Making cocktails is an art, and there’s a story behind each one
The epitome of cool sophistication and self assurance is forever linked, for me, with the image and voice of Sean Connery ordering a martini, shaken, not stirred, as James Bond, 007. As a kid growing up I loved the spy movies and seeing Bond reach for his precisely ordered cocktail always made my mouth water – I felt that I could almost taste liquid elegance.
That is, until my dad gleefully "shook" one up for me when I was a teenager. Cold medicinal fire in the throat does not equal liquid elegance. My dad, thinking he had staved off a teenager’s curiosity for alcohol, raised the cocktail glass as if in salute and enjoyably drank it down.
As a teenager I wasn’t that easily put off – I tried peach schnapps and orange juice, which became a passable alternative for a few years. Thankfully, after reaching proper drinking age and a little more liquor savvy, I tried my second martini and it has remained my favourite cocktail ever since.
In softly lit, black and white films, Hollywood helped to make the cocktail the embodiment of class and romance during the 1930s. These were the years immediately following the repeal of Prohibition. Stars were seen sashaying across dance floors, drinks in hand, discoursing beneath dangling crystal chandeliers in beautiful ball rooms between sips from cocktail glasses.
Ironically, it was Prohibition (put into effect Jan. 16, 1920) that forced the birth of many classic cocktails. Bootlegged liquor and bathtub gin illicitly available through the 14 years of Prohibition was pretty tough to drink straight – it lacked any flavour nuances so mixes of alcohol and the addition of fruit juices became necessary if people were going to enjoy their drinks.
During the ’20s, when the martini was in its heyday, only the best-dressed couples were admitted into the best speakeasies. Class and cocktails became linked and Hollywood helped the rise in popularity of the cocktail by adding romance and adventure.
In The Thin Man , a 1934 film about a retired detective who loves to party, Nick. Charles (William Powell) explains the nuances of mixing a drink in a cocktail shaker: "The important thing is the rhythm, always have rhythm in your shaking. Now, a Manhattan you shake to a fox-trot time, a Bronx to two-step time, and a dry martini you always make to waltz time."
He takes a moment to drink the martini and a long pause to savour its taste.
Too bad not many of us know how to fox trot these days, but the art of mixing a drink in a shaker is just that, an art. Shaken too quickly the ice cubes get crushed into smaller bits which melt more quickly into water which dilutes the drink – purists don’t dilute.
The art of shaking is only surpassed by the art of proportioning the alcohol. The classic dry martini has only two ingredients (if you leave out the olive), gin and dry vermouth. But it takes talent to mix these two so that they complement each other to overcome the paint thinner taste they too often become. Ernest Hemingway, also a lover of the martini, was reputed to enjoy proportions of gin to vermouth similar to the odds English Field Marshall, Montgomery, preferred on the battlefield during World War II: 15 to 1.
The cocktail shaker has undergone a revival over the past decade after it fell out of favour through the ’50s. Presumably it was the convenience of electric blenders and ready mixes that replaced classic cocktails with the dressed up, overly fruity, umbrella-garnished set of drinks like the frozen daiquiri and the pina colada. Don’t get me wrong, these drinks have their time and place – summer pool or beach parties come to mind – but with the holiday season just around the corner with all its festive sparkle, refined taste must be had in a cocktail glass. The classic drinks like the martini and the manhattan are made with a shaker. Other classics like the cuba libre, champagne cocktail and black russian are simply poured in the glass to mix.
If you don’t have a cocktail shaker, other items can be substituted. Who can forget the scene out of 1959 movie, Some like it Hot , starring Marilyn Monroe, Jack Lemmon and Tony Curtis, when Daphne (Jack Lemmon in drag) holds a spontaneous cocktail party in the couchette of a train. Someone has bourbon, another vermouth and a hot water bottle serves as a shaker – manhattans all around. Purists add bitters to that mix, along with a maraschino cherry.
There are several different versions of the origin of the word cocktail. My favourite is the story about taverns collecting the dregs from unfinished glasses (the tails) and pouring them in a large ceramic rooster-shaped tap (the cock). Patrons with less money could pay to have a glass of the mixed concoction which was reputed to be best after sailors had been through, when there would have been heavy proportions of rum, gin and brandy.
It is important to always have food when serving cocktails. Many classic drinks don’t have much filler and pack quite a punch. Food should be elegant and tasty, but most importantly, it should be able to be eaten in one or two bites. No little plates and forks for the cocktail drinker – you would have to put down your drink! No, for the glamour set, little bites to be had out of hand with little mess potential are best.
I recently attended a function where I was handed a drink upon arrival; I still had not taken my coat off. In my eagerness not to miss a platter of oysters on the half shell being walked by I selected a bivalve just as I was introducing myself to an editor of a notable fashion magazine. I tipped up the shell and, to my horror, the oyster had not been properly shucked and it clung relentlessly to the shell. There I was very unglamorously wiggling my tongue at it to try to pry it loose, but to no avail. By this point the editor had gracefully receded back into the crowd and I was forced to put down my drink, my clutch and my self-esteem to manually remove the oyster. A perfect example of what to avoid when planning hors d’oeuvres.
If you want to serve cheese have it cut down to bite-sized bits, or better yet top crackers or sandwich between nuts beforehand so that they are easy to eat. Similarly, overly greasy, saucy or mushy items should be avoided. Fresh, clean flavours paired with a variety of textures will help contribute to the allure and magic of a true cocktail party.
Following are a few recipes for classic cocktails. For the non-alcoholic drinkers sparkling apple juice is elegant in a cocktail glass.
If you aren’t in to the glamour of cocktail parties, curling up on the sofa, drink in hand, to watch black and white films from the golden era of Hollywood can be just as entertaining. James Bond movies are also a good choice. For an example of cocktail diablerie, the 1988 movie, Cocktail, is a despicable rendition of bartending that reduces glamour to harsh neon lighting and bad music. It is mildly comedic in a cynical sort of way.
Of course, cocktail hour in this town is synonymous with apres ski and it is indulged in regularly – skiing after all is also glamorous, just look at James Bond sporting his 1980 style planks in The Spy Who Loved Me.
The Dry Martini
W.C. Fields always started his day with two martinis, one before breakfast and one after. He called them "angel’s milk".
• 2 1/2 ounces gin (choose premium, it’s worth it)
• 1/2 ounce dry vermouth
Put gin and vermouth in a cocktail shaker along with ice. Shake gently, rolling the shaker back and forth so the contents roll over the ice and become chilled without breaking up the ice; strain into a cocktail glass (martini glass). Garnish with either a lemon zest, olive or pickled onion (making it a Gibson). For 007 style use vodka and a lemon zest. I like to tip vermouth into the cocktail glass first, swirl it around and then add what’s left to the shaker.
The Manhattan
Sir Winston Churchill’s mother, Lady Randolph Churchill, was born Jenny Jerome. She was an influential socialite in New York. She threw a victory party for the newly elected governor Samuel J. Tilden at the Manhattan Club in New York, where she asked the bartender to concoct a drink for the occasion. The manhattan was an instant and enduring success.
• 2 ounces rye whiskey or bourbon
• 1/2 ounce sweet vermouth
• 1 dash of Angostura bitters
Shake ingredients with ice in a cocktail shaker; strain into a chilled cocktail glass or tumbler. Garnish with a Maraschino cherry.
Champagne Cocktail
This is decadently marvelous.
• 1 sugar cube
• 2-3 drops Angostura bitters
• 2/3 of an ounce cognac or brandy
• 6 ounces Champagne
Soak sugar cube with bitters placed in the bottom of a champagne flute. Add cognac, fill with champagne. Garnish with a twist.
Cuba Libre
This really depends on the type of rum that you use. I particularly like Havana Club hailing from Cuba that is now available in this country.
• 1 3/4 ounce white rum
• Juice of 1/2 a lime
• 2 to 3 ounces of cola
Pour all ingredients except cola into a chilled tumbler filled with ice; top with cola and stir. Garnish with a lime wheel.
