The Complete Cocktail Manual Read online




  285 Tips, Tricks & Recipes

  LOU BUSTAMANTE

  CONTENTS

  BASICS & SETUP

  001 Choose Your Drink

  002 Shake It Till You Make It

  003 Practice, Practice, Practice

  004 Speak in Tongues

  005 Build Your Tool Kit

  006 Distill Your Beer, Wine, or Smoothie

  007 Run Your Still Waters Deep (and Tall)

  008 Sip the Basics of Barrel Aging

  009 Get Over the Barrel

  010 Keep It Under Cover

  011 Buy Size Smart

  012 Clean Your Bar

  013 Build Your Backbar

  014 Assemble Versatile Bottles

  015 Sherry Up, Get the Vermouth Out

  016 Stock Your Cellar

  017 Imbibe Sweet Liquor

  018 Watch Your Sugar Content

  019 Find Your Sweet Spot

  020 Boast Better Bitters

  021 Get Into Mixers

  022 Get Hooked on Tonics

  023 Produce the Juice

  024 Know Your Glasses Specs

  025 Ramp It Up

  SPIRIT PROFILE: WHISK(E)Y

  026 Sip a Taste of Whisk(e)y

  027 Say “Oak No He Didn’t”

  028 Decipher the Label

  029 Cook Up a Whisk(e)y

  030 Get Fresh

  031 Make Things Juicy

  032 Juice Up Your Drinks

  033 Customize Your Drinks

  034 Infuse It or Lose It

  035 Flavor with Tinctures

  036 Shrub it the Right Way

  037 Put Your Drink On Ice

  038 Keep It Clear

  039 Break the Ice

  040 Commission an Artist to Sculpt Perfect Ice

  041 Don’t Break the Mold

  042 Get Jigger Happy

  043 Measure Twice, Mix Once

  044 Accessorize Your Bar

  045 Cover Your Assets with Coasters

  046 Choose Your Family

  047 Keep It Simple

  048 Choose Your Sweetener

  049 Refine Your Sugar Syrups

  SPIRIT PROFILE: AGAVE

  050 Get the History

  051 Meet Agave’s Relative

  052 Learn the Process

  053 Typecast Your Tequila

  RECIPES & TECHNIQUES

  054 Choose Your Light & Sparkling Drink

  055 Appreciate Aperitivos

  056 The Americano

  057 Classic Negroni

  058 Serve It Up

  059 Make It Wrong

  060 Make It Really Wrong

  061 Embrace an Old Pal

  062 Vary Your Vermouth

  063 The Boulevardier

  064 The Bellini

  065 Crack Some Bubbly

  066 Kir Royale

  067 The Mighty Mimosa

  068 Go On the Spritz

  069 Bayside Fog

  070 The Hummingbird

  071 A Meadow for Eeyore

  072 Anaranjadito

  073 French 75

  074 Sunshine Superman

  075 Clermont

  076 Choose Your Spirit Forward Drink

  077 Get a Kick in the Glass

  078 Be the Big Spoon

  079 Don’t Stir Up Trouble

  080 Crack Up Your Cocktail

  SPIRIT PROFILE: GIN

  081 Learn the History

  082 Pluck a Berry

  083 Take a Tonic

  084 Know Your Gins

  085 Mix It Old School

  086 The Muddled Old Fashioned

  087 The Kentucky Connection

  088 The Wisconsin Old Fashioned

  089 Manhattan

  090 Make It Perfect

  091 The Boothby

  092 Work Your Canadian Whisky

  093 Make It a Snow Day

  094 Rob Roy

  095 Make It Burns

  096 Study Your Scotch Whisky

  097 Get Jazzy with Sazeracs

  098 Classic Sazerac

  099 Pomme d’Amour

  100 Taste the Martini’s Timeline

  101 J.P.A. Martini

  102 Julia Child (aka Inverted Martini)

  103 Martinez

  104 Vesper

  105 Dirty Martini

  106 Fifty-Fifty Split

  107 Make Your Own Vermouth Base

  108 Song About an Ex

  109 Bone Machine

  110 Bending Blades

  111 Broken Compass

  SPIRIT PROFILE: RUM

  112 Learn the History

  113 Drink in Tongues

  114 Know the Process

  115 Tick Off the Types

  116 Get to Know the Movers and Shakers

  117 Open the Floodgates

  118 Don’t Strain Yourself

  119 Understand the Shake

  120 Shake Your Cocktail Maker

  121 Choose Your Tart & Tangy Drink

  122 Get the Basic Daiquiri

  123 Compose a Hemingway Daiquiri

  124 Make It Frozen

  125 Recruit Some Fruit

  126 Know Your American Whiskey

  127 Classic Whiskey Sour

  128 Gum Things Up

  129 Get in the Limelight

  130 The Classic Aviation

  131 Keep It Cordial

  132 Make It Blue

  133 Gimlet

  134 Cosmopolitan

  135 Swap the Cranberry

  136 Vary the Vodka

  137 Lemon Drop

  138 Extract Flavor from a Pro

  139 Control the Spice, Control the Cocktail

  140 The Spice Invader

  141 Orange You Glad You Made a Tincture?

  142 The Final Four

  143 Willa Brown

  144 The Baudin

  145 Rind Your Own Business

  146 Shark God of Molokai

  147 Quarantine Order

  148 Go Tiki

  149 Mai Tai

  150 Mai Tai Float

  151 Jamaican Scorpion Bowl

  152 Tommy’s Margarita

  153 Know Your Highlands and Lowlands

  154 Use a Blender Jar

  155 Pisco Sour

  156 Maracuyá Pisco Sour

  157 Shake It High and Dry

  158 Blend Your Pisco

  SPIRIT PROFILE: BITTER LIQUEURS

  159 Drink Your Medicine

  160 Don’t Fernet the Past

  161 Get to Know the Creators

  162 Formulate Your Remedy

  163 Drink to the Bitter End

  164 Choose Your Patio & Poolside Drink

  165 Mojito

  166 Get Muddle-Headed

  167 Carry a Big Stick

  168 Buck Like a Mule

  169 The Moscow Mule (or Vodka Buck)

  170 Cure What Ales You

  171 Mix Up the Formula

  172 Be the Yoda of Soda

  173 Cherry Blossom

  174 Parker House Cocktail

  175 Black Friar Tea

  176 Mint Julep

  177 Single-Serving Sangria

  178 Whip Up a White Sangria

  179 Lonely Island

  180 DST

  181 Brandy Lift

  182 Michelada

  183 Bloody Mary

  184 Long Island Iced Tea

  185 Endlessly Vary the Formula

  186 Have Sex on the Beach

  187 Know Your Fetishes

  188 Choose Your Hot & Sweet Drink

  189 Pull Shots Like a Barista

  190 Shakerato

  191 Rockaway Beach

  192 The Burnside

  193 Understand Irish Whiskey

  194 Irish Coffee
r />   195 Hot English Rum Flip

  196 Lake Effect

  197 You Had Me at Hot Toddy

  SPIRIT PROFILE: BRANDY

  198 Know the History

  199 Know Your French Fried Vines

  200 Learn the Process

  201 Identify the Types

  202 Pink Sands

  203 Bittersweet Symphony

  204 Coco-Alexander

  205 The Golden Fleece

  206 The Great Compromise

  207 Devil’s Backbone

  208 Fernet About Dre

  209 Stage Dives & Fist Fights

  210 Sacra Monti

  ENTERTAINING & HOSPITALITY

  211 Be the Host with the Most

  212 Deal with Drunken Guests

  213 Get Ready To Party

  214 Plan Your Glassware and Booze

  215 Build a Pro Cocktail Menu

  216 Cook Up a Home Bar

  217 Design a Pop-Up Bar

  218 Set Up Your Bar Like a Pro

  219 Go with the Flow

  220 Make Eye Contact

  221 Set the Mood

  222 Don’t Do the Dishes

  223 Batch a Plan

  224 Scale Your Recipe by Ratios

  225 Mix the Bucket

  226 Pre-Batch Your Drinks

  227 Give a Warm Welcome and a Cold Drink

  228 Have Fun with Ice Molds

  229 Slice and Dice Your Ice

  230 Don’t Get Stuck

  231 Salute Those About to Mock(tail)

  232 Craft Deliciously Potable Water

  233 Keep Your Drinks and Friends Dry

  234 Mock Their Socks Off

  235 Saint Tiki

  236 Faux-loma

  237 Honeybee Fizz

  238 Wild Mule

  239 Watermelon-Ginger Gelatin Shots

  240 Have No Bones About It

  241 Fear the Edible Shot

  242 Grow Some Bourbon Balls

  243 Play Matchmaker with Drinks and Dinner

  244 Avoid Making a Meal Out of Cocktails

  245 Prepare to Layer

  246 Make Your Drinks as Cold as a Polar Bear’s Glass

  247 Layer Your Drink with Arsenic and Lace

  248 Drink Around the World

  249 Party with Punch

  250 Fish House Punch

  251 Make Oleo Saccharum

  252 Brew Some Tea Syrup

  253 Festoon Your Drinks

  254 Garnish Like a Pro

  255 Get a Rosy Outlook

  256 Do the Twist

  257 Take Wing

  SPIRIT PROFILE: VODKA

  258 Get the History

  259 Rediscover Vodka’s Uses

  260 Learn the Process

  261 Define Vodka

  262 Set Your Drink Aflame

  263 Float a Tiki Torch Garnish

  264 Flame an Orange Peel

  265 Use a Red-Hot Poker

  266 Add Some Flair, Bartender

  267 Learn the Bottle Stall

  268 Pour Behind the Head

  269 Pour Behind the Back

  270 Say Cheers … or Sláinte! Salud! Prost!

  271 Become a Neat Freak

  272 Throw No Stones

  273 Taste Like a Pro

  274 Give a Goody Bag

  275 Get Invited Back

  276 Tackle the Cleanup

  277 Get Out of a Sticky Situation

  278 Save the Furniture

  279 Get Salty

  280 Finesse Your Flask

  281 Devise a Cure

  282 Get a Cola Clear-Out

  283 Go Pro

  284 Bite the Dog Back

  285 Eat and Energize

  Closing Statement

  Index

  Acknowledgments

  About the Author

  Credits

  ABOUT THE USBG

  The United States Bartenders’ Guild (USBG) is a trade organization dedicated to supporting and strengthening the professional development of bartenders throughout the country. With chapters in over 70 cities and more than 6,000 members, the USBG develops innovative opportunities for bartenders to accelerate their professional pursuits.

  With the increased interest in both the craft and profession, the USBG fills a vital role in helping shape the future of the beverage and hospitality industries through collaboration with an interactive network of professional bartenders, educational events, and community service projects. In other words, they help make your drinks and experience better when you go to a bar.

  The USBG is the only domestic organization represented in the International Bartenders Association (IBA). With this global partnership, the USBG connects American beverage professionals with peers around the world. Members can develop key industry contacts—from international camaraderie to local chapter connections.

  The organization allows less experienced members to grow, and more experienced members to mentor—and together elevate not only the quality of the cocktail, but also the profession as a whole. It is this insight and passion that we hope will make you a better bartender at home.

  THE COCKTAIL HAS CHANGED

  In the last decade or two, the bar world has seen an evolution—there is now more interest in the craft of mixing drinks as well as increased scrutiny of the ingredients that go into them. Local, artisanal, and unique: it isn’t just for food anymore.

  Just as chefs are concerned about the ingredients they cook with, bartenders are increasingly examining the brands of spirits they stock and mix with. Marketing-driven brand preference by customers has long dominated, but destination bars are starting to do away with poorly made, mass-market liquors, favoring instead those spirits that are made skillfully and responsibly.

  This doesn’t mean that all large brands are poor in quality, nor that all small ones are good. Many of the best liquors to mix with come from big companies, but stocking interesting spirits and introducing customers to unique brands can define a bar’s personality and add value to the experience.

  There is also a movement to simplify. The best bartenders are not over-innovating, instead using off-the-shelf ingredients combined with select homemade items to customize their drinks.

  But what’s most remarkable about the recent cocktail revolution is that it is merely one aspect of the overall bar experience. The atmosphere of today’s bars—lighting, furniture, and layout—is important, but service is paramount. Having a great drink is crucial, but having a wonderful time even more so.

  The preciousness and conceit that plagued the arm-garter years has been replaced with a desire to get you what you want and get it to you quickly, in a comfortable and enjoyable way. The art of hospitality is back.

  To help guide you through the modern era of bartending, and welcome you to the modern art of mixing and serving cocktails is the collective wisdom of the United States Bartenders’ Guild (USBG), a trade organization of over 70 chapters across the United States and a part of the International Bartenders Association (IBA).

  From setting up your bar, building a menu, and hosting the year’s best cocktail party, this book has you covered.

  Cheers,

  Lou Bustamante

  San Francisco Chapter

  Basics & Setup

  We get it, you’re thirsty. You probably want to skip ahead to the second chapter so you can start mixing drinks instead of reading about supplies and equipment, the processes by which liquor is made, and all the other things you need to know to properly set up your home bar. Well, if that’s what you want to do, go for it. We’ll be here waiting when you can’t figure out how to store your growing collection of bottles, how long all that stuff keeps, and which supplies you really need to spend your money on.

  Oh, back already? Good, because there’s a lot to learn—but don’t worry, nothing about the art of barkeeping is boring. So, cozy up to your local bar with an old favorite (or grab that drink you learned to make in chapter two if you decided to read ahead) and let’s teach you some basics.
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  Sure, fundamentals might not be as sexy as a perfectly made Manhattan—but they will help you make sure that it is perfect, every time.

  001 CHOOSE YOUR DRINK

  Don’t know what to mix first? Choose your own adventure and a cocktail to go with it!

  SHAKING & POURING

  002 SHAKE IT TILL YOU MAKE IT

  Learning to make cocktails at home is a lot less challenging than it may seem. Invest in a few key pieces of equipment and supplies, and the rewards will be well worth the effort. After a long day or a sudden warm spell of weather, a cocktail at home is incredibly satisfying. Here’s where to get started.

  LEARN AT YOUR LOCAL BAR If you have no idea what kinds of drinks you like, start your education by visiting your favorite local bar on a quiet day and consulting with your bartender. Talk about the flavors you enjoy and let him or her guide you to new drinks. You can also consult our drink flowchart (see item 001) and give it a whirl to find a match.

  ACCEPT ACQUIRED TASTES We all have different preferences for levels of sweet, tart, bitter, and potency. Feel free to adjust as needed to suit your tastes, but don’t be afraid to try new things, either—you might be surprised at how your palate can evolve.

  003 PRACTICE, PRACTICE, PRACTICE

  Like any skill, learning the art of making cocktails and mixing a proper drink takes work—and lots of practice. Here are a few things to keep in mind as you shake and stir your way through this book.

  FIND A PRACTICE SPACE Before you invest in a bar or cart (and any expensive bottles), carve out a little space on a countertop where you can mix and experiment. You can also store your equipment and bottles here for easy access. Make sure the countertop is at a comfortable height for standing.

  START OVER Sometimes a drink just doesn’t work out. Sometimes you might accidentally pour too much of something, or you lose track of where you were and leave something out. Whatever the reason, don’t be afraid to dump it out and start all over. The extra effort will be worth it.

  MAKE ADJUSTMENTS Even within the same category, spirits can vary in flavor—and it will sometimes impact the cocktail’s balance. Varying levels of sweetness in liqueurs, oak flavor in aged spirits, and the botanicals in gin can shift a drink off balance even with the simplest of recipes. Don’t be afraid to throw the drink back in the mixing glass or shaker and add more sweetness or acidity.

  BEGIN WITH THE BASICS The easiest way to get creative with your drinks is to start with a recipe you already like and go from there, rather than wildly mixing random ingredients together. Learn how to make an old favorite, first, and then try swapping out an ingredient or two, or substituting a few different elements. You’ll be surprised how different the variations can taste.