Having been asked to recommend a vodka drink for a newcomer to mixology (see Comments on the Introduction thread), I've spent the last couple of days reacquainting myself with Russia's fine contribution to the world's selection of libations.
While I'm by no means a vodka connoisseur (I never drink it straight, and have never compared vodka martini's made with different brands to determine which most suits my palate), the near flavorlessness of vodka makes it the perfect neutral canvas from which to start any cocktail (or infusion). The primary contribution of vodka to a drink is in texture (and, of course alcohol), and for this reason it's important to keep vodka in the freezer so that it takes on its characteristic viscosity.
In searching for a good, straightforward, and not too sweet recommendation for a first-time vodka cocktail, I was shocked to be unable to find any kind of vodka Collins (there are Collins' made with gin, rum, various whiskeys, and so on). So I invented one, which in keeping with the Collins naming tradition I've decided to call the Vladimir Collins. This is definately the drink I would recommend if you're looking for a vodka cocktail that's not too sweet, or fruity.
I was also inspired to create another excellent vodka-based cocktail last night, when my lovely wife (see her blog here) requested that I use some of the blood oranges we've had sitting around for the last few days to make something to go with our dinner. The result is based loosely on the Bay Breeze, and so I've called it the Mediterranean Breeze. Both are essentially fruit-juice drinks spiked with vodka (in the manner of a Screwdriver or Grayhound).
Another favorite is the French Martini, and fortunately it's a drink that some bartenders actually know how to make, so it's one of the few of my favorites that I can actually have when I'm out. If you're not familiar with Chambord, it's a raspberry flavored liqueur, and it complements the pineapple juice in the french martini perfectly.
Finally, I have to admit that the near-ubiquitous Cosmopolitan thoroughly deserves its considerable popularity...but I much prefer the tart, citrus-y Original Cosmopolitan to the cranberry-laden version that everyone seems to drink these days. To my mind, a cosmo should be blush, not red. A similar drink is the Lemon Drop, which essentially substitutes the Cosmo's lemon for lime, and orange for cranberry.
__________________________________________________________
Vladimir Collins
Based on the tried and true combination of citrus, simple syrup or sugar, and club soda that characterizes all of the Collins', the use of vodka in the Vlad Collins lets these simple flavors stand on their own, which they do admirably. While the garnishes can be ommited if you don't have them, the slight perfume of lemon and maraschino subtly adds another layer of flavor to the drink.
Shake the following over ice:
2 oz. vodka
1 oz. lime juice
1/2 oz. simple syrup
Prepare a Collins or highball glass by half filling it with ice, and adding the following garnishes:
1 maraschino cherry
1 lemon slice
Pour the shaken ingredients into the glass, and top with:
3 oz. club soda
Stir
Bay Breeze
Not to be confused with the rum version, which basically just has the opposite proportions of cranberry and pineapple juice.
Pour the following into a highball glass filled with ice:
1 1/2 oz. vodka
1 oz. cranberry juice
4 oz. pineapple juice
Mediterranean Breeze
A blood orange-based modification of the Bay Breeze.
Pour the following into a lowball glass filled with ice:
2 oz. vodka
2-3 oz. blood orange juice
1 oz. pineapple juice
French Martini
A true classic.
Shake the following over ice, and serve in a cocktail glass:
1 1/2 oz. vodka
1/2 oz. Chambord
1 oz. pineapple juice
Optional garnish:
Lemon twist
Original Cosmopolitan
Even if you don't think you like Cosmo's, this is worth a try. It's very different from what you probably had before.
Shake the following over ice, and serve in a cocktail glass:
1 1/2 oz. vodka or citron vodka
1 1/2 oz. Cointreau
1 oz. fresh lime juice
1 to 2 dashes cranberry juice (and no more!)
Optional garnish:
Lemon twist
Lemon Drop
Coat the bottom of a bowl or other dish with superfine sugar. Rub a lemon wedge around the rim of the glass, and rub the rim of the glass in the sugar. Shake off any excess sugar on the rim of the glass.
Shake the following over ice, and pour into the prepared glass:
1 1/2 oz. vodka or lemon-flavoured vodka
1 oz. Grand Marnier (or Cointreau)
1 1/2 oz. fresh lemon juice
1/2 oz. orange juice
Optional garnish:
Lemon twist
__________________________________________________________
So what the heck is this lemon twist thing?
It's simple--just a strip of lemon peel that you twist over the glass (so the oils that spray out of the peel when it's twisted coat the top of the drink), gently rub around the rim of the glass, and drop in. It provides a faint lemon perfume to the drink.
Saturday, January 13, 2007
Thursday, January 11, 2007
Tools of the Trade: Part 1, The Basics
Having just unpacked a brand-new 10 piece bar set from HomeWetBar (ok, most of their stuff is incredibly cheesy...this particular set happened to be a cheap way to get a boston shaker and an ice bucket), now seems like a perfect time to start discussing bar tools; that is, what they're called, what they're for, and which ones you actually need. There's too many to try and list in one post, so I'll just cover the basics for now and come back to the others later.
If you need to pick up some tools, I would highly recommend www.barproducts.com. If you can get past the absolutely awful website design (black background, neon text), everything I've ordered from them has been of reasonable quality and is incredibly cheap. At $1.95 for a jigger that costs $8 at a store, it's worth paying the shipping fees to order a few things. Also, for those of you who are in New York, the upstairs portion of Zabars has most of what you'll need at reasonable prices.
Jiggers
The jigger is an indispensable member of your home bar. The classic double-jigger allows you to measure your drinks quickly and efficiently. They typically have a 1 1/2 oz. jig and a 1 oz. pony, you can get them in a variety of sizes. I use two jiggers myself--one with a 1 1/2 oz jig and a 3/4 oz. pony and the other with a 1 oz. jig and a 1/2 oz. pony. This means I can measure anything from 1/2 oz. to 3 oz. with no more than 2 pours. Jiggers frequently come with a handle--though I can't for the life of me figure out why...my impression is the handle would just get in the way.
"What's wrong with my shotglass," you ask? Well, nothing, really. But a metal double-jigger does have a couple of advantages. First, shotglasses frequently aren't an exact measurement, and even when they are they only provide one measure rather than two. True, some shotglasses are really glass jiggers, with lines demarking two or three different measurements (I have one with 1/2, 1, and 1 1/2 oz. measures), but once you've used a double-jigger you'll realize that it's actually much simpler to pour to the top of a receptacle than it is to pour to a drawn line.
I don't mind admitting that, particularly if someone's watching you, the sexiest way to pour is to hold the jigger over the glass (or shaker), pour until the liquid almost reaches the top of the jigger, then dump the contents of the jigger at the same time as you let a little more liquor pour from the bottle into the glass. If you watch those few bartenders who actually measure their drinks, you'll see this in action.
Cocktail Shaker
You can not mix most drinks without a shaker, although the Boston shaker is a worthy alternative. While some drinks are stirred rather than shaken, you can't have any kind of home bar without a shaker of some sort. The classic 3-part shaker is convenient with its built-in strainer, although the parts of poorly designed ones sometimes get stuck together (I once owned one that frequently required pliers to remove the lid). I would also recommend a very small, single-drink size, shaker that saves on ice and cleaning when you're just making one drink (three large ice cubes suffice).
Boston Shaker
Consisting of a metal cup and a mixing glass that fit together to produce a watertight mixer, the Boston shaker is the mainstay of bartenders the world round. Although it 'requires' the addition of a hawthorn or julep strainer to keep the ice out of your drink (though a practiced bartender can easily just crack the seal enough to pour the drink and not the ice), it is easier to clean than the standard shaker. The mixing glass portion is also useful for making drinks that should be stirred, not shaken (whatever Bond, James Bond may have had to say to the contrary, most gin drinks should be stirred to avoid bruising the gin).
Hawthorn Strainer
The spring coil (it can be removed for cleaning) allows hawthorn strainers to fit a wide variety of mixing glasses, which is their main advantage over julep strainers (which serve the same purpose, so I won't discuss them). They come with between zero and four 'tabs'--I can't work out what the tabs are for, so I think the difference is simply asthetic. I'd highly recommend getting one of these, if only because it makes you look like a pro when you use one to pour a drink.
Citrus Juicer
These come in handheld, countertop, and electric varieties, and in so many shapes there's little point in my showing you a picture. As long as you realize you need some kind of efficient means of juicing lemons and limes, you're good. The electric ones are useful if you're making drinks for a large number of guests (though you can get by without), and I suspect the handheld ones tend to be more sweat and blood than they're worth.
If you need to pick up some tools, I would highly recommend www.barproducts.com. If you can get past the absolutely awful website design (black background, neon text), everything I've ordered from them has been of reasonable quality and is incredibly cheap. At $1.95 for a jigger that costs $8 at a store, it's worth paying the shipping fees to order a few things. Also, for those of you who are in New York, the upstairs portion of Zabars has most of what you'll need at reasonable prices.
Jiggers
The jigger is an indispensable member of your home bar. The classic double-jigger allows you to measure your drinks quickly and efficiently. They typically have a 1 1/2 oz. jig and a 1 oz. pony, you can get them in a variety of sizes. I use two jiggers myself--one with a 1 1/2 oz jig and a 3/4 oz. pony and the other with a 1 oz. jig and a 1/2 oz. pony. This means I can measure anything from 1/2 oz. to 3 oz. with no more than 2 pours. Jiggers frequently come with a handle--though I can't for the life of me figure out why...my impression is the handle would just get in the way."What's wrong with my shotglass," you ask? Well, nothing, really. But a metal double-jigger does have a couple of advantages. First, shotglasses frequently aren't an exact measurement, and even when they are they only provide one measure rather than two. True, some shotglasses are really glass jiggers, with lines demarking two or three different measurements (I have one with 1/2, 1, and 1 1/2 oz. measures), but once you've used a double-jigger you'll realize that it's actually much simpler to pour to the top of a receptacle than it is to pour to a drawn line.
I don't mind admitting that, particularly if someone's watching you, the sexiest way to pour is to hold the jigger over the glass (or shaker), pour until the liquid almost reaches the top of the jigger, then dump the contents of the jigger at the same time as you let a little more liquor pour from the bottle into the glass. If you watch those few bartenders who actually measure their drinks, you'll see this in action.
Cocktail Shaker
You can not mix most drinks without a shaker, although the Boston shaker is a worthy alternative. While some drinks are stirred rather than shaken, you can't have any kind of home bar without a shaker of some sort. The classic 3-part shaker is convenient with its built-in strainer, although the parts of poorly designed ones sometimes get stuck together (I once owned one that frequently required pliers to remove the lid). I would also recommend a very small, single-drink size, shaker that saves on ice and cleaning when you're just making one drink (three large ice cubes suffice).Boston Shaker
Consisting of a metal cup and a mixing glass that fit together to produce a watertight mixer, the Boston shaker is the mainstay of bartenders the world round. Although it 'requires' the addition of a hawthorn or julep strainer to keep the ice out of your drink (though a practiced bartender can easily just crack the seal enough to pour the drink and not the ice), it is easier to clean than the standard shaker. The mixing glass portion is also useful for making drinks that should be stirred, not shaken (whatever Bond, James Bond may have had to say to the contrary, most gin drinks should be stirred to avoid bruising the gin).Hawthorn Strainer
The spring coil (it can be removed for cleaning) allows hawthorn strainers to fit a wide variety of mixing glasses, which is their main advantage over julep strainers (which serve the same purpose, so I won't discuss them). They come with between zero and four 'tabs'--I can't work out what the tabs are for, so I think the difference is simply asthetic. I'd highly recommend getting one of these, if only because it makes you look like a pro when you use one to pour a drink.Citrus Juicer
These come in handheld, countertop, and electric varieties, and in so many shapes there's little point in my showing you a picture. As long as you realize you need some kind of efficient means of juicing lemons and limes, you're good. The electric ones are useful if you're making drinks for a large number of guests (though you can get by without), and I suspect the handheld ones tend to be more sweat and blood than they're worth.
Wednesday, January 10, 2007
Mixology 101
Before getting any further into this mixological adventure I hope you'll follow me on, you should be warned that there are some ground rules.
Almost certainly, many an exploratory cocktail excursion has ended with the words "that's disgusting!" and a returned, or poured out, drink. Indeed, most of the times I've ordered a drink that doesn't have the ingredients in the title (e.g., rum and coke, gin and tonic) at a bar, the result doesn't even approach the quality I can achieve at home.
Why?
The answer is deceptively simple, and yet nearly impossible to achieve at your average bar.
The three most important rules when making a cocktail are:
1) Measure your ingredients.
Seriously. Knowing the ingredients of a drink may be a moiety of the knowledge required to make the drink, but it's incredibly easy to botch a drink entirely if you don't know the proportions. While it's true that the proportions of most drinks that consist only of a base and a modifier (i.e., any drink that consists of a liquor and a single mixer) are eminently fudgeable, more complicated drinks can be utterly destroyed by misproportioning.
A perfect example is the Churchill Downs Cooler, a refreshing race track classic that--even when given the exact proportions--most bartenders have proven totally incapable of reproducing. Why? They don't measure the ingredients. No matter how good you are, it's incredibly difficult to free pour a half ounce of anything, and more than that amount of triple sec will turn pretty much any drink into a sickly-sweet mess of fake-tasting orange flavour. So unless you're experimenting with proportions on a new cocktail of your own making (and even then you should measure so you know what you did!), stick to the recipe.
2) Use fresh citrus juices.
At least for lemon and lime. And at least for your first time trying a drink. I can't adequately express my horror when I ask at a bar if they have lime juice (and am answered in the affirmative), and end up with lime cordial or Rose's lime juice instead.
If you can get your hands on an unsweetened bottled lemon or lime juice, you might be able to get away with that, but I haven't bothered trying myself. It's well worth juicing a half or full lemon or lime to get the 1/2 or 1 oz. of juice many recipes call for. Orange, cranberry, pineapple, and grapefruit juices are usually fine out of a tetra pak, but you just can't beat a freshly squeezed lemon or lime. So before you decide that the Gina I recommended you try in my last post is lousy, make it with a fresh lemon.
3) Use plenty of ice.
Cocktails must be cold. This is something that bars don't get wrong, but I frequently see people at home trying to fudge it. Unless you're drinking red wine, or brandy, single malt, or other fine liquor neat, a drink needs to be cold. In addition, cocktails that call for shaking (which is most of them) rely on the ice shards that end up in the drink after being vigorously shaken with ice.
So when you're shaking a drink, fill your shaker with ice (yes, to the top, or at least very nearly), and pour all of the ingredients over the ice. Then shake your shaker vigorously until it becomes almost too cold to hold (or just the metal half if you're using a Boston shaker). Water should condense on the outside surface of the shaker before you're done.
__________________________________________________________
A perfect illustration of these principles occurred when I attempted to order an Acapulco at a Lower East Side bar last month. This drink had become a favorite at home during a time when all I had at home was a full bottle of Bacardi Superior (an inexpensive light rum) and a quarter bottle of Cointreau. I foolishly tried to get an average Manhattan bartender to make it for me....
After getting the bartenders attention, I gave her an inquisitive look and motioned for her to come closer. "Do you have simple syrup?" I asked.
"What?" she replied. I should've known to go with something simple right then, but foolishly I ventured on.
"Simple syrup," I said, louder.
"No."
"Sugar, then?"
"Oh, yes."
"Lime juice?"
"Of course."
So, having ascertained that they had approximately the ingredients I required, I went on to describe how to make the drink.
The result was the single most disgusting thing I've ever paid any fraction of $11 for. And as you can probably guess, I paid all of $11 for it.
Why was it so awful? The bartender in question violated every one of the above rules. The lime juice they "of course" had was in fact lime cordial, she didn't measure any of it (in particular the sugar--the result was sickeningly sweet), and when she handed me the drink it wasn't nearly cold enough.
So the lesson? Stick to the recipe, shake well, use the correct ingredients (admittedly, I was responsible for the use of sugar in place of simple syrup), and...
...don't try to order complicated drinks at a bar.
__________________________________________________________
Churchill Downs Cooler
A race track classic, the recipe I have seems to be totally different from the most common one seen online (which involves crème de banane and pineapple juice). I haven't tried the other version, but the recipe I present here will appeal to anyone who enjoys a refreshing, carbonated drink of any sort.
Pour into a highball glass filled with ice:
1 1/2 oz. Kentucky bourbon
1 oz. brandy
1/2 oz. triple sec (or Cointreau)
4 oz. ginger ale
Stir.
Acapulco
Given the name and the ingredients of this drink, I'm assuming this is one of the many cocktails invented in the Caribbean to make rum more palatable.
Shake the following over ice, and pour into a cocktail glass:
1 1/2 oz. light rum
1/2 oz. Cointreau
1/2 oz. lime juice
1/2 oz. simple syrup
Optional (either, or both):
Include 1 egg white with the above
Garnish with a fresh mint sprig
__________________________________________________________
So what the hell is simple syrup?
Simple syrup is called for in quite a few cocktail recipes. It's incredibly simple (and cheap!) to make, and it's used in place of sugar in many drinks because it mixes better. I would highly recommend saving the next liquor bottle you finish off, making a batch of simple syrup, and pouring it in. Just keep it in your fridge, and it'll easily last for at least a month.
In a small saucepan, bring to boil:
1 cup water
Remove from heat, and add:
2 cups sugar
Stir until sugar is totally dissolved
Let sit until room temperature
Refrigerate
Almost certainly, many an exploratory cocktail excursion has ended with the words "that's disgusting!" and a returned, or poured out, drink. Indeed, most of the times I've ordered a drink that doesn't have the ingredients in the title (e.g., rum and coke, gin and tonic) at a bar, the result doesn't even approach the quality I can achieve at home.
Why?
The answer is deceptively simple, and yet nearly impossible to achieve at your average bar.
The three most important rules when making a cocktail are:
1) Measure your ingredients.
Seriously. Knowing the ingredients of a drink may be a moiety of the knowledge required to make the drink, but it's incredibly easy to botch a drink entirely if you don't know the proportions. While it's true that the proportions of most drinks that consist only of a base and a modifier (i.e., any drink that consists of a liquor and a single mixer) are eminently fudgeable, more complicated drinks can be utterly destroyed by misproportioning.
A perfect example is the Churchill Downs Cooler, a refreshing race track classic that--even when given the exact proportions--most bartenders have proven totally incapable of reproducing. Why? They don't measure the ingredients. No matter how good you are, it's incredibly difficult to free pour a half ounce of anything, and more than that amount of triple sec will turn pretty much any drink into a sickly-sweet mess of fake-tasting orange flavour. So unless you're experimenting with proportions on a new cocktail of your own making (and even then you should measure so you know what you did!), stick to the recipe.
2) Use fresh citrus juices.
At least for lemon and lime. And at least for your first time trying a drink. I can't adequately express my horror when I ask at a bar if they have lime juice (and am answered in the affirmative), and end up with lime cordial or Rose's lime juice instead.
If you can get your hands on an unsweetened bottled lemon or lime juice, you might be able to get away with that, but I haven't bothered trying myself. It's well worth juicing a half or full lemon or lime to get the 1/2 or 1 oz. of juice many recipes call for. Orange, cranberry, pineapple, and grapefruit juices are usually fine out of a tetra pak, but you just can't beat a freshly squeezed lemon or lime. So before you decide that the Gina I recommended you try in my last post is lousy, make it with a fresh lemon.
3) Use plenty of ice.
Cocktails must be cold. This is something that bars don't get wrong, but I frequently see people at home trying to fudge it. Unless you're drinking red wine, or brandy, single malt, or other fine liquor neat, a drink needs to be cold. In addition, cocktails that call for shaking (which is most of them) rely on the ice shards that end up in the drink after being vigorously shaken with ice.
So when you're shaking a drink, fill your shaker with ice (yes, to the top, or at least very nearly), and pour all of the ingredients over the ice. Then shake your shaker vigorously until it becomes almost too cold to hold (or just the metal half if you're using a Boston shaker). Water should condense on the outside surface of the shaker before you're done.
__________________________________________________________
A perfect illustration of these principles occurred when I attempted to order an Acapulco at a Lower East Side bar last month. This drink had become a favorite at home during a time when all I had at home was a full bottle of Bacardi Superior (an inexpensive light rum) and a quarter bottle of Cointreau. I foolishly tried to get an average Manhattan bartender to make it for me....
After getting the bartenders attention, I gave her an inquisitive look and motioned for her to come closer. "Do you have simple syrup?" I asked.
"What?" she replied. I should've known to go with something simple right then, but foolishly I ventured on.
"Simple syrup," I said, louder.
"No."
"Sugar, then?"
"Oh, yes."
"Lime juice?"
"Of course."
So, having ascertained that they had approximately the ingredients I required, I went on to describe how to make the drink.
The result was the single most disgusting thing I've ever paid any fraction of $11 for. And as you can probably guess, I paid all of $11 for it.
Why was it so awful? The bartender in question violated every one of the above rules. The lime juice they "of course" had was in fact lime cordial, she didn't measure any of it (in particular the sugar--the result was sickeningly sweet), and when she handed me the drink it wasn't nearly cold enough.
So the lesson? Stick to the recipe, shake well, use the correct ingredients (admittedly, I was responsible for the use of sugar in place of simple syrup), and...
...don't try to order complicated drinks at a bar.
__________________________________________________________
Churchill Downs Cooler
A race track classic, the recipe I have seems to be totally different from the most common one seen online (which involves crème de banane and pineapple juice). I haven't tried the other version, but the recipe I present here will appeal to anyone who enjoys a refreshing, carbonated drink of any sort.
Pour into a highball glass filled with ice:
1 1/2 oz. Kentucky bourbon
1 oz. brandy
1/2 oz. triple sec (or Cointreau)
4 oz. ginger ale
Stir.
Acapulco
Given the name and the ingredients of this drink, I'm assuming this is one of the many cocktails invented in the Caribbean to make rum more palatable.
Shake the following over ice, and pour into a cocktail glass:
1 1/2 oz. light rum
1/2 oz. Cointreau
1/2 oz. lime juice
1/2 oz. simple syrup
Optional (either, or both):
Include 1 egg white with the above
Garnish with a fresh mint sprig
__________________________________________________________
So what the hell is simple syrup?
Simple syrup is called for in quite a few cocktail recipes. It's incredibly simple (and cheap!) to make, and it's used in place of sugar in many drinks because it mixes better. I would highly recommend saving the next liquor bottle you finish off, making a batch of simple syrup, and pouring it in. Just keep it in your fridge, and it'll easily last for at least a month.
In a small saucepan, bring to boil:
1 cup water
Remove from heat, and add:
2 cups sugar
Stir until sugar is totally dissolved
Let sit until room temperature
Refrigerate
Tuesday, January 9, 2007
An Introduction
...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.
__________________________________________________________
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.
__________________________________________________________
*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.
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.
__________________________________________________________
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.
__________________________________________________________
*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.
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