![]() ![]() ![]() Most of the leading brands are acceptable, but you’ll want to try a variety in your martini and manhattan before you settle on one. Sweet and dry vermouths vary remarkably in flavor. A fancy bottle with a fancy price won’t make much difference. The small difference in taste between vodkas is lost in cocktails. With brandy cocktails, it’s Cognac you want, and a good one (which is not the same as an expensive one). (If you’re a buff of tiki drinks like the mai tai, you’ll want to look into some dark rums.) Taste a few until you find one that suits you. You’ll want light rum around primarily for daiquiris. The more age (but only up to a point), the more character.īlended Scotch is called for more often in cocktails than single malts, whose strong flavors can be difficult to mix with. The process by which bourbon and rye are aged in new, charred oak barrels lends the liquid much of its flavor and all of its color. The tequila should be 100 percent agave, not the cheaper “mixto” products, which blend a minimum of 51 percent agave with other sugars.įor the bourbon and rye, buy something 90 proof or more and aged at least four years (“bonded” whiskey, which must be 100 proof, is even better) you’ll get more kick and flavor out of your drinks. (If you enjoy a Tom Collins or Martinez, however, the sweeter Old Tom gins are more appropriate.) The gin should be a classic London dry brand, a style of gin which is suited for martinis, gin and tonics and other classic gin drinks. Molds for these (usually about 2 x 2 inches) have become increasingly easy to find. Many on-the-rocks drinks, such as the Old-Fashioned, benefit from large-scale ice cubes. Old-fashioned wooden specimens work best. ![]() Completing your toolkit should be a muddler, which is used to mash up the fruits, herbs and sometimes sugar cubes used in some drinks. You can eyeball the rest.Ī simple Y peeler will work for citrus twists. Unless you are a stickler, you really only need one size, the ½ ounce/1 ounce, with which you’ll have all the most common measurements covered. Jiggers are composed of two opposing metal cones. Precise measurements produce a far better drink, so you’ll need a jigger. If you’d rather invest in only one strainer, the Hawthorne can do double duty. Shaken drinks require a Hawthorne strainer, which has a metal coil wrapped around its bowl to keep out citrus pulp. To strain stirred drinks you’ll need a julep strainer, which has a perforated bowl shape. If you enjoy the ritual of stirring a cocktail, and want to feel slightly grand as you do so, there are a number of lovely, wide-mouthed, heavy-bottomed mixing glasses on the market. For stirred drinks, you’ll need a long-handled bar spoon. Above, from left: Y peeler, bar spoon, mixing glass, julep strainer, muddler, jiggers, Boston shaker and Hawthorne strainer.Ī Boston shaker, which consists of a mixing glass (the same shape and size as a 16-ounce Shaker pint glass) and a metal tin, is sufficient for all shaken and stirred cocktails. ![]()
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