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.

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- "Over and a bounce" reel

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

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It's one of the most well-known, canonical Scotch cocktails, but is it actually good? Here to discuss and teach everything you need to know about the Blood and Sand is Izzy Tulloch, head bartender at New York's Milady's. Listen on (or read below) to learn Izzy's Blood and Sand recipe — and don't forget to like, review, and subscribe!

Izzy Tulloch's Blood and Sand Recipe 

Ingredients 

- ¾ ounce very fresh orange juice

- ¼ ounce Carpano Antica sweet vermouth

- ¼ ounce Punt e Mes

- ¾ ounce Cherry Heering

- 1 ounce Monkey Shoulder Blended Scotch

- Garnish: lemon twist (express and discard)

Directions 

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

2. Shake vigorously and double-strain into a chilled sour glass.

3. Express and discard a lemon twist to garnish.

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You’ve mastered the Pisco Sour and Punch, impressed your friends with El Capitan, now it’s time to kick back with the Chilcano, a zesty, refreshing mix of pisco, ginger, and lime. Joining us for today's episode is DC-based Glendon Hartley, a bartender and proprietor of Service Bar, Causa, and Amazonia. Listen on (or read below) to learn Glendon's Chilcano recipe — and don't forget to like, review, and subscribe!

Glendon Hartley's Chilcano Recipe 

Ingredients 

- 4 ounces soda water

- ½ ounce fresh lime juice

- 1 ounce ginger simple syrup

- 1 ounce Torontel pisco

- ½ ounce Italia pisco

- Garnish: citrus tuile, lime wedge, or lime peel

Directions 

1. Over a large spear of ice in a chilled highball glass, first add soda water.

2. Add the remaining ingredients.

3. Garnish with a citrus tuile, lime wedge, or lime peel.

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- Glendon: https://www.instagram.com/cocktailery_tomfoolery/

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On this dive into the archives of Cocktail College, we're joined by Jeffrey Morgenthaler of Portland, Ore.’s Pacific Standard to discuss one of the world's most iconic cocktails: the Negroni. Morgenthaler schools us on how to perfect this classic and explains how his barrel-aged-Negroni became a national — and international — phenomenon. Listen on to learn Morgenthaler's spec — and don’t forget to leave a rating, review, and subscribe! 

Jeffrey Morgenthalers' Negroni Recipe 

Ingredients 

- 1 ounce Beefeater gin

- 1 ounce Cinzano Rosso vermouth

- 1 ounce Campari

- Garnish: orange twist or wedge

Directions 

1. Add all ingredients to a chilled rocks glass with ice.

2. Stir until chilled.

3. Garnish with an orange twist or wedge.

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