Cooked or uncooked? Fresh or aged? Bourbon, Cognac, or rum-based? For this festive Cocktail College and the ultimate guide to Eggnog, we're joined by returning guest Aaron Goldfarb, author and VinePair writer at large. Listen on (or read below) to learn Aaron’s batched Eggnog recipe — and don’t forget to like, review, and subscribe! 

Aaron Goldfarb’s Eggnog Recipe (serves 12) 

Ingredients 

- 12 eggs, separated

- 1 cup demerara sugar

- 3-4 cups milk

- 1 16-ounce carton heavy cream

- 12-16 ounces alcohol, such as bourbon, Cognac, and/or aged rum

- Garnish: nutmeg

Directions 

1. Beat egg whites to a soft peak and set aside.

2. Separately, mix egg yolks and sugar until sugar is dissolved.

3. Add cream and milk until thoroughly combined.  

4. Carefully fold in egg whites then add alcohol.

5. Decant into a punch bowl and ladle into Old Fashioned glasses to serve.

6. Garnish with freshly grated nutmeg.

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The Moscow Mule is arguably the ultimate workhorse cocktail. Equally at home in high-class bars as well as neighborhood dives, it’s a fantastic candidate for some high-brow hacks, should you be so inclined. We here at Cocktail College are so inclined, so we enlisted the help of Evan Hawkins, co-owner and beverage director of Romeo’s, in New York's East Village. Listen on (or read below) to learn Evan's Moscow Mule recipe — and don't forget to like, review, and subscribe!

Evan Hawkins' Moscow Mule Recipe Recipe

Ingredients 

- 1 ½ ounces vodka

- ½ ounce fresh lime juice

- 1 ¼ ounces ginger syrup (Liquid Alchemist / Cheeky)

- Ginger beer

- Angostura Bitters

- Garnish: mint

Directions 

1. Add vodka, lime, and ginger syrup to a shaker with two Kold Draft cubes.

2. Whip shake until well chilled and strain into a tall glass.

3. Top with ginger beer, crushed ice, Angostura Bitters, and mint.

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- Romeos: https://www.instagram.com/romeosnyc/

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A simple but delightful brunch staple, the Mimosa has a surprisingly specific history for a mix of orange juice and sparkling wine. Today we're joined by Matt Chavez, bar manager at New York's COQODAQ, to discuss the dynamic duo. Listen on (or read below) to learn Matt's Mimosa recipe — and don't forget to like, review, and subscribe!

Matt Chavez's Mimosa Recipe

Ingredients 

- 1 ounce freshly squeezed orange juice

- Blanc de Blancs Champagne, such as Pierre Peters

Directions 

1. Add orange juice to a flute glass.

2. Top with Champagne.

3. Serve without garnish next to a cup of black coffee.

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- Matt: https://www.instagram.com/regular_matt_chavez/

- COQODAQ: https://www.instagram.com/coqodaq/

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Spirit, sugar, water, bitters — in whatever order you like. Regular Cocktail College listeners will be very familiar with that catch-all description that defines the cocktail. And indeed, we spend a lot of time here exploring those first two, if not three, ingredients. But bitters? Perhaps not as much as we should. Which is why we’re digging out one of the crown jewels from the Cocktail College vaults and revisiting our conversation on everything you need to know about deploying bitters in drinks with none other than Sother Teague.

📧Get in touch: [email protected] 

🔗Links:

- "Over and a bounce" reel

- General Store by Amor y Amargo

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- Amor y Amargo: https://www.instagram.com/amoryamargo/

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It's been almost two years since we first explored the timeless mix of Campari, American whiskey, and sweet vermouth, so now felt like an opportune moment to revisit — and reconsider — the Boulevardier. Joining us to do so is jet-setting Japan-based bartender Holly Graham, founder of Tokyo Confidential, which opened in late 2023. Listen on (or read below) to learn Holly's Boulevardier recipe — and don't forget to like, review, and subscribe!

Holly Graham's Boulevardier Recipe

Ingredients 

- 45 milliliters rye whiskey, such as Woodford Reserve

- 22.5 milliliters Scarlet Bitter Liqueur (or split base Campari and Aperol)

- 22.5 milliliters Mancino sweet vermouth

- Garnish: orange coin

Directions 

1. Add all ingredients to a Kimura rocks glass with one large cube.

2. Stir until well chilled.

3. Garnish with orange coin.

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- Tokyo Confidential: https://www.instagram.com/tokyoconfidentialbar/

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We're shifting our gaze from individual cocktails momentarily to explore a single ingredient. More specifically, one of the world's most popular spirits: vodka. Joining us to do so is Dennis Tamse, the Global Relationships Director for the Nolet Distillery. This being Cocktail College, there will also be some Martini discussion, including Dennis' preferred Vodka Martini recipe, which is also listed below.

Dennis Tamse's Vodka Martini Recipe

Ingredients 

- 50 milliliters Ketel One vodka

- 20 milliliters dry vermouth

- Garnish: lemon twist and olive

Directions 

1. Add all ingredients to a mixing glass with ice.

2. Stir until well chilled.

3. Strain into a chilled Nick & Nora or coupe glass.

4. Garnish with a small lemon twist and a chilled olive.

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The Painkiller carries unusual baggage for a tropical drink created in paradise. Those issues stem from contested origin stories — something we encounter quite frequently here at Cocktail College — and intellectual property wrangles (not quite so common). Joining us to explore all of that, and just generally wax lyrical about the Painkiller, is Daniel O'Grady, general manager at NYC's Lullaby. Listen on (or read below) to learn Daniel's "riff" on the Painkiller — and don't forget to like, review, and subscribe!

Daniel O'Grady's "riff" on The Painkiller

Ingredients 

- ¾ ounce fresh orange juice (acid adjusted with 1% lactic acid)

- 3 ½ ounces fresh pineapple juice

- 1 ½ ounces cream of coconut blend (3:2 Coco Lopez:coconut milk)

- 1 barspoon Hamilton 151

- ¼ ounce (scant) Cruzan Black Strap

- ¾ ounce El Dorado 15 Year

- 1 ounce Smith & Cross

- Garnish: freshly grated nutmeg

Directions 

1. Add all ingredients (sans garnish) to a cocktail shaker with Kold Draft ice.

2. Shake until well chilled.

3. Strain into a chilled Collins glass filled 70 percent with crushed ice.

4. Garnish with lots of freshly grated nutmeg and serve with a straw.

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- Lullaby NYC: https://www.instagram.com/lullabynyc/

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We're making a temporary pivot to being a grapefruit podcast today, all in the pursuit of perfecting the bourbon-based Brown Derby cocktail. Joining us to deliver this historical citrus masterclass is Eben Klemm, a longtime hospitality pro who currently works as VP of Beverage and Service for Left Lane Hospitality. Listen on (or read below) to learn Eben's Brown Derby recipe — and don't forget to like, review, and subscribe!

Eben Klemm's Brown Derby Recipe 

Ingredients 

- 1 ½ ounces bourbon

- ¾ ounce honey syrup (2:1)

- ¾ ounce fresh yellow grapefruit juice (strained)

- 1 drop Echinacea extract

Directions 

1. Add all ingredients to a cocktail shaker with ice.

2. Shake until well chilled.

3. Single strain into a chilled martini glass.

4. Garnish with grapefruit twist.

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Despite having such a simple formula — it's a sour made using aromatic bitters as the base spirit — the Angostura Sour is a much more modern creation than you might expect, though it does enjoy something of a rich historical lineage. Joining us to explore that drink today is KJ Williams, a veteran bartender who these days works at New York's Long Island Bar. Listen on (or read below) to learn KJ's Angostura Sour recipe — and don't forget to like, review, and subscribe!

KJ Williams' Angostura Sour Recipe 

Ingredients 

- 1 ounce grenadine

- ¾ ounce fresh lime juice

- 1 ½ ounces Angostura Bitters

- ¼ ounce fresh egg white

Directions 

1. Add all ingredients to a cocktail shaker with no ice.

2. Whip dry shake for 10-12 seconds.

3. Add Kold Draft cubes and vigorously shake until chilled.

4. Double strain into a chilled Coupe glass.

📚 Charle's H Baker's Gentleman's Companion

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- Long Island Bar: https://www.instagram.com/longislandbar/

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Our "Techniques" episodes often focus on processes and drinks that require expensive equipment and esoteric ingredients. But today we’re returning to the fundamentals of bartending to answer a seemingly simple question: How do you build faster rounds and, in turn, put out better drinks? Joining us to answer that question is an expert on t: Haley Traub, the general manager of Attaboy and Good Guy's in New York’s Lower East Side. 

📖Read the article: Building Faster Rounds — and Better Drinks — With Attaboy’s Haley Traub

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A quasi-Sidecar riff with a triple threat of base spirits, today's subject is the Between the Sheets, a 1930's creation that all too often flies under the the radar. Whether you're looking for a beginner's rum drink or a sneakily boozy, shaken concoction, Ricky Ramirez from Milwaukee's The Mothership has you covered in this edition of Cocktail College. Listen on (or read below) to learn Ricky's Between the Sheets recipe — and don't forget to like, review, and subscribe!

Ricky Ramirez's Between the Sheets Recipe 

Ingredients 

- ½ ounce fresh lemon juice

- 1 ounce Cognac, such as Hine "H"

- 1 ounce Brovo Orange Curaçao

- 1 ounce Planteray 3 Star rum (or JM Rhum Agricole Blanco, Scarlet Ibis Trinidad Aged, or El Dorado 12)

- Garnish: orange twist

Directions 

1. Add all ingredients to a cocktail shaker with ice.

2. Shake until chilled and double strain into a Bodega glass.

3. Garnish with an orange twist.

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- The Mothership: https://www.instagram.com/themothershipmke/

- Ricky: https://www.instagram.com/ickyrickyricky/

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