2 dashes bitters (typically Angostura)
Soda water, sour mix, lemon-lime or grapefruit
2 orange slices
2 cocktail cherries
2 oz California brandy (Korbel is standard in Wisconsin) or cognac
Add the sugar to an old-fashioned glass, then add bitters and enough seltzer or soda to soak the sugar. Add 1 orange slice and 1 cherry. Using a muddler, crush the lot until the sugar dissolves. Add the brandy, give it a quick stir, then add a large cube of ice. Top with a splash of your choice, and garnish with the remaining orange and cherry speared with a cocktail pick.
089 MANHATTAN
The origins of the Manhattan cocktail are disputed, but the drink was developed sometime in the 1860s. Originally made with rye whiskey (our preferred way), it is often also made with bourbon and Canadian whisky. During prohibition, Canadian whisky was the bootleg spirit of choice, a custom that continued long after the country went dry.
2 oz rye whiskey
1 oz Italian (sweet) vermouth
2 dashes Angostura bitters
Cherries to garnish
Combine all ingredients except garnish in an ice-filled mixing glass and stir 20–30 seconds, until well chilled. Strain the cocktail into a chilled coupe or cocktail glass. Garnish with cherries pieced together with a cocktail pick.
090 MAKE IT PERFECT
Mixing equal parts sweet and dry vermouth in a Manhattan makes it a Perfect Manhattan—perfect being the term used for recipes that include both kinds of vermouth. While “perfect” may be a totally subjective adjective, mixing sweet and dry vermouth does tilt the drink into a more herbal and spice-driven direction, sometimes even making the drink a little savory (depending on the vermouth). Try a lemon twist in place of the cherry when going for perfect.
091 THE BOOTHBY
USBG | SAN FRANCISCO CHAPTER
H. JOSEPH EHRMANN
Owner/Operator | Elixir Saloon
This version of William “Cocktail Bill” Boothby’s signature cocktail comes from barman H. Joseph Ehrmann. Boothby was a bartender and author who tended bar at the Palace Hotel in San Francisco in the pre-quake days of the early 1900s. This variation on a Manhattan strikes the right sweetness and bitter balance, and it lends a nice effervescence and sophistication worthy of a cocktail party.
1½ oz bonded rye whiskey
1½ oz Italian (sweet) vermouth
2 dashes Angostura bitters
1 oz sparkling wine (Brut preferred)
Combine all ingredients except sparkling wine in an ice-filled mixing glass and stir 20–30 seconds, until well chilled. Strain the cocktail into a chilled coupe or cocktail glass. Float sparkling wine on top.
092 WORK YOUR CANADIAN WHISKY
Of all the whiskies, the Canadian varieties are perhaps the most complicated to grasp, as all Canadian whisky gets lumped into one huge category, from the lowest-end blended stuff with added juices and sweeteners to the artisanal single-grain whiskies. Add to the confusion the popular belief that Canadian is a rye whisky (some are, but not all make whisky with rye in it). It’s simplest to remember that, much like Scotch, Canadian whisky boasts a wide range of flavors.
What makes Canadian whisky unique is how it’s made: Each type of grain used (which varies from distiller to distiller) is fermented and distilled separately, not mixed together as with bourbon. In the case where a blended whisky is being made, two different kinds of distillate are produced: one to a high proof and a second “flavoring” whisky distilled to a lower proof. They are both aged, with each type of grain kept in separate casks until it’s time to bottle.
093 MAKE IT A SNOW DAY
Sure, a warm drink on a cold day can be nice, but why not embrace nature and use the gifts of the season to chill your favorite beverage? People all over the world have been mixing delicious flavors with fresh-fallen snow since time immemorial, and modern bartenders are getting in on the fun. There are endless ways to experiment, but here are three methods to get you started.
CHILL IT You’d rather have a strong, cold, undiluted drink? Partially bury your bottle, glass, or flask in the snow and wait a few minutes. (It doesn’t have to be complicated to be good.)
SHAKE IT Use clean, new snow in place of crushed ice in your shaker and shake gently. Snow texture varies, but even the iciest stuff is more delicate than crushed ice and will dissolve more quickly, adding dilution. If you want to minimize this effect, start with chilled ingredients and roll rather than shake.
SLUSH IT Think of this as a grown-up snow cone or slushie. Lightly pack some fresh-fallen snow into an already-chilled glass. Mix the non-booze ingredients for your favorite cocktail, and gently pour over the snow. Finally, swirl the booze on top and serve with a spoon. (If your favorite drink requires muddling, do the muddling at the very bottom, before adding the snow.)
094 ROB ROY
A variation of a Manhattan cocktail, the Rob Roy is thought to have originated in 1894 at New York’s Waldorf Astoria hotel for the premiere of an operetta about the life of the Rob Roy MacGregor, known as the Scottish Robin Hood.
2 oz blended Scotch whisky
1 oz sweet vermouth
2 dashes Angostura or other aromatic bitters
Cherries to garnish
Combine all ingredients except garnish in an ice-filled mixing glass and stir 20–30 seconds, until well chilled. Strain the cocktail into a chilled coupe or cocktail glass. Garnish with cherries pieced together with a cocktail pick.
095 MAKE IT BURNS
The Bobby Burns cocktail is a simple variation of the Rob Roy that shows up with either the addition of ¼ ounce of herbal Benedictine or ½ teaspoon of absinthe. Each one a little different: The Benedictine version is dark and chocolatey, while the absinthe one is lighter and brighter.
096 STUDY YOUR SCOTCH WHISKY
Like Ireland, Scotland has had some form of whisky distilled on its soil since around the 11th century, more or less. The cold weather and common practice of aging in used oak barrels makes for Scotch that can sit in its cask for a significant amount of time. While blended whisky makes up the bulk of its exports, the demand for malt whiskies (with unique regional differences) has put a strain on older stocks. Few forecasters predicted the sudden uptick in demand for Scotch, and so distilleries have had no choice but to increasingly release malt whiskies with no age statement—at least until supply meets demand in a decade or two. Here are the types to know.
CAMPBELTOWN Off the southeastern edge of the Highlands, the Campbeltown region prospered due to a sheltered harbor that allowed it to transport its whisky by boat. Once home to 30-plus distilleries, the three remaining distilleries create a range of whiskies from peaty to more floral, all with a coastal salinity.
ISLAY Known for intensely smoky whisky, the Islay region still uses peat harvested from bog areas where thick layers of grasses and peat moss have accumulated. Cut into slabs, the peat is used to halt germination and roast barley during the malting process.
HIGHLAND The largest region of Scotland is picturesque and mountainous. A collection of islands (Jura, Skye, Arran, Mull) is also part of the Highlands, though sometimes considered a separate region simply known as the Islands. Highland whiskies tend to be soft with honey flavor, with some salinity in those hailing from the far northern areas.
SPEYSIDE The northeast region, near the river Spey, is home to half of all whisky distilleries in Scotland. The bounty of the plains and access to water has historically made the area distilling central, even during the days before 1823, when licenses were required. The Speyside style has a wide range of flavors but tends to balance peat, spice, and fruit.
LOWLAND Bordering England, the forests and fertile plains of the Lowland region only boast three remaining distilleries, all known for their light and grassy whiskies, which are often triple-distilled.
097 GET JAZZY WITH SAZERACS
The official cocktail of New Orleans, the Sazerac as we know it today is the result of an evolution that starte
d at the Sazerac Coffee House in the Big Easy, where Sazerac-de-Forge et Fils cognac was being imported from France in the 1850s. Their cocktail was a simple variation of what was then called a bitter sling (and what we know as an Old Fashioned) made of brandy, sugar, water, absinthe, and bitters from an old family recipe by Antoine Amedie Peychaud. By the 1870s, the drink changed to a rye whiskey base, as the Great French Wine Blight withered the supplies of cognac. Here is a variation on the drink, and the classic.
098 CLASSIC SAZERAC
USBG | INDIANAPOLIS CHAPTER
JASON FOUST
USBG Midwestern Regional VP
Jason Faust supplies us with the cocktail formula for a classic Sazarac. For an old-school twist, swap out the whiskey for cognac—you’ll get a real taste of the 1850s.
1 demerara sugar cube
3 dashes Peychaud’s bitters
Rye whiskey
¼ oz Herbsaint (or absinthe)
Lemon peel
Fill an old-fashioned or rocks glass with ice and set aside. In a pint or mixing glass, add the sugar cube and soak it with Peychaud’s bitters, then muddle. Add rye whiskey and ice, then stir until sugar is dissolved. Remove ice from the glass, pour in the Herbsaint or absinthe, and swirl to coat the glass. Strain the cocktail from the mixing or pint glass into the prepared glass. Express lemon peel over drink and place in drink.
099 POMME D’AMOUR
USBG | DENVER CHAPTER
MATT COWAN
Cocktail Curator | La Cour
A blend of the old and new versions of the Sazerac, this drink mixes whiskey with French brandy. The name translates into “toffee apple,” and the flavors are perfect for the fall.
1 demerara sugar cube
2 dashes Peychaud’s bitters
2 dashes apple bitters
1 oz rye whiskey
1 oz Calvados apple brandy
Absinthe, to rinse glass
Lemon peel
Fill an old-fashioned or rocks glass with ice and set aside. In a pint or mixing glass, add the sugar cube and soak it with the bitters, then muddle. Add rye whiskey and Calvados, and stir until sugar dissolves. Add ice, then stir to chill the drink. Remove ice from the old-fashioned glass, pour in the absinthe, and swirl to coat the glass. Strain the cocktail from the mixing or pint glass into the prepared glass. Flame the lemon peel over the drink (see item 262) and place swath in the drink.
100 TASTE THE MARTINI’S TIMELINE
USBG | SAN FRANCISCO CHAPTER
JENNIFER COLLIAU
Bar director at The Interval and The Perennial; owner of Small Hand Foods
Few cocktails can boast the kind of evolution that the martini has undergone—it’s a drink that changes at the rate of fashion more than food. At the Interval Bar, bar director Jennifer Colliau tells the history of the drink through six different versions, covering some 250 years in the process. It’s a story that not only encompasses the progress in cultural tastes but also shows how something can change and still maintain its identity.
101 J.P.A. MARTINI
USBG | SAN FRANCISCO CHAPTER
JENNIFER COLLIAU
Bar director at The Interval and The Perennial; owner of Small Hand Foods
When the German composer Johann Paul Aegidius Schwartzendorf moved to France in the late 1700s as a court musician, he changed his last name to Martini, as it was fashionable to have an Italian-sounding last name. He was known for drinking Dutch genever gin mixed with wine and ground cinnamon, a concoction that is believed to be the first Martini.
2 oz genever (Diep9 preferred)
1 oz Chablis white wine
Cinnamon stick
Combine genever gin and Chablis in a pint or mixing glass, add ice, and stir 20–30 seconds until it reaches 32°F (0°C). Strain the cocktail into a Nick and Nora or small coupe or cocktail glass. Grate cinnamon over the glass.
102 JULIA CHILD (AKA INVERTED MARTINI)
USBG | SAN FRANCISCO CHAPTER
JENNIFER COLLIAU
Bar director at The Interval and The Perennial; owner of Small Hand Foods
Colliau provides this variation of the standard 2:1 gin to vermouth ratio, flipping the proportions to make the drink lighter and more vermouth-heavy—the way, it’s said, Julia Child preferred it.
3¾ oz dry vermouth
¾ oz London Dry gin
Lemon peel
Combine all ingredients except lemon peel in a pint or mixing glass, add ice, and stir 20–30 seconds until it reaches 32°F (0°C). Strain the cocktail into a coupe or cocktail glass. Express lemon peel over drink and garnish with the peel.
103 MARTINEZ
USBG | SAN FRANCISCO CHAPTER
JENNIFER COLLIAU
Bar director at The Interval and The Perennial; owner of Small Hand Foods
The drink that is often credited as the ancestor of the martini has a hazy and conflicting history with lots of romantic stories—like the one about a miner on his way to Martinez.
2 oz Old Tom gin
1 oz Sweet vermouth (Dolin rouge preferred)
2 dashes orange bitters
Lemon peel
Combine all ingredients, except lemon peel, in a mixing glass, add ice, and stir 20–30 seconds until it reaches 32°F (0°C). Strain the cocktail into a Nick and Nora or coupe or cocktail glass. Express lemon peel over drink and garnish with the peel.
104 VESPER
USBG | SAN FRANCISCO CHAPTER
JENNIFER COLLIAU
Bar director at The Interval and The Perennial; owner of Small Hand Foods
You can’t talk about the heritage of the martini without discussing the influence of Ian Fleming’s James Bond. This variation was an invention of Fleming’s, named for Bond’s flame Vesper Lynd.
1½ oz London Dry gin
¾ oz vodka
½ oz Cocchi Americano aperitif wine
Lemon peel
Combine all ingredients, except lemon peel, in a cocktail shaker with ice. Shake hard 8–10 seconds and strain into a coupe or cocktail glass. Express lemon peel over drink and garnish with the peel.
105 DIRTY MARTINI
USBG | SAN FRANCISCO CHAPTER
JENNIFER COLLIAU
Owner of Small Hand Foods
Based on a recipe of a dirty martini developed by Naren Young at Saxon + Parole in New York, this version shows that you can get dirty and stay classy.
1½ oz navy-strength gin
1½ oz dirty vermouth*
Olive
Extra-virgin olive oil
To make the dirty vermouth, combine 375 ml dry vermouth, 4 oz pitted black Cerignola olives, and a pinch of salt in a blender; pulse until the olives are the texture of sand. Strain through a fine-mesh strainer and allow to stand until the fine olive pieces sink to the bottom. Strain again, carefully, leaving the sediment behind.
To mix your cocktail, combine gin and dirty vermouth in a pint or mixing glass, add ice, and stir 20–30 seconds until it reaches 32°F (0°C). Strain the cocktail into a coupe or cocktail glass. Garnish with an olive and a few drops of the olive oil.
106 FIFTY-FIFTY SPLIT
USBG | SAN FRANCISCO CHAPTER
JENNIFER COLLIAU
Owner of Small Hand Foods
A play on the 50-50 Martini by Audrey Saunders at her New York bar Pegu Club, which blended equal parts vermouth and gin, this version from beverage director of the Slanted Door Group Erik Adkins blends two different vermouths. It makes the drink at once more aromatic and drier.
1½ oz London Dry gin
¾ oz dry vermouth (Dolin preferred)
¾ oz blanc (or bianco) vermouth (Dolin preferred)
1 dash orange bitters
Lemon peel
Combine all ingredients except lemon peel in a pint or mixing glass, add ice, and stir 20–30 seconds until it reaches 32°F (0°C). Strain the cocktail into a coupe or cocktail glass. Express lemon peel over drink and garnish with the peel.
107 MAKE YOUR OWN VERMOUTH BASE
USBG | SA
N FRANCISCO CHAPTER
IAN ADAMS
General Manager and Sherry Curator | 15 Romolo
If you start getting really into vermouth, you can mix yourself a custom batch. Try it a few times before tweaking the recipe, just so you get a sense of the baseline formula—this recipe contains all the botanicals you need to mix up a batch of either a bianco or a rosso sherry-based vermouth.
1.5 g wormwood
1.5 g elecampane
0.3 g angelica root
3 vanilla beans
5 g bitter orange peel
1.125 g Herbs de Provence
0.6 g coriander seed
0.5 g nutmeg, grated
0.7 g cinnamon stick
0.4 g chamomile
0.25 g damiana
0.4 g rooibos tea
Fresh zest of half an orange
375 ml VS Armagnac
375 ml pear liqueur (for bianco vermouth) OR
375 ml patxaran (for rosso vermouth)
Combine all ingredients together and allow to macerate, covered, for 48 hours in a cool, dark space. Once the infusion is complete, strain and proceed to the final mixing steps.
For bianco, combine 375 ml of your vermouth base with 1.1125 ml fino sherry (a 750 ml bottle plus a 375 ml bottle). Allow ingredients to marry overnight; then mix away!
For rosso, combine 375 ml vermouth base with 1.1125 ml cream sherry (again, that’s one 750 ml bottle plus one 375 ml bottle). Allow ingredients to marry overnight; then mix away!
The Complete Cocktail Manual Page 7