| |
Tips for Cocktail and Drink Makers |
|
|
| Glasses for the Bar |
|
Silhouetted above are five types of standard bar glasses and one all-purpose wine
glass, which are called for in this all easy recipes for drinks. In recent years
there has been a trend toward larger glasses-the king-sized old-fashioned glass
is an example-and a range of capacities is suggested for the glasses shown. A larger
cocktail or highball, however, allows more time for the liquid to become
warm, for the taste to flatten, and for the ice to melt and dilute the drink. For
this reason, some hosts still use smaller glass sizes, preferring to mix a second
drink at full strength and flavor.
|
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
| OLD-FASHIONED |
STEM COCKTAIL |
HIGHBALL |
WHISKEY SOUR |
TOM COLLINS |
WINE |
| 6 to 10 ounces |
3 to 4 ˝ ounces |
8 to 12 ounces |
5 to 7 ounces |
10 to 14 ounces |
8 to 10 ounces |
|
|
|
| Chilling and Frosting Glasses |
Many bartenders make sure of cold cocktails by chilling the glasses beforehand.
The simplest way to chill a glass is to place it in the refrigerator for 30 minutes,
or in the freezer for 5 minutes (10 minutes if you want the glass to frost). If the refrigerator
is full, or not handy to the bar, you can fill the glasses with ice cubes
or cracked ice while you mix the drinks, discarding the ice when you are ready
to pour.
To sugar-frost a glass for a Daiquiri, chill it first and then rub the inside and
top of the rim with a strip of lime peel. Dip the moistened rim into a bowl of superfine
sugar, pause a moment, lift the glass and tap it gently with a finger to shake
off excess sugar. For the tequila-based Margarita cocktail, rub the chilled glass
rim with lime peel and dip into salt.
|
| Fruit Juices and Peels |
Whenever possible, use fresh fruit for drinks that call for fruit flavoring. An orange,
lemon or lime may be softened by rolling it on a hard surface, like a
cutting board, bearing down with your hand. This helps to break down the
fibers and makes it easier to extract the juice. In cutting lemon or lime peel,
never include the white membrane of the rind; shave off only the colored surface
peel, in sections about 1 inch by ˝inch for twisting.
|
| Preparing Ice |
Use only ice that has been isolated from foods in the refrigerator; if your refrigerator does
not have a separate freezer chest, or if you store ice temporarily near food,
it may absorb undesirable odors. To rid ice of odors, rinse it quickly
under cold water. Use ice cubes instead of shaved or cracked ice in shaker
drinks to minimize dilution; if you have a temporary surplus of a cocktail left in
a shaker or pitcher, remove the ice from the shaker to prevent diluting the drink while it waits.
To obtain the cracked ice certain recipes call for, use a manual or electric ice
crusher, or a food blender equipped for this heavy-duty use. Or, simply wrap
the cubes in a strong towel or double thickness of plastic wrap and break them
up with a mallet or a hammer.
|
| Gadgets |
Of the many bar gadgets available in department stores and specialty shops,
most perform useful functions, while others serve principally as decoration. The
useful ones include a muddler, for crushing lump sugar and mixing it with bitters
or other flavorings in the bottom of a glass; a waiter's corkscrew, with knife
and cap opener; shot glasses, both for their literal use, to hold a "shot" of
straight spirits, or for measuring ingredients for mixed drinks; a double-ended
measure, doubly useful as its bowls are jigger-sized on one end, pony-sized on
the other. Other serviceable items: a shaker and mixing glass set with a strainer,
a martini or punch pitcher and a stirring rod, a lemon-lime squeezer, a long-handled
bar spoon, measuring spoons and cup, an ice chipper, an ice shovel, a
cutting board and knife, a blender, and a funnel.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
