Drinks: Session cocktails

A great cocktail doesn’t have to knock you down, said Jane Black in The New York Times. “As another summer arrives, low-proof drinks are moving into wide circulation,” marking a refreshing return to the thinking of old, when even martinis were half vermouth. The keepers below appear in the new book Session Cocktails by Drew Lazor and the editors of Punch magazine: (pictured) In a rock glass, use a muddler to lightly crush 3 basil leaves and 2 lime wedges. Add 2 oz white vermouth. Top with crushed ice and stir. In a cocktail shaker, combine 2 oz vermouth, ¾ oz raspberry syrup, and ½ oz each Aperol and lemon juice. Add ice, shake, then strain into an ice-filled glass. Top with soda water and garnish with lemon. Combine ½ oz crème de cassis and 1 oz Earl Grey tea. Add ice, stir, strain into a glass, and add 3 oz Champagne.