Mr. Boston Official Bartender's Guide

Makes 3 to 4 servings

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Vanilla-Infused Bourbon: Split 3 Tahitian vanilla beans lengthwise. Insert into 750-ml bottle of bourbon. Close bottle and let stand at room temperature for 3 to 5 days. Remove vanilla beans. Store bourbon at room temperature for up to 1 month. Honey-Currant Syrup: Bring 1 cup honey, ½ cup dried currants, and ¼ cup water to a simmer over medium heat in small saucepan, stirring to dissolve honey. Simmer over low heat for 10 minutes. Remove from heat and let cool. Strain into jar, cover, and refrigerate for up to 3 weeks. Buy some packaged cotton candy for this cocktail's garnish, or skip the candy and garnish with an edible flower.

You'll need fresh celery juice to make this cocktail.

Despite what the flavored vodka craze might make you think, vodka is actually a fairly recent addition to the American liquor market. As recently as the 1930s, Americans hardly even touched the stuff. The Moscow Mule is the cocktail that single-handedly changed that fact forever. John G. Martin bought the rights to Smirnoff vodka for Heublein Spirits in the late 30s. He had a difficult time selling it though, and decided to partner up with Jack Morgan, owner of the British pub Cock ‘n' Bull in Los Angeles, who, incidentally, was having trouble selling off the large stock of ginger beer he had recently purchased. The two collaborated and came up with this simple, yet refreshing recipe, which ignited the vodka craze of the 50s and would later lead bartenders to create every kind of “Mule” imaginable.