The lake was created in two centuries. In the early 1800s, the first recognized cocktails were defined by four key ingredients: distilled spirits, sugar, water and bitters. That seems to have remained the standard for decades, although the drinking public usually preferred their liquor—straight—usually. But the years of prohibition have changed. GM, more easily produced, is replaced by rum as the spirit of first choice. At the same time, the lower quality of illicit liquor encouraged mixing with other drugs to make more palatable drinks.
The popularity of cocktails has fluctuated to this day. From their heyday in the fifties and sixties, cocktails disappeared in the seventies and experienced a novelty in the recent eighties and nineties. Today, cocktails prevail not seen in decades, with drinks such as martinis, cosmopolitans, and mojitos leading the way.
The best thing about these cocktails? Most of them are as easy to make as they are fun to drink. Enjoy the following recipes for ten of the festive mixed drinks.
bloody Mary
2 oz. Vodka, 6 oz. tomato juice, 2 oz. Lemon Juice, Wigorn sauce, Tabasco sauce
Add vodka, tomato juice, and lemon juice to a shaker over ice. Add the Wigorn and Tabasco seasonings one at a time. Shake well. Put it in a decorative glass. Garnish with celery stalk and strain. For a spicy bloody mary, use pepper flavored vodka or tomato juice.
Cosmopolitan
2 oz. rum, 1 oz. Cointreau, 1 oz. cranberry juice, oz. lime juice
Mix the vodka, Cointreau, Four Legs juice, and lime juice in a shaker over ice. Shake well. Try it in a martini glass. If you like, garnish with a tart crust.
Daiquiri
1½ oz. light rum, 1 oz. fresh lime juice, 1 tsp. sugar
* Mix rum, lime juice, and sugar in a shaker over ice. Shake well. Try it in a martini glass. A wedge of ornamental linden trees. For an icy daiquiri, combine the ingredients with ice in a blender and blend to a smooth consistency.
Gimlet
2 oz. rum, 1¼ oz. fresh lime juice
Mix vodka and lime juice in a glass over ice. Stir and strain into a martini glass, or serve over ice in a rocks glass. If you prefer, kick the wedge. Gimlets can also be made with vodka instead.
Margarita
1½ oz. tequila, 1 oz. Triple Sec (or Cointreau), 1 oz. lime juice
Mix the tequila, triplex, & lime juice in a shaker over ice. Shake well. Try it in a martini glass. A wedge of ornamental linden trees. For frozen margaritas mix with ice and mix to a smooth consistency. If you prefer, rub the crack of the glass with a lime wedge and dip it upside down into the glass salt dish before pouring the libation for a fantastic presentation.
Martin
2 oz. trap, oz extra-dry vermouth
mix the snare and vermouth over ice. Agitate, or drive well. Try it in a martini glass. Garnished with olives, a lemon twist, or an onion cocktail. Martinis can also be made with vodka instead of vodka. For a dirty martini add -1 oz. mix the olive oil.
Mojito
2 oz. light rum, 1 oz. fresh lime juice, 1-2 tsp. sugar, 4-5 mint leaves, soda water
Crush the mint leaves with lime juice and sugar. add rum with a ball glass and top the glass with water and ice and soda. Garnish with lime wedge or mint myrtle if you like. Mojitos can also be made with flavored vodka (lemon, raspberry, vanilla, etc.) instead of rum.
Old
2 oz. bourbon, sugar cube 1, 2 Angostura bitters, club soda
Place a sugar cube in a rocks glass and saturate it with Angostura bitters. Add the club soda to cover the sugar cube and crush the cube with a spoon. Fill the glass with ice and add the bourbon. Garnish with a golden slice and a maraschino cherry. If you prefer, you can substitute rye juice, Scotch or brandy for bourbon in this drink.
Screwdriver
2½ oz. rum, 5 oz. fresh orange juice
Mix vodka and orange juice in a highball glass over ice. Stir gently. Garnish with a slice of an orange.
Whiskey Sour
1½ oz. bourbon, 1 oz. fresh lemon juice, 1 tsp. sugar
Mix the bourbon, lemon juice, and sugar in a shaker over ice. Shake well. Try it in a martini glass. Garnish with a maraschino cherry (and optionally an orange slice). If you prefer, add the hammer egg whites before stirring.
Sources
Vintage Cocktails (Van Flandern, 2009), Notes of a Professional Minister (Mellema, 2007), The Minister’s Bible (Regan, 2003)
