Classic cocktails for beginners

[TAPrice]

I have just started to dip my toe into the world of cocktail mixing. I'll feel less like a beginner if I can master a few basic drinks.

What 6 or 7 drinks would be best? I want a selection of drinks that would both teach me a range of techniques and give me a good variety to offer guests.

Thanks in advance for your insights.

[Nathan]

what I did was assemble drink recipes around the liquor that I already had. once I had learned to make some cocktails with those bottles (the cocktaildb database is great for this) I took recipes that only needed one additional bottle, added that and so forth. ended up accumulating a good 40 or so different kinds of booze.

with that said, the standard cocktails that everyone should know....so an easy place to start, are:

Martini

Sidecar

(I guess everyone should know a White Lady as well -- but it's actually a boring drink and if you can make a Sidecar you can make a White Lady)

Margarita

Sazerac

Manhattan

Aviation

Daiquiri

Pisco Sour

Start out with those. Once you have the liquors necessary for those drinks you have all that you need for hundreds more.

[mkayahara]

Gary Regan provides a very thoughtful response to this question (or, at least, a similar one) if you follow this link.

[slkinsey]

From that thread:

One often hears it said that there are certain dishes that every cook who aspires to a certain proficiency should master as a fundamental (the classic French omelette, for example). For someone who admires cocktails, would like to have a well-rounded knowledge about properly formulating and presenting them, and would like to create his/her own in the future, is there a certain repertoire of cocktails that you think every mixologist should master? Again, I'd be interested in hearing from both of you, and why.

Okay, I've been mulling this question, and although I'll probably never be satified with my answer, here's a stab at it.

In Joy of Mixology I divide most drinks into families--some of them already established, some of my own making. I went through each family, and selected one or two drinks from the families that I think are important. I have a family of Jelly Shots (fresh ingredients and unflavored gelatin) for instance, but I don't think it's necessary for a bartender to know how to make them, so I didn't list any from that family. Here's what I came up with, along with short explanations as to why I chose them:

The Champagne Cocktail. No explanation needed (I hope)

Godfather/Rusty Nail: Examples of drinks with a spirit modified with a liqueur

Black Russian/White Russian/Mudslide: White Russian being a Black Russian with cream, and a Mudslide is a Black Russian with Irish Cream liqueur. I find the relationship between these drinks interesting, and it points out how to vary one cocktail to come up with a new one.

Dry Gin Martini: spirit modified with dry vermoutrh.

Manhattan: spirit modified with sweet vermouth (and bitters, I hope)

Blood & Sand: scotch, sweet vermouth, orange juice, and cherry brandy (usually equal amounts). A great example of odd flavors that work well together. Just threw that one in since we made one for a friend on Sunday night, and since we had a bottle opened, we used Johnnie Walker Blue. Delicious. Mardee immediately gave it a new name: The Blue Blood and Sand.

Mint Julep: Obvious.

Mojito: Obvious*

Caipirinha: Obvious*

*In both these drinks I prefer to use granulated sugar instead of simple syrup. The sugar abrades the zest of the limes as you muddle, and adds a freshness to the drink.

Negroni: A classic that everyone should be able to make.

Old-Fashioned: I prefer Old-Fashioneds with muddled fruit, though some purists insist on no fruit. Here's a drink that makes you muddle, and points up why bitters are so important. It's also interesting to vary the fruit--try overripe peaches, for instance.

Bloody Mary. I know--I hate Bloody Marys! I never had any complaints about them when I worked behind the bar, though--I simply listened to my customers and made them accordingly.

Whiskey Sour: Bartenders should grasp the concept of sours--spirit, citrus, and sugar (usually simple syrup)--and be able to balance same.

Daiquiri: as above.

Aviation: A sour that utilizes a liqueur instead of sugar.

Twentieth Century Cocktail: as above.

Margarita/Sidecar/Cosmo: Sours that utilize triple sec as a sweetener.

Tom Collins: A carbonated Sour.

Singapore Sling: A complicated carbonated Sour!

Pina Colada: Just because . . .

Bartenders should probably have a few more tropical drinks under their belts, too, but it's a category that I need to learn more about, so I'll leave it at that.

Comments/questions welcome. What did I leave out?

Mardee chimes in and suggests a Stinger, which I'd support. It goes up in the same class of drinks with the Godfather/Rusty Nail (spirit modified with a liqueur). Personally, I'd also:

Corpse Reviver #2: an interesting and classic "equal parts cocktail"

Last Word: a cocktail that features Chartreuse.

In addition, I'd suggest exploring variations of the above ideas. For example, rye whiskey is often an unexpectedly good substitute for gin in a cocktail. If you make a Last Word with rye and lemon juice instead of gin and lime, you've got a Final Ward. Great drink. Similarly, a Twentieth Century with rye and Lillet Rouge instead of gin and Blanc gives you a Nineteenth Century. Also a good one. Or try it with dark Jamaican rum for an Eighteenth Century (and so on).

[TAPrice]

Gary Regan provides a very thoughtful response to this question (or, at least, a similar one) if you follow this link.

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Thanks for the link. I searched around for a similar thread couldn't find one.

[mkayahara]

Gary Regan provides a very thoughtful response to this question (or, at least, a similar one) if you follow this link.

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Thanks for the link. I searched around for a similar thread couldn't find one.

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Yeah, it's almost impossible to find anything in particular around here when you need it! I just happened to remember it when I saw your post.

As for the post I linked to, the thing I like about it (and the reason I bought The Joy of Mixology) is the way it organizes everything into categories. Once you've mastered one drink in the category, it's not much of a stretch to figure out others, though you may sometimes need someone to prod you in the right direction.

[mbanu]

I have just started to dip my toe into the world of cocktail mixing. I'll feel less like a beginner if I can master a few basic drinks.

What 6 or 7 drinks would be best? I want a selection of drinks that would both teach me a range of techniques and give me a good variety to offer guests.

Thanks in advance for your insights.

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Ok, here's 6 and a non-7.

Daiquiri. Why? It's a white rum drink, so it's inexpensive to make (and mess up on), even with fresh juice. It also follows the Sours style. Once you know how to make a good Daiquiri, you can pretty much make every other classic drink of that type.

Margarita. Why? It's one of the few classic cocktails that is universally known (even if the number of people who have had one made correctly are far fewer). It extends off Sours into one of the next most common styles used in classic cocktails. If you can make a good Margarita, you can make a good Sidecar, a good Mai Tai, even a good Cosmopolitan if you're looking for something more modern. It's also good for demonstrating what a difference in upgrading the quality of your liquor can do. The difference between poor-quality tequila and high-quality tequila is one of the biggest I can think of in the spirit world, and the difference between generic triple sec and Cointreau is usually noticable if you live in the US.

B-52. Not really a classic per se, but it's a fairly popular layered drink, and because of the Irish cream in the middle, less forgiving than some. If you can make a clean B-52, you can probably layer most any other drink required.

Some kind of highball. Really, whatever you enjoy drinking. Gin & Tonic, Rum & Coke, Scotch & Soda, Bourbon & Water, even Irish Coffee. Highballs are really common, so it's a good idea to understand how to make a good one.

Straight liquor served in its various styles. Kinda like the highball, they're so common it's a good idea to understand the details.

Tom Collins. Not too terribly different from a cross between a Highball and a Sour, but a common example of a style that shows up a lot in the classic drink arena.

I may be in the minority, but I'd suggest ignoring Martinis. A good Martini is indeed a drink like very few others, but they're really a headache that ought to be confronted after some practice. Getting good vermouth and garnishes can be sketchy business at times, the lingo surrounding the drink is particularly vague, and the globs and globs of mythology on top of the drink don't help out, as they encourage people to approach the drink as more than what it is.

Good luck!

[varicose veins]

I'm in agreement about the contributions so far, but I also think it depends on what sort of bar your working in/ trying to work in? There is a large range of drinks that could be deemed classic, you'll become familiar with them all and the techniques in time, but as you start out you should tailor your classic knowledge to where you work and then branch out. For example, if you work in a more commercial bar you're probably more likely to be asked for a Sex on the Beach (ick) than an Old Fashioned or Martini!

[TAPrice]

I'm only working out of my house. If a friend asks for a Sex on the Beach...well, I'll just have to show them the door.

[slkinsey]

Todd, I'd recommend you get yourself a copy of Dave's Killer Cocktails. It has most of the drinks here, plus plenty of others deserving attention. What I like about it is that the number of cocktails is manageably small.

[TAPrice]

Todd, I'd recommend you get yourself a copy of Dave's Killer Cocktails.  It has most of the drinks here, plus plenty of others deserving attention.  What I like about it is that the number of cocktails is manageably small.

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That sounds like great advice. Thanks.

[Fat Guy]

Todd, if your goal is to be able to provide your friends with the cocktails they like, why don't you start by sending an email around to the folks you usually entertain in your home, asking what their three favorite cocktails are? I mean, none of us can tell you what your friends drink. It's possible to use general data collected from bartenders to say X, Y and Z are the most popular drinks. But for you, it all depends on your friends -- how old they are makes a big difference, for example.

So then let's say your survey comes back and you get more votes for martinis than for all other cocktails combined. Well, then you know you need to start by learning to make really good martinis. Maybe your friends are cosmo drinkers -- then you need to learn that. Many of the answers you get may just be combinations of ingredients -- Scotch and soda, gin and tonic, vodka cranberry -- in which case you want to have those ingredients handy.

Do you have a good cocktail shaker and other basic equipment, like a lemon/lime juicer? A few tools are essential.

[Splificator]

What 6 or 7 drinks would be best? I want a selection of drinks that would both teach me a range of techniques and give me a good variety to offer guests.

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B-52.

................

I may be in the minority, but I'd suggest ignoring Martinis.

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Wow--this is like the English Lit survey that dumps Shakespeare (who can read all those hard words?) and includes Jacqueline Susann.

Fun, anyway.

[ThinkingBartender]

What 6 or 7 drinks would be best? I want a selection of drinks that would both teach me a range of techniques and give me a good variety to offer guests.

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B-52.

................

I may be in the minority, but I'd suggest ignoring Martinis.

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Wow--this is like the English Lit survey that dumps Shakespeare (who can read all those hard words?) and includes Jacqueline Susann.

Fun, anyway.

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I think that Mbanu was using the B-52 as a way to learn the skills required to layer a pousse cafe. If you can layer a B-52, then you can easily handle a 10 layered beastie.

The more I research, the more I come to see the Martini as the great nonsense drink of Mixology. If you can construct an Old-Fashioned or a Manhattan then you can make a Martini.

A Martini, you say? As arid as the Sahara, you say? Poured straight from a frozen bottle, you say? two drops of vermouth, you say?

There were plenty of gin and vermouth mixtures with equally good names from the last 1890s; Perhaps it is time to revive one of them.

Cheers!

George

Edited January 26, 2007 by ThinkingBartender (log)

[thirtyoneknots]

Sure it's nice to be able to make Cosmos or Martinis if thats what your friends like, but I learned long ago that most people really do want to be shown something new, and so when my friends come over now they tend to just say yeah make whatever, if I even bother asking them anymore. Sure they may like Martinis, but you can get that at any old bar. Eventually you'll be able to ask someone what they like, and based on that make them something they've probably never had before but will love. They like 'Apple martinis'? I bet they'd love a Jack Rose. Lemon Drops? Drop a 20th Century on them, etc.

-Andy

[Splificator]

I think that Mbanu was using the B-52 as a way to learn the skills required to layer a pousse cafe. If you can layer a B-52, then you can easily handle a 10 layered beastie.

The more I research, the more I come to see the Martini as the great nonsense drink of Mixology. If you can construct an Old-Fashioned or a Manhattan then you can make a Martini.

......................................................................

There were plenty of gin and vermouth mixtures with equally good names from the last 1890s; Perhaps it is time to revive one of them.

I kinda figured that out about the layering. But what adult non-bartender needs to know how to layer a pousse cafe? Really, now.

As for the Martini and nonsense...again, really now. Nobody with a brain ever said making a good Martini required special manual skills. It simply requires judgment, something that seems sorely lacking around here from time to time.

And yes, there are dozens, even hundreds of gin-and-vermouth mixtures found in old cocktail books. But they were all variations on the Martini, records of how one particular customer or bartender liked his. Back then, when they monkeyed with drinks, they had the good grace to change the name so that the innocent or unwary would not be lured by a familiar name into ordering something unsavory.

(Shakes head. Removes mixing glass from freezer. Fills it with gin and vermouth in just proportion and dashes in orange bitters. Cracks ice, adds it to glass and stirs using circular motion of the wrist. Removes cocktail glass from freezer, strains liquid into in, cuts twist of lemon peel, twists it over drink and signs off eGullet.)

[eje]

Sure it's nice to be able to make Cosmos or Martinis if thats what your friends like, but I learned long ago that most people really do want to be shown something new

[...]

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I find this absolutely to be the case.

Give them a small list with appealing descriptions and unusual names. Or if you're a salesman type (I'm not) give them a spiel.

Odds are they probably haven't even had a well made cocktail in their life.

They'll give up their cosmos in no time.

I know mbanu is talking from a bartender's perspective; but, really, no one is going to ask for a layered shot when they come over to your house.

You do need to know how to make a proper Martini, if only for your own edification. See Splificator's instructions above.

My list is the cocktails I like; but, I'd say:

Aviation, Daiquiri, Manhattan, Margarita, Martini, Negroni, Old-Fashioned, Sazerac

None of these are particularly difficult to make and, made well, can be a revelation and encouragement to someone learning to make cocktails. I know they were to me.

[Fat Guy]

Sure it's nice to be able to make Cosmos or Martinis if thats what your friends like, but I learned long ago that most people really do want to be shown something new

[...]

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I find this absolutely to be the case.

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I wouldn't be so sure about that. Not everybody wants to be on the receiving end of gastronomic evangelism. There are a whole lot of folks out there who aren't particularly interested in "being shown something new." They'll politely consume a superior cocktail, and they'll offer genuine-sounding praise, and then they'll get on the phone afterwards with the other guests and say "Why can't he just give me a damn martini?"

[eje]

I wouldn't be so sure about that. Not everybody wants to be on the receiving end of gastronomic evangelism. There are a whole lot of folks out there who aren't particularly interested in "being shown something new." They'll politely consume a superior cocktail, and they'll offer genuine-sounding praise, and then they'll get on the phone afterwards with the other guests and say "Why can't he just give me a damn martini?"

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True; but, my real point was, a well made Martini or Manhattan is something new for most people!

You do have to watch their faces. Look at their expressions when they take that first sip.

If you can see they don't like it, offer to get them something else. Don't pressure them into drinking it.

Some people just aren't going to like classic cocktails, at first, especially if they aren't that familiar with liquor to start with.

[Splificator]

If you can see they don't like it, offer to get them something else.  Don't pressure them into drinking it.

Alternatively, you can get new friends.

[JAZ]

A few comments:

As Erik said, many people have never had a well made cocktail in their lives. And as Steven said, a lot of people don't want evangelism; they want what they know.

But there's no reason you can't make really good versions of the cocktails that people know and want -- that can be special in and of itself.

Take the Cosmopolitan: it's not a particularly complex drink, but a well made version with good quality triple sec and fresh lime juice instead of bottled sour mix is a huge step up from what most people have tasted. (If you can get a guest to try it with gin instead of vodka, that's one more step up in complexity.) Next thing you know, they'll be hooked on Pegu Clubs.

Back to the subject at hand, I think that there's a lot to be said for starting by learning how to make what your friends like, but making really good versions, or making similar but better drinks. If your friends don't have favorites, then make the accessible classics like Margaritas, Sidecars and Daiquiris. Then as your group advances, go on to Manhattans or Martinis, or anything else that stikes your fancy.

[thirtyoneknots]

If you can see they don't like it, offer to get them something else.  Don't pressure them into drinking it.

Alternatively, you can get new friends.

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YES

[slkinsey]

There are a whole lot of folks out there who aren't particularly interested in "being shown something new." They'll politely consume a superior cocktail, and they'll offer genuine-sounding praise, and then they'll get on the phone afterwards with the other guests and say "Why can't he just give me a damn martini?"

This is as true with cocktails as it is with anything else. I guess I feel that most people for whom this is the case aren't shy about speaking up. If I have a friend who really only enjoys a Martini and I suggest a Twentieth Century, they're generally not shy about saying, "I really only like Martinis." In that case, I'm not put out in the least by making that person a Martini and making something else for the other drinkers (when entertaining at home, I typically make everyone the same cocktail rather than making six different cocktails to order). And, in fact, I do this exact thing regularly for a friend with very narrow cocktail preferences.

But I would hesitate to call this "a whole lot of folks." It's definitely the exception rather than the rule, and by a fairly wide margin. Even though I am ultimately unlikely to influence my (different) friend away from (shudder) vodka sodas, she's always interested and happy to try something new at my house. I should hasten to add that part of the deal, especially with respect to someone who may be suspicious of trying something new, is that it has to come with the caveat "if you don't like it, I'm happy to make you something else."

Edited January 28, 2007 by slkinsey (log)

[pansophia]

I've searched through and found a lot of threads on mixing for beginners, and one with a few tips about "If you like this, you might like that" but I'm really starting from scratch. I think my only dislike is gin but I'm willing to give it a second chance.

My job often lands me attending lunches or networking events in great restaurants and bars and I usually either let a colleague choose for me (ending up with a sweet and colorful house specialty) or I default to wine. I admit to liking sweet as a default but would like a few drinks in my back pocket that I can order when I don't have a trusted colleague on hand and don't end in -tini or involve various shades of pink.

*What are a few basic, well-balanced drinks that will make it look like I'm not a clueless idiot or an overgrown sorority girl?*

I've become a heck of a lot more daring and varied in my dining, it's time to take more control of my drinking as well!

[cdh]

A sidecar fits your bill-- a classic that is a well balanced mixture of sweet, tart and boozy.

So does a margarita-- try it on the rocks rather than in slurpee format.

A good litmus test to see whether a bar is serious about cocktails is a sazarac-- if they don't have the required Peychaud's bitters, then they're not a serious cocktail bar. Beware that a sazarac does have an anise flavor to it, so if you hate black licorice, it's not the drink for you.

You could go highball instead of cocktail too... I find that anejo (or dark) rum and tonic with a lime makes a mighty fine drink that telegraphs that you care about what you're drinking.