I arrived at PDT, a beloved speakeasy-style bar in New York's East Village, by walking into an old phone booth at the hot dog specialist Crif Dogs and lifting the handset. A fake wall of the booth opened and I was ushered into PDT itself, all cozy with dark wood and a glowy back bar. It's a place for serious drinkers, and I had on my game face. I was there to present my own house cocktail, and to have it recreated, broken down, and critiqued by a master—Jim Meehan, who runs PDT (it stands for Please Don’t Tell) and is the author of the excellent PDT Cocktail Book.

As an amateur in this arena, I was apprehensive. Would my creation pass muster? Would I be laughed out of the joint? I took a seat at the bar and nervously handed Jim a plastic bottle containing my one homemade ingredient. He tried to pour from its spout... which was broken. Things were not off to a good start.

The first thing Jim wanted me to know—after we'd set up, started mixing, and had an initial sampling—was that my house cocktail would never make the PDT menu.

Understood.

Of course, I had no such expectations. PDT, for all its many charms, does not have a cocktail list known for accessibility. Few drinks have fewer than five ingredients, which often range to items like Batavia arrack and orange marmalade.

But this was exactly the point. After more samplings, Jim said, “It’s a smart cocktail because if your guests want to recreate it, they can source these ingredients.”

So far, so good.

Before I get to further thoughts from Jim, a detour to define the house cocktail.

House Cocktail (n): An original drink, created by the home owner/renter/subletter/squatter that serves as the default beverage option for imbibing guests.

A house cocktail is by no means an essential invention. No visitor would fault a host for offering beer or wine or [fill-in-the-booze]-on-the-rocks or a simple mixed drink like, say, a Manhattan or gin-and-tonic. Indeed, some might prefer it. Simple choices make things easier all around.

And yet “Can I offer you my house cocktail?” is a question that elicits a deep-seated pleasure in host and guest alike, a delight in both creativity and ownership. The preferable response: “What’s in it?” And then: “You’ll have to wait and find out.” At this point, one hopes for a smile, a laugh, or even a quizzical-but-not-irritated look that says “I’m game.”

(Alternate reactions, of course, include “You have a house cocktail?” and “What’s a house cocktail?” The appropriate answers are “Yes, would you like one?” and “Read this piece I just wrote on house cocktails.”)

The house cocktail should be indicative of your tastes, yet appeal to a broad enough audience—and that should still leave a pretty wide berth. Ingredients I would deem unacceptable: egg whites (even if you carefully source those eggs, you don’t want to poison your guests, and if you do, there are certainly far more effective methods); overproof spirits (you don’t want your guests asking to curl up for a nap before dinner); marshmallow-, bubblegum- or cake-flavored vodka (no explanation should be necessary here).

The reason I was at PDT that afternoon was that it’s where my house cocktail, dubbed The Witty Comeback, was first conceived. One night, I was headed toward cocktail number three, and, feeling the need to slow down, I asked the bartender there for some advice. He offered, if it were to be my final drink of the evening, some amaro. I’d had the Italian liqueur before and wasn’t a fan: too syrupy, too sweet. But a thought occurred: What if we added some seltzer and lemon? The bartender was amenable and the result was perfect: light, bright, and refreshing, but with the dark, bitter tones that amaro provides.

I bought a bottle of Averna, a Sicilian amaro with a particularly brooding profile of bitter orange and herbs, and began to drink my concoction at home. A bottle of prosecco soon came into my possession. It was summer and I thought, Why not sub prosecco for the seltzer and kick up the alcohol content a bit? I had also been trying out some basic syrups at home and began to add a little ginger syrup to the mix. The result was delightful and, when served on the rocks, perfect for summer drinking.