These are simple, classic recipes that best express the way a particular plant can be put to use in liquor. There are several original recipes, but even they are variations on the classics. If you’re new to mixing drinks, here are a few hints.
Serving size: A cocktail is not supposed to be an enormous drink. The modern martini glass is a monstrosity; filled to the rim, it holds eight ounces of liquid. That’s four to five drinks, more than anyone should choke down in a single sitting. (If nothing else, the liquor gets warm before you finish it.)
A serving of straight liquor is one and a half ounces, which is, conveniently, the larger end of a jigger. (The smaller side, called a pony, is three-quarters of an ounce.) Add liqueur or vermouth, and a not-too-excessive drink might contain the equivalent of two ounces of hard alcohol.
The recipes in this book conform to that standard. A nicely proportioned drink, sipped while it’s still cold, is a lovely thing. Have a second one if you want, but do get in the habit of mixing one small, civilized drink at a time. To facilitate this, measure all your pours, and please get rid of your jumbo-sized cocktail glasses (or reserve them for drinks that are mostly fruit juice), and invest in a set of more modestly proportioned stemware. Oh, and speaking of glasses, for the recipes in this book, you can get by with Champagne flutes, wine glasses, and the following:
• Old-Fashioned glasses—Short, wide six-to eight-ounce tumblers.
• Highball glasses—Taller glasses that hold around twelve ounces. A standard sixteen-ounce drinking glass, or, for that matter, a Mason jar, will do.
• Cocktail glasses—Conical or bowl-shaped glasses with a stem; the basic martini glass.
A few other terms, ingredients, and ideas that might need further explanation:
Ice: Do not be timid about adding ice or a splash of water to a drink. It does not water down the drink; it improves it. Water actually loosens the hold that alcohol has on aromatic molecules, which heightens rather than dilutes the flavor.
Muddling: To muddle is to mash herbs or fruit in the bottom of a cocktail shaker, often with a blunt wooden implement called a muddler. If you don’t have one of those, use a wooden spoon. Cocktails made with muddled ingredients are strained so that crushed plant matter doesn’t end up in the glass.
Simple syrup: Simple syrup is a mixture of equal parts water and sugar, heated to a boil to dissolve the sugar, then allowed to cool. Sugar water will attract bacteria, so don’t bother mixing up a large batch—it won’t keep long. Just mix a little when you need it. If time is short, a microwave and a freezer can speed up the boiling and subsequent cooling considerably.
Standard-issue egg white warning: Some of the recipes call for raw egg whites. If you are concerned about the possible health consequences of consuming raw eggs, please skip those.
Tonic water: Don’t ruin high-quality liquor with terrible tonic. Look for premium brands like Fever-Tree or Q Tonic, which are made with real ingredients, not artificial flavors and high-fructose corn syrup.
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