the Seven Pillars of

Classic Cocktails presented

by

at

Tales of the Cocktail 2016

Nick KosevichModerator Bi�ercube nickkosevich Proprietor

Ira KoplowitzPanelist Bi�ercube irakoplowitz Proprietor

Marco ZappiaPanelist Bi�ercube marcozappia Bartender/Consultant

Ma�hew RowleyPanelist @mbrowley Author/Speaker

Presenters

theSevenPillarsSourDaisyCollinsThe 75Old FashionedTwo-One-TwoStep Ladder

Shakeor Stir?A cocktail with citrus, dairy, and/or egg will be shaken almost every time, while a cocktail without will be stirred.

Why is this? Both shaking and stirring chill a drink and cause water dilution; however, shaking also adds aeration.

Through aeration, acid in citrus is so�ened. Terpenes found in citrus are exposed to oxygen, changing their composition. In a nutshell: shaking results in a be�er-tasting citrus cocktail.

By contrast, stirring a spirit-forward drink preserves the smoother mouthfeel of the spirit - aeration is usually detrimental to a cocktail without citrus.

tips on techniqueShake with purpose - the ice should strike both ends of the tin. The quality, shape, and temperature of your ice will affect the necessary length of shake.

Stirring should be done such that the ice is spun smoothly, not agitated. As with shaking, the ice itself will partially determine how long you need to stir.

Brix &SyrupsDegrees Brix (wri�en °Bx) is a measurement of the sugar content of a liquid, with one degree equal to one gram of sugar in 100 grams of solution.

For ease of use, we standardize all of our syrups at 50°Bx - for simple syrup, this means a 1:1 ratio of sugar:water by weight. Any syrup mentioned in our recipes is always assumed to be at 50°Bx. When making syrups, you can measure Brix with a refractometer; we recommend a unit with a range of approximately 0-85°Bx.

theSour3⁄4 oz Citrus 3⁄4 oz Syrup 2 oz Spirit

The Sour starts showing up in print around the middle of the 1800’s. Although we see a lot of them in bartenders’ guides around the beginning of the 20th century and the category is going strong even today, the earliest reference I’ve seen is in Dave Wondrich’s book Imbibe! Wondrich writes about a Toronto joint, Mart Ackerman’s Saloon. A handwri�en drinks list from 1856 survives from Ackerman’s and names 107 different drinks. Among the Cobblers, Smashes, and Cocktails (gin, brandy, whiskey in the old sense), there’s a Sour.

Sours didn’t just spring up out of nowhere on the banks of Lake Ontario or crop up mysteriously overnight like mushrooms in the garden. The general idea had been around a while. Wondrich calls the Sour one of the “lesser Punches.” It’s an apt phrase.

¾ oz Fresh Lime Juice ¾ oz Simple Syrup 2 oz Bacardí 8 Rum

¾ oz Fresh Lime Juice ¾ oz Simple Syrup 2 oz Bombay Dry Gin

¾ oz Fresh Lemon Juice ¾ oz Simple Syrup 2 oz Angel’s Envy Bourbon

Combine all ingredients in a tin set with ice. Standard shake, and double strain into a Coupe glass. Garnish with paper thin lime wheel.

Daiquiri

Gimlet

Whiskey Sour

3⁄4 oz Citrus 1⁄4 oz* Syrup 1�1⁄2 oz Spirit 1⁄2 oz Liqueur

The Daisy is a Sour with a bit of liqueur added - classically orange liqueur - and sometimes with a spash of soda, although in modern Daisies the soda is o�en omi�ed. Daisies first show up in the 1876 supplement to Jerry Thomas’s Bon Vivant’s Companion.

Liqueurs contain varying levels of brix and ABV; adjust the amounts of syrup and spirit to keep the drink balanced. Utilize the ratios on the liqueur graph in the addendum to maintain balance in both ABV and sweetness level.

*When experimenting with other liqueurs, start with ¼ oz syrup and work your way up to create balance if needed. Liqueurs with an ABV under 30% should utilize 1¾ oz spirit, while liqueurs 30% and over utilize 1½ oz spirit. Extremely pungent liqueurs like Crème de Viole�e may need to be cut from the standard ½ oz pour to ¼ oz or less.

theDaisy

¾ oz Fresh Lime Juice 1⁄3 oz Simple Syrup 1 3⁄4 oz Cazadores Reposado 1⁄2 oz St Germain Liqueur

¾ oz Fresh Lime Juice 1⁄4 oz* Simple Syrup 1 1⁄2 oz Cazadores Reposado 1⁄2 oz Orange Liqueur

¾ oz Fresh Lemon Juice 1⁄4 oz* Simple Syrup 1 1⁄2 oz D’usse Cognac 1⁄2 oz Orange Liqueur

Combine all ingredients in a tin set with ice. Standard shake, double strain into a Coupe glass, and garnish.

Los Florales

Margarita

Sidecar

See Appendix for graph: Liqueur Chart for Daisies

3⁄4 oz Citrus 1 oz Syrup 2 oz Spirit 2 oz Seltzer

“The Collins,” writes David Embury, “ is the tallest of tall drinks and is so served at practically all bars.”

A Collins is a Sour plus (non-alcoholic) effervescence. Seltzer has a pH between 3-4; dissolving CO2 in H2O creates carbonic acid, so a cocktail with a carbonated ingredient ends up more acidic. This means sweetness should be boosted to maintain balance. If a sweetened carbonated ingredient like a ginger beer is used, the above formula will need to be tweaked to to avoid a cocktail that tastes too sweet.

When making a collins, a short shake is used to avoid diluting the drink too much before the carbonated element is added.

theCollins

¾ oz Fresh Lemon Juice 1 oz Simple Syrup 2 oz Bombay Sapphire East Gin 2 oz Soda Water

¾ oz Fresh Lime Juice 1 oz Simple Syrup 2 oz Bacardí Superior 2 oz Soda Water

Combine all non-carbonated ingredients in a tin set with ice. Short shake, then add seltzer (or tonic, soda, etc.) to tin. Double strain into a Collins glass and garnish.

Tip: try a green tea and honey syrup along with Bi�ercube Cherry Bark Vanilla bi�ers to create a summery Asian-inspired riff on the classic.

Using the back of a bar spoon, draw a few leaves of mint up the insides of a collins glass with gentle pressure. Mint should not be muddled, as this causes unwanted bi�erness. Combine all non-carbonated ingredients in a tin set with ice, short shake, then add seltzer (or tonic, soda, etc.) to the tin. Double strain into a Collins glass and garnish with additional spring of fresh mint leaves, spanked between the hands to release aromas.

Tom Collins

Mojito

1⁄2 oz Citrus 1⁄2 oz Syrup 1 oz Spirit 3 oz Sparkling Wine

The French 75 is a Sour plus sparkling wine. It shows up in The Savoy Cocktail Book in 1930, but the cocktail is at least a few years older than that.

The additional ingredient in this cocktail brings alcohol, water, effervescence, acidity, and a small amount of sugar - all of which need to be considered in the pursuit of creating a balanced cocktail.

Don't get hung up on the varying types of sparkling wine and the levels of sugar in them. Even the highest amount of sugar allowed in a demi-sec, which is on the sweeter side of sparkling wines, is somewhat negligible on the palate. Brut and Extra Dry sparkling wines have even less sugar, making the sweetness even harder to discern. Use 3 oz of sparkling wine, from Brut to Demi-Sec to produce a balanced cocktail.

the75

1⁄2 oz Fresh Lemon Juice 1⁄2 oz Simple Syrup 1 oz Bombay Dry Gin 3 oz Sparkling Wine

Combine all ingredients except sparkling wine in a tin set with ice. Short shake, add sparkling to tin. Double strain into a Flute glass and garnish.

Tip: try D’usse cognac instead of Gin - some claim cognac is the "correct" spirit for this classic. Also try a dash of Bi�ercube Bolivar Bi�ers to add floral depth.

French 75

See Appendix for graph: Sparkling Wine Sweetness by Type

Egg whites enhance cocktails with texture, body, and a so�ening of acidity in a cocktail, allowing for a rounded flavor profile; they can be incorporated into all styles of shaken cocktails. Follow the rule for the style of cocktail into which you are incorporating the egg white, and add an extra ¼ oz of sweetening agent.

Egg white froth causes a feeling of dryness on the tongue. It is this froth, full of unraveled proteins and suspended oxygen, that precipitates a balancing increase in the syrup used for the drink.

Long shake, then strain the cocktail (using just a Hawthorne strainer) into the small shaker tin. Dump the ice, then mime shake without ice to break down the ice bits. Pour cocktail through a tea strainer - this creates a fine, uniform froth.

Reassure your guest with a calm, pleasing demeanor when cracking that egg. Egg whites have been used in cocktails for over 150 years - our grandmother's grandfather drank egg whites in his drinks!

Egg Whites

¾ oz Fresh Lemon Juice 1 oz Demerara Syrup 2 oz Angel’s Envy Rye 2 Dashes Cherry Bark Vanilla Bi�ers 1 Egg White

Crack the egg and separate the white into a large tin, discard yolk or save for another use. Build the cocktail in a small tin, long shake with ice; strain the cocktail into the small tin and discard the ice. Shake again without ice to create froth, then double-strain and garnish.

Rye Sour

1⁄4 oz Syrup 2 oz Spirit 2 Dashes Bi�ers

The original “cocktail,” as the word was first defined in print in 1806. Close to a century later it acquired the name by which we now know it.

The Sazerac is a famous New Orleans riff on the Old Fashioned, invented in the middle of the 19th century. It was originally a cognac cocktail, but the scourge of phylloxera forced a switch to rye whiskey around 1870.

The Old Fashioned is an extremely simple cocktail, and extremely riffable. All spirits - aquavit, gin, mezcal, brandy, rum, etc. - can be paired with syrup and bi�ers in this ratio to create a foolproof, spirited dealer's choice libation.

the Old Fashioned

1⁄4 oz Demerara Syrup 2 oz Angel’s Envy Bourbon 2 Dashes Bi�ercube Trinity Bi�ers

1⁄4 oz Demerara Syrup 2 oz Angel’s Envy Rye or D’usse Cognac 13 Drops Peychaud’s Bi�ers 1 Dash Bi�ercube Orange Bi�ers Rinse Absinthe

Combine ingredients in a mixing glass and stir until chilled and so�ened. Strain the cocktail into a rocks glass. Express and insert an orange peel.

For the Sazerac riff: add ice to the rocks glass and rinse with absinthe before building the cocktail. Discard ice in glass before straining; substitue a disc of lemon peel, and discard peel a�er expressing.

Old Fashioned

Sazerac

2 oz Spirit 1 oz Vermouth 2 Dashes Bi�ers

"Because of its unrivaled tonic qualities as a restorative and element for firming the moral fiber, as well as because of the prevailing American taste for drinks with whisky bases at this time, the classic and standard Manha�an cocktail, precisely as it is served at this red hot minute at the Stork Club, was an almost universal rite until the end of the nineteenth century.”

- Lucius Beebe (1946), Stork Club Bar Book.

Two spirit-forward classics with one base formula. As an easy mnemonic device: 212 is the area code for Manha�an.

theTwo-One-Two

2 oz Bombay Sapphire Gin 1 oz Martini & Rossi Extra Dry 2 Dashes Bi�ercube Orange Bi�ers

2 1⁄4 oz Bombay Sapphire East Gin 3⁄4 oz Martini & Rossi Extra Dry 2 Dashes Bi�ercube Orange Bi�ers

2 oz Angel’s Envy Rye 1 oz Martini & Rossi Rosso 2 Dashes Bi�ercube Cherry Bark Vanilla

Combine in a mixing glass with ice and stir until chilled and so�ened. Strain into a cocktail glass and garnish with an expressed disc of lemon peel.

Martini

Martini (Modern Gin)

Manha�an

1 1⁄2 oz Spirit 1 oz Vermouth 1⁄2 oz Bi�er Liqueur

The Negroni first came into being in 1920, created when Count Negroni sidled up to a Florentine bar and ordered an Americano with gin substituted for soda, to stiffen up the drink.

The traditional equal-parts Negroni is a well-established classic. Shi�ing the ratio helps balance the cocktail and its variants for the modern palate.

The Boulevardier uses the same formula with Bourbon or Rye substituted for Gin.

theStepladder

1 1⁄2 oz Bombay Sapphire Gin 1 oz Martini & Rossi Rosso 1⁄2 oz Campari

1 1⁄2 oz Angel's Envy Bourbon 1 oz Martini & Rossi Rosso 1⁄2 oz Campari

Combine in a mixing glass with ice and stir until chilled and so�ened. Strain the cocktail into a cocktail glass. Garnish with an expressed disc of orange peel.

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We are privileged to have the chance to present at

Tales again this year. We love sharing our thoughts

with you all, and we hope you enjoyed the seminar.

Please let us know how we did, ask us questions, or

even share cocktails with us that you have created

using tips you learned from us!

As always, a special thanks to the oragnizers, caps, leads, participants, and sponsors of Tales.

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