Holly Rapport - Mixology: How to Be the Drink Mixer in Your Crowd

Copyright 2005 Time Warner Book Group All rights reserved. Postcard Images: Found Image PressIllustrations by Milan Bozic Time Warner Book Group Hachette Book Group 237 Park Avenue, New York, NY 10017 Visit our Website at www.HachetteBookGroup.com First eBook Edition: June 2009 ISBN: 978-0-446-56254-6 F irst and foremost, I want to thank Stacey Ashton, my publisher, friend, and great drinking buddy. This book would have never happened without your vision, and I thank you for inviting me to be a part of it. Youre the best! To all of my drinking buddies (you know who you are), thank you for helping me with years of research. To Yosh, you are always there for me, especially for a ski-break cocktail. Many thanks to Jean Griffin (for hiring me!) and Olga Vezeris, my editor and cheerleader, of Time Warner Book Group.

This book is dedicated to my father, who has stood by me with endless support and love, through good times and bad. I love you Dad. And to my mother, who is always in my heart, and who, as an avid reader, would be proud that I got published.

J anuary 16, 1920 (the other D day). A date all drinkers would like to forget the day Prohibition began. The good news is that Prohibition was not the living hell that all cocktail lovers fearedin truth, the Roaring Twenties was a wonderful time in America, a time when Americans learned to truly love the art of imbibing.

During the 20s many of the great cocktails were born: the Sidecar, Bloody Mary, Bronx Cocktail, Martini. There is a reason that these classics have enduredthey are great drinks! Retro drinks are in style for every generation because they never go out of style. The popularity of the cocktail flourished in the 30s and 40s, and especially in the 50s. After the Great Depression, Americans had a lot to toast and celebrate! Cocktail partiesin full swing in the 50swere a great time to bring together friends and acquaintances in a fun, social atmosphere. The 60s were a dark time for cocktailsthey were considered too establishment and therefore not cool. To be rebellious was not to have a three-martini lunch.

The counterculture was more interested in smoking marijuana and dropping acid than in mixing cocktails. The decade of the 70s, with its flamboyance and disco-trashy vibes, and the conservative Reagan-era 80s were not times for a cocktail comeback either. Fortunately (finally!), in the mid-90s, the cocktail made a huge reentry into popular culture, with the reemergence of the most classic cocktail of them all: the martini. There was a conscious nostalgia about the new retro craze, as though hipsters were deliberately trying to be rat packers, dancing to nuevo swing dance music, smoking cigars, and drinking new-style martinis. There was no shame in embracing all things retro; even popular culture played along, with the Austin Powers and Swingers movies, Sex and the City television show, and the popularity of lounges and swing dancing. In the twenty-first century we continue to embrace retro cocktails.

There is something eternally glamorous about ordering a classic drink that comes delivered in a beautiful glass with a garnish. And entertaining friends, acquaintances, and colleagues in your home by serving fabulous drinks will make you the master drink mixer in your crowd. Mixology is not an exact science, which is why anyone can do it. Thats the fun aspect of hosting a soire in your homeyou can experiment with ingredients, have theme parties, and become even more popular. I hope you enjoy this book as much as I enjoyed researching and writing it. The key to a successful cocktail party is to know your guests tastes and to never run out of ice or alcohol.

Drinks in this book are on the stronger side, so be sure to change the ingredient amounts to please your palate. Be creative with your cocktails. As long as you keep your guests preferences in mind, your parties will be a success.

There really is an art of preparing mixed drinks. In this book youll learn what you need to know to be a successful bartender and cocktail party host or hostess. Every home bartender should know and practice mixologyit comes down to having the right bar tools (or the right substitutes), the freshest ingredients, a stocked bar, and the desire to serve the best and most delicious drinks possible.

Making a good mixed drink for your guests just takes some practice, and, these pointers will help: Use a shot glass (measure or jigger) to measure the correct amount of alcohol for each drink. Chill your cocktail glasses. Refrigerate mixers before using; mixers should he cold, not room temperature. Serve a decent variety of cocktails to your guests. Remember not everyone drinks rum, some people cant stomach tequila, others like frozen drinks, etc. Try your best never to run out of ice (have extra on hand just in case).

Have fun! Your guests will have more fun if you do.

It would he nice to have one of everything stocked in your home bar. Its hard enough to remember to buy milk sometimes! Therefore, have available what you like to drink and what you like to serveand fill in the gaps for special occasions, like the theme parties listed at the end of this hook (see ). This is an essentials list; add your favorite spirits to it as well. Note: vodka should be kept in the freezer, and white wine should be refrigerated. Top-shelf liquor is more expensive, but you suffer fewer and less-horrible hangovers later.

Its worth it just for that! Indulge your guests and go for the good stuff. Bourbon Brandy Champagne Gin Liqueurs Rum Scotch Sherry Tequila Vermouth (dry and sweet) Vodka Whiskey Wine (red and white)

As noted earlier, mixers should always he refrigerated. I emphasize using fresh juices instead of canned or bottled, as fresh always tastes best. Club Soda Cola (diet and regular) Cranberry Juice Cream(light cream or half-half) Ginger Ale Grapefruit Juice Lemon Juice Lime Juice Orange Juice Pineapple Juice Tomato Juice Tonic Water The following ingredients are very important to a drinks outcome; therefore, use the best you can afford. Remember: presentation is important with cocktails! Classic cocktails always have great colorful garnishescarry on tins wonderful tradition in your own home. And feel tree to be creative with your retro cocktailsuse little umbrellas to accent your Mai Tais, or put strawberries in your Manhattans.

This is a longish list of what youll need; you can always use what you have at home to substitute if you must. Fresh fruit should always be used if possible; if it isnt, canned is an OK substitute (its also quicker if youre out of time!). When planning your party, make sure not to cut your fruit garnishes too early (theyll dry out). A few hours before the party will be fine. Bananas Bitters Black Pepper Celery Cinnamon Sticks Coarse Salt Cocktail Olives Grenadine Horseradish Lemons Limes Maraschino Cherries Milk Mint (fresh) Nutmeg (ground) Oranges Orgeat Syrup (almond-flavored syrup) Pineapples Strawberries Sugar (powdered and granulated) Tabasco Sauce