COCKTAILS
I. What is a Cocktail?
Drinks akin to cocktails first appeared sometime during the 16th
century, but cocktails, as we know and use the term, was first introduced by
American bartenders in the 1920ies. The reason the cocktail made it big in the
happy '20ies, was the prohibition, when
producing and imbibing of alcohol was made illegal. As good as all
spirits available was of a rather dubious quality and tasted accordingly. Thus,
the bartenders, accommodating as always, started to mix the spirits with various
fruit juices and other flavorings to make it more palatable. Later, the
cocktail lost its popularity most places, the United States being the main
exception. The last few years, however, the cocktail has reclaimed lost ground
everywhere, especially in southern Europe and other places that are full of
tourists. Cocktails usually consist of three different 'classes' of
ingredients. • The first, the base, is most often some sort of spirit, like
vodka, whiskey, or tequila. Occasionally, such as in many punches, some sort of
wine is being used as a base.
• The second, the main
flavoring, is added to bring out the aroma of the base and to modify its taste.
The main flavoring is often such as Vermouth, various fruit juices, wine, or
even eggs or cream.
• The third, the special
flavoring, is added to enhance the taste of the base, and often also adds the
color to the cocktail. Common special flavorings include Grenadine, Blue
Curacao, and others. Most cocktails are also decorated in some way, usually
with fruit slices, orange peel, cocktail sticks, mint twigs, etc. (see section
below).
II. Equipments
Many different contraptions are manufactured for the making of
cocktails. Some of these are useful, some can be definitely nice to have, and
still others are totally and utterly useless. It is up to you to decide exactly
what your cocktail equipment should be, but some things are essential. First
out of the essentials is the cocktail shaker. There are two basic types of
shakers available. A European cocktail shaker is usually made out of metal, or
glass with a metal top. It is, basically, a container which holds about half a
liter, fitted with a top which closes tightly around the upper edges of the
container. This top also has a smaller top, usually fitted with a built-in
strainer, through which the shaken cocktail is poured. American shakers,
however, consist of two cones about the same size. One is often often made of
glass, and the other is metallic. These cones are held together to form a
closed container, and the shaken cocktail is poured from either one. Most
American shakers do not have built-in strainers, so if you use an American
shaker, using a separate strainer is a good idea. Measures, also known as
jiggers, are also essential. Jiggers are most often made of metal, but glass
jiggers are common, as well. The standard measurements of a jigger can vary
widely, depending on where you are. In the recipes in the following
articles, I will use a standard jigger of 30ml (appx. 1 fl oz). In
addition to the equipment mentioned above, you will find that things like these
are nice to have, as well: Ice bucket, jugs, electric blender, bowls, etc. You
should also have access to ordinary kitchenware, such as knives, corkscrews,
chopping board, etc. You will also need stirrers (also known as swizzle
sticks), straws, toothpicks, serviettes and cloths.
III.Glasses
Cocktail glasses come in four different basic types:
• First, there are the glasses
known as rocks glasses, also known as tumblers. These glasses are usually short
and broad glasses, with straight or slightly sloping sides. They normally hold
about 125ml and are used for spirits with ice, fruit juices and short drinks.
• Second, there is the
highball glass. These glasses are usually of medium width, and are tall with
straight or slightly sloping sides. They normally hold between 200 and 300ml
and are used for long drinks with ice. • Third, the champagne glasses are of two different kinds. The most
common, the champagne flute, is a tall and narrow glass with a stem. Champagne flutes
have thin-glassed sides, and the long, tapering sides can curve both inward and
outward. A champagne flute holds approximately 150ml. The second type of
champagne glass is the less-known champagne saucer. The champagne saucer is a
broad and shallow glass with a stem. The broadness
and shallowness of the glass make the champagne loose its fizz
quickly, and the glass is therefore less popular than it once was. It is still,
however, in use, and such cocktails as the Margarita use exclusively such
glasses. • Fourth is the group known as cocktail glasses. These are the
classic cocktail glasses; stemmed and with sharply sloping sides, making it
Y-shaped when seen from the side. The classic cocktail glass holds about 90ml
and is best suited for short, strong drinks. In addition to these glasses, some
drinks, such as the Pina Colada, have special glasses. Unless you are really
serious about mixing your cocktails, you don't really need to buy such glasses.
Use glasses you already have instead. There are also other glasses available
that will work just fine with cocktails. Use your agination, but remember that plastic glasses
(or shakers, jugs, mixing glasses, or other such equipment for that matter)
should NEVER be used with cocktails, as it will make the cocktail taste of
plastic. A cocktail is supposed to have a refreshing taste, not to taste like
the inside of a used plastic bag.
IV. Mixing a Cocktail
Not all cocktails are made in the same manner. Just as the
ingredients may vary, there are several ways in which to mix a cocktail. The
most frequently used methods are the following
• Shaking: The cocktail is mixed by hand in a cocktail shaker. The
shaker is
first filled three quarters with ice, preferably cubes, as crushed
ice will tend to melt and dilute the cocktail. The ingredients are then poured
on top of the ice, in order of alcohol content (highest first). When shaking a
cocktail, hold the shaker in both hands, one hand on the top and the other
supporting the base of the shaker, and shake vigorously. When water has begun
condensing on the outside of the shaker, the cocktail is sufficiently chilled,
and the cocktail should immediately be strained into the glass. In general,
shaking
creates a colder cocktail than stirring does, but also a cloudier
one. • Stirring:
The cocktail is stirred with a glass or metal rod in a mixing glass, before the
cocktail is strained into a glass. As with shaking, crushed ice should not be
used, and water condensing on the outside shows that the cocktail is finished.
• Blending: An electric
blender is used to mix fruit juices, alcohol, fruit, etc. Blending is an
excellent way of mixing ingredients which do not blend easily in any other way.
Blend the cocktail till it has reached a smooth consistency. If the recipe
requires ice, add crushed ice last, but be careful not to add too much, as the
cocktail may be watered down. Blending is a much disputed method of mixing a
cocktail, and in general, blending should be avoided unless the recipe demands
it.
• Building: When building a
cocktail, the ingredients are poured into the glass in which the cocktail will
be served. Usually, the ingredients are floated on top of each other, but
occasionally, a swizzle stick is put in the glass, allowing the ingredients to
be mix
V. Decorating
Cocktails
Almost all cocktails are decorated in one way or another, most
often with some kind of fruit, but no matter the exact decoration, cocktail
sticks are almost always invaluable. Cocktail sticks come in two types; Wooden
and plastic. Wooden sticks are most often
used, and are suited for just about any kind of cocktail, but they
cannot be reused. Plastic sticks, however, should be carefully used, as they
tend to give the cocktail a slightly artificial appearance. Unlike wooden
sticks, plastic ones can be reused, but should be carefully washed and boiled
first. Cocktail sticks are, whatever the type, used for spearing slices of
fruit, cherries, and just about anything else you care to decorate your
cocktails with. Straws are also essential and go well with highballs. Straws
should not be reused. The traditional cocktail garnish is, however, the red
Maraschino cherries. These are used in just about any kind of cocktail, and are
now also available in green, yellow and blue. In addition to this, slices of
fruit, strips of orange or lemon peel, mint twigs, etc. can also be used. One
often used method of decorating cocktails is that which is called frosting.
Frosting leaves an edge of sugar, salt, cocoa, or any other fine powder, on the
rim of the glass. There are several ways to frost glasses, and one of the most
frequently used of them is
this: Rub the rim of the glass with a slice of orange or lemon,
then submerge the rim in sugar or salt (or any other powder), just so that it lines the top
of the rim. Other methods use egg white or other substances for 'gluing' the
powder to the glass. For a more
colorful frosting, use small drops of food coloring in the powder.
With some cocktails, such as the Margarita, frosting is a 'standard' decoration.
VI. Tips and Tricks
1/2 oz. of liquor is equal to 1 count, assuming you are using a
pourer on your bottles. To measure 1 1/2 oz. of liquor, count
"1001...1002...1003" as you are pouring. After a while, you should be
able to do it by eye. • To make highballs, fill glass two-thirds full of ice before adding
liquor. Always pour liquor in before the mixer. Do not stir drinks containing
carbonated mixers. • To make cocktails, low balls, and other shaken or stirred drinks,
fill shaker halffull of ice. For low balls, fill the glass about half-full of
ice before pouring drink.
• Most shaken drinks which
contain light cream can also be made as blended drinks, substituting vanilla
ice cream for the light cream.
• To make blended drinks,
first fill blender half-full of ice. If necessary, add more ice as you are
blending.
• Always keep fruit juices and
other mixers refrigerated.
• In fruit drinks, e.g.
strawberry margaritas always use fresh fruit, not frozen Bar terms.
V. BAR TERMS
Mixing
When using a cocktail shaker there is one golden rule to remember.
Always put the ice in the shaker first, and the liquor last. This is to ensure
that all ingredients are properly chilled by the ice when they are poured over
the ice, and by adding the liquor last you
reduce the chance of dilution.
Stirring
A drink that is stirred instead of shaken will retain its clarity
and be free of ice chips. Drinks based on clear liquors, like a Martini, should
always be stirred and not shaken (don't listen to James Bond when he order his
Martini "shaken, not stirred"). When stirring a cocktail you should
stir it enough to mix the ingredients, but not stir it too much. If you stir
too much the ice will begin to dilute the liquor. A general rule is that 10-15
stirs will be sufficient for proper mixing. A drink containing carbonated
beverage(s) should be stirred gently and briefly to retain the sparkle.
Shaking
Instead of stirring, you can shake the drink. This will mix the
ingredients more than stirring, but will also result in a less clear drink.
Drinks that contain ingredients that are hard to mix, such as cream, fruit
juices and eggs, should be shaken vigorously to ensure
that the ingredients has been well mixed.
Blending
Use an electric blender to mix fresh fruit, liquor, juices and ice
instead of using a shaker. Not too popular everywhere, but perfect for making
frozen cocktails or to blend ingredients that are otherwise impossible to mix.
Floating
The purpose of floating is to keep each ingredient in the drink in
separate layers that do not mix with the others. This will create a drink with
separate layers, and this is why floating often is referred to as layering. The
easiest way to float one liquor on top of another is to use a demitasse spoon, holding
it over or in the glass and slowly trickle the ingredient over the back of the
spoon.
Muddling
Muddling is a simple mashing technique for grinding herbs, such as
mint, smooth in the bottom of a glass. You can use a wooden muddler that you
buy in a bar supply store or buy a bar spoon with a muddler on the end. It
crushes the herbs, much as the back of a
soup spoon might, without scaring the glass.
Frosting
To frost a glass, first dip it in water and then put it in the
freezer for half an hour or so. Also note that metal and silver mugs and cups
will frost better than glasses.
Standard Bar Measurements (US)
1 part = any equal part
1 dash/splash = 1/32 ounce
1 teaspoon (tsp) = 1/8 ounce
1 tablespoon (tblsp) = 3/8 ounce
1 pony = 1 ounce
1 jigger/bar glass = 1 ½ ounces
1 shot (*) = 1 ½ ounces
1 snit = 3 ounces
1 wineglass = 4 ounces
1 split = 6 ounces
1 cup = 8 ounces
1 pint (pt) = 16 ounces
1 quart (qt) = 32 ounces
1 fifth = 25.6 ounces (1/5 gallon)
1 gallon (gal) = 128 ounces
Metric Conversions
1 fluid ounce (oz) = 29.573 milliliters
1 quart (qt) = 9.4635 deciliters
1 gallon (gal) = 3.7854 liters
1 milliliter (ml) = 1/30 ounce
1 centiliter (cl) = 1/3 ounce
1 deciliter (dl) = 3 1/2 ounces
1 liter (l) = 34 ounces
Other Measurements
English Metric
Fifth = 4/5 Quart =
1/5 Gal. = 25.6 oz => 750 ml = 25.5 oz
Pint (pt) = 1/2 Quart = 16.0 oz => 500 ml
= 17.0 oz
Half-Pint = 8.0 oz
=> 200 ml = 6.8 oz
Half-Gallon= 64.0 oz
=> 1750 ml = 59.7 oz
Quart = 32.0 oz =>
1000 ml = 34.1 oz
(*) A "shotglass" is
usually 1.5 ounces, but sometimes 2 ounces with a measuring line at 1.5 ounces.
You can also buy (in US) "short shot" glasses or "pony
shots" which are 1 ounce. Pony shots are usually used with martinis,
manhattans, and rob roy.
VI. Setting up a bar
Basic set of tools
When setting up a bar, you will need quite a lot of equipment. The
following is a list of basic bar equipment you should have in your bar to allow
you to make most drinks. You may also want to take a look at the list of additional
equipment that will make life behind
the bar a bit easier too.
• Bottle opener
• Corkscrew
• Can opener
• Measuring cups and spoon set
• Bar spoon with long handle
and muddler on the end
• Juice squeezer
• Electric blender
• Cutting board and a sharp
knife
• Ice bucket with an ice tong
• Mixing glass
• Shaker and strainer
• Bottle sealers
• Towels
• Boxes/jars to store
garnishes in
• Glassware
You will have to buy new supplies of the following equipment
regularly.
• Cocktail napkins and
coasters
• Swizzle sticks
• Straws, both long and short
ones
• Cocktail picks
• Sugar and salt (for coating
rim of glasses)
Additional equipment
In addition you may wish to buy some other equipment to make
things a bit easier and to be able to make additional drinks.
• Ice crusher, preferably
electric
You can crush ice manually, but with an electric crusher, it will
be a whole lot easier than using a hammer.
• Wooden muddler
• Ice pick or chipper
• Vegetable peeler or a twist
cutter for fruit peels
• Ice scoop
• Funnel
• Nutmeg grater
• Glassware
When operating a bar, whether it be in-house or a business, you
need to have certain types of glasses. The right glass can enhance the drink
you are serving, making you look even better. You really do not want to
serve wine in a coffee cup, a cocktail in a
beer mug, and you definitely don't want to serve an Alabama
Slammer in a sherry glass.
Get the point? Different glasses
• Beer mug
• Beer pilsner
• Brandy snifter
• Champagne flute
• Cocktail glass
• Coffee mug
• Collins glass
• Cordial glass
• Highball glass
• Hurricane glass
• Irish coffee cup
• Margarita/Coupette glass
• Mason jar
• Old-fashioned glass
• Parfait glass
• Pitcher
• Pousse cafe glass
• Punch bowl
• Red wine glass
• White wine glass
• Sherry glass
• Shot glass
• Whiskey sour glass
Glass accidents
When you are around any bar, home or business, you need to be
concerned for yourself and your guests. Here are a few tips about accidents and
what to do: • Always use an ice scoop and not the glass itself. Tiny slivers of
glass always chip off when dipped into an ice well and your glasses become
unclear after a while • If you accidentally break a glass near ice, always throw away all
the ice. When glass shatters, pieces go everywhere. You really don't want
pieces of glass in your drink.
• Never take a hot glass and
add ice into it. This can cause the glass to shatter due to thermal shock. Be
careful about this.
• Mechanical shock occurs when
you clank two glass together. One of the glasses will almost always break. If
you carry the glasses by the stem or the base you avoid fingerprints where people
drink from, and you will have more support carrying the glass.
VII. The History of the
Cocktail Shaker
Antecedents of the cocktail shaker can be traced to 7000 BC in
South America where the jar gourd was valued for its use as a closed container.
Ancient Egyptians in 3500 BC knew that adding spices to their grain fermentations
before serving made them more palatable. A forerunner of the cocktail? Well,
archaeologists have yet to find a hieroglyphic list of cocktail recipes inside
the Great Pyramid of Cheops. But we do know in 1520 Cortez wrote to King
Charles V of Spain from the New World of a certain drink made rom cacao, served to Montezuma with much
reverence, frothy and foaming from a golden cylinder. By the late 1800s, the
bartender's shaker as we know it today had become a standard tool of the trade,
invented by an innkeeper when pouring a drink back and forth to
mix. Finding that the smaller mouth of one container fit into
another, he held the two together and shook "for a bit of a show." At
the turn of the century, New York City hotels were serving the English custom
of 5 o'clock tea and it was a short leap to the 5 o'clock cocktail hour with
shakers manufactured for home use looking very much like teapots. In the 1920s
martinis were served from sterling silver shakers by high society while the
less affluent made do with glass or nickel-plated devices. The Great War was over
and sacrifice was replaced by a euphoria marked by party-going and a frenzied quest
for pleasure. The mixed drink and cocktail shaker was powered by Prohibition. People
who had never tasted a cocktail before were knocking on speakeasy doors. The
outlaw culture had a powerful pull. Flappers with one foot on the brass rail ordered
their choice of drinks with names like Between the Sheets, Fox Trot, and Zanzibar,
liberated more by this act and smoking in public than by their new voting rights.
The International Silver Company produced shakers in the form of the Boston Lighthouse
and golf bags, as well as, traditional shapes. There were rooster- and
penguin-shaped shakers, and from Germany zeppelin and aeroplane
shakers. Many of these shapes were not entirely capricious. The rooster, or
"cock of the walk," for example, had long served as a symbol for
tavern signs. The penguin with its natural "tuxedo" symbolized the
good life. The Graf Zeppelin had become the first commercial aircraft to cross
the Atlantic - an 111-hour non-stop flight that captured the attention of the
world. Such ingenious designs were all the rage, cocktail shaker skills and
drink rituals were
as important in the Jazz Age lifestyle as the latest dance steps.
Colorful cocktails with sweet mixes stretched out the supply of illicit alcohol
and helped disguise the taste of homemade hooch. While gin, easier to duplicate
than rye or scotch, became
the drink of choice and the martini society's favorite. But the
real popularity explosion of cocktail shakers occurred after the repeal of
Prohibition in 1933. Now they were featured frequently on the
silver screen, shakers and accoutrements part of every movie set. Stars were
constantly sipping cocktails when they weren't lighting each others'
cigarettes, both de rigueur symbols of
sophistication. Nick and Nora Charles, the delightfully sodden
couple that poured their way through endless martinis in The Thin Man series,
knew how to shake a drink with style, as did the tens of thousands of Americans
who shook, swirled, and
swilled cocktails by the shaker-full in the years following the
repeal of Prohibition. Movie fans watched Fred and Ginger dance across the
screen, cocktail glass in hand, and wanted their own symbol of the good life to
shake themselves out of the
Depression that gripped the country. The Art Deco movie set
aesthetic was perfect for the Depression-driven cocktail
shaker. To meet popular demand, machine age factories, geared for
mass production, began turning them out in droves. Fashioned from the high-tech
materials of the day, chrome-plated stainless steel shakers with Bakelite trim
replaced those of sterling
silver and were advertised as "non-tarnishing, no polishing
needed." The great glass companies, such as Cambridge, Heisey, and
Imperial, leaped into action. Stunning etched and silk-screened designs were
created, often in brilliant hues of ruby or
cobalt. Industrial design was at the height of popularity and
superstar designers such as Russel Wright, Kem Weber, and Lurelle Guild created
streamlined modern masterpieces, many in the shape of the new deity of
architecture, the skyscraper. If
there is a definitive classic it would have to be the sleek 1936
chrome-plated "Manhattan Skyscraper serving set" by master industrial
designer Norman Bel Geddes, sought by collectors of today as the perfect mix of
form and function.
By the end of the decade, shakers had become standard household
objects, affordable to all. Every family had at least one shaker on the shelf.
There were now cocktail shakers in the shape of bowling pins, dumbbells, town
criers bells, and even in the shape of a lady's leg. The cocktail party had
influenced fashion, furniture, and interior design. Coffee tables were now
cocktail tables, and the little black dress, designed by Coco Chanel, went from
fad to fashion, and is now an institution. At the beginning of the 1940s, the
Depression ended, but not in the way most had hoped. It ended on December 7,
1941. The golden era of the cocktail shaker was
over, and America's involvement in World War II began. All metal
went to the war effort. Companies that once made cocktail shakers, now made
artillery shells. After the war, few thought of the shakers. We were in the
atomic age, thinking of jetpropelled airplanes, a thing called television, and
new cars with lots of chrome. In the early 1950s, a brief renewal of interest
in cocktail shakers occurred when new homes featuring finished basements,
called "roc rooms," were equipped with bars. But the push-button age
had taken the fun out of mixing drinks. Shakers came with battery-powered
stirring devices. Worse yet, electric blenders became popular; drop
in some ice, add the alcohol of your choice, a package of
"redi-mix," flick a switch and.... Gone were the rites and rituals,
the showmanship, the reward for effort. Small wonder, then, that these elegant
stars of the 1930s were forced into retirement. And there they sat - in attics
and closets nationwide - waiting to be recalled to life. Over 50 years have
passed now, and one can faintly hear the clink of ice cubes as shakers are,
once again, a symbol of elegance.
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