Rathbun - Ginger bliss and the violet fizz: a cocktail lovers guide to mixing drinks using new and classic liqueurs

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COPYRIGHT 2011 BY A.J. RATHBUN
PHOTOGRAPHS COPYRIGHT 2011 BY JERRY ERRICO

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LIBRARY OF CONGRESS
CATALOGING-IN-PUBLICATION DATA
RATHBUN, A. J. (ARTHUR JOHN) , 1969
GINGER BLISS AND THE VIOLET FIZZ :
A COCKTAIL LOVER'S GUIDE TO MIXING
DRINKS USING NEW AND CLASSIC LIQUEURS /
A.J. RATHBUN.

P. CM. INCLUDES INDEX.

ISBN 978-1-55832-665-1
1. COCKTAILS. I. TITLE. TX 951. R 167 2011
641.8'74 DC 22 201004816

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BOOK DESIGN BY MODERN GOOD
PHOTOGRAPHY BY JERRY ERRICO
FOOD/DRINK STYLING BY HELEN JONES
AUTHOR PHOTOGRAPHS BY NATALIE FULLER

10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1

FOR KAISER AND COEN:
YOU CAN'T COMPLETELY ENJOY THIS
BOOK FOR A FEW MORE YEARS, BUT THANKS
FOR THE LAUGHS AND INSPIRATION.

To travel to and within the dimension of the Ginger Bliss and the Violet Fizz (as well as their many beauteous brethren) without assistance, aid, and companionship is not only dangerous, but not nearly as much fun. It's a journey I'd never take alone, let me tell you. Because of this, I'd like to raise a toast of thanks and praise to the many who helped me put this book together. But a few intrepid ones deserve a special shout-out and holler, starting with editor Valerie Cimino. Once again (she's resilient), Valerie helped me create a book from the initial idea to the last strained drink, adding her wit, wisdom, and good cheer to every page. A big cheer must also be given to Bruce and the entire Harvard Common Press crew, who are boisterous, bouncy, and incredibly helpful and talented. Special thanks to editor Dan Rosenberg, who wasn't afraid to get poetic in naming the book.

Of course, I wouldn't even take a drinking trip such as this without the constant and consistent aid of my agent, Michael Bourret, who is always ready to pitch in, answer questions, listen, and give advice and who is, well, awesome. He deserves a Salut! at full volume (as does his partner, Miguel, who moved with him to the West Coast, making it easier, at least in theory, for us to get together for drinks). Now, though, back away from your desk and make yourself a cocktail, Michael, 'cause you're working too hard.

A booming toastProst!needs to be given up in addition to copy editor Karen Wise, for her keen-eyed help with the book and for her aid with my dubious translations, and to photographer Jerry Errico and his team, whose lovely pictures of the drinks contained within brighten up the ride and bring the book to full-color life.

As mentioned above, traveling solo just isn't as jolly. Because of that, a huge shout-out (Cinghiale!) to a few more specific folks is in order, because they helped make everything possible. This toast encompasses a bit of a wide range but starts with the fantastic bartenders of both the pro and home varieties, who provided recipes and inspiration for this volume, as well as the amazing modern drink scribes (check out some of my favorite reads on , and many evenings of drinks), and to anyone else who's made me a drink in the last 21 years.

Three final toasts are in order before the voyage (and the liqueur pouring) begins. First, to my wonderful family, who haven't yet seem shocked that I write so much about cocktails. For all the Rathbun, James, DeMaranville, Fuller, and Davis family members, you're the best family anyone could ask for. Thanks again, always, for the support and loveand for bringing extra snacks to parties whenever they're needed.

The penultimate toast goes to you, dear reader and home bartender. Thanks a whole case of liqueur bottles for not being afraid to take this expedition into the realm of liqueurs and vermouths, and for expanding the cocktail revolution into your homes.

But the final toast goes to those nearest and dearest to me, Sookie and Rory (the best, and sometimes nuttiest, dogs anyone ever could want to have, even when they knock over a bottle of booze or a glass that's just been poured), and, last and loudest, to Natalie. Thanks again, dear, for putting up with my cocktail and liqueur obsession (even when it takes us overseas for six months) and for not being shocked at the number of liqueur bottles in the dining room. Here's to many more evenings spent together cocktail testing, party throwing, and drink sipping as the sun goes down.

Shhh ... I have a secret. Come closer, because this is something that you can't tell anyone, a series of rituals and whispered words, a bunch of formulae and unknown ingredients, a matter of great importance that must be kept hush-hush. Follow me, and we'll unlock one of the most masterful mysteries that the world (or, at least, the drinking world) has ever known. Don't be scaredby unlocking this clandestine curiosity, you'll be going on the liquid ride of your life, which will change everything you ever thought about throwing parties. We'll go through the padlocked oak doors, around the maze of tables and chairs, and past the row of stools standing like sentinels guarding our destination. We won't even stop to stare at the wondrous words printed and scrawled across the coasters, because we're going to the dimension of the Ginger Bliss and the Violet Fizz.

Which actually isn't a scary or secretive place at all, even with the array of enchanting bottles that stand on shelves in a manner that seems to taunt, "Look at me but don't touch, because you don't have the expertise to unlock the delicious enigma that is me."

But first, let's step back for a minute and give some context to our sleuthing. In the beginning, there was man and woman (we're stepping way back). How they got to that way-back place, I'm leaving for others to discuss, but they were thirsty, I know ('cause I'm thirsty just typing this, and they were working harder than I am). This thirst led to water, sure, but then to the discovery of more spirited beverages, including wine and clear alcoholic spirits, and then more aged and flavored mixtures built off of those bases (yes, we're rushing through history rapidly here because I don't want to delay you from the book's real contents for too long). But every palate is different, and our imbibing ancestors, like us, were drinking for taste as well as for the divine freeing of the mind that the drinks bring along. So they also started sweetening their spirituous combinations here and there, and experimenting with flavors, and maturing them, until they reached a point where what they had was so delicious that they started distributing it to others in their tribe, and then farther afield. This made these liqueurs and vermouths (as they started to be called) more and more available, and more and more beloved, and more and more used in cocktails, highballs, and other drinks.

Now, in the modern age, a growing number of these liqueurs and vermouths and their ilk are becoming available worldwide, and even more are being created (or re-created in the case of a few that were lost along the way) than ever before. This liqueur globalism is one of the many drivers behind the modern cocktail revolution, a revolution that we are lucky be able to take part in as it happens. There are so many new and newly available bottles out there, in physical liquor stores and via the magic of Internet liquor stores, that at times it becomes overwhelming, and it can confuse even the most intrepid of home entertainers.