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"My answer is so lame, but I love when I get to make the right cocktail for the right person at the right time. When you get it right, that’s when it’s my favorite." —Naomi Levy, bar manager at Eastern Standard
Image credit: Lisa Richov for Eastern Standard
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"Probably the Manhattan. It’s just so simple. It’s three ingredients; there’s something cathartic about making them, stirring them." —Nicholas Mansur, bar manager at Shepard
Image credit: Emily Phares for Eater
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"I have never had a favorite cocktail to make. Whenever I learn something new I'll get super into making whatever it is until the next interesting thing comes along that speaks to me." —Angela Lamb, bar manager at Coda Bar & Kitchen
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"I really enjoy making a Sazerac. It seems to be overshadowed by its big brothers of the whiskey cocktail family, Manhattan and old fashioned, but it often introduces people to absinthe. It's a well-balanced cocktail with a punch." —Kayla Quigley, bartender at Sweet Cheeks
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"Sazerac. John Gertsen. The Sazerac’s a delicious cocktail; I used to drink them a lot more than I do now. But really it’s a tradition thing; it’s making mom’s apple pie, for me." —Tyler Wang, bar manager at Audubon
Image credit: Emily Phares for Eater
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"I really like making dry martinis and margaritas." —Will Thompson, beverage director at Yvonne's
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"I love making (and drinking) strong and stirred whiskey cocktails, but I also love when someone comes in, tells me what they normally like, what flavors they're looking for, and lets me create something just for them." —Thea Engst, bar manager at River Bar
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"Spanish coffee. I am a sucker for rum, and not very many people order them. At Fairsted we have the ability to make them with lots of very local ingredients, and it's always a pleasure to showcase and support our local distillers, coffee roasters, etc. So it's nice to make something guests haven't had before, and it's a cool-looking process!" —Will Isaza, spirit whisperer at Fairsted Kitchen
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"I learned this one from our company's director of operations, Alec Riveros. Take one sip of an ice cold bottle of Miller High Life. Take one shot of Old Overholt, and pour it into the High Life. Drink it fast." —Joe Fisketti, beverage manager at Rosebud American Kitchen & Bar
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"Any shrub cocktail. Shrub cocktails made a resurgence a number of years back, but you’d be shocked as to how many people have yet to try one. I enjoy watching the facial expressions as their palates are challenged by the changing flavor profile." —Dave Miller, lead bartender at Clink and The Liberty Bar in The Liberty Hotel
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"Hate to sound cliché but definitely a negroni. Simple, balanced, delicious. One of the first craft cocktails I've ever tried and near and dear to my heart." —Michael Boughton, corporate beverage director of Boston Nightlife Ventures
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"A Toronto. Not many people know of it, but if the guest is a rye whiskey enthusiast, this one is sure to impress. I like to make it because it is comprised of some of my favorite ingredients: rye whiskey, Fernet Branca, and orange bitters." —Tony Romano, bartender at BOKX109
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"The Last Word. It's balanced, it's old, people tend to be surprised by it, and it's green. Honestly, this last fact is 95% of the reason why I like to make it. Green's a great color." —Dagan Migirditch, general manager of Franklin Oyster House in Portsmouth, NH
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"Sazerac. It's a classic cocktail — purportedly the first ever invented — yet many people have never had one. It's also one of my personal favorites." —Kevin Khem, restaurant manager at ArtBar at the Royal Sonesta
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"Vieux carré because it looks really pretty. We used hand-hewed ice and a barspoon full of benedictine and build over the ice. It just makes a nice show." —Rob Hoover, bar manager at La Brasa
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"My favorite cocktail to make is a Manhattan because I appreciate it when it's done well." —Sean Barney, bar manager and cocktail chef at il Casale Lexington, as well as cocktail chef for il Casale Belmont and restaurant Dante
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"Tiki forever." —Peter Szigeti, beverage director at Committee
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"Michter's Manhattan. But I also like making drinks that take something traditional, like a Cape Codder, and doing it with pear vodka to create something really great but simple enough for anyone to enjoy. Crowd-pleasers can be a lot of fun when they are also different." —Kerem Benyamini, general manager at Rowes Wharf Sea Grille and Rowes Wharf Bar at the Boston Harbor Hotel
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"Ramos Fizz. If done well, it does take a while, and your arm will feel like falling off, but worth the effort for sure." —Davide Crusoe, beverage director at Chopps American Bar and Grill in Burlington
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"Don The Beachcomber's Zombie. Complex, fun, and delicious — and you can light on fire!" —Eric Cross, beverage director at Five Horses South End
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"Whatever you're in the mood for!" —Mike Wyatt, bar manager at Ward 8
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"A negroni for my wife." —Joe Cammarata, co-bar manager at Hojoko
Image credit: Kristin Teig for Hojoko
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"Got to love making a mai tai. Great tiki history there. Also, the pineapple-shaped tiki glass I put it in is pretty neat." —Dave Spielberg, bartender at The Salty Pig
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"Any 'and' drink: rum and coke, vodka and soda, whiskey and ginger. Doesn't get any easier than that! Only kidding — I really enjoy making cocktails tailored to my customer's palate, what kind of mood they're in, or even factors like the weather. That's what makes bartending so fun and personal to me." —Timothy Kotkowski, Pastoral
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"Old fashioned because it has a little bit of everything!" —Chuck Guterl, beverage manager at Scampo
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"On my current cocktail list, my favorite one to make has to be our 'Blonde Frenchman' with Tanteo Cocoa tequila, Combier Liqueur d'Orange, orgeat, Peychaud's, and orange. It has so many flavor changes as you drink it. Plus, it looks damn pretty." —Justin Lipata, bar manager at Bukowski Tavern (Cambridge)
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" A really nice Manhattan. Or anything with whiskey that doesn’t have to be muddled." —Nick Giannotti, bar manager at The Tip Tap Room
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"I love straw tasting White Russians and rye Manhattans." —Patrick Foley, bar manager at The Independent
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"Daiquiris. Perfection in a glass. I love trying different rums, different syrups, etc. The possibilities are endless. DTO for life!" —Patrick Sullivan, executive director of bar operations for the Legal Sea Foods brands
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"I can't say I have a favorite as there are so many I could make a case for, but for argument’s sake, let’s say a vieux carre. It's a beautiful and delicate yet spirit-forward drink that hits on so many levels. It's always fun to watch a bartender make one, and it's beautiful in its presentation as well." —Paulo Pereira, beverage director at Brass Union
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"I could give the industry standard response, which is, ‘The one that makes the guest most happy and fulfills exactly what they are looking for,’ but honestly, I really like making classic mint juleps. There is something about the layering of crushed ice with bourbon and just gently stirring in a julep cup. The cup should be all frosted, and I like garnishing with a huge bouquet of mint. It's a truly beautiful cocktail when prepared correctly, and it's one of my favorite cocktails when finished." —Schuyler Hunton, beverage director at Foundry on Elm & Saloon
Image credit: Natasha Moustache
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"Anything with egg whites because of their unparalleled texture." —Casey Furtaw, head bartender at Osteria Nino in Burlington
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"I’ve always enjoyed the show of making egg white drinks, the technique involved, the way everyone asks 'What the hell was that?' whenever they go out. I can say that now that I don’t have to make them that often." —Vikram Hegde, general manager at Island Creek Oyster Bar
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"Bamboo. It’s a beautiful aperitif cocktail and after-dinner cocktail as well. Goes well with many eating and drinking experiences. Gets the guest into a category that they are likely not to be familiar with. Also, it’s low in ABV so you can drink several without the after-effects similar to a cocktail with higher ABV." —Ryan McGrale, beverage director at Tavern Road
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"Sazeracs. It was the first crafty cocktail I really enjoyed having. I would go to Drink before I started working in Boston just to have them!" —Tainah Soares, bartender at Trina’s Starlite Lounge
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"Old fashioned. Classic, delicious, everything you need." —Corey Bunnewith, co-founder and proprietor of Boston Harbor Distillery
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"I've always enjoyed making a Last Word. It's simple enough to make; all of the ingredients, which are some of my favorites, are equally portioned and balance out very well." —Adam Avelar, bar manager at The Sinclair
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"I really like making an old fashioned. When guests watch you make one, it usually inspires a lot of questions: 'What's that you're making?' or 'Why aren't there cherries in there?' I like sharing with guests that this is a very classic version of the old fashioned, and of course I like watching people enjoy it!" —Erin Mahoney, bar director at Row 34 (Portsmouth)
"Sazerac. The reason is that it's this wonderfully paced process. You don't throw a sazerac together; sazeracs take some time. You have the rinse and the delicate nature of that, and then you have stirring to proper dilution, and you have a very simple combination of ingredients that really just pair nicely together. Making a sazerac is as much about making a sazerac as enjoying a sazerac." —Adam Lantheaume, owner of The Boston Shaker