Cocktail Classic Creations

by Melissa Howsam | Dec 2, 2024 | December 2024/January 2025, Eat

RM’s 2024 Cocktail Classic was the affair of the year. Presented by and at The Exchange’s stunning glass-encased 1000 Social, partygoers rubbed shoulders while sipping on—and swooning over—unlimited stellar sips by our 10 Best Bartender noms in tandem with top-tier liquor labels. Whether you’re dying of FOMO or you joined us and those classic creations are living in your head rent-free, now you can get a taste of the classics and shake up your next bar night at home. While we’re at it, consider this your sign to tap next year’s Cocktail Classic (Saturday, Nov. 15) in your cal—plus stay tuned to our February Best Bars issue to see who’s crowned Raleigh’s next Best Bartender. Cheers! Voting for Best Bartender + Bars open until Dec. 15, raleighmag.com

Recipes by RM Best Bartenders
Photography by Forrest Mason 

Just Happy to Be Nominated
Brian Small (aka “Smalls”) | The Blind Barbour
Riff on a Daiquiri | Outer Banks Distilling

• 2 oz. Kill Devil spiced rum
• 3/4 oz. lime juice
• 1/4 oz. ancho chile-infused simple*
• 1/4 oz. ginger cordial**
• 1/4 oz. Gran Gala
• Dash Crude Pooter bitters
• Dash Crude Lindsay bitters
• Dash Bittermens Mole bitters

Shake, strain and serve up in a coup.

*Ancho Chile-Infused Simple

• 1 cup granulated sugar
• 1 cup water
• 4 dehydrated ancho chiles

Steep 20 minutes and strain.

**Ginger Cordial

• 1 cup skin-on ginger, chopped
• 1 cup granulated sugar
• 1 cup hot water

Blend and strain through cheesecloth.

Hot to Trot
Brianna Beatty | Killjoy
Riff on a Mint Julep | Holladay Bourbon

Raspberry Lemongrass Julep

• 2 oz. raspberry lemongrass syrup*
• 2 oz. Holladay Bourbon
• 3/4 oz. lemon
• Dash ginger bitters
• Raspberries garnish
• Bushel of mint leaves

In the bottom of a julep glass, muddle 4 mint leaves; then top with crushed ice. In a shaker filled with ice, add raspberry lemongrass syrup, bourbon and lemon. Shake and strain into julep glass. Top with a dash of ginger bitters, a bushel of mint leaves and a few skewered raspberries.

*Raspberry Lemongrass Syrup

• 1 cup sugar
• 1 cup raspberries
• 1 Tbsp. lemongrass paste

Combine all ingredients in a blender until smooth. Strain to remove any seeds.

Doctor’s Orders 
Duke Campbell | Dram & Draught
Riff on a Penicillin | Johnnie Walker

• 2 oz. lavender- and hibiscus-infused Johnnie Walker High Rye
• 1/2 oz. fresh wildflower honey syrup*
• 1/2 oz. fresh ginger syrup**
• 1 oz. fresh lemon juice
• Wildflower honey foam*** 
• Spritz Ardbeg Wee Beastie islay scotch 
• Dehydrated lemon garnish
• Hibiscus cluster garnish
• Candied ginger garnish

Combine ingredients in tin and shake. Strain into rocks glass with big cube. Top with foam. Garnish with cocktail pick with dehydrated lemon, hibiscus and candied ginger. Spritz with islay scotch.

*Honey Syrup
2:1 wildflower honey to water ratio
Combine wildflower honey and water.

**Ginger Syrup
1 to 3/4 to  1/4 ginger juice to white sugar to brown sugar ratio
Combine ginger juice and sugars.

***Wildflower Honey Foam

• 3 oz. aquafaba
• 3 oz. honey simple 1:1
• 2 oz. Krupnikas spiced honey liqueur 
• I oz. fresh lemon juice 

Charge with two iSi nitro chargers.

The Proper Pecan
Jefferson Cañaveral | William & Company
Riff on an Old-Fashioned | Cook’s Mill Whiskey

• 2 oz. browned butter-washed Cook’s Mill*
• 2 dashes Crude Lindsay bitters
• 1/2 oz. toasted pecan maple simple syrup**
• Candied pecan garnish
• Orange peel strings garnish

Assemble browned butter-washed Cook’s Mill, bitters and pecan simple. Garnish with a candied pecan and orange peel strings.

*Browned Butter-Washed Cook’s Mill

• Two sticks unsalted butter
• 750 mL Cook’s Mill bourbon whiskey

Melt two sticks of unsalted butter down in a pan or pot on medium heat. Keep a constant stir until the butter starts to foam and becomes slightly golden. You will see small brown bits at the bottom when it’s ready. Mix the browned butter with the Cook’s Mill bourbon whiskey. Let the butter and bourbon sit at room temperature for at least 12 hours, agitating the mixture every now and then to ensure a good blend.

Place the mixture in the freezer to harden the butter so you can easily separate it from the bourbon. Once you have removed the butter, strain the bourbon through a cheesecloth to make sure there are no butter chunks.

**Toasted Pecan Maple Simple Syrup

• 8 oz. pecans
• 16 oz. maple syrup

Toast pecans in a skillet or pan on high heat. Keep a constant stir to make sure pecans don’t burn. Once pecans are a little darker and slightly toasted, add a quality maple syrup and simmer on low until the flavors are combined. Taste as you go—but don’t burn yourself.

Passerby
Kaylah Thomas | Gussie’s
Riff on a Cosmopolitan | Cathead Distillery 

• 1 1/2 oz peach-infused Cathead vodka*
• 3/4 oz. mulled albariño**
• 1/2 oz. lemon juice
• 1/2 oz. white cranberry juice
• 1/2 oz. simple syrup
• 2 droppers Crude orange & fig bitters
• Cocktail gummy garnish***

Shake with ice and fine strain. Garnish with cocktail gummy.

*Peach-Infused Cathead Vodka

• 5 ripe peaches roughly cut, pits removed
• 750 mL bottle Cathead vodka

Combine and rest overnight to taste.

**Mulled Albariño

• 1 3/4 tsp. allspice
• 2/3 tsp. clove
• 2/3 tsp. green cardamom pods
• 7 large cinnamon sticks
• 3 oranges’ worth of peels
• 1 bottle albariño

Combine all of the above, infuse for 3 hours and strain.

***Cocktail Gummy

1 1/2 envelopes gelatin (3 cocktails’ worth)

Heat water in a pot, but do not let it boil. Slowly stir in gelatin until dissolved. Use a dropper and drop into molds of choice. Chill in the fridge for 15 minutes.

Not Another ’Groni
Jacob Gallant | The Cellar at Wolfe & Porter
Riff on a Negroni | Moonbird Gin

• 1 1/4 oz. Moonbird gin
• 3/4 oz. beef marrow-washed Malört*
• 3/4 oz. Montenegro gomme**
• 1/4 oz. peach oleo syrup***
• Dehydrated candied peaches garnish****

Combine ingredients and garnish.

*Beef Marrow-Washed Malört 

• 5–7 marrow bones
• 1 bottle Jeppson’s Malört

Harvest 16 oz. of marrow by soaking bones in a saltwater solution for 24 hours (refreshing every 4–6 hours). Bring a large pot of water to a rolling boil. Add bones, reduce heat to medium and simmer for 10 mins. Slide the marrow out with spoon or thin knife. With a double boiler, render the marrow pieces until you’re left with liquid and strain through a nut-milk bag. Weigh out 16 oz. of liquid marrow and combine with Jeppson’s Malört, whisking briskly for 5 mins. Place in freezer for 1–2 hours or until marrow has formed a frozen cap. Lift the marrow cap off and strain marrow-washed Malört through a dampened coffee filter.

**Montenegro Gomme
4:1 Montenegro to gum arabic
Combine 4 parts Montenegro and 1 part gum arabic by weight.

***Peach Oleo Syrup

• 12 peaches
• Equal amount cane sugar, by weight

Wash fresh peaches, remove pits and dice. Layer diced peaches and cane sugar in a lidded container, ensuring peaches are completely covered. Let sit at room temperature or slightly warmer (e.g. on top of refrigerator) for 36–48 hours. Strain the syrup, passing through a wetted coffee filter to remove any remaining pieces of peach.

****Dehydrated Candied Peaches Garnish

Take diced peaches that created that lovely oleo, dehydrate at 165 F for 18 hours.

The Aztec Margarita 
Bryan Nuñez | Flask Cocktail Bar
Riff on a Margarita | Partida Tequila

• 1 1/2 oz. Partida reposado
• 1/2 oz. Cointreau 
• 2 oz. fresh mango juice
• 1 oz. jalapeno-infused agave
• 1/4 oz. fresh lime juice
• 3 cucumber wedges
• Chamoy and tajin rim
• Fresh jalapeno and cubed mango skewer

Combine the first six ingredients and shake with ice. Fine strain into a glass rimmed with chamoy and tajin, then garnish with a skewer of fresh jalapeno and cubed mango.

A Saint in the Garden 
Kellie Corcoran | Clockwork
Riff on a Tom Collins | Belvedere Vodka

• 2 oz. Belvedere Vodka
• 3/4 oz. lemon cordial
• 3/4 oz. Chateau Musar Blanc thyme syrup*
• 4 basil leaves
• 2 strawberries, cut into small chunks
• 4 drops habanero tincture**
• Tajin 
• Splash ginger beer
• Splash sparkling mineral water
• Thyme sprig garnish
• Basil leaf garnish
• Strawberry garnish

Rim glass with tajin. Separately, muddle strawberries; then add basil leaves, Belvedere Vodka, lemon cordial, Chateau Musar Blanc thyme syrup, habanero tincture and ice. Shake and strain into a Collins glass with ice. Top with splashes of ginger beer and sparkling mineral water. Garnish with thyme sprig, basil leaf and strawberry.

*Chateau Musar Blanc Thyme Syrup

• 1 bottle Chateau Musar Blanc
• 1 bunch fresh thyme
• 2 ½ cup sugar

Boil the Chateau Musar Blanc. Reduce heat. Add 1 full bunch of fresh thyme. Steep for 10 minutes and strain. Add sugar and bring back to a boil until sugar is melted. 

**Habanero Tincture

• 5 oz. Everclear
• 5 oz. 100-proof Belvedere Vodka
• 1–3 cut habanero peppers 

Combine all ingredients in a bottle. Allow to sit until preferred spice level is achieved!

When the Clock Strikes Midnight
Rey Kukela | Aunty Betty’s
Riff on a Gin Martini | Durham Distillery

• 2 oz. Conniption American barrel aged gin
• 1 oz. Bordiga extra-dry vermouth
• 4 dashes The Bitter Truth cucumber bitters
• 1 squeeze The Japanese Bitters umami bitters
• Rim: seaweed seasoning, Nori Komi Furikake rice seasoning 

Combine all ingredients and shake. Rim a cordial glass with seaweed and rice seasoning. Strain beverage into the rimmed cordial glass.

Golden Chai
Tyler Etheridge | Watts & Ward
Riff on a Gold Rush | Elijah Craig

• 1 1/2 oz. Elijah Craig Straight Rye
• 3/4 oz. herb chai honey syrup*
• 3/4 oz. lemon juice
• 1/2 oz. Cointreau
• 2 dashes citrus vanilla extract**
• Honeycomb garnish 

Combine all ingredients in a shaker & shake well. Double strain into a rocks glass over a big ice cube.

*Herb Chai Honey Syrup
1:1 Chai tea to rosemary- and thyme-infused honey ratio
Brew equal parts chai tea with rosemary- and thyme-infused honey.

**Citrus Vanilla Extract

• 2 Tahitian vanilla beans
• 16 oz. 100-proof vodka
• 1 whole lemon peel
• 1 whole orange peel
• 1 whole grapefruit peel

Soak Tahitian vanilla beans in 100 proof vodka and infuse with citrus zest.