ADC102 Craft Cocktail Edition

By Alixandra Rutnik on Apr 05, 2023

What the ADC102 jury is drinking after hours

When you think of going out in New York City, what cocktail immediately pops into your mind? For me it’s a Cosmopolitan– curated, coined, and consumed by Sex and the City’s Carrie Bradshaw. I’ve put my own twist on it over the years: Deep Eddy’s Lemon Vodka, Grand Marnier, RIPE Craft Cranberry Juice, and the juice of both lemon and lime. It’s pretty and pink and it tastes delicious.

And while we’re on the topic of craft cocktails, the ADC Jury (filled with esteemed global designers) was just here in New York City awarding Cubes for the highest level of craft in design for the ADC 102nd Annual Awards. In between judging the work, we had to ask, “What’s your favorite cocktail?” So next time you’re out on the town or hosting a cocktail party of your own, take a page from this designer-approved cocktail (and mocktail) collection.

If you're curious to read more about what the ADC Jury had to say during their judging process, check out these three articles: From the Jury Room: ADC’s Packaging/Product Design; Publication Design; and Brand/Communication Design.

Karen Costello
Creative Chair at Deutsch LA

"A delicious Mojito. I love fresh crushed mint."

Hector Fernandez
CEO at VMLY&R Mexico

"Tequila straight up. Elvelo Reposado is my brand. Or a Mango Margarita."

Marques Gartrell
Global ECD, McDonald's at Wieden+Kennedy

"An Old Fashioned. It’s delicious, classic, and strong."

Guido Heffels
Co-Founder & Chief Creative at Heimat

"Vodka on the rocks."

Anshumani Khanna
Creative Director at BBDO New York

"Paloma and a Blood Orange Margarita."

Emma Robbins
National Executive Creative Director at M7C Saatchi Australia

"A Chili Margarita with a chili salted rim."

Hanna Wittmark
Creative Director at Goodby Silverstein & Partners

"Spicy Margarita. No, a Spicy Skinny Margarita."

Ilana Addis
Associate Creative Director at Chase Design Group

"Naked & Famous. The first time I had it was at Zhou Zhou’s in Hudson Yards and it became my new favorite cocktail. It's equal parts mezcal, yellow Chartreuse, Aperol, and lime juice. It’s weirdly sweet and sour and you don't really get the smokiness, so it’s a good intro into mezcal drink."

Steve Cozzolino
Principal at Cozzolino Studio

"Negroni with Hendrick's Gin."

Jiaru Lin
3D Global, Senior Packaging Designer at Tom Ford Beauty

"Margarita."

Abraham Lule
Graphic Designer at Work by Lule

"After having a Negroni at Bar Pisellino in Greenwich Village is when I deemed it my favorite cocktail. I have a friend who designed their branding and he told me what Pisellino really means in Italian..."

Raule Napier
Founder & Artisitc Director at Maison Napier

"Paper Plane, Mezcal Negroni, and then Naked & Famous."

Jordan Nollman
CEO & Principal at Sprout Studios

"I’m a seasonal cocktail drinker. Manhattan in the winter. Margarita in the summer."

Matt Sia
Creative Director at Pearlfisher New York

"Old Fashioned from Death & Co in the East Village. I wanted to find the strongest drink that wasn’t just Bourbon or Rye by itself."

Kasi Turpin
Designer & Illustrator at Lady Luck NYC

"Mezcal Negroni. It’s the perfect nightcap."

Andy Baron
Executive Creative Director at Turner Duckworth

"A Ferrari. Equal parts Fernet and Campari. Fernet is a digestif that tastes a bit like black licorice. I spent years drinking fernet neat and then I realized I could mix it with things."

Luke Hayman – Jury Chair
Partner at Pentagram

"Gin and Tonic."

Benoit Berger
Creative Director at Bureau Berger

"Gin and Tonic."

Jenny Carrow
Associate Art Director at Alfred A. Knopf

"Gin and Tonic. I found out it was my grandfather's favorite– so it’s in the blood."

Ben Denzer
Independent Artist, Deisgner, Publisher

"Espresso Martini. I had no idea it existed before my friend’s wedding. I like lattes because of the foam, so it's the perfect mix of foaminess and alcohol."

Kristin Fitzpatrick
Design Director at Town & Country Magazine

"Red wine."

Jennifer Heuer
Art Director at Penguin Random House

"Just straight Whiskey."

Dennis Huynh
Director of Product Design, Editorial at GoodRx

"I would say a Gin and Tonic. It's very classic and refreshing for summer. You can easily get it at any dive bar and it'll be fine. But you can also get the high end version of it, which is obviously going to be delicious."

Justin Long
Design Director at Vanity Fair

"Throughout history, it’s an Old Fashioned. Now, it’s a Gin Martini. Fun fact: I think bitters were originally used to keep people from getting scurvy way back in the day. And now we put them in our cocktails."

Keir Novesky
Design Director, GQ at Condé Nast

"Gin and Tonic and a Vesper."

Anne Twomey
VP, Creative Director at Celadon Books

"I like Ginger Beer with lime juice and club soda. Before that it was a Dark & Stormy."

Victor Williams
Digital Design Director at TIME

"Dark Scotch."

Tosh Hall
Global Chief Creative Officer at Jones Knowles Ritchie

"Martini. Vodka. Olives. Extra dry. Not too much Vermouth. I started drinking them in college because we wanted to be sophisticated and get drunk. We tried a martini and said, “ugh this is gross. I’m going to try another.” And now 25 years later it's my favorite drink."

Lubna Abu-Osba
Director of Brand Management & Visual Design at Ricoh N. America

"I'm really about garnishes. So I want olives, celery, and bacon in my Bloody Mary. I want cucumber and mint in my Pimm's Cup. I want three olives in my Martini. And I want three cherries in my Old Fashioned."

Flora Chan
Head of Design at REDSCOUT

"I really started getting into all the nonalcoholic “liquors.” I enjoy this one called Ghia. I don’t like the taste of the Seedlip ones. Kin is funny because all my designer friends and I joke that we don’t ever see people drinking it, but we see it everywhere."

Ben Crick
Design Team at Apple

"I like a Gin Martini and I like it dirty. That’s a recent thing, before that it was a Negroni."

Veronica Fuerte
Founder & Creative Director at Hey

"Mezcal Margarita."

Courtney Gooch
Partner at Portrait

"Dirty Gin Martini. I’ve been fantasizing about them since I’ve been pregnant."

Masaki Hanahara
Creative Director at SOAR NY

"I love a Margarita from Mexico."

Rachael Hardy
Head of Creative at 19th & Park

"It depends on where I'm at. I do a French 75 with Cognac or The Last Word. I kept the last word from a guy I was dating. Anytime I go out, I can do the last word and just hold on to it. "

Kendall Henderson
Design Director – Graphic Design at Please Respect Our Neighbors

"My favorite drink is a Paper Plane. An old friend from high school introduced it to me."

Hjalti Karlsson
Co-Founder and Chief Creative at Karlssonwilker Inc.

"A cold Moscow Mule."

Beatriz Lozano
Design Director

"My go to is an Old Fashioned."

Toby Ng
Founder & Creative Director at Toby Ng Design

"Old Fashioned for me. It was introduced to me by another designer."

Lulu Raghavan
Managing Director at Landor & Fitch India

"I’m really into Gin now. All different gin cocktails. Gin on the rocks with soda and a sprig of rosemary which gives it a little bit of flavor. I love all the flavored gins."

Michael Wilk
Global Head of Art at Serviceplan Group

"Anything Gin or Vodka is totally fine."

Joshua Clark
Senior Creative Directoir at Pepsi

"Old Fashioned. It reminds me of the old New York City jazz scene and all the smoky, dimly lit jazz clubs."

Jesus "Chui" Diaz
Associate Creative Director at Disney

"Cuba Libre with Diet Coke. Then my second favorite cocktail is a Michelada– Mexican beer poured into a glass of ice with a salted rim, a shot of tequila, and bloody marry mix."