Imparting the Joys of Mixology to Others

[Dave the Cook]

. . . .

this seems like an auspicious beginning.

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Went with a Corpse Reviver #2, which was a hit.

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Yes, good choice. I'm not sure that my interest in cocktails could be traced to a single point, but if it could, one possibility would be my first CR2 -- made and served by none other than Sam Kinsey.

[Chris Amirault]

The nice thing about a CR#2 in this situation is that it evokes other drinks (what Regan calls the New Orleans sours) but throws you a curve with the Pernod/Herbsaint/... addition sneaking in at the end.

[donbert]

Last week a couple friends (who lurk but haven't posted here yet) and I were asked to make drinks for a friend's birthday party where there would be between 50 and a 100 people. We figured that this would be a good opportunity to introduce real cocktails to these folks and came up with the following plan.

We first came up with a list of cocktails that we thought people would like: Aviation, Manhattan, Jack Rose and Caipirinha. Based on this list we would need the following ingredients:

Gin

Rye

Applejack

Cachaca

Maraschino

Sweet Vermouth

Bitters

Grenadine

Lemon Juice

Limes

Superfine Sugar

Then we considered what other drinks could be made with the addition of a few more ingredients:

Green Chartreuse - Last Word, Final Ward, etc...

Orange Juice - Ward 8

Aperol (easier than Campari for most people) - Negroni variations, Manhattan variations, Intro to Aperol, etc...

Scotch - Rob Roy

Peychauds and Herbsaint - Sazerac, Monkey Gland, etc..

Dry Vermouth - Martini, Perfect Manhattan, Affinity, etc..

From this we had a solid list to choose from for a printed menu and enough ingredients to go off the menu for the more adventurous.

Here are some pictures of what we did:

Barware

Juicing

Straining

The makeshift bar

Mise en place

View from the roof (which we couldn't see at all from behind the bar)

More and bigger pictures can be found here.

[eje]

Wow, Don, cool!

Sounds like a really good way to practise drink making and get feedback.

Get any good tips?

PS. I see you have the new Plymouth bottles in NY already. Haven't seen those out here, yet. I saw them in WI, and I guess I don't mind them as much as I thought I would. Though, it does look an awful lot like Smirnoff.

[birder53]

Don,

How did the cocktail party work out? Did the guests take to "real" cocktails? What was the favorite drink of the night?

[themaninwhite]

Ack! Called out of the shadows...

Everything at the party worked out relatively well. A large percentage of the people were appreciative of what we were trying to do, and a few were genuinely interested. However, there's always that group that has to cop an attitude about everything. ("Sorry, we ran out of ice and there's none at the store, but we're scouring the neighborhood to find more" "But I want a cocktail NOW"...ugh)

The favorites seemed to be the Caipirinha and the donbert original (though we've come to find that many people created something similar over the course of this year) the Fresh Prince of Cucumber:

muddle mint and cucumber

2 oz gin

1/2 oz simple syrup

1/2 oz key lime juice

stir in rocks glass with ice

top with soda

mint and cucumber garnish

The end was particularly interesting, when we had run out of cachaca, gin, rye, scotch, and applejack, and were left with aperol, tequila, and a variety of juices and vermouths.

All in all a fun time and some good practice with speed, but altogther not quite so enjoyable as a smaller setting with people that you know will really appreciate it.

[donbert]

About damn time for your first post Will... I hope you plan to keep posting now that you've broken the ice.

Erik, we do indeed have the new bottles of Plymouth. Besides looking like a cheap Smirnoff knock off they're really difficult to handle. At home I've been refilling my old plymouth bottles.

Birder53, besides the two that Will mentioned the 3rd most popular cocktail was the Jack Rose. It wasn't unfortunately a cocktail party but a rooftop birthday party in tribeca where we were making cocktails to one side. The people who came had no idea that there would be cocktails of any sort, so we did have to explain why we didn't have vodka and why we wouldn't make them a drink until we got more ice more often that I would have liked. But everyone who came asking for a vodka tonic left with a proper cocktail and we told those who were interested to go to Pegu so I think we were a success.

[birder53]

Birder53, besides the two that Will mentioned the 3rd most popular cocktail was the Jack Rose. It wasn't unfortunately a cocktail party but a rooftop birthday party in tribeca where we were making cocktails to one side. The people who came had no idea that there would be cocktails of any sort, so we did have to explain why we didn't have vodka and why we wouldn't make them a drink until we got more ice more often that I would have liked. But everyone who came asking for a vodka tonic left with a proper cocktail and we told those who were interested to go to Pegu so I think we were a success.

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You done good! I'm a fan of the Jack Rose myself. You guys had a lot of guts to refuse to serve vodka. Good job.

[johnder]

Wow, nice setup Don. Must have been fun schlepping all that stuff around.

[Kent Wang]

Last night I held a cocktail party for about a dozen of my friends at my place. I've only barely started down the road to cocktail knowledge, and my friends know even less. I would say that the majority do not even know what goes into a Manhattan.

I decided to type up a menu with trite explanations of classic cocktails and a few quirky ones I've learned here. See below, or you can try a pretty PDF version.

Classic cocktails

Martini. Gin, dry vermouth, dash of bitters, garnished with an olive or three. The most sophisticated and essential cocktail of all time.

Vodka martini. Same as above with vodka instead of gin.

Manhattan. Bourbon, sweet vermouth, dash of bitters, garnished with a Maraschino cherry. Martini’s darker cousin.

Classic Margarita. Tequila, lime juice, Cointreau, up or on the rocks. The original recipe.

Mint julep. Bourbon, sugar, mint. A favorite of Old South high society.

Scotch and water. Johnnie Walker Black Label, mineral water. Surprisingly smooth way to enjoy Scotch.

You’ve probably never had these before

Caipirinha. Cachaça, lime juice, sugar. This tangy concoction is the national cocktail of Brazil.

Le petit mort. Gin, pomegranate liqueur, rosewater.

Rose gin & tonic. Tonic, gin, rosewater.

Ramos fizz. Gin, cream, lime juice, rosewater, egg white, club soda. A unique foamy experience.

Negroni. Gin, sweet vermouth, Campari. If you love grapefruit and don’t mind the bitterness, this is for you.

La Rosita. Tequila, sweet vermouth, Campari.

Lower alcohol drinks for the less adventurous

Pirate’s booty. Spiced rum, ginger brew. A dark and stormy mix of Caribbean herbs and spices.

Fruit cocktail. Your choice of mango, passionfruit or peach mixed with vodka or white rum.

White Russian. Soy milk, chocolate liqueur, vodka.

Criticism on the menu would be appreciated.

Making a drink.

Surveying the carnage.

Everything went over surprisingly well. Caipirinha was a hit, as well as the Ramos gin fizz and Le petit mort. Everyone, on average, had three drinks -- real troopers. The menus were a great idea. In addition to being extremely useful, it immediately impresses the guest that you are serious about cocktails and encourages them to be adventurous as well.

[Chris Amirault]

Looks damned good to me! I might have added a few more sours: an Aviation Cocktail, a Corpse Reviver #2, a Sidecar....

[slkinsey]

Nice. Except that a Manhattan s made with rye whiskey.

[birder53]

Nice menu. Our current menu lists ingredients for 24 drinks but no descriptions. It's been a big hit with guests and gotten folks to try something new. It is grouped by the primary spirit, with a few vodka drinks way, way down at the bottom.

If we ever get a digital camera, I'd like to expand the menu to include photos as well as some descriptive/historical comments.

Bourbon Crustas and Yellow Birds have been the most frequently requested drinks. It would be great to get folks to go for a Last Word or a Little Italy, but it's encouraging that no one has requested a vodka drink yet.

[birder53]

Looks damned good to me! I might have added a few more sours: an Aviation Cocktail, a Corpse Reviver #2, a Sidecar....

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I agree with the sours! These are all on our list. Also, Stiletto, Between the Sheets and the Classic Cocktail.

[plattetude]

One other nit to pick -- the Rosita should have both sweet and dry vermouth. But agreed, very nice list!

Christopher

[johnder]

I have always seen the Ramos with both Lemon and Lime, how did it turn out with just Lime?

[Kent Wang]

Thanks for all the nitpicks. Certain substitutions had to be made, such as in the case of rye. Aviation is number one on my cocktail to do list but I'm waiting on the liquor store to receive their shipment of Maraschino liquer.

A noticeable difference with the Ramos as it is more sour with all lime. Also, notice that I substituted the orange blossom water for rose water.

[bolognium]

Gutsy all the way. Bravo with the "no-vodka" as well! Not to be pricky though, haent you strayed too far in the Ramos for it to still be a Ramos?