By Kevin Hopper For a bartender, being steeped in classic cocktails isn’t a bad place to be as there are countless creative tipples dating back to the early 1800s. It’s also a safe place to be. Creating a new cocktail that will hold its own over the next 100 to 200 years is a prodigious challenge. In fact, the last “classic” to achieve this is The Cosmopolitan, created in the mid-’80s at Manhattan’s Odeon. Before that, the Mai Tai came to fame in the ’40s. Given the craft coc

By Kevin Hopper With summertime around the corner, and after reeling from a particularly nasty winter season, it’s time to start the initial planning stages of your backyard parties. Cold beer and white wine are essential, but if you are looking for a unique and super-tasty summer treat, buy a bottle or four of Pimm’s No. 1. This storied aperitif was concocted in Britain, circa 1840, by a fishmonger-turned-oyster bar entrepreneur. The recipe for this gin-based potion remains