Killer Cocktails

[slkinsey]

I've been meaning to post about this for several weeks, ever since I had a chance to see a pre-release copy of Killer Cocktails : An Intoxicating Guide to Sophisticated Drinking. Now I finally have a few minutes, so here goes.

When Dave and I first talked about Killer Cocktails, he described it as a "beginner's book." And while this is a great book for the beginner (more on this later), I think that description sells it a little short. It's a good cocktail book period, and the experienced cocktail enthusiast can easily skip over the "how to mix a cocktail" section and find a list of a little more than 70 well-made cocktails, including quite a few Wondrich originals that you won't find elsewhere in print.

In design, the book comes spiral bound at the top with laminated cardboard covers at the front and back, the idea being that you can configure it into a little book stand for easy reading while you mix. Kind of a cute idea, but ultimately a little annoying when you're trying to read it.

The book begins with the "beginner" part. This includes the now ubiquitous advice on assembling a working collection of cocktail hardware, a description of the various families of spirits and modifiers used in cocktails, and recommendations on a basic battery of ingredients for a home bar, including recommendations of specific brands in a chart I wish the editor had titled "Dave's Faves." Following is some of the best advice in print on using basic formulae to create your own cocktails, and step-by-step directions on how to mix a cocktail, from chilling the glasses and cracking the ice to snapping a twist over the finished drink. All of this is accompanied by colorful modern illustrations and narrated in Dave's signature prose -- professorial at one turn and self-consciously hip at the other, always fun and easy to read.

Following the "Getting Started" chapter are twelve chapters consisting of one "master drink" followed by several others loosely related to them. As he explains, "it's not that the Master Drinks are necessarily superior to the others, mind you -- it's just that they're more educational." Included are chapters on "The Daiquiri, or The Song of the Citrus," "Gin Fizz, or Tiny Bubbles in the Booze," The Old-Fashioned, or Old, Short and Mostly On The Rocks" and others in this style. Again, serious education in hip, fun clothing. That's what the book is all about.

As I've talked about this book with various cocktail enthusiasts and professionals who have had a chance to give it a read, everyone seems to think it's probably the best book out there for someone who isn't yet a cocktail connoisseur but would like to become one. The format is fun and approachable, and the list of recipes is just the right length. At just over 70 recipes, it's entirely possible to start with zero knowledge, mix your way through every recipe in the book that sounds appealing (let's say 50 or so, depending on one's tastes), and come out the other end with a true appreciation of a well made cocktail and not a small amount of knowledge as to history and the classics. There aren't any other books about which that can be said.

And what about the recipes? Dave is well known in the cocktails crowd as a historian and antiquarian, so it comes as no surprise that many of the cocktails in this new book are serious old-school classics. Indeed, all the recipes are either true old-school drinks or "new old-school" drinks built on the classic model. You won't find a recipe calling for flavored vodka, Hypnotiq, Pucker and 4 different fruit juices in Killer Cocktails. And, as Martha Stewart would say, "that's a good thing." The education is furthered when he demonstrates how certain new cocktails are related to/derived from old classics, and offers suggestions on how we can twist existing successful formulae into new drinks.

Among the recipes in Killer Cocktails is Dave's Weeski, a drink in regular rotation at the slkinsey household that has been described elsewhere in these forums. Here are a few Wondrich originals from Killer Cocktails I have enjoyed, reproduced here with permission of the author.

Gansevoort Fizz

2 oz : Appleton VX rum (or other medium-bodied, aged rum)

1 oz : Drambuie

1 oz : Lemon juice

2 dash : Peychaud's bitters

Shake well and strain into a chilled highball class. Top with 2-3 ounces fizz water.

Pearlescent

2.5 oz : Vodka

2 tsp : Oregat syrup

1 tsp : Luxardo maraschino liqueur

1 : lemon peel

Shake visciously (with the peel in the shaker) and strain into a chilled cocktail glass.

Whitehall

2 oz : Gin

1 oz : Dry sherry

0.5 oz : Ruby port

2 dashes : Angostura bitters

Stir with ice and strain into a chilled cocktail glass. Twist lemon peel over the top.

Killer Cocktails also includes quite a few "forgotten classics" deserving of better attention. Here's one that always makes me think of Dave, because I first tried it when he got Audrey to make one at Bemelman's.

San Martín

2 oz : Gin

1 oz : Red vermouth

1 tsp : Yellow Chartreuse

Stir and strain into a chilled cocktail glass. Twist lemon peel over the top.

I'm sure others will have more to say once they have read it, so I am going to shut up now. It comes out in print on May 3rd. Click here and pre-order a copy today.

[birder53]

San Martín

2 oz : Gin

1 oz : Red vermouth

1 tsp : Yellow Chartreuse

Stir and strain into a chilled cocktail glass.  Twist lemon peel over the top.

Oooooh! A new chartreuse cocktail - Thanks!

[Libationgoddess]

I love this book. I took it with me on a train to Connecticut this weekend, and had 1 hour of thoroughly enjoyable reading! Dave has already spoiled us with his drinks, and I am thrilled that there are recipes now available for those moments when you need instant gratification

I also love the San Martin; Dave turned me onto it this past fall, and I've been enjoying it a lot since then. It's an absolutely delicious cocktail----sophistication and simpicity all in one glass!

Thanks, Dave!

Audrey

[Splificator]

Now that this book is officially available, at least from Amazon, etc, I'll take this opportunity to convey my heartfelt thanks to Sam and Audrey for their kind words. Coming from such thoughtful and dedicated--dare I say fanatic--mixologists, they mean a lot.

For those who have read my Esquire Drinks, this book has fewer jokes and rules and more mixology tips. The focus is more on actually mixing drinks and less on cocktail history and culture (I'm saving all that stuff for my next project; watch this space). That said, it has its share of historic drinks, and there are nuggets of drink trivia scattered throughout. And there are pictures.

Thanks,

DW

[Fat Guy]

I'm very much enjoying the book, which I spent a couple of hours with yesterday. I would particularly recommend it to anyone who 1) is a cocktail beginner, but 2) is a quick study interested in acquiring a core of sophisticated yet manageable technique.

[slkinsey]

How could anyone not like a book featuring a cocktail named "Jewish Absinthe" made with Old Williamsburg kosher bourbon?

[JAZ]

I wish this book had been around when I was just starting to make cocktails.

[Libationgoddess]

I especially enjoy the "Improved Holland Gin Cock-Tail"---A twist on the Old Fashioned, prepared with Bols Genever and the addition of maraschino. It's unfortunate that this Genever is no longer being imported into this country--I have been sitting at Flatiron's bar, slowly draining off their last bottle with this drink.

Audrey

Discussion related to genever has been split to a new thread.

[slkinsey]

I was treated to an "Improved Holland Gin Cock-Tail" at Flatiron Lounge just last night. Delicious, we all agreed.

[Splificator]

I was treated to an "Improved Holland Gin Cock-Tail" at Flatiron Lounge just last night.  Delicious, we all agreed.

←

You dog! I'm completely out of the essential ingredient. This does not help my disposition. Envy is a hell of a thing.

[slkinsey]

Tried using the "Improved Holland Gin Cock-Tail" recipe with Linie Aquavit instead of genever. Worked very well. Everyone liked it.

[drcocktail]

I've been recommending Killer Cocktails to sincere newcomers who contact me regularly via CocktailDb. As I said to Splif, it's a real wolf in sheep's clothing...friendly, kicky graphics, basic mixing guidance, and before you know it, you're in deep with the good stuff. Just like small fry might say..."jeez, if Id'a knowed it wuz healthy I wuddn'ta et it!" Too late!

--Doc.

[Splificator]

Thanks, Doc!

Oddly enough (well, not so oddly at all, come to think of it), I've been prescribing Vintage Spirits & Forgotten Cocktails to those who want to go further into the deep and mystical heart of the mixological experience. Maybe they should be a boxed set. Along with a shaker, some jiggers, a barspoon and a Pre-Prohibition pint of Old Pebble Ford bourbon.

On another note, what is it with Wisconsin? For the last week, I've been on a "radio book tour," a very cheap version of the traditional book tour that involves radio stations from here and there calling me on the phone and me sitting there in my bunny slippers talking about what's my favorite cocktail--"Well, I like a nice Old-Fashioned" "But my dad used to drink those!" "Then your dad knew what he was doing--in this case, anyway" etc. (all dialogue guaranteed verbatim)--and whatnot. But of some 20 interviews, four of them have been in Wisconsin. That's a statistical anomaly there. What gives? Why does Wisconsin care so much about cocktails? Anyone have a theory?

--DW

[kvltrede]

...On another note, what is it with Wisconsin? For the last week, I've been on a "radio book tour," a very cheap version of the traditional book tour that involves radio stations from here and there calling me on the phone and me sitting there in my bunny slippers talking about what's my favorite cocktail--"Well, I like a nice Old-Fashioned" "But my dad used to drink those!" "Then your dad knew what he was doing--in this case, anyway" etc. (all dialogue guaranteed verbatim)--and whatnot. But of some 20 interviews, four of them have been in Wisconsin. That's a statistical anomaly there. What gives? Why does Wisconsin care so much about cocktails? Anyone have a theory?

--DW

←

Ha! That's kinda funny. I'm in Chicago now but I spent my first thirty-plus in Wisconsin. We do enjoy our libations. Sure, Milwaukee used to be the beer capital of America but it isn't likely you'll find too many folks turning down a nice cocktail if one is offered. Of course, I should qualify this by pointing out that most Manhattans in WI are made with brandy and on the rocks but I hope you won't hold that against an otherwise fine state.

Many of my older relatives and family friends were solidly in the Brandy Man rocks camp but my pop is a Perfect Manhattan guy who likes his with Canadian Club (rocks/olive). I gave my pop a bottle each of Vya dry and sweet and Wild Turkey rye for his birthday last year but I doubt he'll touch 'em until the next time I'm sitting at one of the two bars he has in his home. Yes, he has a bar upstairs and another in his basement "sports bar"/rec room. I'm hardly opposed to CC and Stock vermouths but I'm interested in what he'll think of a real rye and fancypants vermouth Manhattan.

My preference is dry or perfect with Rittenhouse Rye and a nice slice of lemon peel but, while I came to social drinking via my family (and, by extension, my WI roots), I came to cocktails from a different direction. I've always had an interest in cocktails but I was more of a beer or mixed drinks guy until a few years ago. When I did finally delve deeper into cocktails I decided to start from a more classical perspective rather than from the slightly odd perspective of WI cocktail culture.

Kurt

(edited because it was Wild Turkey rye, not Jim Beam rye. duh)

Edited May 13, 2005 by kvltrede (log)

[eje]

Why does Wisconsin care so much about cocktails? Anyone have a theory?

←

Wisconsin is a pretty hard drinking state. Cold Winters and all that.

Grew up there, and while my parents didn't drink, bar culture is a pretty big thing. A lot of people make cocktails at home, too. My wife's parents still live there. Every day at 5, without fail, her Dad has a Martini and her Mom an Old-Fashioned. I gave her Dad Dr. Cocktail's "Vintage Spirits" last year for Christmas, and he really enjoyed it.

Second or Third generation Norwegians, Germans, and Irish made up most of the community I grew up in, and many of them liked their liquor. I don't know if it still does; but, Wisconsin used to have the largest per capita consumption of Brandy in the US.

If you visit, be sure to order a Bourbon Old-Fashioned. If you don't, as Kurt notes, it will probably be made with Brandy.

edited to clarify

Edited May 13, 2005 by eje (log)

[kvltrede]

...I don't know if it still does; but, Wisconsin used to have the largest per capita consumption of Brandy in the US.

If you visit, be sure to order a Bourbon Old-Fashioned.  If you don't, as Kurt notes, it will probably be made with Brandy....

←

I'm also unsure whether WI is still number one but I remember reading that somewhere. I also vaguely recall that WI was number one in Angostura bitters consumption but don't quote me on that. However, I've said it before but I'll say it again, I haven't found brandy Old Fashioneds to be common in WI, just brandy Manhattans. I'll also repeat, though, that this doesn't mean you shouldn't double-check with the bartender before ordering an Old Fashioned in WI. Maybe it's common in other parts of WI, just not southeastern WI where I spent most of my first thirty-plus years.

...Then again, maybe I was just hanging with the wrong crowd and a Brandy Man-swilling family. I just googled up this article from the Madison weekly, The Isthmus. Here's a taste:

"Brandy old-fashioned. Sweet. Korbel." Any bartender in any Wisconsin supper club can make it with his eyes closed. It's a wonder the drinks aren't lined up under the bar, pre-made.

When I moved to Wisconsin from New Jersey many years ago, I was mystified when, upon ordering a Manhattan, I was served a brandy Manhattan. Soon, I discovered that an old-fashioned was actually a brandy old-fashioned, and that "brandy and Seven" was considered a potable drink.

Fish-fry authority Jeff Hagen, in his acclaimed book Fry Me to the Moon, declares the brandy old-fashioned to be Wisconsin's State Drink. "Milk?" says Jeff. "Forget it. Got brandy?"

And there's this article from BeverageNet.net:

...Since taking over Christian Brothers from UDV more than a year ago, Heaven Hill has found that the brand has a strong following in classic cocktails in some regions. "In Wisconsin, where brandy is so strong, if you order a Manhattan or an Old-Fashioned, it's made with brandy; you have to call for bourbon or Canadian if that's what you want the drink made with."

(While the midwest is traditionally a strong brandy market---Wisconsin and Minnesota are the second and third largest per capita markets, headed only by Washington, DC...

Me, I'll stick with old-fashioned Old Fashioneds and Manhattans.

Kurt

edited to add 2nd link

Edited May 13, 2005 by kvltrede (log)

[Ed Hamilton]

If you don't enjoy this book, well, you just don't enjoy drinking cocktails. Even a guy that don't drink a lot of different cocktails enjoys reading Killer Cocktails.

[JAZ]

I tried the Saicar last night -- brandy, tequila, Cointreau, lemon and lime juice. I didn't have Spanish brandy. It's great drink, and worth trying if you like either Sidecars or Margaritas (or both).

[Splificator]

Two bars in one house--now that's living. Jeez, I'm tempted to pull up stakes and head for the land of cheese.

I had heard about the Brandy O.F. business, but never understood its true pervasiveness. It definitely speaks to the innate conservatism and good sense of the populace. Back in the 19th century, when gentlemen knew their tipple, a Brandy Cocktail was just about the most popular drink going. And what's in that? Brandy, bitters, sugar, ice, lemon peel. In other words, a Brandy Old-Fashioned, without the "garbage" (the fruit bits). So good for Wisconsin! (Traditionally, a Brandy Cocktail with a spash of champagne is called a Chicago Cocktail--that's somewhere in the neighborhood, anyway.)

About the Brandy Man on the Rocks, whose presence I had never suspected, I'm less sangine. Brandy--fine. On the rocks--not for me.

JAZ--

Glad you liked the Saicar; it's a good one to play stump your friends with, I think.

And thanks, Ed! At least there are a few rum drinks in KC, although in my next such effort I'll have to include your killer Ti Punch.

--DW

[kvltrede]

Two bars in one house--now that's living. Jeez, I'm tempted to pull up stakes and head for the land of cheese....

←

What can I say? My dad is a man who had a lot of input in the designing of his last two homes and he knew what he wanted. Both had at least one sizable wetbar, each about ten to twelve feet, I'd say. The latest home got the second wetbar--also sizable--when he finally got around to finishing the basement about fifteen years ago. How he got along with just the one bar for the first fifteen years he lived there I don't know.

If you find yourself in the Milwaukee area consider yourself invited for a drink. I'll drive up from Chicago and take you out to my dad's house. I'm sure we can get him to dust off his cocktail shaker.

...I had heard about the Brandy O.F. business, but never understood its true pervasiveness. It definitely speaks to the innate conservatism and good sense of the populace. Back in the 19th century, when gentlemen knew their tipple, a Brandy Cocktail was just about the most popular drink going. And what's in that? Brandy, bitters, sugar, ice, lemon peel. In other words, a Brandy Old-Fashioned, without the "garbage" (the fruit bits). So good for Wisconsin! (Traditionally, a Brandy Cocktail with a spash of champagne is called a Chicago Cocktail--that's somewhere in the neighborhood, anyway.)

About the Brandy Man on the Rocks, whose presence I had never suspected, I'm less sangine. Brandy--fine. On the rocks--not for me...

←

Well, for what it's worth, all those Brandy Old Fashioneds are also on the rocks. I think it's a convenience thing. My pop's "CC Perfect Man rocks/olive" is a large drink. He'd rather enjoy it on the rocks than go through the hassle of shaking up two or three cocktail glass-sized drinks. I personally enjoy the "shaking and straining" but I'm not opposed to a (rye) Manhattan on the rocks. That said, if I want an Aviation, Pegu Club or some such I'll stick to the shaker or build a Gin Rickey instead. We all have to draw the line somewhere, I suppose.

Kurt

[Splificator]

If you find yourself in the Milwaukee area consider yourself invited for a drink.  I'll drive up from Chicago and take you out to my dad's house.  I'm sure we can get him to dust off his cocktail shaker.

Kurt--

I'm tempted to down tools and head for the airport right now! If only. I'll be up in Wisconsin sooner or later, though, and you will be hearing from me. I'll even have my CC Perfect Man on the Rocks--just as long as it's a big one.

--DW

[MikeInSacto]

...I don't know if it still does; but, Wisconsin used to have the largest per capita consumption of Brandy in the US.

If you visit, be sure to order a Bourbon Old-Fashioned.  If you don't, as Kurt notes, it will probably be made with Brandy....

←

I'm also unsure whether WI is still number one but I remember reading that somewhere. I also vaguely recall that WI was number one in Angostura bitters consumption but don't quote me on that. However, I've said it before but I'll say it again, I haven't found brandy Old Fashioneds to be common in WI, just brandy Manhattans. I'll also repeat, though, that this doesn't mean you shouldn't double-check with the bartender before ordering an Old Fashioned in WI. Maybe it's common in other parts of WI, just not southeastern WI where I spent most of my first thirty-plus years.

...Then again, maybe I was just hanging with the wrong crowd and a Brandy Man-swilling family. I just googled up this article from the Madison weekly, The Isthmus. Here's a taste:

"Brandy old-fashioned. Sweet. Korbel." Any bartender in any Wisconsin supper club can make it with his eyes closed. It's a wonder the drinks aren't lined up under the bar, pre-made.

When I moved to Wisconsin from New Jersey many years ago, I was mystified when, upon ordering a Manhattan, I was served a brandy Manhattan. Soon, I discovered that an old-fashioned was actually a brandy old-fashioned, and that "brandy and Seven" was considered a potable drink.

Fish-fry authority Jeff Hagen, in his acclaimed book Fry Me to the Moon, declares the brandy old-fashioned to be Wisconsin's State Drink. "Milk?" says Jeff. "Forget it. Got brandy?"

And there's this article from BeverageNet.net:

...Since taking over Christian Brothers from UDV more than a year ago, Heaven Hill has found that the brand has a strong following in classic cocktails in some regions. "In Wisconsin, where brandy is so strong, if you order a Manhattan or an Old-Fashioned, it's made with brandy; you have to call for bourbon or Canadian if that's what you want the drink made with."

(While the midwest is traditionally a strong brandy market---Wisconsin and Minnesota are the second and third largest per capita markets, headed only by Washington, DC...

Me, I'll stick with old-fashioned Old Fashioneds and Manhattans.

Kurt

edited to add 2nd link

←

I have to thank you for the reference to Jeff Hagen's book. My wife grew up in Green Bay, and one of her fondest traditions is the Friday Night Perch Fry, with plenty of Brandy Manhattans. I was able to order that book on Amazon for her upcoming birthday - it will be quite the surprise.

I'll say one more thing - if you want to insure that you WILL learn to make a good Brandy Manhattan, just marry a girl from Wisconsin.

Mike

[eje]

Well, this does seem like an odd thread to post this in.

If any of you do get to Madison, WI, I recently learned of a Tavern called, "The Old Fashioned".

The Old Fashioned

Their drinks menu includes 6 "Old Fashioned" cocktails, including the aforementioned Brandy version.

I imagine anyone who grew up in WI will get a hoot out of the dinner menu. I know I chuckle every time I look at it. Includes such things as fish fry, deep fried battered cheese curds, devilled eggs, and summer sausage sandwiches.

Hoping to visit later this summer and will be sure to report back.

edit - grammar

Edited July 7, 2006 by eje (log)

[birder53]

That looks like a great place. Their menus are a hoot! I didn't know that Korbel was a brandy. Is that something regional?

[Sneakeater]

There used to be a "Wisconsin cuisine" restaurant in Greenwich Village in New York City, run by the couple who ran (and still run) the more famous restaurant Home.

I really miss it.