7 Spring Cocktail Recipes From New York's Best Bartenders

Evelyn Drinkery: Christian Sanders

On a hip and burgeoning strip of Avenue C lies Evelyn Drinkery, an unassuming bar marked only by the letter 'e' outside. Inside there are two quaint rooms, old school decor, and one of the most enticing cocktail menus in New York, created by Christian Sanders and Jared Shepard. Modern concoctions of 19th century styles reign supreme, most notably with the phosphate section which is where the Skinny Bitch comes from. To boot, drinks can be ordered in regular 'big' as well as 'little' sizes for those who just want a taste. From: Memphis Experience: Mercer Kitchen, The Tippler, The Monarch Room (cocktail menu) Personal drink of choice: "Negroni. I never get sick of it, ever. It's for a spirit forward drink, and hands down my go-to drink." Spring cocktail: Skinny Bitch "Phosphate is a naturally occurring acid that also takes the salts of 3 different acids, and basically what it does is dries out sweetness and elevates flavor. It's basically a tasteless sour in a very potent form; lemon has flavor, lime has flavor, this has no flavor. It allows you to let other flavors shine. We've taken very whimsical flavors so people can have light, refreshing drink that's still very effervescent and flavor popping. Back in the 1800s you would get citrus in the summer, but then you couldn't get it in the winter, so they would take the juice, add it to sugar, bring it to a boil—which basically pasteurizes it—then cool it very fast, and it would keep for 4 or 5 months. I have an orange basil cordial, a lime cordial, a green tea lemon cordial; it's a fun way to do different things. This drink is a sour refreshing cocktail, but it takes you on a journey with your palette. It starts one way, mid palette it goes another place, and by the time your done, it just dries out and you want another sip." [Christian Sanders] Skinny Bitch: 2 Parts Pisco 1 1/4 part green tea yuzu cordial 1/4 all spice dram 2 parts spring water Two dashes of acid phosphate charged CO2 For the green tea cordial I take lemon, sugar, white peppercorn, green cardamom, yuzu, and clove, bring it all to a boil, and once it's cooling a little bit I add the matcha green tea.