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Dushan Zaric head shot - Epicurious

Dushan Zaric

Cookbook Author

Dushan Zaric arrived in New York with a Degree from the University of Belgrade—which no one wanted to hear about. Desperate for work, he picked up anything he could find. After a stint as a doorman at a strip joint in Brooklyn, he landed a job behind the bar in Queens. There he learned the intricacies of mixing Woo-Woos and Kamikazes. Zaric soon found his passion for innovative cocktails, eventually working under the tutelage of the legendary Dale DeGroff at Pravda. Today, Zaric is one of the industry’s most celebrated advisors and mentors. His dedication and unpretentious approach to mixology is evident in everything he has done. And he has done a lot since opening celebrated Manhattan bar Employees Only.

In 2012, he was listed as one of Forbes Top 50 Tastemakers and co-founded The 86 Co. In 2014, he was awarded the Best Bar Mentor at Tales of the Cocktail. A notable author, entrepreneur and influencer, Dushan continues to serve the industry and inspire the new generation of bartenders. dushanzaric.com

Recipes & Menus

Gimlet

Once prescribed as a medicinal tonic to sailors in the British Royal Navy, this classic cocktail stands the test of time.
Recipes & Menus

Lime Cordial

Homemade lime cordial brightens everything from gimlets to N/A cocktails and beyond.
Recipes & Menus

Hemingway Daiquiri

They say that the Hemingway Daiquiri was invented for Ernest Hemingway in the La Floradita bar in Cuba. Whether the stories are true or false, no person in history can match Ernest Hemingway as an Olympian cocktail connoisseur.
Recipes & Menus

Rich Simple Syrup

Simple Syrup is the most basic sweetener used in cocktails, and as the name states, it's simple—made of just sugar and water.
Recipes & Menus

Jersey City Fish House Punch

This is one of our End of Prohibition party special punch recipes and it was adapted from the Philadelphia Fish House punch, which was a favorite of Generals Washington and Lafayette. We replaced the original cognac with our local Laird’s AppleJack and got something fantastic as a result. We use all seasonal fruits for this—a beautiful feature that also makes it extra tasty.
Recipes & Menus

Gin Punch

We found this recipe in Jerry Thomas's 1862 How to Mix Drinks or the Bon Vivant's Companion, in a recipe for a single serving. It called for Holland gin—or genever, as we know it today—and was probably a very popular drink. The back story is that when planning our first End of Prohibition party we were searching for punch recipes that could be served in teacups. So we started going through books and shot a few ideas back and forth until we found papa Jerry's recipe. We replaced the genever with Plymouth gin, and with a few more tweaks we got it perfect. The decorative ice block adds a great visual effect.