Shaken & Rated
Atlanta drink journal

Classic bar reference

Timeless measures

A compact canon of classic specs — the drinks every bar builds from, with measures you can use at home. Each section is grouped by the lead spirit. Adjust sweetness and proof to your bottle and your room.

Gin

Juniper-led builds from bone-dry martinis to equal-parts aperitivo — the backbone of the pre-dinner line. Browse gin on the list.

  • London Dry Martini

    The spec everyone argues about; this is a clean, dry, gin-forward starting point.

    Ingredients

    • 2½ oz (75 ml) London dry gin
    • ½ oz (15 ml) dry vermouth (or a rinse / barspoon for “extra dry”)

    Method

    1. Stir with ice 20–30 seconds until ice-cold and ~25–30% dilution.
    2. Strain into a chilled coupe or Nick & Nora, or a frozen martini glass.

    Glass: Chilled stemmed glass · Garnish: Lemon twist or Castelvetrano olive, depending on your mood

  • Negroni

    The bitter-sweet trinity: gin as spine, not boss.

    Ingredients

    • 1 oz (30 ml) London dry gin
    • 1 oz (30 ml) sweet red vermouth
    • 1 oz (30 ml) Campari

    Method

    1. Build in a rocks glass over a large ice cube, or stir all three with ice and strain over fresh ice.
    2. Express an orange twist over the top and run the oils around the rim; drop the twist in or discard.

    Glass: Rocks · Garnish: Orange half-wheel or twist

  • Gimlet (classic)

    Lime and gin in balance — cordial is traditional; fresh lime + simple works for a brighter pour.

    Ingredients

    • 2 oz (60 ml) London dry gin
    • ¾ oz (22 ml) fresh lime juice
    • ¾ oz (22 ml) simple syrup (1:1) — or quality lime cordial to taste if you have it

    Method

    1. Add all ingredients to a shaker, fill with ice, shake hard until frosty.
    2. Fine-strain into a chilled coupe. Some prefer a long pour over ice in a highball; both are defensible.

    Glass: Coupe or small highball · Garnish: Lime wheel

  • French 75

    Champagne and gin: celebratory, dry, and dangerous.

    Ingredients

    • 1 oz (30 ml) London dry gin
    • ½ oz (15 ml) fresh lemon juice
    • ½ oz (15 ml) simple syrup (1:1)
    • 2–3 oz (60–90 ml) chilled brut sparkling wine, to top

    Method

    1. Shake gin, lemon, and syrup with ice; strain into a flute or highball (some build in-glass; shaking gives lift).
    2. Top with sparkling wine; stir very gently once if you need to integrate.

    Glass: Flute or highball · Garnish: Lemon twist

Whiskey

Bourbon, rye, and their stirred cousins — the domain of the slow sip and a serious ice program. Browse whiskey on the list.

  • Old Fashioned

    Spirit, sugar, bitters, and time — the template for a hundred riffs.

    Ingredients

    • 2 oz (60 ml) bourbon or rye (rye = spicier backbone)
    • ¼ oz (7–8 ml) simple syrup (1:1) or 1 sugar cube + 1–2 dashes water
    • 2 dashes Angostura bitters (add orange bitters if you like)

    Method

    1. If using a sugar cube, muddle with bitters and a few drops of water in a rocks glass. Otherwise add syrup, bitters, and spirit.
    2. Add ice, stir; top with more ice as the drink opens. Keep stirring in short sessions so dilution is gradual.

    Glass: Double rocks · Garnish: Expressed orange twist (or lemon with rye, bar’s choice)

  • Manhattan

    The whiskey-vermouth two-step that defines a whole genre of nightcaps.

    Ingredients

    • 2 oz (60 ml) rye or high-rye bourbon
    • 1 oz (30 ml) sweet vermouth (Carpano or similar; adjust to your sweetness)
    • 2 dashes Angostura bitters (optional: 1 dash orange bitters)

    Method

    1. Stir with ice 30–40 seconds; taste for temperature and balance.
    2. Strain into a chilled coupe; some bars serve in a small rocks with a big cube or up only.

    Glass: Coupe or small nick · Garnish: Brandied cherry, optional

  • Sazerac

    Absinthe-rinsed, rye-forward, a New Orleans institution — a lesson in peychaud’s and restraint.

    Ingredients

    • 2 oz (60 ml) rye whiskey
    • ¼ oz (7 ml) demerara syrup (1:1 or 2:1, bar dependent)
    • 3 dashes Peychaud’s bitters / 1 dash Angostura (optional, house style)
    • Absinthe or pastis — a rinse only

    Method

    1. Rinse a chilled rocks glass with absinthe; discard excess.
    2. Stir rye, syrup, and bitters with ice; strain into the prepared glass. No ice in the glass.

    Glass: Rocks (served up in the glass) or a small tumbler · Garnish: Lemon oils expressed over the top; some discard the twist

Rum

From the three-part daiquiri to mojito — where acid, sugar, and terroir meet. Browse rum on the list.

  • Daiquiri (classic)

    The sour template in its most honest form — quality rum required.

    Ingredients

    • 2 oz (60 ml) light or aged rum (blended Cuban-style or a clean Jamaican, pick your path)
    • 1 oz (30 ml) fresh lime juice
    • ¾ oz (22 ml) simple syrup (1:1) — nudge to taste for your rum’s sweetness

    Method

    1. Shake with ice hard until the tin frosts, ~10–12 seconds for small cubes.
    2. Fine-strain into a chilled coupe. Balance should be bracing, not cloying.

    Glass: Chilled coupe · Garnish: Lime wheel (optional)

  • Mojito

    Muddled mint, lime, and cane — a highball for when the room is too warm.

    Ingredients

    • 2 oz (60 ml) light rum
    • 1 oz (30 ml) fresh lime juice
    • ¾ oz (22 ml) simple (1:1) — or less if your mint is very sweet on the nose
    • 6–8 mint leaves + mint sprig for top
    • 2–3 oz club soda, to top

    Method

    1. Gently muddle mint with lime, syrup, and a splash of soda — you want oils, not paste.
    2. Add rum, fill with ice, top with soda; fold with a barspoon to lift mint without over-agitating.

    Glass: Highball · Garnish: Mint bouquet

  • Dark ’n’ Stormy

    Bermuda’s highball: dark rum, ginger, lime — not legally “official” there without Gosling’s, but the build travels.

    Ingredients

    • 2 oz (60 ml) dark or aged rum (Gosling’s in the purist’s canon)
    • 3–4 oz (90–120 ml) ginger beer (chilled, not flat)
    • ½ oz (15 ml) fresh lime juice, optional in some specs — or lime wedge to squeeze by guest

    Method

    1. Build over ice in a highball: rum first, then ginger beer, or reverse if you like separation.
    2. Garnish and serve with a stir stick so the guest can mix as the ice sets in.

    Glass: Highball · Garnish: Lime wedge or wheel

Tequila

Blanco, citrus, and salt — the language of the patio and the late shift. Browse tequila on the list.

  • Margarita (classic sour)

    Agave, triple sec, and lime: the 2:1:1 family — adjust to your orange liqueur’s sweetness.

    Ingredients

    • 2 oz (60 ml) blanco tequila
    • 1 oz (30 ml) fresh lime juice
    • 1 oz (30 ml) Cointreau or good curaçao (or split with agave syrup if the liqueur is too hot)

    Method

    1. Rim half the glass with salt (optional) before filling.
    2. Shake all ingredients with ice; strain over fresh ice in a rocks glass or up in a coupe.

    Glass: Rocks or coupe · Garnish: Lime wheel; salt (optional)

  • Paloma

    Grapefruit, tequila, and fizz — the highball the staff actually drinks in Mexico, given good soda.

    Ingredients

    • 2 oz (60 ml) blanco or reposado tequila
    • 2–3 oz (60–90 ml) fresh grapefruit juice (or quality bottled pink grapefruit)
    • ½ oz (15 ml) lime juice
    • 2–3 oz (60–90 ml) club soda, to top
    • Pinch of salt, optional, or salted rim for contrast

    Method

    1. Build in a highball over ice: tequila, citrus, a pinch of salt, short stir, then top with soda.
    2. Keep the soda lively — flat palomas read like bad breakfast juice.

    Glass: Highball or collins · Garnish: Grapefruit half-wheel or lime

Mezcal

Espadín smoke, citrus, and salt — palomas with the lights dimmed and splits that add campfire without taking over. Browse mezcal on the list.

  • Paloma Negra

    Mezcal, grapefruit, and fizz — smoke, pith, and bubbles in a tall glass.

    Ingredients

    • 2 oz (60 ml) espadín mezcal
    • 2 oz (60 ml) fresh grapefruit juice
    • ½ oz (15 ml) lime juice
    • ½ oz (15 ml) agave syrup, to taste
    • 2–3 oz (60–90 ml) grapefruit soda, to top
    • Salted rim, optional

    Method

    1. Rim a highball with salt if you like contrast.
    2. Build over ice: mezcal, citrus, agave, short stir, then top with soda.

    Glass: Highball · Garnish: Grapefruit wedge

  • Oaxaca Old Fashioned

    Reposado tequila stirred with a mezcal rinse — smoke as accent, not the whole pour.

    Ingredients

    • 1½ oz (45 ml) reposado tequila
    • ½ oz (15 ml) mezcal (or use as rinse and discard excess)
    • 1 barspoon agave syrup
    • 2 dashes Angostura bitters
    • 1 dash orange bitters, optional

    Method

    1. Optional: rinse a rocks glass with mezcal and discard excess.
    2. Stir tequila, agave, and bitters with ice; strain over a large cube.

    Glass: Rocks · Garnish: Expressed orange twist

Vodka

Neutral spirit as canvas — martinis for texture, mules for ginger bite. Browse vodka on the list.

  • Vodka Martini

    Texture and temperature first; the gin martini’s cooler cousin at many restaurants.

    Ingredients

    • 2½ oz (75 ml) premium vodka
    • ½ oz (15 ml) dry vermouth, or a rinse, or a barspoon to taste

    Method

    1. Stir (purists) or occasionally shake (the Bond crowd) with ice until very cold.
    2. Strain into a chilled glass; some bars express lemon, some olive — declare your team.

    Glass: Chilled stem · Garnish: Lemon twist or olive

  • Moscow Mule

    The copper-cup highball: vodka, sharp ginger, and lime in balance.

    Ingredients

    • 2 oz (60 ml) vodka
    • ½ oz (15 ml) fresh lime juice
    • 3–4 oz (90–120 ml) ginger beer, chilled

    Method

    1. Add vodka and lime to a copper mule or highball, fill with ice, top with ginger beer.
    2. Stir once to integrate; the cup should condense and the beer should prickle, not fizz out.

    Glass: Copper mule or highball · Garnish: Lime wedge

For Atlanta spots actually pouring these builds, start with the review index or the pairing guides.