Celebrate 10 Years of Death & Co. by Making the Bar's Famous Drinks at Home

Naked and Famous Cocktail
Naked and Famous Cocktail | Courtesy of Death and Co.
Naked and Famous Cocktail | Courtesy of Death and Co.

Ten years ago, Death & Co. brought something truly new to the East Village and the cocktail world -- an oft-changing, bartender-driven menu of twists on classic flavor combinations that relied on creative techniques and novel ingredients. Since it opened, D&C has helped popularize craft cocktails and influence the style and substance of bars around the world. To celebrate this milestone anniversary, we’ve asked some of D&C’s notable bartenders to contribute their favorite cocktail recipes from their time at the bar.

Coffey Park Swizzle (Alex Day, 2008)

“I'm not one to think of drinks as my legacy, but if there's one drink I'm particularly proud of while tending bar at Death & Co. it's the Coffey Park Swizzle. It was one of my first explorations of sherry in cocktails, and the template has inspired a number of other drinks since.” -- Alex Day

INGREDIENTS:
  • 1 oz Barbancourt Three Star rum 
  • 1 oz amontillado sherry (preferably Lustau)
  • 0.25 oz Velvet Falernum (preferably Taylor’s)
  • 0.75 oz lime juice
  • 0.75 oz ginger syrup 
  • 3 dashes Angostura bitters 
  • Mint sprig for garnish
DIRECTIONS:
  • Dry shake the rum, Velvet Falernum, sherry, ginger syrup, and lime juice, then pour over crushed ice & swizzle.
  • Top with three dashes Angostura bitters and swizzle the top.
  • Garnish with a mint sprig.

Strange Brew (Thomas Waugh, 2008)

“My friends and I used to go to Dolores Park in San Francisco and drink beer mixed with fresh fruit from the farmers market, like the Germans do. My favorite combination was pineapple with IPA, which inspired this drink, named after the B side to EMF’s hit song ‘Unbelievable.’” -- Thomas Waugh (from Death & Co.: Modern Classic Cocktails, 2014)

INGREDIENTS:
  • 2 oz gin (preferably Tanqueray No. Ten)
  • 0.75 oz Velvet Falernum (preferably Taylor’s)
  • 1 oz pineapple juice
  • 0.5 oz lemon juice
  • IPA (preferably Green Flash)
  • Mint sprig for garnish
DIRECTIONS:
  • Short shake all the ingredients except the IPA and garnish, with three ice cubes, then strain into a pilsner glass filled with crushed ice.
  • Top with IPA.
  • Garnish with a mint sprig and serve with a straw.

Naked and Famous (Joaquin Simó, 2011)

“The fruity notes of Aperol and honeyed herbaceousness of yellow chartreuse harmonize beautifully to create a refreshing citrusy drink that changes in flavors from attack through mid-palate and into a long finish.” -- Joaquín Simó

INGREDIENTS:
  • 0.75 oz mezcal (preferably Del Maguey Chichicapa)
  • 0.75 oz yellow chartreuse
  • 0.75 oz Aperol
  • 0.75 oz lime juice
DIRECTIONS:
  • Add all ingredients to a shaker and fill with ice.
  • Shake until chilled and strain into a chilled coupe. No garnish.

Stolen Huffy (Jillian Vose, 2013)

“Red Thai chiles work quite nicely with a boldly flavored rye. I still use the template and flavor combinations in drinks I've created since then.” -- Jillian Vose

INGREDIENTS:
  • 1.5 oz red Thai chile-infused rye (preferably Rittenhouse)
  • 1 teaspoon mezcal (preferably Del Maguey Chichicapa)
  • 0.75 oz sweet vermouth
  • 0.5 oz Pierre Ferrand Dry Curaçao
  • 1 teaspoon cane sugar syrup
  • 1 dash Angostura bitters
DIRECTIONS:
  • Add all ingredients to a mixing glass.
  • Fill with ice and stir until chilled.
  • Strain into a chilled Nick and Nora glass. No garnish.

Idyllwild (Tyson Buhler, 2016)

“One of my personal favorites showcases the spirit while blending in other layers to complement that spirit rather than overshadowing it.” -- Tyson Buhler

INGREDIENTS:
  • 1.5 oz vodka (preferably DSP CA 162 Straight Vodka)
  • 1 oz tea (preferably Silver Needle) infused Dolin blanc vermouth
  • 0.5 oz Ransom Gewürztraminer grappa
  • 1 dash cucumber/orris root bitters
DIRECTIONS:
  • Add all ingredients except the garnish to a mixing glass.
  • Fill with ice and stir until chilled.
  • Strain into a chilled Nick and Nora glass.
  • Add the cucumber slice.

Sign up here for our daily NYC email and be the first to get all the food/drink/fun New York has to offer.

Brett Moskowitz writes about cocktails and medicine -- no, they’re not the same thing. Based in New York, Brett has contributed to Esquire, Saveur, Punch, and others. Follow him on Twitter and Instagram.