Avon, Massachusetts A Simple Guide to CreAtinG Your own SiGnAture drinkS Marcia SiMMonS & JonaS Halpren, Editors of DrinkoftheWeek.com D IY Cocktails Copyright © 2011 by Marcia Simmons and Jonas Halpren All rights reserved. This book, or parts thereof, may not be reproduced in any form without permission from the publisher; exceptions are made for brief excerpts used in published reviews. Published by Adams Media, a division of F+W Media, Inc. 57 Littlefield Street, Avon, MA 02322. U.S.A. www.adamsmedia.com ISBN-10: 1-4405-0750-3 ISBN-13: 978-1-4405-0750-2 eISBN-10: 1-4405-1199-3 eISBN-13: 978-1-4405-1199-8 Printed in the United States of America. 10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1 Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data is available from the publisher. This publication is designed to provide accurate and authoritative information with regard to the subject matter covered. It is sold with the understanding that the publisher is not engaged in rendering legal, accounting, or other professional advice. If legal advice or other expert assis- tance is required, the services of a competent professional person should be sought. —From a Declaration of Principles jointly adopted by a Committee of the American Bar Association and a Committee of Publishers and Associations Many of the designations used by manufacturers and sellers to distinguish their product are claimed as trademarks. Where those designations appear in this book and Adams Media was aware of a trademark claim, the designations have been printed with initial capital letters. Readers are urged to take all appropriate precautions before undertaking any how-to task. Always read and follow instructions and safety warnings for all tools and materials, and call in a professional if the task stretches your abilities too far. Although every effort has been made to provide the best possible information in this book, neither the publisher nor the authors are responsible for accidents, injuries, or damage incurred as a result of tasks undertaken by read- ers. This book is not a substitute for professional services. Photographs by Jackson Stakeman Photo on page 15 © iStockphoto/MadCircles This book is available at quantity discounts for bulk purchases. For information, please call 1-800-289-0963. DIY Cocktails A Simple Guide to Creating Your Own Signature Drinks By Marcia Simmons and Jonas Halpren Available from: Adams Media Amazon Barnes and Noble Borders For home mixologists everywhere with special thanks to our respective cats, who have been very patient about receiving less attention as we worked on this book I can’t thank Jackson Stakeman enough for taking such beautiful photos. His expertise and patience made the whole process a pleasure. Without the help of Jean Aw, I’m not sure how I would have survived finishing the book. She not only introduced me to Jackson and styled many of the shots but also opened up her home as a cocktail lab, photo location, and place to relax. Thank you, NOTCOT! Thanks to my good friends, neighbors, and drinking buddies Joy Lanzendor- fer and Kyle Rankin for introducing me to the fabulous world of fine cocktails and helping to inspire and test the ideas behind this book. I’m grateful that Jonas invited me to contribute to DrinkoftheWeek.com and embarked on this crazy adventure with me. The work of the following people was extremely useful for research and inspi- ration: Dale DeGroff, Karen Page and Andrew Dornenburg, Michael Ruhlman, the Chow.com team, David Wondrich, and posters to Liqurious.com. (Also the late Harry Craddock and David Embury—and the book publishers who brought their work back to print.) I am blessed to be surrounded by loving people who are excited about the work I do, and I thank all my family and friends for their support (especially you, Mom!). Special thanks to our agent, Kitty Cowles, and our editor, Victoria Sand- brook, for everything they’ve done for us. —Marcia SiMMonS Acknowledgments Acknowledgments First, to Marcia, my partner in this endeavor, thank you for putting up with me. To Rachel for helping with cocktail creation and testing, and for putting up with me. To my brother for not drinking all the rye, and to my family for their support. To Kitty, for your guidance and belief in this project. I would also like to thank all the mixologists who agreed to be interviewed and put up with my questions as you helped six other patrons. I’d also like to thank the giants (Dale, Tony, Brian Rea, you know who you are . . .) in the field who have never wavered from the mission to create fresh, terrific cocktails, even in the darkest of times. To Campari/SKYY and Pernod-Ricard for generously donat- ing product for this project. Finally, I’d like to thank the bartending community for the openness and camaraderie from which mixology has blossomed and is quickly regaining respect the world over. —JonaS Halpren Contents Introduction . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . xi PART 1 The Basics 1 Chapter 1: Recipes, You’re Not the Boss of Me! . . . . . . . . . . . . 3 Chapter 2: Tools & Techniques Cheat Sheet . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11 PART 2 The Ratios 21 Chapter 3: The Original Cocktail . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 23 raTio: 9:1 Flagship: Old Fashioned Chapter 4: With a Dash, a Splash, or a Twist . . . . . . . . . . . . . 43 raTioS: 2:1 and 4:1 Flagships: Manhattan, Rob Roy, Martini, Gibson Chapter 5: Liquor Makes a Friend . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 71 raTio: 2:1 Flagships: Gin & Tonic, Vodka & Tonic, Scotch & Soda Chapter 6: Life of the Party . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 89 raTio: 3:2:1 Flagships: Margarita, Sidecar, Cosmopolitan Chapter 7: Tropical Drinks . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 113 raTio: 4:3:1 Flagships: Mai Tai, Hurricane, Bahama Mama Chapter 8: Sweet and Creamy . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 137 raTio: 1:1:2 Flagships: White Russian, Brandy Alexander, Grasshopper Chapter 9: Elegant Sips . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 157 raTio: 2:1:1 Flagships: Daiquiri, Aviation, Jack Rose, Bee’s Knees Chapter 10: Effervescence . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 175 raTio: VarieS Flagships: Collins, Fizz, Mojito, Buck, Champagne Cocktail Chapter 11: Parties and Punch . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 197 raTio: VarieS Flagships: Anything You Can Dream Up! Appendix: Flavor Profile Chart . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 213 Index . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 222 xi Introduction Welcome to DIY Cocktails. Why cocktails? In addition to being incredibly tasty, cocktails almost instantly impart a sense of community and togetherness. For us at DrinkoftheWeek.com, there is no greater way of bringing all of your friends together than throw- ing a cocktail party. In fact, cocktail parties were the inspiration for starting DrinkoftheWeek.com! American history and cocktails are intertwined. The first cocktails sprang up in the American Northeast around 1800 and have been evolving ever since. The cocktail moved west and then abroad. But regardless of where the cocktail was served—in bars, saloons, lounges, clubs, pubs, and homes—it became the icon of neighborhood gathering places and instant brotherhood. Until Prohibition, the American saloon keeper was a prominent member of society, and bartending was an honorable profession. The bartender not only served up amazing drinks but also provided entertainment and facilitated friend- ships. Unfortunately, Prohibition forced the best and brightest bartenders to flee to Europe since they were now outlaws at home. As America emerged from Prohibition, it entered into the dark ages of mixol- ogy (a fancier term for bartending). With the best and brightest bartenders gone and no new generation trained to replace them, the secrets of the trade were lost. A few stars like Trader Vic led the immediate post-Prohibition era, but the end of Prohibition was followed by a descent into a prepackaged, processed, instant, arti- ficial culinary world. And cocktails were one of the first casualties. The artisan cocktail was lost for an entire generation. Growing up, so many of us knew nothing of smashes, frappes, highballs, and punches. Our experi- ence was restricted by overpriced, under-spirited tropical cocktails made only xii Introduction with prepackaged ingredients. Home bartending was limited to mixing soda with spirit and ice . . . or maybe some drink mix. Luckily, cocktails have emerged from the darkness. Mixologists are taking their place next to the world’s top chefs, and bars are taking reservations. Fresh ingredi- ents rule. Who could have imagined that only a few years ago? We at DrinkoftheWeek.com have focused on the home bar. Creating an online center for bartending started as a hobby and turned into an obsession. We have vintage barware and cocktail books, and we sell better stock than most bars. Above all, we love mixing drinks and serving them to old and new friends. We wrote this book to bring mixology magic into your home. This book is dif- ferent. Rather than gathering a collection of recipes, DrinkoftheWeek.com aims to give you—the home mixologist—the tools to take your craft to the next level. In these pages we will show you the basics you need to get you started and share tips to ignite your inner bartender. Cheers!