Today's cocktails

I spent yesterday in NYC and while I had a few cocktails there, none were exactly inspiring. I had drinks with my father and had a classic 3:1 martini (Bluecoat, Vya Dry, Fee orange bitters) which was fairly passable. It was the first time my father had a martini with more that a rinse of vermouth and he was quite pleased. We followed that with a botched round of Last Word's. The guy behind the bar ruined it by using Roses sweet lime. It is such a simple thing... I really don't know how you fuck it up.

Last Word

• 3/4 oz. Plymouth Gin
• 3/4 oz. Green Chartreuse
• 3/4 oz. Maraschino
• 3/4 oz. Lime juice

Shaken and fine strained into a cocktail glass

To make up for it, this afternoon I made one for myself. It was quite delicious with all the complexity refreshment that I crave from it. It was a hot one in Philly today, so it hit the spot.

Last night we went to New York's finest raw food establishment, Pure Food & Wine. They had a Master Cleanse Tini on the menu (I know... groan at the mention of a flavored 'tini bastardization). My lady decided she liked the concept and asked me to make her one today. I agreed, but under the condition that I could turn it into a real cocktail and drop "tini" from the name. She agreed, so I came up with this:

Master Cleanse Cocktail

• 3/4 oz. Bluecoat Gin
• 1/2 oz. Maple Syrup
• 3/4 oz. Lemon Juice
• 2 dashes Bitter Truth Grapefruit Bitters
• 1/8 tsp. ground cayenne pepper

Shaken and fine strained into a cocktail glass

It was quite delicious. Bitter balanced by the syrup with just a touch of spice (a touch too much for the lady, but I enjoyed it). I should have taken a picture, but we drank it too quickly. It was a lovely earthy color with the cayenne specks floating through.

The process of cocktail creation...

The vast majority of drinks have an origin in another drink. This is true of most things in life, but in cocktails in particular, you can follow a drink's path through the ages just by looking at its construction. Look at the similarities between drinks. The Margarita is a Sidecar with tequila and lime instead of cognac and lemon. The Cosmopolitan is just Kamikaze with a splash of cranberry juice and Roses lime juice instead of fresh lime juice. A Vodka Martini is a Martini with Vodka instead of Gin.

As a budding mixologist, you should have a repertoire of drinks that are your own. A chef should know about the tried and true recipes of yesteryear and his own collection of secret gems. A bartender is the same thing. In creating a new cocktail, the past is a good place to start.

Let me give you an example of a drink evolution that happened over time in my hands. First we start with the mojito. They are sweet, yet fresh and light, all while being incredibly alcoholic.

Mojito:
Muddle the following:

• 2 bar spoon simple syrup
• 5 - 6 large mint leaves
• 1/2 oz. Lime Juice
• 2 dashes of Angostura Bitters

Add:

• 2.5 oz. White Rum

Shake with ice, fine strain over ice in an old fashioned glass, top with club soda.
Garnish with a sprig of mint

I love this drink and I celebrate it every spring with a dedicated Mojito party. I like to say that Mojito actually means "glass full of Rum" since they are so damned potent if made correctly.

One spring at my Mojito party, I ran out of Rum (cardinal sin, I know). It was towards the end of the night but I wanted another Mojito. What was I to do? Easy. Break out the Gin.

If you go through the exact same recipe above, but substitute Gin for Rum and a splash of ginger ale for the splash of club soda, you get a Gin Ginger Mojito. After a little more experimentation, I also discovered that I prefer this drink with Peychaud's Bitters instead of Angostura. Sounds good, right?

Next we are going to take a further departation from the traditional Mojito. Stay with me for this one as it is a rather radical departation. I chose this though because the mint is an easy common thread to follow so you can still see the history of this drink.

Late Spring Night:
Muddle the following:

• 2 bar spoon of simple syrup
• 5 - 6 large mint leaves
• 1/2 oz. Lemon Juice
• 3 dashes of Peychaud's Bitters

Add:

• 2 oz. Tanqueray Rangpur Gin

Shake with ice, fine strain over ice in a cocktail glass with an Absinthe rinse.
Garnish with a lemon twist

This drink pulls from both a Mojito and a Sazerac. The Peychaud's/Absinthe rinse combination is a classic Sazerac move. The muddled Mint/Sugar/citrus is a classic Mojito move. Gin is just good, clean and refreshing. The end result is a very delicious summer drink that will wow your friends and relatives. It is served up, and has a slightly pink louche effect. It is very cool and distinctive in both taste and appearance.

So the lesson is this: Take a second look at your classics and ask yourself what you can change, knowing what flavor combinations have potential, to create something new and unique.

A few basic recipes to start...

Before we move on to the crazy concoctions of the modern bar, it is essential to learn a thing or two about the classics. Most drinks you see nowadays are just a variation on a theme, so might as well become well versed in the originals. Keep in mind that drinks are supposed to taste good to you, not someone else, so tweaking of proportions slightly is totally permissible. In that vein, I am going to give the classic recipe and if there is a version that I prefer, I will give you that as well.

The Manhattan:
This is the drink that most whiskey drinkers I know started with. It is sweet and palatable. The vermouth takes a little of the burn off of it to make it more approachable for those of you that aren't ready to go for the straight stuff.

Classic:

• 1.5 oz Rye
• 1.5 oz Sweet Vermouth
• 2-3 dashes Angostura Bitters

Served up in a chilled glass or on the rocks
Garnished with 1 dried maraschino cherry

This is a good recipe for someone with a sweet tooth. Modern tastes change and most barmen will serve you a Manhattan that is skewed a little more towards the whiskey side and away from the vermouth. Remember, if you are offered the choice of bitters or not, if you don't add bitters it is not a Manhattan. It is just crap in a glass. Some people prefer Bourbon instead of Rye.

My typical Manhattan order:

• 1.5 oz Rye
• .75 oz Sweet Vermouth
• 3 dashes Angostura Bitters

Served up in a chilled cocktail glass
Garnished with 1 dried maraschino cherry

This would still be considered a sweet Manhattan by today's standards, but that's how I like it.

The Martini:
First let's get this out of the way: A Martini is made with Gin, not Vodka. A Vodka Martini is made with Vodka. Are we all on the same page here? Good. The Martini holds a special place in my heart. I have been making them for my father since I was 12 years old. He has made sure that I know that the Martini was invented at the Savoy Hotel in London, the home of Gin (although I am now disputing this supposed fact with him after some research). He also likes to drill it in my brain that a Martini is supposed to be served in a frosted, small, delicate glass, not the 10 oz. monsters that are common today. If you can find a nice 4 oz. thin crystal Martini glass, I highly recommend buying at least 2.

Classic:

• 1.5 oz Gin
• 1.5 oz Dry Vermouth
• 2 dashes orange bitters

Stirred and strained into a chilled cocktail glass
Garnished with a lemon twist or a dried, pitted olive

I guarantee that you have not had a Martini made like that. I have and let me save you the effort - it is just too much vermouth. I usually don't bash the classics. Usually I am their staunch defender. In this case, I think they made it like that because the Gin they served back then was probably nowhere near as good as the floral, clean Gins we drink today. Now most people order their Martinis dry. Typically though, they overshoot in the other direction. They are too dry. I lie somewhere in the middle.

My typical Martini order:

• 1.5 oz. gin (I like Bluecoat)
• .5 oz. dry vermouth (one that has been kept in the fridge and hasn't turned)
• 2 dashes orange bitters (I prefer Angostura Orange)

Stirred and strain into a chilled cocktail glass
Garnished with a lemon twist

A quick note about the lemon twist. It should not contain any of the white part of the lemon rind. Only the outer yellow layer of the rind should be used. It should be literally twisted above the drink to release the fragrant oils it contains and then dropped in the drink. The white part is bitter and can damage an otherwise perfect drink.

The Sidecar:
You may be wondering why I am choosing the Sidecar. First and foremost because I think it is a cool drink. Second, because it is the base recipe for another popular recipe, the Margarita. No, the Margarita is not an original creation, it is just a variation on the Sidecar, which in my humble opinion actually makes the Margarita even cooler. Okay, back to the Sidecar. It is a drink from the earlier part of last century. Its purpose is simple: make Cognac appropriate for women to drink. At the time Cognac was strictly a man's drink. Hence, a little orange liqueur, and lemon juice and there you have it: a womanly drink. Yes, all you guys that think your Margarita is manly because of the high Tequila content, your drink is in fact a girly drink. Deal with it and enjoy it (and neither is girly in my book).

• 1.5 oz. Cognac
• 1.5 oz. Cointreau
• 1.5 oz. lemon juice

Shaken and strained into a chilled cocktail glass
Garnished with a lemon twist

On a mixing note, Brandy is an acceptable substitute (Cognac is just french brandy) and many people really enjoy a Sidecar made with Calvados substituted for Cognac. The proportions on the classic recipe are perfect though. Don't fuck with it.