Craft cocktails depend on the ingredients. Each component of the drink should be made with the freshest ingredients and trustworthy brands. 7 GARNISH A garnish is there for everything but taste. It’s about adding visual appeal and sometimes a new aroma. This means, most times, the garnish is not meant to be eaten.

CLASSIC: Citrus, pineapple, berries, mint, thyme, basil

Cinnamon stick Apple slice Raspberry Mint sprig 6 ICE Using dierent kinds of ice is the hot new way to play with craft cocktails. Use larger ice blocks for drinks meant to be sipped, and smaller ice for drinks meant to be diluted.

TYPES: Crushed, shaved, chipped, cubed, sphere MAKE YOUR OWN: Purchase machines to make your own purified ice, or use molds that shape ice into styles like large spheres that fill a whole glass.

Cubed, served on the rocks Cubed, shaken Crushed 5 Sugar adds body to a drink, giving it more thickness. It is also important for sweetening freshly squeezed juices. come from adding a or soda.

MAKE YOUR OWN SIMPLE

Base: Bring equal parts sugar (or ) and water to a simmer. 1 Infusion: Once the sugar is dissolved, add spices, herbs, or fruit and let steep, /3 oz Cinnamon syrup uncovered, until the flavor is infused. Strain and transfer to a sealed container. ¾ oz Simple syrup ½ oz Honey syrup • Almond extract • Cinnamon sticks • Fruits • Mint sprigs 2 • Basil leaves • Citrus • Ginger root • Rosemary /3 oz Vanilla syrup • Chili peppers • Cloves • Lemongrass • Thyme sprigs

4 JUICE ½ oz Fresh lime juice Adding juice balances out the strength of the alcohol. The way to get the freshest juice is to juice the fruit yourself instead of buying it pre-packaged. ½ oz Fresh lemon juice ¾ oz Fresh lemon juice CLASSIC: Lemon, lime, pineapple, orange, grapefruit ½ oz Fresh grapefruit juice 3 MODIFIER 2 dashes Angostura bitters The modifier is where drink creators get to start playing with the recipe. Often this means using liqueurs — a flavored or sweetened spirit — to adjust the taste of the drink. This stage is where the drink starts to gain its personality. 12 drops Absinthe LIQUEURS Absinthe Bitter, licorice flavor ¾ oz Egg white Amaretto Almond ½ oz Allspice Dram Chartreuse Green liqueur made from 130 herbs and plants 1 oz Apple cider (flavored liqueur ) Creme de Menthe Peppermint, usually bright green in color ¾ oz Raspberry liqueur Frangelico Hazelnut, infused with berries and flowers Grand Marnier Orange flavor with a cognac base Triple Sec Orange, made from dried peels of orange Hurricane glass 2 BASE SPIRIT Snifter glass This is the foundation of the drink. Use a trusted brand of spirits that suits your taste. It can also be rewarding to use spirits — often referred to as liquor or hard alcohol — that were distilled locally. 1 ½ oz Jamaican rum CLASSIC: Brandy, vodka, tequila, rum, whiskey, gin 1 ½ oz Gin Rocks glass 1 GLASS 1 ½ oz Bourbon whiskey The type of glass used depends on the type of drink being concocted. A more tiki-like drink will go in a hurricane, anything made with champagne would go in a flute, if you use carbonation the collins glass is right for you.

Smoke and Oak Clover Club Montego Bay

CollinsPoco Grande Highball Coupe Flute Martini Creator: Thor Messer Creator: Lucas Endres Creator: Tom Dufek

1 ½ oz Bourbon whiskey 1 ½ oz Gin 1 ½ oz Jamaican rum 1 oz Apple cider ¾ oz Raspberry liqueur ½ oz Allspice Dram ½ oz Lemon juice ¾ oz Egg white 12 Drops absinthe 2 Making a Measuring /3 oz Vanilla syrup ¾ oz Lemon juice 2 Dashes Angostura bitters 1 /3 oz Cinnamon syrup ¾ oz Simple syrup ½ oz Grapefruit juice mocktail tips ½ oz Lime juice Simple syrup – Add equal parts by Vanilla syrup – Add one gutted ½ oz Honey syrup volume and hot water. When making a non-alcoholic For measuring and split vanilla bean to 16 oz of Stir until fully dissolved. cocktail, you’re likely going to small simple syrup (see right). Let sit for Honey syrup – 1 part honey to 1 need to find replacements for quantities use 24 hours, then strain. part simple syrup (see left). alcoholic base spirits and a double Add ingredients to shaker and shake without ice for 20-30 modifiers. Typically this is done jigger. They Cinnamon syrup – Add 6 roughly Add ingredients to shaker and seconds. Add 2-3 cubes of ice and by doubling the amount of juices come in two crushed cinnamon sticks to 8 oz of shake lightly for 10 seconds. Strain shake for 60 seconds. Fine strain and sugars of the drink, thus standard water and put on low heat. After 20 in to a hurricane glass filled with into a snifter. Garnish with a fresh adding more citrus and syrup. sizes: minutes add 8 oz of crushed ice. Top with additional raspberry. Once you have replaced the flavor • 1 ounce and and stir until fully dissolved. crushed ice as needed and garnish of the cocktail, you then add ½ ounce Remove from heat and strain. with a mint sprig. water or soda water to • 1 ½ ounce compensate for the loss in liquid. and ¾ ounce Add ingredients to shaker and shake for 20 seconds. Strain into SOURCES: Tom Dufek, Director of Beverage Operations, Merchant; double rocks glass filled with fresh bonappetit.com; imbibemagazine.com; cocktails.about.com cubed ice. Garnish with a cinnamon stick and an apple slice. LAURA SPARKS, ALLISON GARCIA − Wisconsin State Journal