All right, so you didn’t take my advice and get Thanksgiving adult beverages before the actual day, and now you find yourself at a relative’s house — or even a friend’s house — without a conversational lubricant. Luckily, because of your lack of foresight, there won’t be any banter about whether or not riesling actually does go with turkey, much less tofurkey.
Hopefully, there’s a liquor cabinet on the premises or at least a bottle or two of spirits. If there’s any citrus juice, you’re in luck, and if there isn’t, there’s still a solution.
You might even get lucky and find some of the delightful brands that Marin has to offer. But rest assured, anything you find will work in a pinch.
There’s an old saying about rum cocktails that goes: one of sour, two of sweet, three of strong and four of weak. This is actually a good proportional breakdown for just about any cocktail. “One” is the citrus juice, “two” is the simple syrup or other sweetener, “three” is the spirit itself and “four” is the juice or other dilutor — and can often be omitted.
So, a drink breakdown would look like this:
• One: ½ ounce lime juice
• Two: 1 ounce simple syrup
• Three: 1 ½ ounces spirit
• Four: 2 ounces soda water
These are just general guidelines. I actually prefer to swap the proportions for “one” and “two” in my cocktails, as I like them a little tarter. If you like your drinks sweeter, adjust to your preference. There is no “right” or “wrong” in regard to personal preference. And rest assured, any way that you make your drinks is going to make any conspiracy theories spouted by your “black sheep” family member that much more palatable. And for that alone, you should give thanks. Here are four classic cocktail categories to fit any agenda.
Jeff Burkhart is the author of “Twenty Years Behind Bars: The Spirited Adventures of a Real Bartender, Vol. I and II,” the host of the Barfly Podcast on iTunes (as seen in the NY Times) and an award-winning bartender at a local restaurant. Follow him at jeffburkhart.net and contact him at jeffbarflyIJ@outlook.com
RECIPES
Daisy
2 ounces vodka, gin, tequila or light rum
1 ounce fresh-squeezed lemon, lime or orange juice
½ ounce fruit syrup
Lemon, lime, orange or cherry for garnish
Directions
Combine all ingredients in a shaker with ice. Shake until combined and strain over new ice in a serving glass. Garnish.
Note: The most famous daisy is the margarita, but the tequila sunrise is a close second. A mix of liquor, citrus juice and fruit syrup is the most basic recipe. However, that fruit syrup can greatly alter the drink’s presentation. For instance, when combined in the mix —triple sec is really an alcoholic orange syrup — it looks like a margarita, and if you salt the rim, technically the drink becomes a crusta. When the fruit syrup is sunk into the drink, like the heavy grenadine (pomegranate syrup), it becomes a sunrise, which ironically is also a variant of a sling.
Sour
2 ounces whiskey, Scotch, aged rum, aged tequila, brandy or even aged gin
2 ounces fresh-squeezed lemon or lime juice or a combination of both
1 ounce simple syrup
½ ounce aquafaba or egg white
Lemon or lime wheel or wedge, twist, zest or even dried
Directions
Combine the first four ingredients in a shaker and shake until foamy. Strain over new ice in a serving glass. Garnish with the citrus.
Note: Sours work with clear alcohol too; they just are more robust when using aged spirits. Aquafaba, the liquid that canned garbanzo beans come in, can be eliminated or substituted for egg white. Furthermore, the traditional way to serve sours was up in a special “sour” glass — ironically the same glass that the Buena Vista serves their famous Irish Coffee in — but these days a coupe or cocktail glass is pretty standard.
Smash
2 ounces of vodka, gin, rum or whiskey
1 ounce fresh juice, such as lemon, lime, orange or grapefruit
½ ounce simple syrup
Fresh aromatic herbs, such as mint, basil, rosemary or thyme
Sparkling water
Directions
Combine the first three ingredients in a mixing glass with ice. Shake until well combined. Add the herbs that you’re using and shake gently. Pour into a serving glass and top with soda water, then stir. If necessary, add some more ice to fill glass before stirring. Garnish with a sprig of fresh herb.
Note: Smashes can be served up in cocktail glasses — minus the soda and ice — or on the rocks. The herbs can be incorporated into the drink, as above, or simply used as a garnish. Basil and gin go classically great together, as do rosemary and vodka and mint and rum. The only limitation is your imagination. Lemon balm and Scotch? Maybe. Tequila and cilantro? Absolutely.
Cocktail
2 ounces brandy, rum, tequila, whiskey, Scotch or gin
½ ounce simple syrup
3 dashes of bitters (even an amaro will work)
Directions
Combine all three ingredients in a mixing glass with ice. Shake until combined and strain over fresh ice in a rocks glass.
Note: This is the most classic category of all mixed drinks. Both the sazerac and the old fashioned are and were “cocktails.” “Cocktail” once meant the combination of bitters, sugar and spirit. The Bacardi cocktail became famous when the Bacardi company actually sued to make sure that “Bacardi cocktails” were always made with Bacardi rum, instead of any brand. The champagne cocktail (sparkling wine, sugar and bitters) is still with us today. But these days, “cocktail” has become synonymous with all mixed drinks. However, there was a time when it meant a much more specific type of drink. Just ask the people who got sued.