AT HOME WRITTEN BY JOE ROBINSON ILLUSTRATIONS & DESIGN JOE FICORELLI STANDBY AT HOME FOR OUR TEAM Hospitality through humanity, that is the foundation that Standby is built on. We use cocktails as a vehicle to bring people together. When we opened our doors five years ago, my goal was to create the best cocktail bar I possibly could, one that would stand the test of time and have true longevity. I believe longevity is achieved by fostering a culture of learning and exploration, and by acting as a welcoming and supportive place for your community. In my life, bartending has given me the opportunity to explore my own creativity, express myself and connect with people. I hope, no matter where you are on the spectrum of cocktail creating skill, this book will offer you those things. I hope you will have fun with it. I hope you will savor it. While I hope this book of recipes and insights will have a long life beyond today’s current troubles, it will always be the thing I created to help support the displaced employees of Standby and The Skip during a global crisis. I hope it will bring you some joy to know that you’ve helped to support our bar family. I hope it will infuse your cocktails and your lives with that thing we all desperately need right now, togetherness. 2 STANDBY AT HOME SHAKEN V. STIRRED When you understand the basic principles that set these two drink building techniques apart, identifying whether you’d like something shaken or stirred really just translates to what am I in the mood for. 3 SHAKEN V. STIRRED A shaken drink is vibrant, lively and the tools refreshing. A simple rule of thumb : If there SHAKEN 1) Shaking Tins is citrus in the drink, the drink should be 2) Tea Strainer shaken. This is because shaking incorporates 3) Hawthorne Strainer the citrus and unifies all ingredients in ways stirring cannot. Shaking provides aeration by adding tiny bubbles that will not begin to match carbonation, but provide an enthusiastic pop that’s essential to your final product. That first sip should open your eyes a bit wider and might send a shiver down your spine. The jolt I’m referencing here is largely due to the drink being cold, ice cold. Shaking spirit in a metal tin full of ice causes rapid dilution and a dramatic temperature drop. I think of a shaken cocktail as a bright and breezy drink. It’s casual, high energy and always fun. In a pinch, you can use a mason jar with a lid to shake your drinks. If you don’t have the suggested tools (for any section of this book) there’s always a workaround. The mason jar method is sure to impress when camping or when inspired to whip up some daiquiris at a friend’s house. 4 SHAKEN V. STIRRED the steps IF YOU’VE GOT THE RIGHT STUFF, HERE’S EXACTLY HOW TO SHAKE YOUR COCKTAIL SHAKEN 1) Measure ingredients into a small shaking tin. 2) Top the tin with ice. Place the large tin over top of the small tin at an angle. Give the large tin a good hit with your palm to seal the tins together. 3) Hold the bottom of the large tin in one hand and the bottom of the small tin in the other. The bottom of the large tin should be facing directly away from you. 4) NOW SHAKE IT LIKE YOU MEAN IT! About 12 seconds will do. Force is important here, the ice and liquid should take turns crashing into each end of the sealed shaker causing dilution and aeration. 5) To release the seal, find the spot where the two tins are closest, aim about an inch to the right of that and give the large tin a firm tap with your palm. This should allow you to easily remove the small tin. 6) Place the hawthorne strainer on top of the large tin and hold it with your pointer finger. side-note Hold the tea strainer over your cocktail glass I always start by adding the least and pour. expensive ingredient first. This way if I screw up, it doesn’t cost much. My exception to this rule is if it’s an egg white drink. Then I always start with my egg, just in case the yolk breaks. 5 SHAKEN V. STIRRED A stirred drink is spirit forward and layered the tools with a velvety texture. If you’ve done it right, 1) Mixing Glass STIRRED the top of your cocktail should be still and 2) Bar Spoon clear. The aromatics, the weight of the drink 3) Julep Strainer on your tongue, the heat of the spirit, are all part of the depth and flavor journey a stirred drink should take you on. The feeling is pensive, meditative and sophisticated as f***. The truth is, stirring a drink is quite simple. Bartenders often make it look a lot harder than it is. Measure all ingredients into mixing glass, add ice. 6 SHAKEN V. STIRRED the fancy stir the basic stir Place the top of the spoon between If you are not interested in the your pointer finger, middle finger presentational elements of this STIRRED and thumb. Let it rest on your ring process, I get it. This same result finger. can be achieved with a round thin object like a chopstick or even the Place the back side of the spoon opposite end of the bar spoon. Just end into the mixing glass with the place your chopstick, or mixing tool front side of the spoon facing you. of choice, in your mixing glass and wrist twist for about 30 seconds. Using your pointer and middle finger to move the spoon toward When straining your cocktail, keep you and your ring and pinky finger the mixing glass close and pour to move the spoon away from you, slowly as not to create any air move the spoon around the sides bubbles on the top. of the glass counter clockwise. Do this slowly, at first or until it feels comfortable. Stir as silently as possible. The goal is to move the ice and ingredients around without agitating or breaking up the ice. 7 SHAKEN V. STIRRED using & making ice One of the most important ingredients in a cocktail is ice. STIRRED If you’re going to be making cocktails at home, I highly recommend getting some silicone ice molds. One inch or one and 1x1 (kold draft) freezer ice a quarter inch molds would be optimal for most cocktails and essential for shaking and stirring drinks. Two inch molds are great for straight spirits and anything in a rocks glass. The temperature of the ice is a vital element to the success of your cocktail. Let your cubes temper out of the freezer for five minutes or so before use. If any 2x2 water collects, be sure to strain bagged ice (king cube) before mixing your cocktail. pebble ice 8 STANDBY AT HOME THE TOOL KIT The bartender's tool kit consists of everything needed to mix drinks. When I started bartending, we had all the old school digs like the tin on glass shakers, the bar spoon with the red tip, and the classic pony jiggers. The options then were limited, but got the job done. I remember my bar mentor and friend, Travis Fourmont would compete in national competitions, lugging an old red milk crate around with just some shaking tins, a spoon and some kitchen tools. Now you have companies like Cocktail Kingdom dedicated to providing a wide variety of tools with your choice of finishes such as; gold, copper, black or classic stainless steel. Bars standards for tools vary quite a bit. So do the standards for individual bartenders. Many even bring their own tool “roll up” just like a cook would bring his own tools and care for them. The most essential tools for home, would be a set of shaking tins, bar spoon, jigger, hawthorne strainer and tea strainer. You can’t shake a drink with a mixing glass, but you can stir a drink with a shaking tin. 9 TOOL KIT jigger swizzle stick I prefer a graduated jigger for Also called a bois lele, dried speed at the bar and ease at wood from a carribean evergreen home. These have measurements with prongs at the end that up to 2.5 ounces. They don’t is submerged into a drink to look as cool as the Japanese style, “swizzle” the contents but they get the job done. Check out leopold jiggers if you want something fancy for your bar cart mixing glass bar spoon Glass vessel for mixing I prefer a 30 cm threaded stirred cocktails with a teardrop bar spoon. Avoid spout for pouring. the spoons with the red tip. julep strainer y peeler Paired with the mixing glass. For citrus peels and the For straining Stirred Cocktails occasional cucumber snake chef knife tea strainer For cutting and This catches the fine shards of ice processing larger you break up during shaking. fruit like pineapple shaking tins hawthorne strainer We use 18 ounce Four pronged stainless steel strainer and 28 ounce with spring that goes on top of stainless steel tins. the large shaking tin to strain. Also works on top of your mixing glass if you don’t have a julep strainer. muddler paring knife For muddling herbs and fruit For cutting citrus wedges, wheels 10 STANDBY AT HOME COCKTAILS 11 COCKTAILS SNAKE IN THE GRASS A verdant, fresh and modern take on a Gin Gimlet.