Negroni:1 1/2 ounces Campari1 1/2 ounces sweet vermouth1 1/2 ounces gin1 orange wheel or orange twist for garnishPour all of the ingredients into an ice-filled old-fashioned glass and stir briefly. Add the garnish.Old Fashioned:1 sugar cube3 to 5 to 7 dashes Angostura bitters1 Luxardo maraschino cherry1 half-wheel orange3 ounces bourbon or straight rye whiskeyMuddle the sugar, bitters, cherry and orange in an old-fashioned glass. Add ice and the whiskey. Stir briefly, for about five seconds.MARGARITAThe margarita is probably the most important drink to know intimately, since once you can make a margarita youll also be able to make a sidecar, a kamikaze, even a cosmopolitan. All four of these classics have the same mainframe: three parts liquor, two parts orange-flavored liqueur, and one part fresh lime or lemon juice with a splash of cranberry juice for the cosmo.1 1/2 ounces white tequila1 ounce Cointreau1/2 ounce fresh lime juiceCombine all the ingredients in a shaker. Add ice. Shake and strain into a salt-rimmed (optional), chilled cocktail glass.DAIQUIRIThe daiquiri is a simple drink, but when its badly made its an abomination. Use a good white rum: Appleton makes a sterling example, for instance. If you insist on Bacardi, use Bacardi 8, not its white rum. Thats a rule. Its written in stone.2 ounces light rum1 ounce fresh lime juice1/2 ounce simple syrup1 lime wedge, for garnishCombine all the ingredients in a shaker. Add ice. Shake and strain into an ice-filled wine glass. Add the garnish.RAMOS GIN FIZZThe Ramos gin fizz invented in New Orleans is not a frozen drink, so youre using the blender to get the right consistency, not to turn it into a Slurpee. The rule of thumb when making frozen drinks is use as much ice in the blender as it takes to fill the glass, but for a drink like this youll need just half that much.2 ounces gin1 ounce cream1 raw egg white1/2 ounce simple syrup1/2 ounce fresh lime juice1/2 ounce fresh lemon juice2 dashes orange flower waterClub soda2 orange half-wheels, for garnishCombine in a blender everything except for the club soda with enough ice to fill one Champagne flute, and blend until the ice is pureed. Divide the mixture between two Champagne flutes, and top each drink with a splash of club soda. Add the garnishes.