Nick Mautone - The Artisanal Kitchen: Classic Cocktails: The Very Best Martinis, Margaritas, Manhattans, and More

This flexibility is what makes the classics so inspiring. The drinks in this book are those you can turn to again and again. They are all perfect for entertaining and will tempt you to take the next step of creating your own signature cocktails. The Right Tools You dont need expensive equipment to mix great drinks. There are many good inexpensive starter kits on the market that contain shakers, strainers, jiggers, bar spoons, and paring knives. Aside from the household basicsa bottle opener, can opener, and corkscrewhere are some other tools you will need.

Shakers There are two types of cocktail shakers: the cobbler shaker and the Boston shaker. Either one works well, although each has particular features that make it useful. Specifically, the cobbler comes in varying sizes, from 8 to 16 to 24 ounces and even larger. These variations allow for different drink sizes and some flexibility when presenting and serving cocktails. For the shaking and stirring technique, see . To use a cobbler, fill the base shaker with ice and the cocktail ingredients.

Put the top on with the cap in place. Shake well, remove the cap, and strain the drink into a glass. The Boston shaker is the one most bartenders use. It is a little more versatile than the cobbler but slightly more difficult to use. The Boston is composed of two metal tumblers or one glass tumbler and one metal tumbler. One tumbler holds roughly 26 to 30 ounces.

The other tumbler generally holds 16 ounces. To use a Boston, fill the smaller tumbler with the cocktail ingredients and ice. Place the larger tumbler on top and gently but firmly give it a tap or two to seal the two tumblers together. Hold the bottom of the smaller tumbler in the palm of one hand while pressing the larger tumbler with the palm of the other and shake vigorously. Invert the shaker on a counter so that the larger half is on the bottom. Hold the seal between the two pieces with one hand; two fingers should be on the one end and two fingers on the other.

Hold firmly and, with the heel of your other hand, tap the rim of the larger tumbler. This should break the seal. Remove the smaller tumbler carefully. Place a strainer over the top of the larger tumbler and pour. Strainers The Hawthorne strainer and the julep strainer each serves its own purpose, and both are necessary if using a Boston shaker set. The Hawthorne strainer has a metal coil on its underside, and the julep strainer is solid metal with holes throughout.

The Hawthorne is used for shaken drinks and works with the larger tumbler, and the julep strainer is used for stirred drinks and is used with the smaller tumbler. Jiggers Jiggers are basically tiny measuring cups. The most common jiggers have a long handle with two cups of different sizes that measure 2 ounces or less, but the best jiggers, if you can find them, are small, shot glasssize measuring cups with measurements ranging from to 1 ounce and their equivalencies in teaspoons, tablespoons, and milliliters all etched on the side. Cocktail Spoons Cocktail spoons are used to stir a drink in a pitcher or shaker. Stir until the outside of the shaker is frosted and beaded with sweat, ten to fifteen seconds. Knives For cocktail making, you will need a paring knife for cutting your lemons, limes, and oranges and a chefs knife for cutting large fruit such as pineapples.

Channel Knives and Zesters A channel knife has a rounded or rectangular metal head with a small curved blade and a hole on either the side or the top. This is used for producing long citrus-peel swirls. A zester has a steel edge with five tiny cutting holes. When pulled across the surface of an orange, lemon, or lime, it creates strips of peel. Muddlers Bar muddlers are used for mashing fruit, sometimes with sugar, to extract juice. They are also used for bruising soft fruit, such as cherries, and herbs, such as mint.

The best muddlers are made of soft, unvarnished wood and are generally 6 inches long with a flat end on one side. Juicers and Reamers Make sure to get a citrus juicer model that is large enough to handle grapefruit as well as lemons and limes. In addition, always keep a wooden citrus reamer on hand. It is great if you have to juice just a few lemons or limes. Cocktail Pitchers Tall, elongated, and somewhat narrow, cocktail pitchers range in size from 1 to 2 quarts. Standard cocktail pitchers also come with a long glass stirrer.

Gallon-size glass pitchers and several plastic pitchers with tight-fitting lids are also good to have on hand. The Right Techniques There are very few strict rules for mixing drinks, and with just a bit of practice you can easily master them all. Shaking and Stirring When shaking your drinks, follow this simple but important rule: shake vigorously until the outside of the shaker is frosted and beaded with sweat. The shaker should be so cold that it is almost painful to hold. This will generally take ten to fifteen seconds. Most important, maintain a consistent and constant rhythm while shaking to ensure that the drink is mixed effectively.

As for shaking versus stirring, generally, drinks that are all or mostly liquor, such as a martini, should be stirred; drinks that contain juice, egg, or other heavy ingredients should be shaken. The simple reason for this is texture: in cocktails that are primarily or all liquor, stirring produces a more delicate texture; for juice-based or weightier drinks, shaking emulsifies the cocktail, ensuring a smooth, even texture. For very weighty drinks or those based on fruit purees, a technique called rolling is the best method for mixing and can be done only in a Boston shaker. Rolling consists of pouring a drink back and forth between the two tumblers. This thoroughly combines heavy juices with other ingredients without producing a foamy texture that is unpleasant in these types of drinks. Muddling To muddle, place the fruit, herbs, sugar, or other ingredients to be muddled in the bottom of a large glass or shaker.

Using the flat end of the muddler, firmly press and twist the tool, crushing and breaking down the fruit or herb to release as much juice and essential oil as possible. If bruising an herb, do not press quite as hard; you dont want to pulverize it. Rimming Rimming a glass with sugar, salt, or spices ensures that every sip of the cocktail is a multilayered experience. The key to proper rimming is to keep the granules on the outside of the glass. Too many granules on the inside of the rim mean that each time the drinker tips his glass, the garnish falls into the cocktail, eventually throwing off the balance of flavors in the whole drink. The