Chapter Four: What Else Goes in a Collins Glass?

Roof Garden Cooler

In the days before air-conditioning, fancy New York hotels and nightclubs cultivated their roof gardens, where the suffering, formally dressed fish who were out on the town could catch a bit of a breeze and escape some of the summer aromas while absorbing cooling beverages. This light refresher hails from the Waldorf Hotel, before it joined up with the Astoria.

2 ounces dry vermouth
1 ounce lime juice
1/2 teaspoon superfine sugar
1 dash Angostura bitters
To finish: chilled ginger ale

Combine in a “Collins” glass, stir to dissolve the sugar, add 4 or 5 ice cubes, and top off with ginger ale.

Piscadora

A twist on the old Florodora, a gin thing that is notoriously tall, pink, and deadly—not unlike Nicole Kidman. For those who haven’t spend hours reading every little webpage of DrinkSkool, pisco can come from Chile or Peru but either way, it is a clear and very fragrant South American grape brandy. It’s good; and makes more than a few great drinks.

2 ounces pisco
1/2 ounce lime juice
1/2 ounce, or less to taste, raspberry syrup or Chambord liqueur
To finish: 1 maraschino cherry
Chilled ginger ale

Combine in a “Collins” glass, add ice and the cherry, and top off with ginger ale.

Recipes reproduced from “Killer Cocktails” by David Wondrich