Tuxedo

Don't try. Rinse the chilled glass with absinthe and tip the excess out, or use a dasher bottle and count one. Two milliliters is roughly half a bar spoon, and absinthe at that proof will walk over everything else if you go long.

More than in almost any other gin drink. Vermouth is 45 ml of a roughly 95 ml build, so oxidation isn't a background note, it's half the flavor. Refrigerate it after opening, use it up inside a month, and buy 375 ml bottles if you make these rarely.

Nothing clean. Maraschino brings a dry, almond-bitter edge from crushed cherry pits that cherry brandy and kirsch simply don't have. If you're out, leave it out and add a second dash of orange bitters. Four milliliters is a bar spoon, so one bottle lasts years.

Same skeleton, more furniture. A 50/50 stops at gin, vermouth and a twist. Maraschino runs a thread of sweetness along the back, absinthe lays anise across the top, and orange bitters knot the two together. Drier in impression than a 50/50, and considerably richer to smell.

A classic Tuxedo calls for absinthe, to rinse Absinthe, 45 ml (1.5 oz) Gin, 45 ml (1.5 oz) Dry vermouth, 4 ml (0.25 oz) Maraschino liqueur, 2 dashes orange bitters Orange bitters. That single-serve spec scales cleanly — the recipe above converts it to oz and multiplies it for 2–4 drinks.

A standard Tuxedo is roughly 29% ABV once mixed (before ice melt softens it further). That makes it spirit-forward — closer to a Martini than to a beer, so sip it slowly.

A Tuxedo is shaken. About 13 seconds with plenty of ice chills and dilutes it correctly.