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What
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The Origin of the Cocktail
Beers and wines have been with us for millenia and distilled spirits have been enjoyed for several hundred years. By contrast, the cocktail as we know it is (relatively speaking) the new kid on the block. Cocktails as we know them today originated in the United States and became popular during the latter part of the nineteenth century. The very word is attributed to being a product of the American revolution when a drunken Frenchman at Betsy’s Tavern near Yorktown saw bottles of alcohol decorated with chicken feathers. “Vive le cocktail” he was supposed to have shouted and, well, the rest is history.
The Making of a Good Cocktail
Whatever the truth of the story a cocktail has come to be known as any drink containing two or more ingredients stirred or shaken to combine the flavours. In fact a cocktail (as opposed to a mixed drink - such as a Rum and Coke) has various parts - the base alcohol, the modifying ingredient (to impart the flavoring and the sweetening agent.
There are two basic rules for combining a cocktail:
- All clear drinks - those not containing fruit juice, cream or milk should be stirred and not shaken;
- Those drinks containing fruit juice or cream must be shaken - either by hand or in an electric blender.
Mixing the Drinks
The following points are worth bearing in mind when making a cocktail or mixing a drink:
- Always pour your cocktail into a chilled glass; if you do not have a refrigerator close by then chill the glass with ice cubes;
- Ice should always be placed in the mixing glassm shaker or glass before the liquor is added; the drink will chill more quickly and evenly this way;
- Use fresh fruit juices wherever possible and cut fruit garnishings immediately before serving; if this is not possible keep slices of orange, lemon or lime fresh by wrapping in a cool damp cloth;
- When cutting citrus peel use only the coloured surface and never the white membrane below;
- Never fill a shaker so full of liquid that there is no room for shaking, invest in shakers of varying size. They are not expensive;
- Ensure that glasses are clean and polished and inspect for chips or cracks and wipe with a clean dry cloth before using them;
- Always handle glasses by the stem or base;
- Where a twist of peel is required, this should be squeezed onto the top of the cocktal and the peel then dropped in the drink (unless the recipe calls for a variation of this procedure).
Not Quite a Cocktail - the Pousse Cafe
There is another type of drink which is usually lumped in with the cocktail menu but is really neither. The Pousse Cafe (poohs-kah-fay) is a drink in which layers of different coloured liquids float on top of one another in a tall liquor glass purpose made (the Pousse Cafe glass. These drinks are not for novices as great care must be taken to prevent the liquids running together. Usually the liquors are poired slowlu down the inside rim of the glass over the back of the spoon. Any sudden movement will churn the mixture.
The
order of mixing is critical with those of greatest density
poured first with the lightest (often cream) sitting on top.
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