The 25 Most Important Cocktails of the 2000s, From the Penicillin to The Porn Star Martini

"The buildup to the craft cocktail revival had been brewing in the decades prior, thanks to bartenders like Dick Bradsell at Fred's Club in London and Dale DeGroff at the Rainbow Room in New York City. But it was that pivotal New Year's Eve in Petraske's tiny Lower East Side speakeasy when the craft cocktail party officially kicked off. Milk & Honey would go on to give us countless modern classics (Gold Rush, Penicillin), and help ignite contemporary cocktail culture as we know it."

"Soon, craft-focused bars like San Francisco's Bourbon & Branch (originator of the Black Manhattan), Chicago's The Violet Hour (Paper Plane), New York City's Pegu Club (Old Cuban), and Death & Co. (Oaxaca Old Fashioned), helped define the movement that followed. They modernized pre-Prohibition templates with smart substitutions and equal-parts builds - with easier access to products and techniques - while bartenders played with ingredients like amaro, Chartreuse, and agave spirits, along with culinary techniques such as fat-washing."

"Modern classic cocktails took root in tiny towns in northern Italy, Cape Town, South Africa, and tucked-away bars in San Diego. The cocktail renaissance also made stars of the bartenders behind the new classics, such as Audrey Saunders, Sam Ross, Douglas Ankrah, and Joaquín Simó. Approachable, simple, and replicable recipes helped spread these cocktails globally, inspiring countless riffs and earning durable spots on cocktail menus. -Prairie Rose"

Milk & Honey opened on the eve of the millennium in Manhattan's Lower East Side and served as a pivotal moment for the modern craft cocktail revival. Bartenders such as Dick Bradsell and Dale DeGroff provided earlier momentum for refined cocktail-making. Milk & Honey introduced enduring drinks like the Gold Rush and Penicillin. Bars including Bourbon & Branch, The Violet Hour, Pegu Club, and Death & Co. modernized pre-Prohibition templates with smart substitutions and equal-parts builds. Bartenders expanded ingredient palettes to amaro, Chartreuse, and agave spirits and adopted techniques like fat-washing. Simple, replicable recipes enabled global adoption and elevated bartenders to celebrity status.

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