Cocktails in Miniature

[twodogs]

We have put together an array of our house cocktails on a miniature level to allow guests to sample more than one drink. While served in shot glasses, these cocktails are not shots, rather they are the actual cocktail served in miniature ie not a full measure of alcohol in each but rather an appropriate ration thus allowing individuals to have several cocktails without adverse effects.

Check them out at ideasinfood in our cocktail photo album, and let us know what you think and what other cocktails we could make mini.

[eje]

We have put together an array of our house cocktails on a miniature level to allow guests to sample more than one drink....thus allowing individuals to have several cocktails without adverse effects.

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I think it's a neat idea, and they look gorgeous.

But, isn't it an immense pain for the bartender(s)? I'm assuming you charge at least $50 for the sampler; but, it can't be much less work than making 9 full size drinks. In some ways I imagine it is more. You should also look into some way of stabilizing them on the tray. I'm sure you have great steady handed wait staff; but, I can just imagine the whole thing going over when a table guest gesticulates wildly and evasive action is required. Some sort of grid? Pomegranate juice doesn't come out easily.

My 2 cents.

Erik

PS. I disagree with you about Cold Stone Creamery. Straight out of the ice cream bucket and into my cone please. No mixing on the bizarre, and I'm sure unhygenic, communal marble. My parents make me go to one in some mall somewhere every time we visit them. The whole idea creeps me out.

[slkinsey]

Interesting idea. I think just about any cocktail would work in this size, although obviously the context of the other cocktails around it will influence the success.

Questions: What is the size of the miniature cocktails? How many do you normally serve together at once? How do you keep them cold? Presumably they are not all mixed a la minute to order?

[Sazerac]

Miniature cocktails are a fantastic idea. In fact, there was a time when a two-ounce cocktail wasn't considered a "miniature", but a full-sized cocktail. When watching "Mildred Pierce" at a revival screening recently, those people were quaffing drinks in nearly every scene, but they were small, as they should be.

I'm tired of ordering a cocktail and getting a 10-12 ounce glass big enough for a goldfish to swim comfortably.

We recently bought a dozen perfect little cocktail glasses, classic "Martini" shape, but with a two-ounce capacity. This is perfect. We can make one cocktail recipe and split it between us, and we enjoy having friends over for "cocktail flights", where I'll make six different drinks, each with a different base spirit, and everyone gets a two-ounce taste over the course of the evening.

Thumbs up to small cocktails!

-- Chuck

[slkinsey]

Cocktail flights are cool. They're been doing them at Flatiron Lounge here in NYC for some time now. It's especially an interesting way for newcomers to the game to have a taste of several classics with which they might not be familiar.

[LindyCat]

Sazerac, where did you find your two-ounce cocktail glasses? Anywhere easy? Like you say, everything is gigantic. It's so unattractive to serve a small (reasonable, even) drink in a huge, oversized glass, but I feel like it's all I can find.

I love the idea of mini-cocktails, but I agree it sounds like a major pain in the butt for the bartender.

[BTR]

Sazerac, where did you find your two-ounce cocktail glasses? Anywhere easy? Like you say, everything is gigantic. It's so unattractive to serve a small (reasonable, even) drink in a huge, oversized glass, but I feel like it's all I can find.

I love the idea of mini-cocktails, but I agree it sounds like a major pain in the butt for the bartender.

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I've seen some 3.7oz (I think) cocktail glasses at Sur la Table. What's more they were astonishingly well-designed—in addition to being huge lots of the glasses I see in stores are butt-ugly.

[alchemyst]

The glasses pictured are 2 oz. shot glasses and we're pricing at $3-$5 dollars per, depending on the drink. If someone wanted a flight we could accomodate them, but we're featuring one or two drinks at that size a night. That way people can enjoy a mini cocktail at the bar and still appreciate our wine list at the table.

[slkinsey]

Ah. Good size. Actually, I vastly prefer cocktails at around 3 ounces -- and I wish restaurants would serve them at that size. This is enough for a bracingly cold drink that stimulates the palate without dulling the senses.

FWIW, if I were drinking them, I'd much rather have those 2 ounce cocktails of yours served in a 2.5 or 3 ounce cocktail glass with a nice bit of "collar" (aka. empty glass at the top) than in a shooter glass filled almost to the brim. Just poking my nose in with that thought.

[JAZ]

I've seen some 3.7oz (I think) cocktail glasses at Sur la Table.  What's more they were astonishingly well-designed—in addition to being huge lots of the glasses I see in stores are butt-ugly.

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Do you mean these? I love them; they're my everyday cocktail glasses. They're comfortable to hold, and don't have a seam where the stem connects to the bowl, which I prefer.

[DrinkBoy]

We've got a cocktail bar here in Seattle called "Tini-Biggs", which is often on many folks short list of great martini bars in the city... however, I expect this position is born mostly out of the "bigger is better" mentality of most Americans, since their standard cocktail glass is a whopping 10 ouncer. Ouch!

On the opposite side of the spectrum, is "Olivers", the bar of the Mayflower Hotel. They serve their cocktails in very beautiful 4 ounce cocktail glasses, which are "V" shaped, but tall and slender instead of wide. Unfortunately, they serve every drink filled to the rim, just to make sure their customers don't feel like they are being cheated, which makes it impossible to pick up. The reason they use this particular glass, is because the owner hates warm drinks, and she says this tall/narrow shape will keep the drink cold longer... too bad she's wrong.

I love the idea of serving nicely proportioned cocktails which are small enough so you can easily have two or three without worry. I also think using glassware that is slightly out of the ordinary is a great little touch to add. Ideally I'd love to see many different types/shapes of glasses used, with specific glasses targeted at specific drinks. Unfortunately, such a collection of glassware can be prohibitive at many bars.

I picked up some great little glasses years ago from the J.Peterman company, they are actually small champagne saucers, but at 4 ounces, they serve what I think is a perfect little drink. Unfortunately, I can't find them anymore :-< Here is a picture:

http://groups.msn.com/drinkboy/glassware.m...oto&PhotoID=130

-Robert

[alchemyst]

I agree about the glasses. The ones in the pictures are what we had on hand when we came up with the idea. Since people are enjoying the minis, we'll definitely be looking around for more options. We will actually be leaving for our annual trip to NYC next week and shopping for glasses/dishes/accesories/etc. is on our list. I actually hate when drinks are sloshing over the rims, especially since some of the garnish washes away in transit. Part of the elegance of the cocktail is in it's appearance. Patrons hunched over the bar, CAREFULLY lifting their drinks, oblivious to the world around them are not conducive to conviviality...no matter how good the drink is. Even a full shot glass is easier to lift than anything full with a stem...at least until we find what we're looking for.

[slkinsey]

For a 2 ounce drink, I'd like something like this Libbey "3787 - Champagne - Embassy" glass. It holds 3.5 ounces which, with the flat shape, should leave a nice but not unreasonably large collar with a 2 ounce pour. Something like this would, I think, provide more elegance than a shooter glass without forcing patrons to hunch over the bar to avoid spilling.

They're selling a case of 36 over the web for a little less than 4 bucks a stem, so three to five people could split a case and be very well set up for home use.