:: fred's picks for the top cocktails of 2023 ::

At the end of 2010, someone asked what my favorite drink of the year was, and I lacked an answer at first for there were so many good options to chose from. My choices were influenced by two factors – tastiness and uniqueness; it had to be both memorable and worth repeating. In past years, I did one post for drinks that I had out at bars and one post for drinks that I had at home; however, as I found myself going out less due to my work schedule and other factors, I cut it down to one post a few years ago. Each month here was selected for when the drink post appeared and not when it was enjoyed (unlike my real time Instagram account, I have a two week delay here before it goes live to give myself an ample window to write). Without further ado, here is the fourteenth annual installment of my best drinks for the year with a runner up or two listed.

January: There were several solid bitter-herbal winners from the Bartender's Choice app and related sources, and I gave the nod to the Maravilla at Raines Law Room for it reminded me fondly of Misty Kalkofen's Low Rider at Brick & Mortar. For a close second, Michael Madrusan's .38 Special at Little Branch was a delight; for the other runner-up, the Varnish in L.A. is in that same school, but with an mezcal Bee's Knees feel and a pinch of spice in the Dahlia's Revenge.

February: My pick for February was an old Franklin Mortgage & Investment Co. drink called the Cowboy Killer by Colin Shearn that was a Scotch Red Hook with Peychaud's Bitters; it was given new life by his old co-worker publishing it in Epicurious. Getting the nod this month was Rafa Garcia Febles' dark Puritan vibing Suffragette and a bitter-herbal Old Fashioned, the African Flower, by Becky McFalls at Little Branch. March: March was a tough call for there were lots of amaro-driven delights that I sampled. Toby Maloney's Pocket Square at the Violet Hour as perhaps a Ciociaro and citrus version of his Eeyore's Requiem gets the nod though. For runners-up were a drink with a similar vibe – Chuck Taggart's Something Bitter This Way Comes inspired by a trip to the Varnish, and a Paper Plane-like number called Lost & Found from the Dandelion Cocktail Bar in Florianópolis, Brazil.

April: The two stand outs for April were a pair of rum-herbal-up drinks that share the top spot: El Ratón by Matt James at Seattle's Bathtub as a tribute a deadly bull in the ring, and Julie Reiner's Bridgetown Stomp that she created for Toby Maloney when he visited Lani Kai and that soon became the bar's house Negroni. May: Top dog for May was Maison Premiere's Old Tom gin and mezcal Black Manhattan called Future Days featuring Amaro Abano (which was a new addition to my liquor shelves this year). The two runners-up were Amaro Nonino concepts: Phil Ward's West of East India at Mayahuel perhaps named after the Lustau East India Solera Sherry component and Franklin Mortgage Investment Co.'s Harry Rag with its Scotch base and Chartreuse flair.

June: There were a good number of amaro-accented drinks in June, so it was a tough call, but I'm giving the top spot to the Indecent Proposal from the sadly departed Pouring Ribbons in Manhattan with its Nardini, Cynar, and mint combination. Getting the nod were the dark tropical gin drink, the Blue Plate Special from Atlanta's Paper Plane, and the delightful Benedictine-walnut liqueur combination flavored by Meletti in the Pine Tavern Road at Seamstress in NYC. July: My new purchase this month was a bottle of Amaro Braulio, and the winner of the batch of recipes that I made using this new toy was the Amaro Daiquiri where Stephanie Andrews at Billy Sunday in Chicago paired Braulio with Sfumato and lime. For runners up in July, Backbar's F.R.D. created by Jenifer Anastasi to protest Florida's governor's actions with this Rum Runner Old Fashioned pictured above and Erick Castro's Professional Courtesy at Raised by Wolves as a bitter Marconi Wireless riff were notable.

August: My pick for August was the quirky Cognac-rhum agricole Liberal dubbed the Partisan at Dutch Kills. Also delightful were the tequila Manhattan accented with Braulio and Yellow Chartreuse, namely the Inside Job by Zac Pease at Manhattan's Attaboy, and the rye-mezcal Manhattan riff, namely the Tito Puente at Blossom Bar pictured below. September: September was a challenge to sort out with so many great nightcaps that I had after my bar shifts. I gave the top honor to the Critical Mass created at the Burritt Room since it reminded me fondly of a Prospect Park with Chartreuse. Also great were the three part Staggerly from Zig Zag in Seattle and Telling Phoebe with smoky and bitter notes from Chantal Tseng at her literary-themed drink series.

October: Another difficult choice to make, but I selected A Good Man is Hard to Find at Dram for being really quirky yet delicious. Matt Robold's Jon Hamm's Briefcase at 320 Main as a riff on Chris Hannah's Bywater and the Dead Man's Handle by Tiffany Kirk at Miss Carousel as a spicy take on a Pinky Gonzalez (also to show that I did indeed make drinks with citrus is 2023) get honorable mention. November: I decided to make November's picks all about shaken drinks, and the top dog was the Doctor's Orders as Jillian Vose's Bourbon-apple brandy Tiki-inspired drink at Dead Rabbit. Tyson Buhler's La Trinité at Death & Co. with rhum and apple brandy balanced by Suze and honey in a Sour and Finding Rose by Lucinda Sterling at Little Branch with Cognac, honey, and passion fruit notes were also noteworthy.

December: The drink that I enjoyed enough to make for my chef the next night was the Dogs Playing Poker by Carter Wilsford at Analogue as a mezcal-fruity-bitter number with a great name. Respect given to Kyle Marshall's Hard Times as a tribute to Ray Charles who loved Genever and espresso and Blazing Saddles at the Eddy in Providence with its smoke and Montenegro-cinnamon accents in Old Fashioned format. Some of my favorite creations not mentioned in yesterday's year end round-up: I decided to feature six more recipes that I created in 2023 that I either look back fondly on and/or were well received on Kindred Cocktails or Reddit. There were two inspired by the 100 Year Cigar: the Painted Lady that took things in a Pink Lady direction and Day Old Bread utilizing the rye-aquavit combo. The Club Garden inspired by Eric Alperin's Skid Row and named after a Boston speakeasy and the Right Place Wrong Time as a mezcal-Cynar take on Chris Hannah's Night Tripper were delights. During my second bar shift in Oaxaca, I did a Ferari (Fernet-Campari) Penicillin of sorts that I dubbed the Body Shop that I have made for folks at work. And my Saucy Sue's apple-apricot take on Ran Duan's Father's Advice called the Listening Room was in my opinion one of the most elegant of my creations this year. Overall, it was a good year of drinking even if most of my cocktails were at home instead of out on the town or in distant cities. I was able to narrow down this list of over 300 drinks into 13 bests and 22 runners-up, so in a way, above was my top 10% of 2023. I can't wait to see what 2024 brings. Cheers!