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Chapter 1 Getting Started with Cocktails

In This Chapter Discovering shaken drinks Delving into alcohol types Stocking up on the right equipment

ant to find out how to create crowd-pleasing cocktails? WThen this chapter is for you. In this chapter, you dis- cover everything you need to know about shaken drinks. So, Just What Is a Shaken Drink? This booklet focuses on shaken drinks — the types you make with the handy-dandy kit packaged with this booklet. The main reasons for shaking are to chill a cocktail, mix ingredi- ents, or put a head on some cocktails. WhenCOPYRIGHTED you think of shaken drinks, MATERIAL think martinis, cosmos, mojitos, and sours. A martini, known as James Bond 007’s drink of choice, is usually made with gin or and dry vermouth, and served chilled in a garnished martini glass. A Cosmopolitan is a type of martini that typically contains lime and cranberry juice. A mojito, shaken with ice, consists prima- rily of rum, mint, sugar, and soda water, plus other ingredients to taste. And a sour is another type of shaken drink, usually consisting of liqueur, juice, and sugar. 05_758205 ch01.qxd 9/30/05 10:46 PM Page 4

4 Cocktail Tips For Dummies

A martini is considered a short drink, which simply means that it contains mostly alcohol. A long drink, on the other hand, contains mostly nonalcoholic ingredients.

Of course, just like every cook’s meat loaf recipe is different, variations on these drinks abound. As a result, you’ll want to check out the recipes listed later in this book. Getting Familiar with Alcohol Types If you don’t like the alcohols used in a shaken drink, you prob- ably won’t like the drink. That’s because mixers and other nonalcoholic ingredients don’t disguise the flavor of the spir- its, as they can in long drinks.

The following sections describe the basic alcohols used in shaken drinks. Gin Although gin has been produced and consumed for centuries, the methods for making the quality gin that you drink today have been around only since the turn of the 20th century. Gin comes in many types:

London dry gin (English), the most popular gin, is dis- tilled from a grain mixture that contains more than corn. It’s distilled at high proof and then redistilled with juniper berries. Despite its name, this gin is made around the world. Dutch gin or Holland gin contains barley, malt, corn, and rye. It’s distilled at a lower proof and then redistilled with juniper berries in another still at low proof. Dutch gins are usually slightly sweeter. Flavored gin is a new product. It’s basically gin to which natural flavorings have been added (lime, lemon, orange, and so on). The flavoring always appears on the bottle. 05_758205 ch01.qxd 9/30/05 10:46 PM Page 5

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Choosing the right gin can really affect your enjoyment of a given drink. Never, ever use a cheap, nonpremium gin when making a drink. The results will be a disaster. Cheap gin tastes like disinfectant. Good gin has an herby, spicy, organic flavor, so stick to the premium brands (see “Popular brands of gin” sidebar). Vodka Vodka, a clear, almost flavorless spirit, was originally distilled only from potatoes, but today, it’s also made from grain, mostly , rye, and corn.

Popular brands of gin All of the following are London dry citrus, and an infusion of gins. Each brand has its own distinc- cucumber. tive flavor that comes from a carefully Magelian Gin: A French gin guarded recipe. handcrafted in small batches Beefeater: The only premium dry using natural exotic botanicals gin distillery in London. from around the globe. Beefeater WET: A lighter-tasting Plymouth: Legend has it that a gin (70 proof) made with natural surgeon in the Royal Navy pear flavors. invented this gin to help the sailors make their Angostura bit- Bombay: Made from a well- ters more palatable (pink gin). guarded recipe that dates back to 1761. Seagram’s Extra Dry: A citrus- tasting golden gin. Bombay Sapphire: Sapphire has more natural botanical ingredi- Tanqueray: Its unique green ents than any other gin. bottle is said to be inspired by an English fire hydrant. Gordon’s: An unsweetened gin with a smooth character and aro- Tanqueray 10: A super premium matic flavors known as London gin from Tanqueray with a blend Dry. of fresh botanicals, including grapefruit and chamomile. It’s Hendricks: A Scottish gin with distilled four times. juniper, coriander, rose petal, 05_758205 ch01.qxd 9/30/05 10:46 PM Page 6

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Vodkas are distilled at a very high proof (190 or higher), and most are filtered through activated charcoal. Certain charcoals are so important to the making of vodka that distillers patent them. High-end are triple- and even quadruple-distilled, and some are filtered through fine quartz sand.

Flavored vodkas, which have become quite popular, are made with the addition of natural flavoring materials. More than 30 different flavored vodkas are available.

You’ll want to have vodka on hand. It’s one of the most mix- able and versatile of spirits and is used in hundreds of cock- tail recipes.

Popular brands of vodka Vodka is now produced in almost : From Holland, Ketel every country in the world, and each One is handmade in small location tends to put its spin on the batches according to the tech- classic. Here are a few brands to get niques and secret family recipe you started: developed by the Nolet family more than 300 years ago. Absolut: From Sweden, is the #1 imported vodka in SKYY: An American vodka made the United States. from 100 percent pure mountain water. Belvedere: From Poland. : From the U.S., the Ciroc: From France made from largest-selling vodka in the world. snap-frost grapes in southwest- ern France. Distilled five times. : A Russian vodka also known as “Stoli.” : Classic Finlandia is imported from Finland. It’s made Tanqueray Sterling: An English from spring water and barley. vodka from the makers of Tanqueray gin. Fris: Produced in Scandinavia. Vincent Van Gogh Vodka: From : From France, made Holland, handcrafted using small from fine grain and mineral water batches of the finest grains. that’s naturally filtered with cham- pagne limestone. 05_758205 ch01.qxd 9/30/05 10:46 PM Page 7

Chapter 1: Getting Started with Cocktails 7 Vermouth Vermouth originated in the 18th century when wine growers in the foothills of the French and Italian Alps developed a method of enhancing the taste of sour or uncompromising wines with the infusion of a variety of sweeteners, spices, herbs, roots, seeds, flowers, and peels. Once flavored, the wine is clarified, pasteurized, and finally fortified to an alco- holic content of about 18 percent.

The standard classification of vermouth is white/dry and red/ sweet, but exceptions do exist, including a half-sweet variety known as rosé.

Vermouth is an ingredient in many cocktails, and just as care- fully as you select other to pour at the bar, so you should take care and time in selecting a good vermouth. Choose the brand that tastes best to you — crisp and light, not too heavy or burnt. Popular brands include Boissiere, Cinzano, Martini and Rossi, Noilly Prat, and Stock. All the Right Tools The most important assets for any profession are the right tools. You need basic bar tools to mix, serve, and store your drinks. Cocktail shaker and strainer Whether you’re stocking a home bar or working as a profes- sional, your basic tools are a cocktail shaker and strainer.

A cocktail shaker is the container you use for mixing drinks. Shakers come in two types. The Boston shaker is the one that most professional bartenders use. It consists of a mixing glass and stainless steel core that overlaps the glass. The standard shaker, which comes with the kit that accompanies this book, consists of two or more stainless steel parts and includes a built-in strainer.

A couple of different types of strainers are available, but the most popular is the Hawthorn strainer. This flat, spoon-shaped 05_758205 ch01.qxd 9/30/05 10:46 PM Page 8

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utensil has a spring coil around its head to help prevent leak- ing. You can use the Hawthorn on top of a steel shaker or a bar glass to strain cocktails. Other tools Here’s a list of additional tools you’ll want in your bartending arsenal.

Bar spoon: A long-handled, 10-inch or longer metal spoon used to mix cocktails. Stirring avoids clouding your martinis. Cocktail or martini glass: Perfect for martinis, manhat- tans, stingers, and many other classic drinks, this glass is available in 3 to 6 oz. sizes. Don’t go any larger than 6 ounces because your martini will get too warm.

Ice scoop or tongs: A must for every bar. Never use your hands to scoop ice. Jigger or measuring glass: A small glass or metal meas- 1 uring container that usually has a ⁄2 oz. measurer on one side and a 2 oz. measurer on the other. Lemon zester: Used to peel off thin strips of citrus, which can be chopped finer or turned into twists. You can also use a paring knife or vegetable peeler to remove the zest.