Make This! Vol. II

Cocktail #2: The Brooklyn.

What could be more fitting? Or upset our friend Byhoff more than me talking about our hood yet again? In drink form this time!

Anywho, it's delicious and fairly simple to make. The key here is the maraschino liqueur, which is not only an amazing booze culled from cherries (not those disgusting neon red things, it's actually Dalmation Marasca cherries plus their pits, stems and seeds all crushed up, creating a delightful clear liqueur), but the bottle for the Luxardo brand is stunning. Don't trust me?

See? Told you. No need to apologize.

Get some of this for your bar. You won't regret it. Not only does it taste amazing in the Brooklyn, but it's also a necessary component in the Hemingway Daiquiri, not to mention The Aviation (which, simply put, is one of the best cocktails in history).

Ok, enough about other drinks. Make this!

1 1/2 oz. rye (nothing fancy, Old Overholt works just fine)

1/2 oz. dry vermouth

1/4 oz. Amer Picon

1/4 oz. maraschino liqueur

Stir together in a mixing glass and strain into a coupe.

Also, I have a book that has the recipe totally wrong, yet it's still delicious. So I figure I'll mention it, especially since you might not have Amer Picon.

1 1/2 oz. rye

1/2 oz. sweet vermouth (as if they're just interchangeable...)

1/4 oz. maraschino liqueur

Stir together in a mixing glass and strain into a coupe. Garnish with lemon twist.

Don't stress the details. Sure, they're remarkably different (easy to do when the latter is just plain wrong), but they're both amazing. So make one and pour it down your gullet.

Cheers.