Before we dig too deep into cocktails, let’s get the basics taken care of. Many have emailed me to ask me about the tools or equipment to create some of the cocktails that I feature. Honestly some are pretty easy and others are so complex that you really need to work in a restaurant with a high end bar to be able to create some of the ingredients.
However I do have a couple of books to recommend that will make cocktail mixing so much easier
#1 is The Architecture of the Cocktail which is the encyclopedia or basic primer of mixology with an extremely detailed methodology on how to create a great cocktail.
It’s based on the framework of architecture (hence the name of the book) but once you get a handle on the lingo and the uses, then it’s so simple to whip out the book and create any of a hundred cocktails. And the book has about a 100 cocktails as they used it as an encyclopedia of classic and very unusual drinks.
The author Amy Zavatto and illustrator Melissa Woods were amazingly clear and concise in their presentation. A must-have for any amateur or pro bartender!!
The other book I would recommend for more fun cocktails without the detail that Zavatto and Woods provides is The Fashionable Cocktail!
This book has some fun cocktails that you can find in the first book- only the specify exactly which liquor to use (which can be rather expensive to collect those brands).
The Impossible Sazerac (page 48)
Dash of absinthe to coat glass ( Try LUCID Absinthe!! )
55 ml (1 ¾ fl oz) 666 Pure Tasmanian Vodka
10 ml (1/3 fl oz) Ron Matusalem Blanco Platino rum
10 ml (1/3 fl oz) sugar syrup (see page 9)*
Dash of Peychaud’s bitters
Coat a chilled old-fashioned glass with a dash of absinthe. Stir all the ingredients with ice in a mixing glass. When well chilled, strain into the old fashioned glass.
*(from page 9’s notes):
To make sugar syrup, the ratio is always 1 part water to 2 parts sugar. Place 250 ml (8 ½ fl oz/1 cup) water in a saucepan over medium heat and bring to the boil. Add 440 g (15 ½ oz/2 cups) white sugar and stir until it dissolves. Remove from the heat immediately and allow to cool before using.
Lost in Translation (page 53)
20 ml (2/3 fl oz) Yamazaki 12-year-old whisky From Suntory, this is one killer whiskey
15 ml (1/2 fl oz) caramel liqueur
10 ml (1/3 fl oz) chocolate syrup
10 ml (1/3 fl oz) vanilla-infused cream
Dash of egg white
Sassparilla
Chocolate sprinkles to garnish
Stir all the ingredients, except the sarsaparilla, in a Boston shaker and pour over ice cubes. Top up with sarsaparilla and garnish with the chocolate sprinkles.
The Oil Change—Motor City (page 63)
30 ml (1 fl oz) whiskey or vodka Choose your whiskey carefully:
Jack Daniels Tennessee Honey would be interesting, Look for other smooth whiskeys or perhaps an clear moonshine like White Pike White Whiskey or try Sobieski Vodka — which is a great brand with an array of flavors!
60 ml (2 fl oz/ ¼ cup) sambuca (Sambuca is an anise flavored (think licorice) liqueur.
Add the whiskey or vodka and the sambuca to a shaker of ice and strain into a shot glass.
Sip or shoot it back- it makes little difference in the end. You won’t be standing for too long!
The trick with any books or dabbling in mixology is that you need to assemble a decent array of spirits and also some tools. Tools coming up in another post!
Merry Christmas and may Santa bring you some great gifts!
Stevie Wilson,
LA-Story.com
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happy christmas stevie;) I’m definitely avoiding getting the cocktail shaker out or I’ll end up under the table!
I need to have Lost in Translation..not a licorice fan so the absinthe is not my style..or the Sambuca.. But the chocolate, sarsaparilla with vanilla is perfect for this time of year!
Ah Pam you will love the cocktail scheduled for Friday!!
Fiona! let’s play a little and get that shaker out. I will give you a lighter cocktail ok?
Stevie
I love eating!
=
Farhana
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