Categorizing cocktails into fundamentals or families is mostly an academic exercise. It can depend on whom you read or want to believe. Employees Only breaks it down into ten ; Simon Difford into 36 ; Paul Clarke into 13 ; Gaz Regan into 20 ; Sam Ross into 5 or 6 ; everyone's favorite - European Bartender School into 8 ; etc. There is no "authoritative voice" on the subject. Just go with whatever makes sense to you and helps you learn and understand the best. More on reddit.com

Elemental Mixology, by Andrew Willett is the book you're looking for. He breaks down the drink genres and the elements that make each one up, better than any book I've ever read. His technique and methodology are spot on, and his historical references are second to none. To briefly summarize, there are seven elements that go into mixed drinks: AROMATIC—bitters, spices, herbs, zests (the outer part of citrus peel), edible flowers, culinary perfumes (such as orange blossom water) SOUR—lemon juice, lime juice, vinegar, most shrubs, acid phosphate, pure cranberry juice SWEET—sugar, simple syrup, gum syrup, rock candy syrup, honey, agave nectar, maple syrup, grenadine (pomegranate) syrup, raspberry syrup, other flavored syrups STRONG—all alcoholic beverage products except petite bitters [strong products that are sweet, such as liqueurs, can also act as the sweet element] WEAK—ice, flat water, sparkling mineral water, seltzer water, soda water, fancy ‘pop’, brewed coffee, brewed tea THICK—milk, cream, eggs (including whole eggs, egg whites, egg yolks), condensed milk, butter, coconut milk, gelatin SUCCULENT—fruit and vegetables considered fit for consumption in their unsweetened state, such as orange, grapefruit, pineapple, etc. And here are the drink genres, note that there are sub-types that fall under each of the main drink genres, for example Cocktail would fall under the Sling genre, Daisy and Sour would fall under the Punch genre, etc. THOROUGHBREDS—Thoroughbreds are single strong element ingredients, generally unmixed (except perhaps with a little water or ice). EXAMPLES: Whiskey Neat, Gin "straight-up", Vodka "straight-up" ENSEMBLES—Ensembles are multiple strong element ingredients, generally unmixed (except perhaps with a little water or ice). EXAMPLES: Rusty Nail, B&B GROGS—Grogs are mixed drinks led by the weak element, in which the strong element is used as a fortifier. EXAMPLES: Irish Coffee, "Highballs"--Rum & Coke, Gin & Tonic, Vodka & Soda SLINGS—Slings are mixed drinks led by the strong element – being moderately sweetened, diluted, and usually aromatized. EXAMPLES: Manhattan Cocktail, Old Fashioned Whiskey Cocktail, Negroni Cocktail, Mint Julep, Martini Cocktail, Vesper Toddy POSSETS—Possets are mixed drinks in which the sweet, strong and thick elements are balanced. EXAMPLES: Brandy Alexander, White Russian PUNCHES—Punches are mixed drinks in which the sour, sweet, strong and weak elements are balanced. EXAMPLES: Margarita Daisy, Mojito Collins, Cosmopolitan Daisy, Long Island Iced Tea Collins, Lemon-drop Daisy, Side-car Daisy, Mai-Tai Fix, Whiskey Sour BLOSSOMS—Blossoms are mixed drinks in which the strong and succulent elements are balanced. EXAMPLES: Blinker, Blood & Sand, Brown Derby JUICE-HIGHBALLS—Juice-highballs are mixed drinks led by the succulent element, in which the strong element is used as a fortifier. EXAMPLES: Screwdriver, Salty Dog, Cape Cod So between these 7 elements and 8 drink genres, you can literally make any drink out there. And any existing drink will include at least one of those elements and fall under one of those specific genres. Learning the elements and drink genres makes it much easier to create your own drinks, as well as remember recipes. I think the current PDF edition of his 400+ page book is $7.50. Definitely worth it, if you want to get into the true DNA of what makes up a particular type of mixed-drink. More on reddit.com

Here you will find the official cocktail list by the international bartenders association. it might be your best shot at defining classics but there’s much discussion to be had. But that’s the fun of it! More on reddit.com

Welcome to Day 7 of the Advent of Cocktails 2022 ! Today's cocktail is... Ingredient heads-up: Tomorrow freshly squeezed grapefruit juice will be needed. In terms of other ingredients, get yourself a bottle of Yellow Chartreuse if you haven't got it already! La Louisiane ___ History The La Louisiane cocktail is an improvement on the Sazerac! Absinthe, rye whiskey and vermouth make this spirit-forward cocktail a stunner. If you love spirit-forward drinks like the Sazerac: this one’s for you. The La Louisiane cocktail! This unique mixed drink is a classic cocktail from the 1800’s that most people have never heard of. It’s a lot like a Sazerac: but better. How? Well, it’s rounded out with more complexity in flavors: it’s herbal from Benedictine and lightly sweet from vermouth. And of course there’s absinthe, the historically banned liquor that adds a black licorice finish to each sip The La Louisiane is a cocktail that hails from New Orleans, made with rye whiskey, absinthe, vermouth and Benedictine. The exact date La Louisiane appeared is unknown, but it was likely invented between 1880 and 1912, when absinthe was banned. It began as the house cocktail of the Restaurant La Louisiane in New Orleans. You’ll also find this cocktail called De La Louisiane or Cocktail à la Louisiane. It’s very boozy, with a round, complex and strong flavor. Source: "La Louisiane Cocktail", a couple cooks, July 10, 2020 ___ Credit for the first two recipes goes to Anders Erickson as he also includes an update version that suits him better in his video La Louisiane - 2 ways to enjoy a whiskey classic . Last one is from PDT Cocktail Book THE ORIGINAL LA LOUISIANE RECIPE 1/2 oz. (15 ml) Rittenhouse 100 proof Rye 1/2 oz. (15 ml) Cocchi Vermouth di Torino 1/2 oz. (15 ml) Bénédictine DOM 4 dashes Herbsaint (or absinthe) 4 dashes Peychaud's Aromatic Bitters Cocktail cherry for garnish THE UPDATED LA LOUISIANE RECIPE (a.k.a. Anders Erickson's version) 1.5 oz. (45 ml) Rittenhouse 100 proof Rye 3/4 oz. (22.5 ml) Cocchi Vermouth di Torino 3/4 oz. (22.5 ml) Bénédictine DOM 4 dashes Peychaud's Aromatic Bitters 4 dashes Angostura Aromatic Bitters Absinthe rinse in glass Expressed lemon oil De La Louisiane (PDT Cocktail Book) 2 oz. (60 ml) Wild Turkey Rye Whiskey 3/4 oz. (22.5 ml) Dolin Sweet Vermouth 3/4 oz. (22.5 ml) Bénédictine 3 dashes St. George Absinthe 3 dashes Peychaud's Bitters Stir with ice and strain into a chilled coupe. Garnish with three brandied cherries on a pick ___ NB! Variations and your own riffs are encouraged, please share the result and recipe! More on reddit.com