the key to a good cocktail is BALANCE. here’s a basic cocktail recipe, from the “sour” family (eg, margarita, cosmo, sidecar, daiquiri, etc) to illustrate that point.

basic cocktail 1

2 oz base spirit (approx 80 proof)
1 oz acid (usually lemon or lime)
1 oz 1:1 simple syrup (that is, 1 part water, 1 part sugar, shaken until dissolved. if you use a syrup that is sweeter than 1:1, then you will, of course, want to use less than 1 oz)

options/accents:

• bitters (i prefer a very light hand with bitters, at most 2 drops per drink.)
• liqueurs
• fresh fruit, herbs, vegetables (like tomato or cucumber), spices
• special syrups like falernum, orgeat, pomegranate molasses, maple syrup
• foams
• sugar/salt/spice rims
• edible flowers or herbs
• dried or candied fruit

of course, you want to combine things to make a pleasant and interesting flavor, but above all, you must maintain a nice balance of sweet, tart, and booze/bitter.

let’s say you want to add orange flavor to a drink. the problem with adding orange juice is that it will dilute: it’s not acidic enough to substitute for any of the lemon/lime, nor sweet enough to substitute for the syrup. so what do you do? some ideas:

• orange-flavored alcohol: add orange liqueur (luxardo triplum, or perhaps cointreau), or use orange-infused vodka (your own or off the shelf) as the base spirit
• citric acid. add enough citric acid to orange juice to produce a juice that is tart enough to use as a lemon or lime substitute. (note, i have not tried this method so it might taste like ass)
• juice-based syrup. for every 1 cup of orange juice, add 1/2 to 1 cup of sugar, and shake in a jar until dissolved.
• accents. rub the glass with an orange peel. or: rim the glass with a mix of orange zest and sugar. or: top with orange foam. or: add a drop or two of orange bitters

for more on foams, rims, and other accents, check out scott beattie’s artisanal cocktails.

following the template above, here’s a revamp of a classic cocktail.

tequila sunrise

2 oz silver tequila
1 oz lime
1 oz orange syrup
2 drops orange bitters (optional)
pomegranate molasses or other tasty red syrup (eg, lingonberry syrup from ikea)

spoon a little red syrup in the bottom of a cocktail glass (approx 1/2 tsp). shake all other ingredients with ice. pour the drink over a spoon held just over the red syrup, so as to layer the drink. stir the syrup a little to get the gradient effect.

you can also add a half-ounce of triple sec. if the proof of the liqueur is high (like cointreau, which is 80 proof), you need to subtract a half-ounce of the vodka.

for an extra-special flavor, make the syrup with tangerines, mandarins, blood oranges, or other kinds of oranges, and/or muddle a kumquat in the drink.

here’s another, well-balanced, basic recipe from the “french-italian” family. it’s borrowed from a dash of bitters, which borrowed from esquire magazine.

basic cocktail 2

2 oz base spirit
1 oz fortified wine
1 tsp liqueur
1 dash bitters

as above, i would recommend just a couple drops of bitters rather than a dash. you can also use regular wine instead of fortified, and add a little muddled fruit or a teaspoon of fruit syrup either in addition to or as a substitution for the liqueur.

i love a good manhattan, though prefer mine a little on the sweeter side. here’s a recipe that is tasty, sweet but not cloying, and will get you fucked up.

black ‘cat manhattan

2 oz vanilla and citrus infused bourbon
1 oz black muscat dessert wine (ok to replace with a good red wine + 1 tsp sweetener)
1 tsp fruit syrup (such as orange, currant, blackberry, etc)
2 drops angostura bitters

shake without ice to ensure the syrup is well-distributed. then stir in ice for fifteen seconds, and pour through a strainer.

basic tools

you need:

• something to shake the drinks in.  it doesn’t have to be fancy, and it doesn’t have to be a boston shaker.  it just has to not leak or otherwise suck.
• a good citrus juicer for both lemons and limes.  whatever works for you. if what you have doesn’t work, find something else.  it’s not your fault.
• a measuring cup or two, preferably with demarcation for oz or ml
• measuring spoons
• a hand strainer or two. maybe one coarse and one fine.  either one is better than none.

you might like:

• a muddler.  look on amazon and elsewhere for reviews.
• a good zester.  i have this, its good for peeling/zesting, but not great for garnishes.
• a microplane
• barware, such as cocktail glasses
• a jigger

basic techniques

shaken vs stirred. shake if you need the drink to be very, very cold, and/or thoroughly mixed (eg, if it contains juice, syrup, muddled ingredients, egg white, etc).  otherwise, stir.

if you shake, use lots of ice, and shake vigorously.  use at least four cubes for a single recipe.

if you have muddled ingredients, you may want to shake and strain them separately before adding ice and/or egg whites.

if you can, freeze the glass before serving.  if this is not feasible, fill the glass with ice water and let it sit for a couple of minutes.  dry the glasses before serving.

to rim a glass: rub a lemon or lime on the rim, and dip the glass into a plate of sugar/salt/spice/etc.  it is a good idea to rim only half the glass.

taste the drink before you serve it, adjust syrup or acid if necessary.

you should almost always strain your drink, with a fine hand strainer if you have one, a coarse strainer if you don’t.

brands

download the cocktail menu from cyrus, it is also a detailed list of scott beattie’s preferred brands of base spirits and liqueurs.