Help a cocktail newbie

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I'm pretty new to the whole cocktail idea, and my two favorites are a good stiff G&T or gimlet. I have no taste for sweet drinks and so I don't have much luck getting drink suggestions from friends. Still, I'd like to pick up a few ideas of other drinks to order at the bar. Also appreciated would be ideas for cocktails to make at home that don't require many special ingredients or equipment (G&Ts are great like that!).

Thanks for any suggestions!

[jmfangio]

I'm going to recommend one of my favorites, the Jasmine, a cocktail that I love on many levels. For one, I can point to it as the single cocktail that started my obsession with mixology. It's also a great drink for friends who fear gin, and a very forgiving drink. Make it right, and it tastes surprisingly like pink grapefruit juice. Make it wrong, and it still ain't half bad. I've seen a few versions of the recipe online, but this is my favorite:

1 1/2 ounces gin

1/4 ounce Cointreau

1/4 ounce Campari

3/4 ounce lemon juice

Shake with ice. Strain into a cocktail glass.

Garnish with a lemon twist.

[David Santucci]

You won't need too much in the way of equipment, but you will want a cocktail strainer, a shaker, and the equipment to juice limes, lemons and orages, and measure 1/4, 1/2, 3/4, 1 and 1 1/2 ounces. You'll want to get some bitters too.

The Martini and the Manhattan are classics for a reason and a fine place to start. Plus, vermouth is cheap and readily available. From there you can try the Affinity, the Bronx, the Delmonico, etc. Also, a favorite of mine of late, the Hong Kong Cocktail.

When you're ready to try something a little more fancy, a truly great cocktail that is fun to make and will impress your friends is Dale DeGroff's Millenium Cocktail:

1 1/2 oz. Cognac

1 1/2 oz. pineapple juice

1 oz. Orange Curacao

dash Angostura bitters

garnish with a flamed orange peel and fresh grated nutmeg.

This one has you shooting flames out of a piece of orange peel and onto the top of your drink -- woo hoo!

[eje]

Well, at least you are starting by saying you enjoy Gin!

That gets you some points!

The Margarita, the Daiquiri, and the Sidecar are all three ingredient cocktails that are worth knowing and mastering.

The unfortunate part is, unless you've gone to a bar that bothers squeezing the lime or lemon juice to order, you've probably not had a proper version of these cocktails, and think they are over sweet blender drinks.

The Margarita is simply tequila (be sure and use a decent 100% agave tequila!), Cointreau, and lime juice. Can be shaken and served up, or on the rocks. Salt rim is optional. Say 2 oz of Tequila, 1 oz Cointreau, and 1 oz lime as a starting point. If it's too sweet, reduce the Cointreau. If it is too sour, reduce the lime.

The Sidecar is Brandy, lemon juice, and Cointreau. It is usually shaken and served up. Sugar rim is optional. The sidecar usually uses basically the same proportions as the Margarita. 2 oz brandy, 1 oz Cointreau, and 1 oz lemon.

The Daiquiri is even more basic than the previous 2 cocktails. Think of it as a Rum Gimlet. Rum, fresh lime juice, and sugar (or simple syrup). Also, usually shaken and served up. 2 oz rum, juice 1/2 lime, 1 teaspoon superfine sugar.

Edited May 7, 2007 by eje (log)