Top 5 Manly Cocktails You Must Try

Dry January has passed and you’ve survived living sober for 31 days, a congratulatory drink is the only thing that should be on the cards. What now? You could pop down to the local bar and order a boring old pint, making you wonder why January seemed to last an entire year… Or you could mark the end of the month properly and earn some serious man-points. Here at Mankind we’ve concocted a list of our top 5 manly cocktails you must try and will not regret (well, at least not until the next morning anyway…) so mix up your February in style.

1. Sazerac

   Claimed to be the oldest American cocktail, Sazerac is one of our favourite manly cocktails. Traditionally a combination of cognac, absinthe, Peychaud’s bitters and sugar, Sazerac is best known for its method of preparation. Two chilled old fashioned glasses are used; one is swirled with absinthe for the strong scent and flavour. The second glass combines the remaining ingredients whilst being stirred with ice, then strained into the first glass. The LSA Whiskey Set will help create the perfect Sazerac and make you feel like a bar-tending pro.

   Ingredients you’ll need:

   • 5 cl Cognac
   • 1 cl Absinthe
   • One sugar cube
   • Two dashes of Peychaud’s bitters
   • Crushed ice
   • Lemon peel to garnish (optional)

   Method:

   Begin by rinsing a chilled old fashioned glass with 1 cl of absinthe, add crushed ice and set the glass aside. Secondly, mix the cognac, sugar and Peychaud’s bitters in a separate glass and stir with ice. Discard any excess absinthe and ice from the prepared glass, strain the drink into the glass and garnish with lemon peel. This is one manly cocktail not to miss out on.

2. Champagne Cocktail

   Even though the traditional champagne cocktail is associated as a feminine drink, it certainly isn’t for the faint-hearted. Made by pouring a shot of brandy over a bitters-soaked sugar cube and topped up with champagne, this truly is a manly cocktail. Make sure to hold back on the ice though – nobody wants their drink diluted by melted ice cubes, that really takes the ‘man’ out of manly cocktails. However, if you really want to keep it chilled, the Mixology Steel Ice Cubes are the way forward.

   Ingredients you’ll need:

   • 9 cl champagne
   • 1 cl cognac
   • Two dashes of Angostura bitters
   • One sugar cube
   • Orange slice and maraschino cherry to garnish (optional)

   Method:

   Starting with the sugar cube in a champagne flute, drop in the Angostura bitters. Add 1 cl of cognac and gently top up the flute with a sweet chilled champagne. To top it off, garnish with a slice of orange and a maraschino cherry. If you want to keep it cool without diluting, now is the time to add the steel ice cubes, they will ensure your champagne cocktail doesn’t become warm and unappealing.

3. Whiskey Sour

   With two different variations of the Whiskey Sour, otherwise known as the Boston Sour, the two are distinguished by the use of egg white as an extra ingredient. Along with bourbon whiskey, sugar and lemon juice; the egg white (or substitute pineapple juice), is added, shaken and served. To attempt your own manly cocktails, serve in traditional cocktail glasses such as the Anton Studio Designs Cocktail Glasses and be your very own bartender, freakin’ awesome right?

   Ingredients you’ll need:

   • 4.5 cl bourbon whiskey
   • 3 cl fresh lemon juice
   • 1.5 cl gomme syrup
   • Dash of egg white (optional)
   • Dash of pineapple juice (optional)

   Method:

   Luckily, this is one of the most simple yet delicious cocktails in our top 5 manly cocktails to try. Shake the bourbon whiskey, fresh lemon juice and gomme syrup with ice and strain into a chilled cocktail glass. Garnish with a dash of egg white or pineapple juice (you can use your preferred garnish) and serve.

4. Snakebite

   The name alone makes this cocktail earn its place in our top 5. It consists of a mix of lager and cider in equal parts and sometimes with a dash of blackcurrant squash. Rumoured to have been illegal to serve in the UK at one point, this truly is a man’s drink. Here at Mankind, we know it would be a sin to not include it in our top 5 manly cocktails you must try!

   Ingredients you’ll need:

   • 28 cl cider
   • 28 cl lager
   • Dash of blackcurrant squash (optional)

   Method:

   As served in a standard pint glass, mix equal volumes of cider and lager into the glass. If you fancy making Snakebite and black, add the dash of blackcurrant squash. This really is one of the most manly cocktails you’ll come across – some pubs even refuse to sell it due to its pure strength… perfect.

5. Old Fashioned

   The Old Fashioned cocktail, served on the rocks, is one of the traditional manly cocktails we can’t ignore. Poured over ice, this legendary combination of sugar, water, angostura bitters and either bourbon or rye whiskey will give you those ultimate man-points. For extra points, serve in the On The Rocks Glass and Ice Ball Mould set from Mankind which takes a whole new spin on the term ‘on the rocks’. Nice.

   Ingredients you’ll need:

   • 4.5 cl bourbon or rye whiskey
   • 2 dashes Angostura bitters
   • 1 sugar cube
   • Three dashes of plain water
   • Ice cubes
   • Orange twist and cocktail cherry for garnish (optional)

   Method:

   Pour the Angostura bitters on to the sugar cube in the glass and leave to soak, then combine with plain water and muddle until the cube has dissolved. Add your ice cube and fill with whiskey. Finally, garnish with an orange twist and a cocktail cherry, definitely our kind of manly cocktail.