Classic Cocktail Party

The original cocktail, unchanged since the 1800s. Bourbon, bitters, sugar, and an expressed orange peel. No bells, no whistles, just whiskey perfection in its purest form.

Gin and dry vermouth stirred cold — equal parts in the 1880s, fifteen-to-one by Hemingway, the IBA settling on six-to-one and the craft revival arguing for more.

The cocktail that put New York on the drinking map. Rye, sweet vermouth, and bitters stirred to silky perfection. Sophisticated enough for any occasion since the 1870s.

The equal-parts Italian masterpiece: gin, Campari, and sweet vermouth stirred to bitter perfection. It's an acquired taste that, once acquired, becomes a lifelong obsession.

The Cuban classic that Hemingway made famous—and not the frozen thing from the machine. White rum, fresh lime, and sugar shaken into three-ingredient perfection.

The cocktail that proves you don't need fancy ingredients. Bourbon, fresh lemon, and sugar shaken into a perfectly balanced sour. Add egg white foam for extra elegance.

Cognac, Cointreau, and fresh lemon — Paris, 1922, the structural template for the Margarita and White Lady that Wondrich called a model for a dozen great drinks.

Gin, fresh lemon, and champagne named for the WWI French 75mm field gun — documented since 1922 and cemented by Craddock's 1930 Savoy Cocktail Book.

Gin and lime in a Royal Navy-rooted cocktail — tart and sweet with Rose's Lime Cordial, or clean and dry with fresh juice as craft bartenders now prefer.

Gin, fresh lemon, sugar, and soda — named for the Tom Collins social hoax that swept New York City in spring 1874 and published by Jerry Thomas in his 1876 guide.

Champagne, a bitters-soaked sugar cube, and a cognac float — Jerry Thomas's 1862 codification, Angostura Bitters made in Trinidad since 1824.

The undisputed champion of cocktails: tequila, fresh lime, and orange liqueur in perfect balance. Whether frozen or on the rocks, salted or naked, it's always the right choice.

Bourbon, spearmint, sugar, and crushed ice — documented since 1803, the Kentucky Derby's official drink since at least the 1930s, 120,000 served each Derby weekend.

A concentrated caffeine kick combining vodka with fresh espresso and coffee liqueur for the ultimate pick-me-up.

Gin, citrus, and absinthe from the Corpse Reviver family — Craddock's 1930 Savoy Cocktail Book cautioned that four in swift succession would 'unrevive the corpse.'

Ginger ale, OJ, and grenadine — created at Chasen's in Beverly Hills in the 1930s for America's top box office star, still on children's menus continuously since.

Cola and grenadine — named for Roy Rogers (born Leonard Slye, 1911), the King of Cowboys, the cola-based counterpart to the Shirley Temple.

Fresh lime, sweetener, and soda — the Gimlet's flavor depending almost entirely on lime rather than spirit, from 19th-century Royal Navy anti-scurvy rations.

A non-alcoholic Mojito built with fresh mint, lime juice, and soda water — all the bright, herbal refreshment of the Cuban classic without the rum.

Angostura bitters and sparkling water — Dr. Siegert's 1824 formula designed for Bolívar's soldiers, moved to Trinidad in 1875, a dash producing negligible alcohol.

Rum, cognac, bourbon, champagne, and tea — the Savannah Chatham Artillery (founded 1786, predating the US Army) famed for disguising its alcohol behind sweetness.

Golden pan-fried crab cakes served with zesty rémoulade sauce

Rich Mediterranean spread of olives, sun-dried tomatoes, capers, and herbs—elegant and intensely flavored

Perfectly poached jumbo shrimp served with zesty homemade cocktail sauce. A timeless elegant appetizer.

Light, airy salmon mousse piped onto cucumber rounds with dill

Crisp seasonal vegetables with a creamy herb and garlic dip

Sweet sea scallops wrapped in smoky bacon and broiled until caramelized

Herb-roasted mixed nuts alongside warm marinated olives

Finely diced cured salmon on tasting spoons with crème fraîche and dill — a modern fine-dining format for gravlax, a dish born of medieval Scandinavian necessity, when fishermen buried salted salmon in the sand to survive the winter.

Perfectly seared beef tenderloin on toasted crostini with arugula and horseradish cream. A luxurious bite.

Tender mushroom caps filled with herbed breadcrumb and Parmesan stuffing — a mid-century American party classic built around a fungus that ancient Egyptians considered food for the pharaohs, and whose familiar white button form was discovered entirely by accident in 1926.

Prunes stuffed with almonds and blue cheese, wrapped in crispy bacon — the Victorian savoury that survived the centuries. Smoky, sweet, salty, and deeply British.

Light, airy French cheese puffs made with Gruyère and a hint of nutmeg — the cheese that stars in them has been produced since 1115 AD in the Swiss Alps, while the Burgundian tradition of baking it into pâte à choux dates to a 1571 royal banquet in Sens.

Crisp-tender asparagus wrapped in salty prosciutto and roasted until crispy

The beloved creamy spinach and artichoke dip baked into individual crispy phyllo shells — all the indulgence of the restaurant favourite without the communal bowl. Elegant enough for a cocktail party, easy enough for a weeknight.

Fresh mozzarella, ripe tomato, and basil threaded onto skewers and finished with aged balsamic — Italy's national colours served as a two-bite canapé. Simple, seasonal, and impossible to improve.

Crisp Belgian endive leaves holding creamy Gorgonzola, ripe pear, and candied walnut — a flavour combination that is equal parts French bistro salad and Italian cheese board, served as an effortlessly elegant party bite.