Mr. Boston Official Bartender's Guide

Over the past few years, the Caipirinha has taken the world by storm. It was named the official drink of Brazil in 2003 by then President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, more commonly known to his constituency as “Lula”. Once Lula had given the Caipirinha official status, bars all over the globe began churning them out. The name essentially means “little peasant”, as it is thought to have been created in the small town of Piracicaba. Like many other cocktails, this one is believed to have medicinal origins. It seems to have appeared sometime in the early 20th century to fight off the Spanish flu, and originally included garlic and honey in the recipe. Those ingredients were eventually removed and replaced with sugar and ice. Though it might not be the most effective medical treatment around these days, a couple of these are sure to improve your Samba steps.

According to Jerry Thomas circa 1862, a cobbler—a class of drink all its own—is a simply a spirit or wine sweetened with sugar and fresh fruit, and served over ice. Most early versions used wine as a base spirit, but eventually cobblers of all different sorts began cropping up in American bars. Dale DeGroff is generally credited with standardizing the additional step of muddling the fruits and spirits, making for an exceptionally fresh-tasting drink. These cocktails are fairly flexible as far as ingredients go, so always opt for something seasonal. The Fruit is largely responsible for the flavor here, so the riper, the better. Mr. Thomas actually calls for a whopping four ounces in base spirit in his cobbler recipe, but most people knock it down an ounce or two if only for the pleasure of enjoying more than one.

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Makes 25 to 30 servings

There's a good chance you've never seen or heard of a Brandy Crusta, which is an unfortunate result of the circle of life of cocktails. The Crusta is actually the precursor to many a cocktail, including the Sidecar, the Cosmopolitan, and even the Margarita in a sense, but there is a noticeable difference at play in these recipes—proportions. The Brandy Crusta is essentially a healthy dose of brandy seasoned with mere dashes of other flavoring ingredients. This style of drink allows the drinker to really appreciate the base spirit without being overwhelmed by its potency. Perhaps the most impressive part of this cocktail is its lemon-shell garnish. Getting it right can take a bit of effort, but it's worth the trouble. If you're having trouble getting it to stay in place, try frosting the rim of the glass and the lemon peel and then letting them sit until a hard crust is formed.