Let’s put the car in reverse for a second, shall we? It dawned on me as I was at a party a week or so ago, that many hosts with home bars or well-stocked liquor cabinets still have no clue on how to make some basic cocktails. Hosts fumble their way through cocktail recipe books, consult in hushed whispers with guests, and then poorly execute the desired cocktail. So, I figured that it might be time to stop the bus and offer a quick refresher course in the basics. The following drinks, already on the Mr-Booze.com site, are considered “must knows.” If you’re entertaining more than yourself and have the bar stocked, you should know how to make these drinks; you really should.
1. The Martini – This is what most drinkers ask for. The casual imbiber and the raging alcoholic both enjoy them. I can make one in my sleep probably ‘cause I was mixing martinis up for my dad by the time I was 10. I add a few shakes of orange bitters to my martinis; it is delicious.
- 2 ½ Ounces of a nice gin (Bombay or Plymouth come to mind). If you prefer vodka, then substitute.
- ¾ Ounce of dry vermouth
Shake ingredients with plenty of cracked ice in a shaker till oh so cold. Strain the martini into a chilled cocktail glass. Drop 1 or 3 (2 is bad luck) olives into the loveliness. Rinse, repeat.
2. The Manhattan – Probably my favorite cocktail of all time, the Manhattan strolls hand-in-hand with the martini in terms of popularity and request. If I have a crowd over drinking, I’m shaking up just as many Manhattans as I am the gin soup. You can make one with either bourbon or rye so have a bottle of each on hand. It’s fun and not too dangerous to switch on your second one.
- 2 oz bourbon or rye
- 1 oz sweet vermouth
- A couple shakes of bitters (I have fun w/ this part; different types create different subtle flavors)
- Just a teaspoon or so of maraschino cherry juice
Shake ingredients in a cocktail shaker till thick with cold. Strain into chilled cocktail glass with a fat maraschino cherry waiting in the bottom. Also….many folks prefer the Manhattan served over cracked ice in a fat whiskey or double old-fashioned glass. No crime in that.
3. The Old Fashioned – It’s just about as classic a home bar drink as you can find, and you should know how to make one. I know it wouldn’t be a poker game without a round or two of Old-Fashioned cocktails on the felt. You know damned well your dad and his dad drank one, so why not be another link in the chain? Kind of a rough drink to make if hosting a huge bash, but certainly one to keep up your sleeve when having a few friends over. This is The Mr. Booze recipe:
- 2 ounces bourbon or rye
- 2 dashes Angostura bitters
- 1 white sugar cube
- soda water
- Fruit (an orange slice and a cherry or two)
Soak the sugar cube in the bottom of a whiskey or old-fashioned glass with a couple dashes of Angostura bitters. Add a few capfuls of club soda and the orange slice and cherry, then muddle up (crush) everything until the sugar cube is more or less broken down. Add your ice to ¾ of the way to the top then your 2 ounces of whiskey. Top with club soda, stir and pass over to the person whom is about to compliment you on your fantastic Old Fashioned.
4. The Sidecar – Very simple to memorize and make, the Sidecar is in the sour family and will be the drink in your stable that even the most finicky, casual drinker will enjoy because of its “yummy” factor. That being said, she’s built on the shoulders of brandy and Cointreau so your boozehound friends will be satisfied as well.
- 1.5 oz brandy
- 1 oz Cointreau or Curacao
- 1 oz lemon juice
Easy to remember, 1.5 to 1 to 1, the Sidecar is a no-brainer. Just make sure you use a fairly decent middle-of-the-road brandy, and you should be all set. Shake ingredients with ice and strain into a cocktail glass. Garnish with an orange peel float. Watch the ladies with this one; they go down mighty easy and are quite potent. Lip stick on teeth = too many Sidecars.
5. The Daiquiri – Talk about a “building block,” the Daiquiri is the tropical sour of which all other sour/sweet cocktails are mere variations. Learn this basic recipe and you’ll be able to “tweak” your way through dozens of other cocktails. I’ll add ginger simple syrup or coconut water or sweet liqueur, etc…and end up with sip-able cocktails every time. That being said, this recipe is perfect on its own. The classic Daiquiri is, by itself, all you and your guests need for a night spent on the patio with the grill doing its thing.
- ½ oz fresh squeezed limejuice
- 1 tsp powdered sugar or 2 tsp simple syrup (adjust to taste)
- 2 oz rum (have fun with this; many use white rum, but aged rum provides a different more earthy taste. Hell, try whichever rum you enjoy most.)
Shake ingredients with ice till frothy and cold. Serve up in a chilled cocktail glass or over rocks in a small rocks glass. Wedge of lime as garnish.
Well, there you go. Know these five drinks, and you’ll be famous in your neighborhood. It should take you about a night (and a fun one at that) to truly master each of the five. Once you have these five building blocks down, you’ll find that many other cocktails are mere variations. Don’t be the guy who only knows how to make a gin and tonic. Be the person who can make the classics. It’s the little touches in life that bring both you and your guests the most rewards.
