Skip to main content
Epicurious
Search
Search
Al Sotack head shot - Epicurious

Al Sotack

Contributor

After graduating from New York University in 2003, Al Sotack landed his first barback job. It took a few years of hustle on the dishwasher, but after a while, someone needed a bathroom break, and he was promoted to bartender. In 2009, he was picked to open Philly’s Franklin Mortgage and Investment Company, where he worked as head bartender until 2013. While there, Sotack was the recipient of an Eater Bartender of the Year award and StarChefs Rising Star. Back in New York, he served a long stint at Death & Co (many of his drinks can be found in their newest book Welcome Home), messed around at Pouring Ribbons and Donna for a second, wrote a lot about all kinds of stuff, and finally opened Jupiter Disco, Bushwick’s fancy cocktail meets nightlife venue in 2016, with partner Maks Pazuniak. He currently lives in Manhattan with his wife, Jade, their two daughters, and two huskies. His writing has appeared in Vice, Playboy, Plate, Fatherly, and others.

Shopping

22 Essential Cocktail Books Every Drinks Lover Should Own

Whether you want to brush up on bartending history or find your next signature cocktail, here’s how to build your library.
Recipes Menus

Meet Your New Favorite Cocktail, Straight Out of 1977

The disco decade may be known as the worst era in drinking history, but it also gave us one of the most influential cocktail books ever published.
Recipes Menus

Pink Squirrel

This creamy, nutty dessert cocktail deserves a comeback.
Recipes Menus

Blinker

Keep your coupes chilled and ready for this simple 3-ingredient rye whiskey cocktail.
Recipes Menus

Grenadine

Make your own grenadine from pomegranate juice for flavor-packed cocktails at home.
Recipes Menus

Fino Martini

Swap the dry vermouth for fino sherry to bring your martini to new heights.
Recipes Menus

The Best Cocktails You’ve Never Heard of, According to Pro Bartenders

Learn the secret recipes that cocktail pros love to make—and drink.
Expert Advice

Alcohol-Free Cocktails Aren’t New. Just Ask a Soda Jerk

Today’s home bartenders have a lot to learn from the Razzle Dazzle, the Maple Frostbite, and the Orange Crush.
Recipes Menus

Trampoline Frappé

Nothing hits harder on a hot day than this nonalcoholic frappé: ruby strawberries, herbaceous basil, and tangy pineapple will quench your thirst. 
Recipes Menus

Orange Crush

Back in the heyday of the soda fountain, calling a drink a crush meant you were using fresh ingredients. Here’s a retro-modern take on the old-school Orange Crush.
Recipes Menus

Maple Frostbite

This soda shop classic helps maple and vanilla shine.
Recipes Menus

Razzle Dazzle

This nonalcoholic drink—a soda fountain classic—pairs pineapple, lemon, and an easy homemade raspberry vinegar.
Expert Advice

The Myth of the Margarita and Its Many Inventors

For a simple combination of tequila, orange liqueur, lime juice, and salt, this cocktail has a winding history.
Recipes Menus

Breakfast Daisy

This variation on the mezcal margarita leans on a quick Earl Grey tea syrup and grapefruit liqueur to evoke the feelings of a cozy morning.
Recipes Menus

Blackberry Margarita

Use juicy summer berries to make the ultimate easy blackberry margarita.
Expert Advice

The Negroni Isn’t the Only Equal-Parts Cocktail Worth Memorizing

Inventing a cocktail with this symmetrical ratio is hard to pull off, but when it works, it really works.
Recipes Menus

Player Piano

This delightfully floral and fruity cocktail is made with rhum agricole, elderflower liqueur, Aperol, and lime.
Recipes Menus

Corpse Reviver No. 2

The classic Corpse Reviver #2 cocktail combines equal parts gin, orange liqueur, lemon juice, and Kina Lillet, an aperitif. It’s an easy drink for happy hour.
Recipes Menus

Blood and Sand

The Blood and Sand is a classic equal parts scotch cocktail that’s rich and bold. 
Recipes Menus

Last Word Cocktail

The Last Word, a classic gin cocktail, balances nutty, herbaceous, sweet, and tart flavors. It’s one of the most successful examples of the equal parts game.
More Stories