Anatomy of a Drink

Est. 2022

Anatomy professor by day.
Cocktail creator & photographer by night.

One cocktail · Every day

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Anatomy of a Drink✦One Cocktail Every Day✦Stirred✦Shaken✦Built✦Est. 2022✦Anatomy of a Drink✦Mezcal✦Calvados✦Rhum Agricole✦Japanese Whisky✦Tequila✦Bourbon✦Sherry✦Anatomy of a Drink✦One Cocktail Every Day✦Stirred✦Shaken✦Built✦Est. 2022✦Anatomy of a Drink✦Mezcal✦Calvados✦Rhum Agricole✦Japanese Whisky✦Tequila✦Bourbon✦Sherry✦

Daniel E. Zajic, Ph.D.

The Creator

Daniel E. Zajic

Ph.D. · Associate Professor of Health, Human Performance & Athletics

One cocktail, every day — where the science of flavor meets the craft of the bar.

Daniel teaches Human Anatomy & Physiology at Linfield University. A first-generation Czech-American and member of the LGBTQ+ community, he shares a new cocktail every day.

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Latest

September 27, 2026

Camisado

By Brandon Bramhall (@friendzelwashington)

This cocktail was created by Brandon Bramhall (@friendzelwashington) at Attaboy Nashville in 2021 and appears in The Madrusan Cocktail Companion. It is a clear riff on Alastair Walker’s Bad Date, retaining its bitter, herbal framework while swapping tequila blanco for mezcal and dry vermouth for the softer, slightly sweeter character of white vermouth. A grapefruit twist replaces the original lime, adding a broader citrus aroma that works especially well with the mezcal, gentian, and alpine herbs.

MezcalChartreuseVermouthAbsintheSuze

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Mezcal✦Calvados✦Rye Whiskey✦Tequila✦Rhum Agricole✦Bourbon✦Japanese Whisky✦Gin✦Scotch✦Rum✦Sherry✦Amaro✦Vermouth✦Cachaça✦Mezcal✦Calvados✦Rye Whiskey✦Tequila✦Rhum Agricole✦Bourbon✦Japanese Whisky✦Gin✦Scotch✦Rum✦Sherry✦Amaro✦Vermouth✦Cachaça✦

Recent

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TequilaVermouth

Sep 26, 2026

Bad Date

This cocktail was created by Alastair Walker (@alastairwalker) and appears in The Madrusan Cocktail Companion. It takes tequila in a distinctly alpine, bittersweet direction, with Yellow Chartreuse bringing honeyed herbs and Suze supplying an earthy gentian bite. A few dashes of absinthe add a dry anise edge, while the lime oils brighten the entire drink. Despite the name, this is one Bad Date worth repeating.

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Tequila

Sep 25, 2026Kevin Armstrong and Daniel Waddy

Mustang Margarita

This cocktail was created by Kevin Armstrong and Daniel Waddy at Street Feast’s Dinerama in London in 2018. It takes the Margarita in a softer, more perfumed direction, trading the usual orange liqueur and lime for bergamot, apricot, and lemon. Italicus supplies floral citrus and a gently bitter edge, while apricot rounds out the tequila without making the drink feel heavy. The result is bright, fragrant, and slightly softer than a classic Margarita, while still keeping the agave at the center. This one is definitely on the more tart end, but balanced nonetheless. Dinerama closed in 2020, but the drink has lived on through Armstrong and Waddy’s work with Satan’s Whiskers (@satans_whiskers), appearing on later guest menus around the world.

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Rye WhiskeyVermouth

Sep 24, 2026Vincenzo “Enzo” Errico

Red Hook

This cocktail was created by Italian bartender Vincenzo “Enzo” Errico (@vinc.enzo.errico) at Milk & Honey in New York City in 2003. Named after the Brooklyn neighborhood, it combines elements of the Manhattan and Brooklyn, pairing spicy rye with the dark fruit and assertive bitterness of Punt e Mes. Maraschino adds a subtle cherry-almond character and just enough sweetness to soften the edges. The Red Hook helped launch an entire generation of Manhattan and Brooklyn riffs named after New York neighborhoods, including the Greenpoint, Little Italy, Carroll Gardens, and Bushwick. More than two decades later, it remains one of the most enduring modern classics from the early cocktail revival.

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TequilaMezcal

Sep 23, 2026Miguel Buencamino

La Pistola

This cocktail was created by Miguel Buencamino (@holycityhandcraft) and is featured in his brand new book, Essential Cocktails: 85 Perfectly Crafted Recipes for Every Occasion. It is his agave twist on the modern classic Revolver cocktail, which uses bourbon. This one reminds of me of the Carajillo Old Fashioned version created by Jordan Hughes. What sets this one apart is the use of a blanco tequila, mezcal rinse, and that beautifully smoked salt.

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Rum

Sep 22, 2026Garret Richard

Tropical Itch

This cocktail was created by Harry Yee at the Hawaiian Village Hotel in Waikiki in 1957, and this version was reimagined by Garret Richard (@garretjrichard) for Tropical Standard, his 2023 book with Ben Schaffer. Pear liqueur and Barbancourt White give the mango a fragrant, fresh-sugarcane backbone, while cinnamon, falernum, and a trace of almond add layers of warm tropical spice. Lime and saline keep the ripe fruit bright and balanced. Originally garnished with a bamboo backscratcher that comes from Yee’s original presentation.

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