5 Cocktail Recipes That Deserve Modern Classic Status

We last set out to find the next modern classics—the drinks that are capable of standing the test of time and joining the ranks of must-know recipes like the Paper Plane and Pornstar Martini—three years ago. Recently, we asked another set of industry-leading bartenders for the cocktails they would include on such a list, and their responses, while timeless, also paint a picture of right now: Mezcal has become even more mainstream, sherry is back in style and N/A cocktails are now expected additions to any menu. From an Old-Fashioned riff to a Nogroni, here are their five picks, and why the bartenders chose them.

Joaquín Simó’s Lust for Life “is bright, it’s layered, and the earthy smoke of mezcal with bright, tropical pineapple and almond make it both crowd-pleasing and memorable,” says Meaghan Dorman, bar director of New York’s Dear Irving, who has been serving the drink for years as a bartender’s choice. “While people are more excited about mezcal than in the years we first started making this, I still find that it’s a great entry point for drinkers not familiar with mezcal. We can easily make it in all our bars, which is why it continues to be a go-to.”

When we last asked this question, one bartender nominated Michael McIlroy’s Room With a View, a refreshing, low-ABV Americano riff. This time around, Anthony Schmidt, of San Diego bar J & Tony’s Discount Cured Meats and Negroni Warehouse, among other bars, puts forth one of its descendants: the Second Serve by Dan Greenbaum. Schmidt describes it as “long, crisp, perfect on a late sunny afternoon, appetizing, thirst-quenching,” and “a gateway beverage” for those new to sherry.

“The Don Lockwood exemplifies the Dutch Kills cocktail ethos,” says Richard Boccato, owner of the Queens, New York, bar. “It has been in heavy rotation here almost from the day that we first swung open our doors to the public 16 years ago.” The Old-Fashioned variation created by bartender Abraham Hawkins is made with bourbon, Scotch, maple syrup and chocolate bitters and is served on Dutch Kills’ signature crystal-clear block ice. Over the years, it “has proven it can withstand the test of time.”

“I’m a big admirer of Meaghan Dorman and of her cocktail, The Wildest Redhead,” says Alba Huerta, owner of Julep in Houston. “There aren’t nearly enough modern classics in the blended Scotch category, and Meaghan created something truly special: a cocktail that’s both approachable and unforgettable, using 19th-century spirits that are now globally accessible.” The drink is a modern riff on The Wild Redhead from Stan Jones’ Complete Bar Guide. “Her version is an elevated, refined sequel that stands on its own,” says Huerta.

“With the incredible expansion of nonalcoholic ingredients into the market, it seems a fair time to me to start incorporating nonalcoholic cocktails into our modern classic cocktail repertoire,” says Alex Jump, co-owner of the forthcoming Peach Crease Club in Denver. “The N/A Negroni is a perfect candidate for modern classicism specifically because it requires no special prep to make, and all ingredients can be easily purchased.” Jump’s recipe combines three N/A ingredients in equal parts, while one of our favorites skips a gin analogue altogether. These “Nogronis,” as they’ve been dubbed, have been on the rise across the country, and it’s not just a sign that drinkers have come to expect N/A options; it’s also become a bartender flex to turn something traditionally made with entirely alcoholic ingredients into a considered zero-proof drink.