108 SONG ABOUT AN EX
USBG | INDIANAPOLIS CHAPTER
JASON FOUST
USBG Midwestern Regional VP
Inspired by a visit to Copper & Kings distillery in Kentucky, where each still is named after a Bob Dylan song and music is played in the barrel-aging warehouse to agitate the brandy, barman Jason Faust developed this cocktail that blends American, Italian, and French to toast an old flame.
1½ oz aged brandy (Copper & Kings preferred)
¾ oz Yellow Chartreuse
¾ oz Cynar
2 dashes grapefruit bitters
Lemon peel
Combine all ingredients except lemon peel in a mixing glass, add ice, and stir 20–30 seconds. Strain the cocktail into a brandy snifter or rocks (or old-fashioned) glass. Express lemon peel over drink and garnish with peel in drink.
109 BONE MACHINE
USBG | SAN FRANCISCO CHAPTER
JEFF LYON
Owner/Operator | Third Rail
No, this drink is not named after a wrestler, a porn actor, or a Pixies album—but it is named after a 1992 Grammy-winning Tom Waits album. This cocktail is designed to showcase sherry as a cocktail ingredient—which may sound feisty, but it turns out dry and easy-drinking, with lots of citrus brightness.
1½ oz Oloroso sherry
1 oz bourbon whiskey
1 oz Amaro Nonino
1 oz Benedictine liqueur
1 dash Aromatic bitters
2 dashes orange bitters
Orange peel
Combine all ingredients except orange peel in a mixing glass, add ice, and stir 20–30 seconds. Strain the cocktail into an old-fashioned or rocks glass with one large ice cube. Flame orange peel over drink (see item 262) and garnish with peel in drink.
110 BENDING BLADES
USBG | LOS ANGELES CHAPTER
CHRISTOPHER DAY
Bar Manager | General Lee’s Cocktail House
The Blades is a tequila martini for the summertime, with lots of juicy, refreshing flavors that finish nice and dry. It’s like sitting under the shade surrounded by the smell of freshly-cut grass.
½ oz blanco tequila
½ oz grapefruit liqueur (Giffard Pamplemousse Rose preferred)
½ oz Manzanilla sherry (Lustau Papirusa preferred)
½ oz Salers Aperitif gentian liqueur
Lemon peel
Combine all ingredients except lemon peel in a mixing glass, add ice, and stir 20–30 seconds. Strain the cocktail into a Nick and Nora or small coupe or cocktail glass. Express lemon peel over drink and discard peel.
111 BROKEN COMPASS
USBG | DENVER CHAPTER
ANDREAS PEJOVIC
Bartender | OAK at fourteenth
Inspired by the story of a Norwegian ship that loses its way, this drink tells the tale (in liquid form) of a broken compass and a crew’s stops in Jamaica, Curaçao, and Spain on the way back home.
¾ oz navy-strength Jamaican rum
¾ oz Aquavit (Linie, which is aged in used Oloroso sherry casks preferred)
¾ oz Manzanilla sherry
½ oz curaçao (Pierre Ferrand Dry Curaçao preferred)
¼ oz grenadine
1 dash almond extract
Orange peel, cut into the shape of a compass arrow
Combine all ingredients except orange peel in a mixing glass, add ice, and stir 20–30 seconds. Strain the cocktail into an old-fashioned or rocks glass with one large ice cube. Express orange peel over drink and garnish with peel on top of ice.
RUM
PART OF THE REASON RUM BECAME SUCH A HUGE COMMODITY IN THE 17TH CENTURY WAS THE FACT THAT IT WAS MADE FROM WHAT WAS CONSIDERED WASTE PRODUCT FROM SUGAR PRODUCTION.
112 LEARN THE HISTORY
Every 100 tons of sugarcane yields 10 tons of refined sugar, plus 5 tons of “waste” in the form of molasses. And every ton of molasses yields approximately 70 gallons (265 l) of rum. That’s a lot of mai tais.
The flip side of rum’s success is much bleaker, in the slave trafficking that took place as part of the Trade Triangle. Molasses was brought to the American colonies, where it was distilled into rum, which was then traded in Africa for slaves, who were brought to the Caribbean to work in the sugarcane plantations. This continued until the early 19th century.
When a British blockade cut off France’s access to their Caribbean colonies, Napoleon banned the importation of sugar into France, kicking off the beet sugar industry. When France no longer depended on cane for sugar, the refineries were left in near financial collapse. The islands soon began to produce rum from the fresh cane juice rather than bothering to refine the sugar, leading to an entirely new style of rum.
Central and South America also got in on the rum action when the Portuguese and Spanish brought in sugarcane. Brazil became (and remains) one of the world’s biggest sugar producers. Meanwhile, Facundo Bacardi Massó, a Spanish wine merchant, used a column still and charcoal filtration to produce a smoother rum—a style so popular that it spread to other colonies.
113 DRINK IN TONGUES
geography
The type of rum produced in the Caribbean, as well as Central and South America, can be distinguished in style by the primary language spoken. In English-speaking countries, the rum will be dark and flavorful, with Jamaican rums being the most robust. Spanish-speaking countries will favor cleaner-tasting rums aged in barrels, while French-speaking countries make rum from fresh cane juice instead of molasses—creating something brawny and funky, with a lot of flavor, though lighter than Jamaican rum.
114 KNOW THE PROCESS
Making rum always begins with some form of sugarcane, and while molasses is most common, any form can be used, from fresh cane juice to all forms of granulated cane sugar.
STEP ONE The cane sugar is diluted with water, allowing yeast to ferment the sucrose. Some distilleries let wild yeasts to do the work, others use custom strains, and another set, such as those in Jamaica, adds dunder (the foam from previous fermentations).
STEP TWO Depending on the ambient heat, the ferment could be ready as soon as 24 hours later, although some distilleries cool the fermentation tanks, slowing the process to allow for increased flavor production from the yeast.
STEP THREE The ferment is double distilled, either in pot stills (for richer flavors) or by running through a continuous still (for cleaner flavors).
STEP FOUR The rum is most often aged in wood, or, at the very least, rested in stainless-steel tanks before bottling.
115 TICK OFF THE TYPES
It’s worth knowing the difference between the various types of rum—there may be more than you think, and the flavor of your cocktail hangs in the balance.
LIGHT RUM Clear rum, typically made of molasses and distilled to a high proof for a very clean flavor, is known as light rum. Additionally, aged rums stripped of their color through filtering are sometimes added to increase depth of flavor. Light rum is the type most often used in cocktails.
GOLDEN/AGED RUM Mellow and easy-drinking, golden or aged rum is molasses-based and gets its distinctive color from barrel aging (sometimes also augmented with caramel). It makes for a good digestive after a nice meal.
DARK/JAMAICAN RUM Molasses-based rums aged for a long time and with much of the molasses flavors left intact during distillation are known as dark or Jamaican rums. They are very full-flavored, with a heft that makes them useful in mixed drinks, such as the classic Mai Tai (see item 149).
RHUM AGRICOLE Pot-distilled and often left alone to naturally ferment, rhum agricole can be vegetal, rustic, and funky in its unaged form—characteristics that are tamed a little as it ages in the barrel. Think of it this way: rhum agricole is to rum what peaty Scotch is to blended whisky.
CACHAÇA Brazil is the biggest grower of sugarcane, and it’s the country that also produces cachaça, a spirit distinguished from rum in that it is made from fresh cane juice instead of sugar byproducts. While most of the exported cachaça is unaged and distilled through column s
tills to produce a grassy but clean liquor, cachaça can also be made in pot stills and aged like other sugarcane-based spirits. These cachaças are aged in oak or other more exotic woods like Brazilian jequitiba rosa or balsam of Tolu.
FLAVORED RUMS Until the last couple of years, flavored rums were primarily artificially flavored (despite the “natural flavors” claims often found on the labels). Now, however, there are many alternatives, including versions created by infusing and distilling actual fruit. They are worth seeking out, especially the pineapple and coconut versions—they taste like warm Caribbean water lapping over your bare feet in the soft sand.
116 GET TO KNOW THE MOVERS AND SHAKERS
One of the key pieces of equipment (and perhaps the one most closely associated with cocktail making by the general public) is the shaker. Shakers are primarily used for mixing drinks containing juice, dairy, or eggs—in order to quickly cool down the ingredients—but also to develop texture. There are no hard and fast rules about what shaker you should use, and, like any tool, there’s a time and place for all of them. Strainers also come in more varieties than you might think for a simple bar tool.
For beginners, it can be helpful to start with a glass and tin version, as building the drink in the glass will allow you to see exactly what’s happening, especially when muddling. The two-tin style is much lighter, which can be helpful for maintaining your stamina when shaking a lot of cocktails.
BOSTON OR TWO-PART SHAKER The workhorse of the bar is this style of shaker that consists of two pieces: a metal tin and a smaller tin or tempered glass cup that fits inside the larger tin.
COBBLER OR THREE-PART SHAKER The most iconic model, the cobbler shaker comes in three parts: a large base for the ice and ingredients, a top with a built-in strainer, and a cap. While great for making a single drink, problems can arise when there’s a crowd. The cold tin can cause ice to form at the seams, freezing the pieces shut and making opening the shaker frustrating enough to drive you to drink unmixed cocktails.
FRENCH OR PARISIAN SHAKER Another two-part mixing tin that looks like a cross between a cobbler and Boston shaker, the French-style shaker has a cap with curvy shoulders, which provides a nice grip. What it lacks in versatility it makes up for in elegance.
117 OPEN THE FLOODGATES
At first, getting your perfectly mixed cocktail out of the shaker can feel harder than making it, but here are a few secrets to busting your cocktail out.
For a cobbler shaker, get a towel wet with warm water and place it on the cap (only on the cap or you’ll warm up your drink) for a minute. Twist the cap back and forth until it comes free.
If you’re using a Boston shaker with a glass tumbler, hold the metal part of the shaker with your nondominant hand and give the area where the seal is flush a pop with the heel of your other hand.
If you’ve gone all metal with a small and big tin, hold the bigger tin in your nondominant hand and give it a squeeze while you move the smaller tin back and forth (A). It should come free, but if it doesn’t, hold the larger tin firmly (B) and use your thumb to push the smaller tin on the flush side toward the other end (C).
118 DON’T STRAIN YOURSELF
Strainers also come in more varieties than you might think for a simple bar tool. Each has its own set of strengths and weaknesses, and each can be best suited for certain types of cocktails. As always, find what works for you and make the most of it.
FINE STRAINER These small mesh strainers are necessary for shaken drinks where texture is key—as is keeping ice chips or muddled ingredients out of the drink.
JULEP STRAINER Looking like an oversize slotted spoon, the julep strainer is used for stirred drinks, since it only needs to keep large chucks of ice out.
HAWTHORNE STRAINER The more versatile of the two, the Hawthorne’s spring allows it to fit most tins and glasses, and can be used for both shaken and stirred drinks.
119 UNDERSTAND THE SHAKE
USBG | LOS ANGELES CHAPTER
MARCOS TELLO
Bar & Spirits Consultant
The best part of making cocktails is shaking them—there’s something immensely satisfying about the sound of rattling ice inside the tins. And how you shake your drinks will have an impact on what ends up in the cocktail glass.
UNDERSTAND THE MECHANICS The cooling action of a shake is much like that of a piston—as you move the shaker back and forth, the ice and liquid collide into each other, chilling and aerating the cocktail. You can tell how cold your drink is by how cold the tin is, but at least 8–10 seconds of shaking is ideal.
KNOW SIZE MATTERS With most cocktails, standard-size ice works perfectly well, but if you want to get geeky, you can fine-tune the drink by changing the size of the ice. Using a single large cube will increase aeration and texture, while shaking a drink with crushed ice will increase dilution.
SHAKE YOUR HEART OUT Shaking the drink is part of the entertainment aspect of bartending, so think of it as a performance. Add some dance moves and make it fun. There is nothing sadder (or less cold) than a half-hearted shake.
DON’T GET HURT Repetitive stress injuries are a real danger of bartending, and rhythm and bounce are important to avoid injury. Keep a tight core, think of sinking your shoulder blades into your back pockets, and let the power come from your legs, like a boxer.
120 SHAKE YOUR COCKTAIL MAKER
There are a few key steps to follow when shaking a drink in order to keep the process streamlined—and to make sure your drink stays inside the shaker.
STEP ONE Build the drink by starting with juices and syrups first, then adding the liquor at the end. This allows you to start over in case you make a mistake—without having to dump out excess booze.
STEP TWO Once the liquid components are in the glass, then add the ice. This allows for interruptions or distractions without worrying about the cocktail over-diluting while you tend to other matters.
STEP THREE Place the larger mixing tin on top of the glass or smaller tin, giving it a quick tap with the palm of your hand to secure it. Alternatively, if you are building multiple drinks in the larger tin, secure the smaller tin or glass with the same tap. You want to make sure you have a tight seal—or people in the first two rows may get wet.
STEP FOUR Grip the large tin with both hands, and shake with the seal and glass facing you. This ensures that if the seal accidentally breaks, no one but you and your bar back will notice. If you get sprayed, tap the glass and try again.
STEP FIVE Shake the cocktail thoroughly and with some enthusiasm for about 10 seconds. You will feel the shaker get colder (and your cocktail get more delicious). To get the thing open again, see item 117.
121 CHOOSE YOUR TART & TANGY DRINK
122 GET THE BASIC DAIQUIRI
Of all the cocktail families, the sours are probably the best known, with iconic, popular drinks like margaritas and daiquiris. The daiquiri is named for a mine in the Cuban city of Santiago de Cuba. The drink became popular after the recipe was introduced in 1909 to the Army and Navy Club in Washington, D.C., by Rear Admiral Lucius W. Johnson. Here’s how to make the ultimate classic.
2 oz white rum
½ oz lime juice
½ oz simple syrup (1:1)
Lime wheel to garnish
Combine all ingredients except garnish in a shaker. Add ice, shake hard 8–10 seconds, and strain into a cold coupe or cocktail glass. Garnish with a lime wheel.
123 COMPOSE A HEMINGWAY DAIQUIRI
This variation is one that Hemingway supposedly drank—and he drank a lot of them.
2 oz white rum (aged rum will affect the color)
¾ oz lime juice
½ oz grapefruit juice
½ oz Maraschino liqueur (made from tart marasca cherries, which have an earthy, herbal, almond flavor)
Lime wheel to garnish
Combine all ingredients except garnish in a shaker. Add ice, shake hard 8–10 seconds, and strain into a cold coupe or cocktail glass. Garnish with the lime wheel.
12
4 MAKE IT FROZEN
Sometimes you need a little bit of the trashiness that comes with a frozen daiquiri. Luckily, you can make a classy (and delicious) version of the slushie machine favorite at home.
2 oz white rum (aged rum can be used, but it will affect the color)
¾ oz lime juice
1 oz simple syrup (1:1)
½ heaping cup crushed ice (or 4–5 regular ice cubes)
Lime wheel to garnish
Combine all ingredients except garnish in a blender. Add ice and blend until the texture is creamy and the ice is uniformly crushed. Strain into a cold coupe or cocktail glass and garnish with the lime wheel.
125 RECRUIT SOME FRUIT
Oh, you wanted a fruit-flavored, resort-vacation, cruise-ship daiquiri, not just the classic blended up?
Here’s a version that gets a boost of flavor from fruit liqueur and works best with a corresponding frozen fruit (such as peach liqueur with frozen peaches, banana liqueur with frozen bananas, you get the idea).
If you don’t want to do that— out of laziness or because you think you don’t deserve such opulence (you do!)—you can substitute triple sec or just add more simple syrup.
2 oz white rum (aged rum can be used, but it will affect the color)
¼ cup chopped fruit (frozen)
1 oz lime juice
½ oz fruit liqueur
The Complete Cocktail Manual Page 8