...for me, to blogging. For you, to drinking. Well...to my drinking, anyway.
Don't worry, this is not to be a forum for the self-indulgent retelling of my most recent exploits at the bar. Nor is it to be a set of elitist reviews of wines and liquors you can't possibly afford, and may not even appreciate.
Rather, my aim is to garner interest in the reemerging art of mixology. There is no beverage I enjoy more than a well-made cocktail, and it has frequently struck me that even the most avid drinkers of my generation (bartenders included!) typically lack even the most rudimentary cocktailing skills.
Nonetheless, I feel a mixological renaissance coming, as evinced by the existence of publications such as Imbibe, and the occasionally superlative cocktail menu you might find at a bar or restaurant (such as New York's Temple Bar or my hometown's Chambar), and so I feel duty-bound to promulgate mixological know-how* to this nascent cohort of cocktail aficionados.
So, set aside your gin and tonic and pick up a Gina. Put down your vodka martini and try a White Spider. Add an ounce of amaretto to your scotch on the rocks, and make it a Godfather.
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Gina
A variation on (and, in my humble opinion, an unqualified improvement on) the classic Prohibition highball, the Gin Fizz.
Shake the following over ice:
2 oz. gin
1 oz. lemon juice
1/2 oz. crème de cassis
1 teaspoon sugar
Pour the above into a highball glass half filled with ice. Then add:
2-3 oz. club soda
Stir.
White Spider
Essentially a vodka martini, but with peppermint schnapps or crème de menthe in place of the usual vermouth.
Shake the following over ice:
2 oz. vodka
3/4 oz. peppermint schnapps (or white crème de menthe)
Pour into a chilled cocktail glass, or a lowball glass half filled with crushed ice.
Garnish with a mint sprig.
Godfather
A new personal favourite, amaretto adds the perfect compliment to your mid-range whiskey.
Shake the following over ice:
2 oz. scotch or bourbon
1 oz. amaretto
Pour into a lowball glass half filled with ice.
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*As an academic, I must give credit where credit is due. I would be almost hopelessly in the dark when it comes to cocktails were it not for:
Hellmich, Mittie (2006). Ultimate Bar Book: The Comprehensive Guide to Over 1,000 Cocktails. Chronicle Books: San Francisco.
4 comments:
welcome to the blogosphere! maybe i can TRY to make a fancy drink. It will take a lot to wrench me away from beer and wine however.
Do, do.... For a first foray, pick a drink that relies on a base liquor you know you like, and doesn't have too many other ingredients. Make sure you follow the recipe closely though (see Mixology 101!), or you're liable to end up with something awful. If you want, name a liquor and I'll recommend something simple.
Think you got something simple for vodka? As i usually end up drinking it pure or with something like 7up/sprite..(then again, at that moment you don't really care)
Alright, I'll give you a good vodka drink in an upcoming post...watch for it. I can't stomach the stuff neat myself, you've a stronger stomach than I....
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