Pinko

The Pinko is a vodka and apricot brandy drink with pineapple doing the job citrus usually would. Equal parts of the two spirits go into the shaker with twice as much pineapple juice and a teaspoon of grenadine, and it comes out a soft coral pink that sits somewhere between a cocktail and a tropical punch.

Apricot brandy does most of the work here. Most bottles sold under that name are really apricot liqueurs, sweet and jammy rather than dry, and paired with pineapple they make a round, fruit-forward drink. The vodka adds strength without muddying the flavor, and the grenadine is mostly there for color. There is no lemon or lime in the recipe, so it drinks on the sweet side.

The original has you strain it into a cocktail glass filled with broken ice, which is unusual for a stemmed glass but works like a small frappé, keeping the drink very cold right to the last sip.

Glass: Cocktail glass | Strength: Medium | Serves: 1 | Prep Time: 3 minutes

Bartenders tip: If you find it too sweet, a quarter ounce of fresh lemon juice tightens it up without changing its character. Fresh pineapple juice makes a big difference, since it foams when shaken and tastes brighter than canned. Crack the ice rather than crushing it fine, so it chills the drink without watering it down too quickly. The maraschino cherry the recipe calls for suits the fruity style.