Fu Manchu

The second most common juice used in cocktails. This citrus juice is about 6% acid; 4% from citric and 2% from malic, with small amounts of succinic acid (this is what gives it a little bloody taste). Lime juice should be used the day it is squeezed, some like it freshly squeezed and others like it a few hours old.

A sweet mint-flavored liqueur. It is flavored with Corsican mint and dried peppermint. Commonly consumed as a digestif or in cocktails such as the Grasshopper and Stinger.

A syrup made from dissolving granulated sugar (sucrose) in water. Regular simple is made by combining 1:1 sugar:water by mass, rich simple is 2:1 sugar:water by mass although only 1.5 times as sweet as regular. We always use 1:1 syrup unless otherwise noted in the recipe itself.

A liqueur predominantly flavored with the dried peels of the laraha orange native to the island of Curaçao. Curaçao liqueur likely originated in the 1600s from the Dutch spirit company Bols after the West Indies Company controlled trade from the island. The liqueur comes in many colors with blue being the original made by Bols, however the color is only added for effect and adds no flavor. Triple Sec (ie: Cointreau) is considered a white Curaçao.

Original Curaçao triple sec, this is an orange flavoured liqueur made from a neutral sugar spirit along with the dried peels of bitter and/or sweet oranges. You can make it yourself! Here is a recipe from Serious Eats: Combine 1/4 cup orange zest (without pith), with 1 cup brandy, and 1 cup vodka in a sealable glass container. Let steep for 19 days. On day 20, add 4 whole cloves, then let steep from an additional day. Bring 2 cups sugar and 1 1/2 cup water to boil until sugar dissolves. Strain the alcoholic mixture through a cheesecloth. Add the syrup, stir to combine then seal. Let rest for 1 more day and enjoy!

Often referred to as silver or white, these rums are actually lightly aged (1-3 years), but have had their color removed by charcoal filtering. They are molasses based (as opposed to the cane juice-based rhum agricole, clairin, or cachaça). Flavors range from light (Bacardi, Caña Brava, Plantation 3 Star, El Dorado 3) to more flavorful (Probitas, Ten-To-One).

Small, round, green citrus fruits. Commonly used in many cocktails for its rind or its acidic taste (6% acid total; 4% citric, 2% malic, some succinic acid).

In cocktails, cherries are sweetened in a brine, like maraschino cherries (marr-ə-SKEE-noh) or in brandy, like brandied cherries. They are usually used as a garnish, muddled into the cocktail, or used simple for their sweetened brine.