Sforzando

While mezcal is often used a split base with tequila, interesting variations abound. The Sforzando is a cocktail from Death and Co. in New York that splits a mezcal base with rye. Sweetened with Bénédictine, and dried with vermouth, the result is a strong, smoky sipper.

What you need

• 1 oz. rye
• 0.75 oz. mezcal
• 0.5oz Bénédictine
• 0.75 oz. dry vermouth
• 1 dash Xocolatl Mole Bitters
• Orange twist

How it’s made
Add all the ingredients but the orange twist to a mixing glass with ice. Stir for approximately 30 rotations, then strain into a coupe. Garnish with the orange twist.

Meat Hook

The Meat Hook is our preferred variation of the Red Hook cocktail. Traditionally made with Punt e Mes, we create ours with a split of Carpano Antica and Ransom sweet vermouths to generate a sweet but herbaceous flavour.

What you need

• 1.5 oz. rye whiskey
• 0.5 oz. Carpano Antica
• 0.25 oz. Ransom sweet vermouth
• 2 bsp. peaty Scotch
• 1 bsp. maraschino liqueur

How it’s made
Add all ingredients save the garnish to a mixing glass with ice. Stir for approximately 30 rotations, and strain into a coupe. No garnish.

The Comeback

George tries to come up with a good comeback after someone insults him. Elaine falls in love with a mysterious employee at the video store. Kramer wants to die a certain way. Jerry takes advice from a tennis player who stinks.

We've been obsessed with cocktails that only use equal parts for some time, because once you know what's in them, you'll never forget how to make them. Some of our favourite cocktails use equal proportions: the Last Word, the Negroni, the Paper Plane. We've been working on making original cocktails in this mould for some time, but it's not an easy task: nine times out of ten the cocktail you make just needs more of one of the ingredients and you have to go back to the drawing board.

This drink is also a comeback in another sense. The phenomenon of thinking of the perfect reply too late is known in French as l'espirit de l'escalier. Given that we used a number of French ingredients in this cocktail, we figure The Comeback was a fitting name to a cocktail that's a response to the classics above, albiet a response too late.

What you need

• 0.75 oz. rye
• 0.75 oz. brandy
• 0.75 oz. Bénédictine
• 0.75 oz. Amaro Lucano
• 1 dash ginger cardamom bitters

How it's made

Add all the ingredients to a mixing glass with ice. Stir, and then strain into a coupe.
If you don't have ginger cardamom bitters, then either ginger or cardamom work fine!