Classic cocktail has 3 parts, as writer Simonson tells us

Cardamom syrup, muddled calamansi, fat-washed bourbon. Some modern craft-cocktail recipes are sexy from a distance but too complicated to be executed at home.

Not long ago, drinks writer Robert Simonson had a “eureka moment” while thinking about such drinks, and the cocktail boom in general. “The reason that some of the enduring cocktails have lasted so long is because they have a very stable construction,” Simonson said. Stable as in, three distinct, balanced components: Spirit, sweetener and bitters or citrus.

Simonson, who has written two previous books and writes for the The New York Times, recently had his third book published: 3-Ingredient Cocktails: An Opinionated Guide to the Most Enduring Drinks in the Cocktail Canon. It is an ode to cocktails much as they were when they were first born in the 1800s: Potent and unfussy.

Old-Fashioned Whiskey Cocktail

1 sugar cube

2 dashes Angostura bitters Warm water

2 ounces rye or bourbon Large ice cube Orange twist

Saturate a sugar cube with bitters and a bar spoon of warm water at the bottom of an Old-Fashioned glass. Muddle until the sugar dissolves. Add whiskey and stir. Add one piece of large ice and stir until chilled, about 30 seconds. Twist a piece of orange zest over the drink and drop into the glass. Makes 1 drink.

From 3-Ingredient Cocktails: An Opinionated Guide to the Most Enduring Drinks in the Cocktail Canon by Robert Simonson