It’s the Summer of Two-Ingredient Cocktails

There is a time and a place for a fussy beverage—one of layered spirits and liqueurs, a clarified this or a pickled that, several syrups and tinctures, and a very specific garnish—but it is not now or here.

Nor am I speaking about college-era dive bar drinks when I say two-ingredient cocktails. (Let us all agree to leave the sticky-sweet whiskey ginger ales or the not-quite-chilled-enough vodka sodas behind!)

These are, instead, drinks that highlight flavor and emphasize harmony. A two-ingredient cocktail can be sophisticated, thoughtful, and require a little bit of technique, while also being unfussy and deeply satisfying, a sentiment Roger Kamholz covers in his charming new book Pour Together: 2 Ingredient Cocktails to Meet Every Mood. He writes that “there are countless reasons for a tidy, tasty, two-ingredient cocktail,” and I absolutely agree.

It's easy to mistake the Adonis, made with equal parts sweet vermouth and cream sherry, for a less boozy Manhattan.Photo by Suech + Beck

I find myself particularly drawn to cocktails made with fortified wines, which offer a lot of flavor but a lower ABV, making them perfect for long conversations with friends across warm summer afternoons. Take the Adonis, which tastes of toffee, dates, and cocoa. It is made with equal parts sweet vermouth (such as Punt e Mes) and cream sherry (which tends to be on the sweeter side), stirred with ice for 15 seconds in a large mixing glass, before being strained into two chilled coupes. Kamholz says that it’s easy to mistake this combination for a less boozy Manhattan.

Kamholz also offers more refined versions of the classic soda-plus-spirit formula. I can’t stop making the drink The Root of All Evil (though the only thing evil about this drink is how easy it is to drink). Absinthe verte, aka green absinthe, is gently stirred with ice and a very good quality root beer (I like the squat glass bottles made by Bundaberg) until the drink looks cloudy. It’s garnished with a star anise pod, which sure, could be argued to be a third ingredient, but it makes the drink look so chic no one will care. The cocktail hits all the right notes: it’s bold and refreshing, a nice interplay of spicy and sweet.