ThinkingBartender

I myself, and others too I would guess, have come up with recipes like this. From my standpoint of wishing to creating a "Margarita style" drink, I too fell upon using Limoncello. However I swapped the Cointreau for limoncello, and swapped the Tequila for Grappa. The point is not the drink but the name. I started from Margarita, and ended up at the drink I did. Fairly logical, and obviously linked. But how anyone can start at Collins and end up with basically the same drink as I did, is beyond me, and fail to see that it is not a Collins anymore to boot. For my own taste, I feel my drink still needs work, and an even better name. Cheers! George

I don't think anyone doubts that it is totally a persons privilege to name their own creations whatever they wish to call them. The problem comes when they wilfully refer to a classic cocktail, and show it no respect. If Joan Collins came into your bar and asked you to name a cocktail after her then fine, she can have whatever she wants, and it wouldn't necessarily have to be of a Collins nature. Afterall I am not a pitbull guarding over a chewed up slipper. The problem is when people say "brought this classic completely up to date in a cocktail he calls the Dylan Collins." This is an entirely different matter. The Collins was not brought up-to-date in any way, shape or form. The Raspberry Collins brought the Collins "completely up to date". It deviates, but still shows respect to the "original" formula of a Collins. Since then people have been substituting the raspberry for other fruits, with not much sucess IMHO. Mr. Mautone shows no repect to the Collins, and does what many are continuing to do these days, using a name to simply tie it in historically. Now I am not saying that history (& cocktail recipes) have to evolve in easy to follow step by step increment, but I do feel that something has to be said when someone is trying to pull the wool over my eyes. Cheers! George S.

It sounds to me like Regan is endorsing this nonsense. "brought this classic completely up to date in a cocktail he calls the Dylan Collins." Yeah right! This collins in a cocktail (martini) glass is absolutley ridiculous. And why is it recieving coverage from a well-known cocktail celeb as Gary Regan? So that other simpletons can join in destroying cocktail catergories perhaps? Is there really nothing better out there in the world of cocktails to report on? This "brought this classic completely up to date" thing really does take the bisquit. What a load of tosh. Regan is steadily losting any modicum of respect he may once have had from me. The majority of his Ardent Newsletters are worthless junk, getting deleted immediately after reading. George S.

I am currently experimenting with a classic rum drink called a Canchanchara. Canchanchara 2 shots light rum (aguardiente de caña) 3/4 shot honey syrup 1 shot fresh lemon juice Shake with ice, and then strain into an ice-filled whisky glass. Top with sodawater. Garnish with a slice of lemon. This drink just crys out for added fruit!!! Strawberry. Peach. Lychee. Mango. Passionfruit. I also this it benefits from added eggwhite, through that is not strictly kosher with regards to the classic recipe. I would rather push these at a bar than some lame Daiquiris or fruit Caipirinhas. Cheers! George

Prairie Dog ml Bourbon Whiskey ml Maple Syrup ml Fresh Lemon Juice Angostura Bitters 6 Mint Leaves Gently muddle the mint leaves in the bottom of the shaker, and then fill the shaker with the other ingredients, plus ice. Shake it all up, and then double strain into a whisky glass, which is filled with crushed ice. Stir up. Garnish with a Mint Sprig. Keywords: Cocktail ( RG1607 )

Day at the Races ml Gin ml Honey Syrup ml Fresh Lemon Juice ml Peach Puree ml Peach Liqueur Eggwhite Shake with ice, and then strain into a cocktail glass. Garnish with a lemon twist. Keywords: Cocktail ( RG1606 )

Happy Bunny ml Gin ml Honey Syrup ml Fresh Lemon Juice ml Strawberry Puree Eggwhite Shake with ice, and then strain into a whisky filled with crushed ice. Garnish with a slice of lemon and half a strawberry. Keywords: Cocktail ( RG1605 )

You can make you own similar concoction, as a Brave Bull. 35ml Tequila, 25ml Kahlua. Stir with ice, and then strain over fresh ice in a whisky glass. or strain into shot glasses. I have also seen Parton XO Cafe used in a cocktail similar to a vodka espresso. "Patron XO Espresso" 35ml tequila, 10ml Patron XO Cafe, 10ml sugar syrup, 1 double ristretto. Shake with ice, and then strain into a cocktail glass. Garnish with 3 coffee beans. Cheers! George S.

Canchachara de Morango ml Light Rum ml Fresh Lemon Juice ml Honey ml Strawberry Puree sodawater (club soda) Shake with ice, and then strain into an ice-filled whisky glass. Top with sodawater. Garnish with a slice of lemon and half a strawberry. ( RG1601 )

I wonder if this was to save time or to appease the fickle customers that bartenders have to deal with. Basically make syrup in front of them otherwise they screw up their faces at the sight of a bottle of pre-made syrup. When working at One Aldwych, London I was subjected to a look of scorn when I used sugar syrup in an Irish Coffee. If I dissolved "regular" sugar in boiling water before adding coffee and whisky, where would the difference reside? in the lost mystique perhaps? Cheers! George

Here is my adaptation of a Russian Spring Punch... Belladonna 1 shot vodka, 1 shot fresh lemon juice, 1/2 shot sugar syrup, 1/2 shot peach puree, 1/2 shot peach liqueur. Shake with ice, and then strain into an ice-filled tall glass. Top with sparkling wine. Garnish with a slice of lemon. The unimaginative would probably call this something like a Peach Spring Punch. Cheers! George S.

Audrey, my apologies for the confusion on my part. Are you saying that you don't consider bitters a default in a Mojito, because I am sure (though I may be wrong again) that you have said somewhere that Mojitos are made with bitters in Cuba. Though I have seen no evidence of this, and I have friends who have been to Cuba who say the same thing. On a seperate note, doesn't giving people the option of adding to their own cocktails after they have been served lead to "accidents" on the customers part. I am referring to your Pegu Club bar, where you have 4 bitters bottles on each table. I can just envision a customer pouring half a bottle of angostura in their drink by mistake, then expecting a replacement. Or are all patrons forwarned of the potency of each bitters bottle? Cheers! George S.

Personally I would never name something as unimaginatively as "Strawberry and Lychee Martini", but some people aren't quite as adventurous as myself when it comes to naming a "martini". Grappacino: Espresso & Italian Grappa, shaken with a touch of amaretto and sugar syrup. Served straight up and garnished with three coffee beans. Peach Flush: Vodka and Fresh lemon juice, shaken with pureed fresh peaches and a hint of amaretto. Served straight up and finished with lemon zest. As we are not bound by any rules or regulations we can do as we please. Anyway how many times does someone come into a bar and actually know what everything is on a menu? If someone has a copy of Diffords Guide behind the bar I will thumb through it, but I won't go and buy a copy myself. Cheers! George S.

So I may as well re-classify all cocktails to my own standards, and who ever-else wants to re-classify for themselves can kindly do so. George S.

After perusing JERRY THOMAS' BARTENDER'S GUIDE it seems to me that he always made sure his sugar was dissolved before using it in a mixed drink. Does this mean he would have been alright with using sugar syrup? A lot of people seem to be against using syrups, instead preferring to use "straight" sugar, but I can see no reason why. If you measure your syrup properly when you add it to a drink, then it will not be overly sweet. Drinks which contain syrup are not by default syrupy, in the same way that a drink which contains "straight" sugar should not be sugary. To continue, a drink that contains sour ingredients (lemon, lime, grapefruit, passionfruit) does not need to be sour. I like the way that Thomas says "Take 1 large tea-spoonful of white sugar dissolved in a little Seltzer or Apollinaris water." I can then add the equivalent amount of sugar syrup to a mixed drink regardless of the actual volume. It is alot more useful than stating 30ml of sugar syrup, as this doesn't take into account the sweetness of the syrup being used. Thick Syrup versus Weak Syrup. Cheers! George

Basically what I am saying is where do you draw the line? and what would be the justification for not allowing deviation in a recipe? As we all know (I think) if we look at historical cocktail books, they do differ at certain points and sometimes do not. People try to justify their own preferences in anyway they see fit, but why? Do they really need to justify anything? Audrey says that it drives her mad when people alter a drink recipe but don't alter the name of the cocktail. But this is coming from a person who puts bitters into a Mojito and a Julep. Jerry Thomas http://www.theartofdrink.com/book/pg16.php and Tom Bullock http://www.gutenberg.org/files/13487/13487-h/13487-h.htm Neither of these two cocktail greats put bitters into their juleps, and if they wanted to then they would have. It seems that sometimes we are using historical precedence to justify our positions on a cocktail recipe, except it seems when it doesn't suit us. If the flavour profile of a drink is different, where does it stop being valid as one particular kind of drink and have to be re-classified as another? Splificator says no deviation please. But then who's recipe do we take as being THE recipe which is the one to use . The original? The Best? The Oldest Published? We also have "cocktail greats" such as DeGroff making a "Bourbon Peach Smash" and "Grapefruit Julep". With the Smash and Julep being used as bywords for "it has mint in it". If he can do this to classic classifications then why not the rest of us? Why then can't the following be true? "A strawberry and lychee martini is a martini because it is in a "martini" glass". DeGroff's use of the word Julep is the same as this use of the word Martini. Now of course we were referring to drink recipes without prefixs or suffixs or whatever, but where do we draw the line? And who has the right to say what is fair and what is not? Julio Bermejo makes a Margarita without any orange liqueur in it, and it is a damn fine drink as well. Jerry Thomas made Whiskey and Brandy Sours without Bitters and eggwhite in them, even though he would have no qualms about putting such things into other drinks. If Jerry Thomas was not a historical figure and was just another one of "us" posting on a message forum in the year 2006 rather than 1865(?) in a cocktail book, would the way he made his drinks be wrong? Thomas Bullock uses lemon or lime juice in his Sours. Is he wrong? If Mister Bullock was alive and posting here today on this forum, would his way of doing things drive Audrey mad? Dale DeGroff says it is all okay as long as the drink tastes good. I am sure that Thomas and Bullock would agree. Cheers! George

So Embury can change a cocktail recipe but not the rest of us? It seems that in the olden days it was common practice to change recipes, but not nowadays. Why? Are modern cocktail books and those that profit from publishing them trying to dictate how cocktails should be, by trying to provide all in one book solutions to the whole cocktail culture? George

I am glad that it is now called "Diffords guide" as this publication has, and will always be, Simons personal collection of cocktails. His versions of contemporary recipes and classics. Kind of like what Gary Regan does with the recipes on his website and in his newsletter, they are recipes that are altered to suit their own personal tastes. It would be nice if they actually listed the recipes pre-adaptation as well. Cheers! George S.

The Ideal Bartender, by Tom Bullock (1917) http://www.gutenberg.org/files/13487/13487.txt DEDICATED TO THOSE WHO ENJOY SNUG CLUB ROOMS, THAT THEY MAY LEARN THE ART OF PREPARING FOR THEMSELVES WHAT IS GOOD. IS IT ANY WONDER THAT MANKIND STANDS OPEN-MOUTHED BEFORE THE BARTENDER, CONSIDERING THE MYSTERIES AND MARVELS OF AN ART THAT BORDERS ON MAGIC? RECIPES FOUND IN THIS BOOK HAVE BEEN COMPOSED AND COLLECTED, TRIED AND TESTED, IN A QUARTER-CENTURY OF EXPERIENCE BY TOM BULLOCK OF THE ST. LOUIS COUNTRY CLUB. plus another site has the recipes indexed: http://www.harvestfields.ca/CookBooks/001/11/00.htm Cheers! George S.

back in 2000 a fellow bartender used basil in the Mojito they were making. Basil leaves look totally different to Mint leaves, so I am not sure how he managed it. Little did we know that a few years later bars would be muddling strawberries and basil together. Cheers! George

What is this supposed to mean? Something tells me you are slagging off Daiquiris for some weird reason. Are you even making them properly? George S.

another nice Daiquiri variation is the Golden Gloves. Basically the same as a Daiquiri, but with a dash of cointreau. Personally I add the oils from an orange twist for more oranginess. I would also recommend the Caipirrisma (rum Caipirinha). Cheers! George

Seasons of Wither 1-1/2 fl oz Havana Club 3yo Rum 3/4 fl oz Strawberry Puree 1-1/2 fl oz Grapefruit Juice 2 fl oz Apple Juice 1/4 fl oz sugar syrup (optional) Shake with ice, and then strain into ice-filled Highball glass. Garnish with half a strawberry and a wedge of lime. only use the sugar syrup if the strawberry puree is not sweet enough to balance the grapefruit juice. Keywords: Cocktail, Intermediate ( RG1546 )

I never shake drinks with crushed ice, unless they are meant to be extra diluted (some people's Daiquiris are made this way). Stirring the crushed ice and ingredients is the best way to mix them. No-one complains of their Mint julep being too watery with crushed or Shaved ice. Or do they? In London, Limes can be Mexican or Brazilian, depends on the supplier, though i am sure you can specify when you order them. Cheers! George

what about passionfruit? 1 1/2 shots Raisin-infused Makers Mark 1 shot Passionfruit Puree 1/2 shot Vanilla Syrup Shake with ice, and then strain into a chilled cocktail glass. what about grapefruit? Wibble created by Dick Bradsell 1 shot Plymouth Gin 1 shot Plymouth Sloe Gin 1 shot Grapefruit Juice 1/4 shot Fresh lemon Juice 1/4 shot creme de mure (blackberry liqueur) 1/4 shot Gomme Syrup Shake with ice, and then strain into a chilled cocktail glass. Garnish with a Lemon Twist. Cheers! George