Serious Eats guide to making cocktails at home

[Robin Garr]

I know there's been a lot of talk about cocktails around here lately, and some of you have real expertise as home mixologists. I'm at the point where I've fully embraced the hip trend at our trendier local eateries and am generally ready to consider a cocktail in place of wine when we go out ... that's a major change for me.

Making them at home is a hurdle, though, not because I doubt my skills - it can't be harder than cooking - but because I'm not really sure that I want to build up a serious bar stock.

This article from Serious Eats intrigued me, though, so I thought I'd share. I expect it's too basic for our experts, but I thought dabblers like me might enjoy it.

http://www.seriouseats.com/2014/09/esse ... nding.html

Robin: That's a pretty good article that covers the basics fairly succinctly. Also good for some people who think they know but maybe learned improper techniques originally, or didn't pay attention the first time.

Getting into the home cocktail making is not as challenging as it might seem. The trick is avoiding the usual trap (which, admittedly, wine geeks have already proven to be poor at ) of trying to buy a bottle of everything, taking over too much space, getting too much stuff, ticking off the spouse who just doesn't understand all this, and having to cut back. You know, just like wine.

Many, many, many cocktails don't require a vast range of spirits and adjuncts. Some of the great classics---the Manhattan, the Martini, the Negroni, the Sidecar, etc., etc.---are amazingly simple to make (although a bit more difficult to make well.

Making cocktails is like when you were a kid with a junior chemistry set---with the two major differences being you generally don't blow things up and you get to enjoy sampling the results of your chemistry experiments.

I wrote a whole series of articles a couple of years ago---very popular, they were---about "The Twelve Bottle Case" of booze---you know, if you were stranded on a desert island and could have only twelve bottles of booze, that kind of thing. Two things became clear: it was entirely possible to pare down one's spirit needs to that few bottles (not counting re-supply) in that small a space; and the selection generally revealed, not least of all to the participant, preferences and predilections they had never thought that much about before.

(That being said, I still vastly prefer the cocktail scene...going out and having a bartender make the drink.)

I wrote a whole series of articles a couple of years ago---very popular, they were---about "The Twelve Bottle Case" of booze---you know, if you were stranded on a desert island and could have only twelve bottles of booze, that kind of thing. Two things became clear: it was entirely possible to pare down one's spirit needs to that few bottles (not counting re-supply) in that small a space; and the selection generally revealed, not least of all to the participant, preferences and predilections they had never thought that much about before.

(That being said, I still vastly prefer the cocktail scene...going out and having a bartender make the drink.)

Now you tell me, after I have filled a full kitchen cabinet and a small table with bottles and bar gear!

How about a link to those articles, Hoke?

Here's the majority of the, Jim.

http://www.examiner.com/topic/12-bottle-case

I have found, after many years of active home cocktail making, that it's wonderfully fun and exciting and rewarding. But there are some basic caveats and pointers:

1. No substitute for fresh fruit juice, EVER.
2. The garnish is often the aromatic element that ties the drink together and is critical. While you can substitute, don't omit! Bitters function the same way and can really tie together a drink. Fee's Barrel-aged are a great starting point.
3. I agree with others that you can get pretty crazy with purchasing a million liqueurs that you'll rarely use. Oh well, we're collectors and hoarders. At least a half drunk bottle of midori will never go bad, even if you have to hide it out of embarrassment for several years and then bring it out for nostalgia's sake.
4. Egg, both whites and yolks, mask and manage bitterness. Whites add froth, yolks add body. You can take three ounces of Cynar, bitter as hell, add an egg yolk, shake well over ice, and have an amazing drink with nothing else: a Cynar Flip.
5. The single hardest part of making cocktails is managing dilution. This takes trial and error. As you begin, I suggest you taste your cocktails at each stage of building them and especially right before and right after you shake them. Crucial to understanding what you like. Having a little soda and ginger ale on hand to dilute a cocktail is often useful.
6. For clarity, stir, not shake. If using eggs or anything else that needs some blending, shake without ice first, then add ice and shake again.

I always suggest to those new to the sport to work through a few of the real classics: Hemingway and traditional Daiquiris; Corpse Reviver #2; Ramos Gin Fizz; The Adonis; Vieux Carre, for example. Try a few juleps or smashes to get the whole dilution and simple syrup thing down, and a few good tiki drinks like the Mai Tai, Painkiller, Suffering Bastard, etc. and finally, find a Manhattan and old fashioned recipe you like and really test several ryes and bourbons to get a sense of how they affect the drink. Finally, work on a few punches (Wondrich's book is phenomenal here) to get your drink on for a crowd.

This is enough for a few weeks (or one helluva night!).

Cheers,
Noah

Hey, great post, Noah. Good advice all around and you made some excellent points. Hope you don't mind if I chime in on a few.

I have found, after many years of active home cocktail making, that it's wonderfully fun and exciting and rewarding. But there are some basic caveats and pointers:

Nice post, Noah!

I tend to do well with dilution issues; my problem tends to be getting the right balance with sours. Whether it's a daiquiri, a margarita, or a whiskey sour, I seem to end up with more citrus than I like (and more importantly, more than my wife likes). It's something I need to work on with a bit more focus, but part of the problem is that we don't drink them all that often.

The Serious Eats article is pretty good. I disagree with him regarding the metal-on-metal Boston shaker. I've had one of those for years and I don't see any real advantage to being able to see what you're putting into the bottom of it. I very much agree with him on using the Oxo measuring cup rather than jiggers. Jiggers are a pain in the ass, and I've seen the Oxo cups used at many of the better bars around here. I have a clear plastic one and the metal one shown in the article and I find the plastic one much easier to use. I also agree with his point on the julep strainer vs. the Hawthorn. I have both and almost never use the julep one.

I tend to do well with dilution issues; my problem tends to be getting the right balance with sours. Whether it's a daiquiri, a margarita, or a whiskey sour, I seem to end up with more citrus than I like (and more importantly, more than my wife likes). It's something I need to work on with a bit more focus, but part of the problem is that we don't drink them all that often.

Mike, I had this problem too until I stopped measuring the sweet element. I measure out the citrus then add sweetener/modifier to taste, a bit at a time until I get it right, then add the base spirit. It definitely has improved consistency for me.

I tend to do well with dilution issues; my problem tends to be getting the right balance with sours. Whether it's a daiquiri, a margarita, or a whiskey sour, I seem to end up with more citrus than I like (and more importantly, more than my wife likes). It's something I need to work on with a bit more focus, but part of the problem is that we don't drink them all that often.

Mike, I had this problem too until I stopped measuring the sweet element. I measure out the citrus then add sweetener/modifier to taste, a bit at a time until I get it right, then add the base spirit. It definitely has improved consistency for me.

Thanks, Bill. I haven't tried balancing the sweet/sour before adding the spirit. I'll give that a shot.