The cocktail hobby - and you (part I)

THE COCKTAIL HOBBY - AND YOU!

(part I)

Well met again! A friend of mine told me some days ago I should write a comprehensive "beginner's guide" for any aspiring cocktail hobbyist; what cocktails one should definitely know how to make, what to have in one's personal bar cabinet and so forth.

Since this is going to be my 100th post (a sort of a landmark, yippee), I thought "why the heck not?" So where do we begin? Roughly three months ago I wrote about the tools of the trade, I won't babble about them again. Instead, I shall use them as a great reference along the way. Practice makes perfect they say…

The first part focuses more on tools and products in your very own bar. The second part is going to discuss the techniques and "must-know" cocktails.

Before we get to the fun part though (the alcohols) we need proper tools. Without them cocktail mixing is rather useless. The list below is what I think you should prioritize in the "to-get-list" when you want to start mixing cocktails.

•  A boston shaker. Forget the 3-piece-shaker, the boston version is way better in many aspects. 
• A jigger. Great cocktails mean precise measures. The measure list isn't there just for fun you know…(fair enough, with simple liquor+mixer cocktails it doesn't matter that much but when it comes down to more complex cocktails it does.)
• A bar spoon, preferably with twists in the shaft and a "hammer" end for muddling. A must have for stirring Manhattans and so forth.
• A good knife for cutting fruit/garnishes. Self-explanatory.
•  A tea-strainer. For that double-straining. The difference between a single and double strain can be huge (unlike the Xbox)
•  A peeling knife. For fruit peels. But a good knife as listen above can do the trick, if needed. 

After these you can start thinking of getting other tools that you might or might not need in your repertoire. Before you do think of something, think hard if you really really need that after all. As you've seen from my "Tools of the trade", there are a lot of items I personally rarely use (cough the zest grater cough), but there might just be that one occasion it's usable. But the seven items listed above are the tools for any starting mixologist. Then again, I would say a mixing glass is crucial too, but the glass-part of the boston shaker works just fine for that too.

Now that we're clear with the tools…the bar cabinet. What should one have in one's pride and joy? I've given this a lot of thought. I mean, a lot. The answer is not simple nor a no-brainer. But I think I've gotten it pretty close. Again, a list to help out any beginner. I'm still going to set up the list before we really get down to business.

Cocktail making in its essence is about using classic/basic products with a twist. Usually this means hard/medium liquors (with a mixer) implemented in a very curious and mysterious way. Fair enough, a Screwdriver is just vodka & OJ, but we must go deeper like Leonardo DiCaprio. What comes to vodka though, nowadays there are countless different styles of vodkas. These styles of products can make totally different cocktails! (Speaking of which I am starting a new blind taste regarding vodkas!) Try making a "Rum&Coke" with light rums, spiced rums, dark rums or even premium rums, there is a difference.

So if you check the internet for "what should I have in my bar cabinet" or so, you probably get numerous sites that all list their "top-have". Not going different there. So here we go. This is a list I think is the order of products you should get. Again neglecting personal preference, but hey, this is just my opinion man…

1. Cointreau (or triple sec)
2. Vodka
3. Whisky (bourbon > scotch blended > Irish blended > others)
4. Rum
5. Gin
6. Cognac (brandy)
7. Tequila
8. Others (vermouth, cremé de cacao and so forth)

EXTRA: Bitters, simple syrup

You might think "Why in Heaven's name is Cointreau on the top of the list???" The answer is simple; it's one of the most used / versatile liqueurs in the cocktail business! After that the list is pretty straight-forward. Vodka (not booze), whisky (bourbon for cocktails, single malts for sipping and enjoyed as they are), rum (light rum is good for cocktail mixing, aged ones give more complexity), gin, cognac and as our very last product tequila. Quite frankly, I've used tequila rarely. Mostly for the reason that the tequila I had was shitty quality so the only cocktail I could make decent out of it was a Tequila Sunrise. I know there are way better ones than Sauza, but tequila just isn't my thing.

After the "basics" you can start collecting other stuff. Keep in mind the usage of those products. Don't get a bottle of Chambord (raspberry liqueur) just because the bottle is super cool looking and would make your cabinet so beautiful and compliment all of the other bottles you have…if you don't use it at all. Given, many liqueurs especially are not used so often so give it some consideration before getting a rare "sage-mint-peach-flavored" liqueur; fact being after that one cocktail you'll never use it again.

Vermouths (sweet & dry) are a good choice, cremé de cacao (both white & dark), coffee liqueur and so forth…the world (and budget) is your oyster! 

I noted as EXTRAS two things one should have as extras. (Angostura) bitters and simple syrup. Both are often used in cocktails and are totally worth having. One bitters bottle will last for a (short) life time and simple syrup is easy to make at home; just bring to boil equal amounts of caster sugar and water and let it cool. Bottle and store in the fridge. Will last easily for a month!

I...think I've covered it all, at least most of it.