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

November 3, 2026

Papa Was A Rodeo

By Frederic Yarm (@fredericyarm)

This cocktail was created by Frederic Yarm (@fredericyarm) in Somerville, Massachusetts, in 2024. After writing about the Water Line, he wanted to keep exploring the combination of Cynar and orange liqueur. He then paired it with the Cognac, mezcal, and Peychaud’s structure of the 1910 Cocktail. The name came from “Papa Was a Rodeo” by The Magnetic Fields, which happened to play while he was working on the drink. Cognac brings fruit and oak, mezcal adds smoke and earth, and the Cynar and curaçao meet in a bittersweet mix of herbs and orange.

CognacMezcalCynarCuraçao

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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✦

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GinVermouth

Nov 2, 2026Nikki Irvine

Espresso Martinez

This cocktail was created by Nikki Irvine (@a_nerd_who_makes_drinks) at The Paddock in Eugene, Oregon, in 2026. It takes the bones of a Martinez and pulls them into Espresso Martini territory. Old Tom gin, sweet vermouth, and maraschino retain the classic’s round, botanical character, while espresso and coffee liqueur bring a roasted edge. Angostura and Boker’s add warm spice.

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RumChartreuse

Nov 1, 2026Mike Yoshioka

No Words, I'm Drinking

This cocktail was created by Mike Yoshioka (@mmydrinks) around 2017 for the #wehavethelastword Instagram cocktail event. It keeps the Last Word’s easy-to-remember equal-parts structure but sends it in a tropical direction. Pineapple and banana bring a candy-like fruitiness, while Yellow Chartreuse provides the herbal backbone and lime keeps everything bright. The result lands somewhere between a Last Word riff and a boozy banana-pineapple popsicle. Make sure to use a quality rum and banana liqueur!

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RumRye Whiskey

Oct 31, 2026Grace Tsai

Apóstol

This cocktail was created by Grace Tsai (@grace_jiaying130324) at Bar 21 in Tainan, Taiwan, for the 2017 Bacardí Legacy competition, where it became one of two runners-up in the global final. Inspired by the Bacardí family story and Don Facundo Bacardí Massó’s perseverance, Tsai used burning cinnamon to represent war and hardship, while dark chocolate represented both the bitterness of hard work and the sweetness of eventual success. The drink is rich and spirit-forward, with aged rum and rye meeting the raisin-like depth of Pedro Ximénez and a warm layer of chocolate and cinnamon.

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Irish WhiskeyCampari

Oct 30, 2026Jillian Vose

Psycho Killer

This cocktail was created by Jillian Vose (@jillianvose) at The Dead Rabbit (@thedeadrabbitny) in New York City in 2014. I found the recipe through a few creators in Instagram. It began as Vose’s Irish whiskey variation on a Boulevardier, with the original calling for Redbreast 12. Cacao nib-infused Campari turns the familiar bitter orange profile toward dark chocolate, while banana and white crème de cacao give it the character of a boozy chocolate-banana nightcap. The absinthe stays mostly in the background, leaving a faint anise note on the finish.

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Irish WhiskeyCampari

Oct 29, 2026Zack “ZGR” Gelnaw-Rubin

Trap Door

This cocktail was created by Zack “ZGR” Gelnaw-Rubin at Attaboy (@attaboy134) in New York City in 2025. I found it through Frederic Yarm (@fredericyarm) at Cocktail Virgin, who discovered it in The Bartender’s Choice Volume 3 app. It is essentially an Irish whiskey Boulevardier, but blanc vermouth gives it a lighter, more floral profile than the usual sweet vermouth.

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