The Complete Cocktail Manual
Page 6
065 CRACK SOME BUBBLY
When using sparkling wine in cocktails, stick to something cheap and cheerful that you wouldn’t mind drinking on its own. Italian prosecco, French cremant, Spanish cava, or just plain old “sparkling wine” all work; choose something on the dry side whenever possible, especially in sweet drinks.
STEP ONE Remove the foil and, while pointing the cork toward the ceiling or other safe direction and keeping a hand or thumb on top, remove the wire cage by untwisting the loop at the bottom.
STEP TWO Place a kitchen towel or napkin over the cork and hold it with one hand, while you gently twist the bottle with your dominant hand. You should feel the cork start to move upward until you get a nice “pop.”
STEP THREE Pour into glasses, keeping the towel or napkin handy to catch drips. Then raise a toast!
066 KIR ROYALE
While crème de cassis (currant liqueur) is traditional in the kir royale, this recipe is also a great way to enjoy your collection of fruit liqueurs and crèmes.
½ oz crème de cassis
5 oz sparkling wine
Add the crème de cassis to a flute, then add the sparkling wine. Give it a gentle, quick stir with a barspoon, and serve.
067 THE MIGHTY MIMOSA
You can easily substitute most sweet citrus juices for the orange juice—who needs Bloody Marys for brunch when you can have Blood Orange Mimosas, instead?
2 oz orange juice
4 oz sparkling wine
Add the juice to a flute, then top with the sparkling wine.
068 GO ON THE SPRITZ
USBG | OREGON CHAPTER
KATE BOLTON
Bar Manager, Americano
Combining both sparkling and bitter flavors, spritzes (German for “sparkling” and “splash”) are traditionally a combination of sparkling wine, bitter liqueur, and sparkling water. The tradition is said to have been developed in the 1800s in the Italian state of Veneto, where foreigners—who were unaccustomed to the strength of the local wines—would ask for them diluted with a spritz of water.
069 BAYSIDE FOG
USBG | OREGON CHAPTER
KATE BOLTON
Bar Manager, Americano
The Bayside Fog is an homage to the local cranberries grown in foggy bogs along the coast of Oregon—accented with long pepper, one of Kate Bolton’s favorite flavors (like a fragrant black pepper). The tincture gives the drink a spicy pop.
1½ oz Aperol (or other aperitivo-style liqueur)
½ oz Clear Creek cranberry liqueur
2 teaspoons long pepper tincture (see item 035, use 25 grams finely ground long pepper)
3 oz seltzer water
Add the Aperol, cranberry liqueur, and tincture to a wine glass, then top with seltzer water. Give it a gentle, quick stir with a barspoon and garnish with an orange twist.
070 THE HUMMINGBIRD
USBG | OREGON CHAPTER
KATE BOLTON
Bar Manager, Americano
Named for the bright red nectar used in hummingbird feeders, this drink is a play on bitters and soda, enriched with vanilla and coffee. Cappelletti is less bitter than other Italian aperitivos, making for an elegant drink that won’t clip your wings.
1½ oz Cappelletti aperitivo
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 teaspoon coffee tincture (see item 035, use a 1:2 ratio of whole coffee beans to liquid)
3 oz seltzer water
Long lemon twist, made with channel knife (see item 256)
Add the Cappelletti, vanilla, and tincture to a rocks or old-fashioned glass, then top with seltzer water. Give it a gentle, quick stir with a barspoon and garnish with the lemon twist.
071 A MEADOW FOR EEYORE
USBG | OREGON CHAPTER
KATE BOLTON
Bar Manager, Americano
The woodsy flavors from the herbal vermouth, chamomile, and honey in this drink are so evocative of a lovely rolling meadow that it would brighten up even Pooh’s glum companion.
1½ oz Imbue Petal & Thorn vermouth
½ oz honey syrup (1:1)
1 teaspoon chamomile tincture (see item 035, use 25 grams dried chamomile flowers)
3 oz tonic water
Lime wheel
Seasonal edible flower or flowering herb sprig
Add the vermouth, honey syrup, and tincture to a rocks or old-fashioned glass, and top with tonic water. Give it a gentle, quick stir with a barspoon and garnish with the lime wheel and, for an extra flourish, a flower or sprig.
072 ANARANJADITO
USBG | MIAMI CHAPTER
MARTÍN TUMMINO
Bar Manager | Art Bar
Based on the classic Argentinean Coloradito (which means “reddish” in Spanish), this drink (which translates to “orange-ish”) is like an Americano but with dry vermouth and without seltzer, getting its signature hue from the lighter, Aperol-style aperitivo. This cocktail is meant to be enjoyed alongside a picada, the Argentinean assortment of cured meats, cheeses, olives, and other small bites.
2 oz dry vermouth
1 oz aperitivo (like Aperol)
1 lemon slice
Lemon peel
Combine vermouth, aperitivo, and lemon slice in a cocktail shaker with ice. Shake hard 8–10 seconds and pour into a rocks or old-fashioned glass. Express lemon swath over drink and drop the peel in the drink.
073 FRENCH 75
USBG | ORLANDO CHAPTER
PAUL JOHNSEN
USBG South Regional VP
Created around the first World War, this elegant drink was said to pack the wallop of a 75mm French artillery shell.
1½ oz gin
½ oz lemon juice
½ oz simple syrup (1:1)
3 dashes citrus bitters (such as Bittermen’s Boston Bittahs)
2 lemon peels
Brut sparkling wine
Combine spirit, lemon juice, aperitivo, and liqueur in a shaker with ice. Shake 8–10 seconds and strain into a cold coupe or flute. Top with sparkling wine. Express the grapefruit peel over the drink and drop the peel in the glass.
074 SUNSHINE SUPERMAN
USBG | DENVER CHAPTER
MATT COWAN
Cocktail Curator | La Cour
This drink is sunshine in a glass, perfect for summer barbecues. It also works in the dead of winter to warm you up from the inside—you’ll be visualizing those summer nights in no time.
1 oz mezcal or gin (your choice)
½ oz lemon juice
½ oz aperitivo (like Aperol)
½ oz grapefruit liqueur (Giffard Pamplemousse preferred)
1 oz prosecco sparkling wine
Grapefruit peel
Combine gin, lemon juice, simple syrup, bitters, and one of the lemon peels in a cocktail shaker with ice. Shake hard 8–10 seconds, and strain into a cold coupe or champagne flute. Top with sparkling wine. Express the remaining lemon peel over the drink and garnish with peel in the drink.
075 CLERMONT
USBG | CHATTANOOGA CHAPTER
ALEXANDRIA JUMP
Bar Manager | Easy Bistro & Bar
This vegetal, bittersweet, and fizzy drink is a great way to start an afternoon. The rhubarb infusion is an excellent bonus, adding a layer of that tangy flavor in cocktails where the vermouth is the star.
1½ oz dry vermouth infused with rhubarb
¾ oz Cynar (artichoke amaro liqueur)
¾ oz Cocchi Americano Rosa (rosé aperitif wine)
Brut sparkling wine
Fresh rhubarb stalk
For the infused vermouth: In a large jar combine one 375 ml bottle of dry vermouth with 1½ stalks of rhubarb, roughly chopped. Let it infuse in the refrigerator for three days, then strain and store in the fridge until ready to use.
Fill an old-fashioned or rocks glass with ice and add the vermouth, Cynar, and Cocchi, and then top with sparkling wine. Stir gently. Shave a curl of rhubarb with a vegetable peeler and garnish.
076 CHOOSE YOUR SPIRIT FORWARD DRINK
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bsp; 077 GET A KICK IN THE GLASS
A mixing glass is best for dark, potent cocktails, gently stirred with a spoon rather than the kinetic energy of a shaker. A pour spout is a nice touch, and make sure that your strainer fits in the mouth.
Some folks prefer beakers for their aesthetic appeal and sturdy nature, but a pint glass will do, or even a glass measuring cup—it won’t impress many guests, but a cold cocktail always will.
078 BE THE BIG SPOON
Barspoons come in all styles, some with decorative elements or tools on the handle, like garnish forks or muddlers. Some aren’t even spoons but have a smooth rounded tip at both ends. A barspoon without a spoon might sound like a faulty piece of equipment, but the spoon itself doesn’t help stir the drink. What you want is something to stir the contents without causing the ice to chip. Plus, not having a spoon end allows you to easily stir drinks built in a glass, such as a Pimm’s Cup (see item 171).
079 DON’T STIR UP TROUBLE
Stirring a drink isn’t rocket science (you add your booze, ice, and stir), but there are a few things to keep in mind that can make your drinks better.
ICE Use whole ice cubes, and use plenty of them.
TIME Make sure you stir for a long enough period (20–30 seconds, which may be longer than you think).
EASE The spoon, ice, and cocktail should all be moving as one. Calmly. Quietly. If you’re swishing the spoon around or making your ice clank, just stop, take a deep breath, and stir.
080 CRACK UP YOUR COCKTAIL
Stirred drinks tend to be boozier, so it may seem counterintuitive to ensure proper dilution. But the water is just as important as the ice. Dilution gives the cocktail balance, especially when using higher-ABV spirits. If your drinks are too powerful, try adding cracked ice. Place an ice cube on the palm of your hand and use a quick whack with the back of your barspoon to break it into smaller pieces. Add those chunks along with regular ice and enjoy the properly mellowed results.
GIN
IN ORDER TO BE CONSIDERED GIN, THE SPIRIT MUST BE FLAVORED WITH JUNIPER BERRIES, AND IT’S USUALLY MADE WITH NEUTRAL GRAIN DISTILLATE (ESSENTIALLY VODKA) DISTILLED WITH A HOST OF BOTANICALS THAT OFTEN INCLUDE CITRUS, SPICES, AND HERBS. IN FACT, SOME BARTENDERS EVEN REFER TO GIN AS JUNIPER-FLAVORED VODKA.
081 LEARN THE HISTORY
Gin has a storied and sometimes scandalous background that traces many countries and time periods.
By some accounts, Italian monks were adding juniper to their booze a millennium ago, but it’s mainly thought that the spirit (then known as genever) was being distilled as far back as 16th-century Holland. Indeed, the term “Dutch courage” apparently began as a reference to the feeling of fearlessness after drinking a shot of genever, and it’s thought to have come from British soldiers fighting in the Dutch War of Independence (also known as the Eighty Years War) during the 1500s.
As time went on, the Dutch popularized gin as a medical tonic (juniper being a natural diuretic), and it became popular in England when William of Orange took the British throne during the last part of the 17th century.
During the next hundred years, the English had their ups and downs with the spirit, from the boom of the Gin Craze in the 18th century (when the government allowed the unlicensed production of gin) to the bust of the Gin Act years later, which sought to temper the effects of this cheap “Mother’s Ruin.”
It wasn’t until the 19th century, with the invention of the continuous still, that today’s style of London Dry gin was developed and popularized.
082 PLUCK A BERRY
The small berries of the juniper bush were thought to be medicinal in the 17th century, and so they were prescribed for a variety of ailments, including gout, stomach, kidney, and liver issues. Today, they are mainly known for giving gin its distinctive flavor.
083 TAKE A TONIC
history
It’s said that the primary tool that allowed England to colonize tropical locations wasn’t its naval might but the humble gin and tonic. Ground Peruvian cinchona bark mixed with water delivered a dose of the antimalarial compound quinine, but the colonists needed a little motivation to down the sludgy, bitter drink, and adding gin was the answer. Even after more effective malaria treatments were developed, tonic water remained popular. A more refreshing and less quinine-saturated version could be appreciated as a flavor element rather than as a treatment.
084 KNOW YOUR GINS
Gin comes in a number of styles. Here are the ones you’re most likely to encounter.
GENEVER Said to be the original style of gin first produced by the Dutch, genever is made of and sweetened slightly with a malt wine base, lending it a flavor something like a cross between whiskey and beer. The Dutch tradition is to consume it from a koopstojie, which translates into “headbutt,” a small, tulip-shaped glass filled so full that moving it will spill the contents. To drink, you must bow your head to the bar (almost like a headbutt) in order to slurp off enough that you can raise the glass and drink the rest.
LONDON DRY The most common style, London Dry is probably what you think of when you think of gin (that is, if you don’t think about that horrible morning in college after drinking gin all night). Clean and unsweetened, the dry spirit can range from vegetal to spiced or floral, but it is always juniper-centric. Despite the fact that you can make it anywhere in the world—not just in London—it is the most versatile of the gin family. Oddly, it is rarely drunk alone as a shot.
OLD TOM This particular variation of gin is slightly drier than genever but slightly sweeter than London Dry gin.
SLOE GIN Sloe gin is really a liqueur, but it’s made with gin steeped with sloe berries. These berries are related to plums; in Europe, the thorny shrubs were often used to create cattle-proof barriers. After flavoring the gin, the tart and slightly bitter berries are removed and sweetened. It can be enjoyed alone as an after-dinner cordial or more typically in a Sloe Gin Fizz.
MODERN During the recent craft cocktail boom, a new, less juniper-centric style of gin appeared on the scene. Focused more on spices, citrus, or herbs, this modern style lies somewhere on the spectrum between flavored vodka and London Dry. The flavor profile can be all over the place, but most of these gins are designed to work well either paired with tonic or used in a martini.
085 MIX IT OLD SCHOOL
Think of the Old Fashioned as the Mr. Potato Head of cocktails. It is one of the oldest and simplest drinks, not requiring anything beyond a glass, some booze, sweetener, and bitters. The recipe is more template than temple, allowing for substitutions for any of its components. You want to put its ear where its eye usually goes? It won’t care, and it’s possibly be more fun that way.
1 sugar cube (or ¾ teaspoon granulated sugar or 1 teaspoon rich simple syrup)
2 dashes of bitters (usually Angostura)
A few dashes of water
2 oz whiskey
Lemon peel
Add the sugar to an old-fashioned or rocks glass, then add bitters and enough water to moisten the sugar. Using a muddler, crush the sugar, dissolving as much as possible. Add a large cube of ice and the whiskey, giving it a stir with a barspoon. Express the lemon peel over the drink and then drop it in the glass.
086 THE MUDDLED OLD FASHIONED
Before the craft cocktail revival inspired bartenders to explore the historic recipes of the past, this style of Old Fashioned, with orange and cherry, was the standard recipe. In many bars, it still is.
1 cube sugar (about ¾ of a teaspoon)
Soda water
2 dashes bitters (typically Angostura)
2 orange slices
2 cocktail cherries
2 oz rye or bourbon whiskey
Add the sugar to an old-fashioned glass, then moisten it by adding bitters and just enough soda water to soak the sugar. Add 1 orange slice and 1 cherry to the glass. Using a muddler, crush the lot until the sugar dissolves. Using tongs or a barspoon, remove the orange rind, then add a large cube of ice and the whiskey, giving it a
stir with a barspoon. Top with a splash of soda water, and garnish with the remaining orange and cherry speared with a cocktail pick.
087 THE KENTUCKY CONNECTION
USBG | SAN FRANCISCO CHAPTER
KEVIN DIEDRICH
Operating Manager | Pacific Cocktail Haven
Kevin Diedrich created a house Old Fashioned by using small tweaks on flavor to make a big impact. His version blends brandy and whiskey plus three different bitters. Start with 1 ounce each of cognac and whiskey, add 1 teaspoon demerara rich simple syrup (2:1), 2 dashes of Angostura bitters, and 2 dashes of citrus bitters (orange bitters mixed with lemon bitters at 2:1). Stir with ice and garnish with orange and lemon twists. The cognac complements the bourbon’s citrus notes, and the bourbon’s oak flavors bring out fruitcake notes in the cognac.
088 THE WISCONSIN OLD FASHIONED
The state drink of Wisconsin, where the Old Fashioned never dies, this regional variation can come four different ways: topped with sweet (lemon-lime soda), sour (sour mix or grapefruit soda), seltzer, or press (a mix of lemon-lime soda and seltzer). Garnishes can also range from the ubiquitous orange and cherry to pickled veggies.
1 sugar cube (about ¾ of a teaspoon)