A while back I saw someone else invent this drink during a winter ice storm and had named it the "Busted Pipe". Whatever you call it—a personal favorite.

You don't need a fancy scotch to have a good time—blended will do just fine in this cocktail.

The lime garnish is unusual here, but trust!

Perfect Manhattan: Use only ½ oz.15 ml sweet vermouth; add ½ oz.15 ml dry vermouth.

Prescription Julep: Omit bourbon, add 1½ oz.45 ml cognac and ½ oz.15 ml rye

You can substitue Yellow Chartreuse for Strega (if you can find it).

What Cherry Coke wishes it could be.

Substitute any spirit, bitters or sugar you like. Choose a sugars garnishes that complement the spirit—for example, rye likes lemon zest, mezcal prefers agave syrup and grapefruit zest.

Stay warm on a cold winter's night.

Amaro Nonino is wonderful all on its own, but the bite of a spicy rye lets you enjoy its smooth aftertaste even more.

Variant: Use 1½ oz.45 ml rye

I prefer a 2:1 ratio of scotch to Drambuie, but some people like their nail sweeter, with an equal ratio.

A 4 oz.120 ml serving glass with no ice is ideal—no ice means no additional dilution.

Variant: Omit rye; add 2 oz.60 ml cognac

Walnut liqueurs make excellent digestif on their own, and this drink inherits that properly—the perfect dessert beverage.

A 4 oz.120 ml serving glass with no ice is ideal—no ice means no additional dilution.

Variant: Omit lime juice and Angostura bitters. Serve in a wide, stemless wine glass with thinly sliced lemon and lime wheels, whole black peppercorns, whole cardamom pods, and fennel seeds.

This recipe is a "dry" martini:

• 50/50 Martini: Use 1½ oz.45 ml dry gin and 1½ oz.45 ml vermouth.
• Dirty Martini: Omit bitters; add ½ oz.15 ml olive brine; consider substituting vodka for dry gin;
• Gibson Martini: Omit olives; 1 or 3 cocktail onions for garnish
• Perfect Martini: Use 1½ oz.45 ml dry gin and ¾ oz.45 ml dry vermouth; add ¾ oz.45 ml sweet vermouth; lemon zest for garnish

Depending on your preferred gin and vermouth, play with the ratios a little bit to find your perfect negroni.

You can also substitute other spirits—mezcal or genever are my favorites.

Grapefruit zest makes an interesting alternative for the garnish.

Use a cane sugar cola if you can.

• Lower ABV: Use a highball and lengthen with additinal soda.

Use a cane sugar cola if you can.

• Lower ABV: Use a highball and lengthen with additinal soda.

Simple perfection.

Making mojitos can be messy and time consuming. Don't over-work the mint when muddling, just get the limes juiced.

It's unusual to stir a cocktail with citrus juice in it, but this one works—and it's a relatively small amount.

You can shake this cocktail if you prefer, but the result will be greyer in color and lighter in texture, like an overcast day.

• Honeysuckle: Substitute light rum for the gin.
• Honey Bee: Substitute dark rum for the gin.

Depending on how sharp your knife—and knife skills— are, you might find it easier to get thin slices of cucumber with your citrus peeler.

There are a number of After the Gold Rush variants:

• Adding ginger to the honey syrup.
• Alternatively, Substitute ½ oz.15 ml grapefruit juice and ¼ oz.8 ml hard apple cider for the lemon juice, and garnish with grapefruit zest instead.

This recipe is a modification to the orignal Japanese Cocktail recipe.

If you have an atomizer, use it to spritz the Angostura bitters over the top.

Irish Maid: Use Irish instead of the bourbon.

Green Chartreuse is harder to find than ever, but the Last Word remains a great template for experimenting with diferent spirits and citrus in equal parts.

Honi Honi: Substitute bourbon for rum.

Margaritas are versatile:

• Try a variety of orange liqueurs—for example, triple sec, Dry Curaçao, or Cointreu.
• If bourbon is your favorite whiskey, try it as a substitute for tequila.
• If you enjoy a spicy things, muddle a fresh serrano pepper at the start of the recipe, and use Tajín for the salt rim.

Perfect for a special occasion.

This is the ideal way to try fernet if you are a bourbon lover—like sweet tea in summer.

This is the ideal way to try fernet if you are a bourbon lover—like sweet tea in summer.

We got an original cocktail over here! See? Nobody cares.

This recipe is "straight whiskers".

Curled Whiskers: Subtitute Dry Curaçao for Grand Marnier

A sweeter margarita—some might prefer to omit the salt rim.

Careful portioning out all those bitters, they can stain things.

Like the Old Fashioned, the smash is extremely versatile. Use it any fruit, citrus, spirit, and herb combination that pleases you—see the Gin Basil Smash and Cucumber-Elderflower Gin Smash!

If you have an atomizer, use it to spritz the Angostura bitters over the top.

A versatile cocktail to find your favorite combination of gin and orange liqueur!

This recipe is for simple syrup (1:1). Richer syrups offer more sweetness with less dilution:

• Semi-Rich (1.5:1): Increase the sugar to 300 g.
• Rich (2:1): Increase the sugar to 400 g.

You can infuse all kinds of things into any syrup -- fresh fruit, ginger, fresh herbs, tea, you name it. Most things benefit from steeping up to 24 hours, but don't steep tea quite so long.

This recipe is for a semi-rich syrup (1.5:1).

• Rich (2:1): Increase the sugar to 400 g.

Use a spoon or butter knife to peel ginger. Once peeled, slice it into thin coins.

You can buy grenadine. In most cases, it won't be nearly as good. Make the large quantity here and freeze most of it.

Honey pairs well with rye and scotch, but can also be quite pleasant with gin.

Orgeat is a staple of tiki cocktails.

You might be able to buy orgeat. In most cases, it won't be nearly as good. Make the large quantity here and freeze most of it.

Perfect for wintertime drinks made with bourbon or darker rums.

Use an eyedropper to add a drop of saline solution to sour cocktails, or anything that could use a tiny savory boost—try it in a dry Martini or Alpine Negroni!