Stinger

The Stinger is one of the great after-dinner cocktails—cool name, easy as pie to make, and it makes your breath smell nice (you know, just in case). Purists will demand that you put the ingredients in a cocktail shaker and serve it in a martini glass but really, who needs the aggravation late at night. The catch? The wizards at the LDB don’t carry white crème de menthe (though they are happy to stock nine varieties of Smirnoff Ice). Under no circumstances can you substitute the sickly green variety of crème de menthe—it’s what turned Bruce Banner into the Hulk. Besides, what’s a little trip to Washington or Alberta when the payoff is cocktail nirvana? (And as for Vodka Stingers: if you’re marooned on a desert island with a bottle of Grey Goose, then that will do—but only then.)

Pour over ice in a rocks glass.

For videos demonstrating how to make a Pimm’s Cup, a Ramos Gin Fizz, and other classic cocktails, visit Videos.vanmag.com