ebook diffordsguide top40

8/11/2019 eBook Diffordsguide Top40

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4SIMON DIFFORDS HAND PICKED TOP 40 COCKTAILS


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MY TOP 40

Ive discovered, created and tasted a lot ofcocktails, many thousands in fact. e 11thedition of my book, Diffords Guide toCocktails, has over 3,000 recipes, all madepersonally by me in my private London bar.Hard work and a lot of enjoyable evenings.

So, when my team invited me to select my Top40 I thought it would be a piece of cake. Not so. With so many delicious drinks to choose from it was certainly a challenge.

I hope you enjoy my selection. ey are thedrinks I look forward to because I know Illenjoy them. Whatever your favourite spirit and

avour pro le youll nd a drink to suit you,hopefully more than one.

Cheers,

Simon DiffordCEO and Editor-in-Chief

MY TOP 40 COCKTAILS, BY SIMON DIFFORD


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MY TOP 101. NEGRONI

Bi er and dry, but very tasty. is no namby-pamby drink istraditionally assembled and mixed directly in the glass. ere is

something about a Negroni that does not suit fussing about withmixing glasses and strainers. To garnish with a lemon slice is a

heinous crime, but I am quite partial to a fat orange wedge.

e Negroni takes its name from Count Camillo Negroni andsometime between 1919 and 1921, while drinking at the CasoniBar (later named Giacosa) on Tornabuoni Street in Florence, the

Count is said to have asked for an Americano 'with a bit more kick'.He was a regular customer at the bar and bartender, Fosco Scarselli,answered the request by adding gin to the Counts favourite aperitif,

the Americano. e combination became the Counts new regulardrink and other patrons of the bar soon started to ask for one of Count Negronis drinks. A er a while the drink simply became

known as a Negroni.

1 shots London dry gin, 1 shots Campari Bi er, 1 shotssweet vermouth. Pour all the ingredients into an ice- lled glass,

stir and garnish with an orange zest twist.



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2. MANHATTAN SWEET

2 shots bourbon whiskey, shot maraschino syrup ( om cherry jar), 1 shot sweet vermouth, 3 dashes Angostura Bi ers. Stir all ingredients with ice and

strain into a chilled glass. Garnish with an orange zest twist (discarded) &maraschino cherry.

I must confess to preferring my Manha ans served sweet, or perfect apush. e Manha an is complex, challenging and moreish. Best of all,available in a style to suit every palate.

Various origins for this drink abound. ey include: in November 1874New York City's Manha an Club for Lady Randolph Churchill, somethe 1880s by a man named Black who kept a place ten doors below HStreet on Broadway, and by a Col. Joe Walker on a yachting trip in Ne

at last story is the most recent I have come across and comes courtesyBarry Popiks website barrypopik.com where Barry notes an entry in tDaily Journal, Racine, Wisconsin, 8 March 1899. e article purports Col. Joe Walker ran the then-famous Crescent Hall Saloon in New Orlethe corner of Canal and St. Charles Streets and that some years before on a li le yachting trip with a party of friends while in New York.

By some oversight the liquid refreshments in the icebox were con nedItalian vermouth and plain whisky, and it occurred to the colonel that apalatable drink might be made by mixing the two. e results were so gothat he experimented a li le on his return to New Orleans, and soon per

the Manha an cocktail, as it is known today. It was christened in honor friends on Manha an island, and the fame of the decoction soon spreadover the country. e true Manha an cocktail is always made with Italian vermouth, but at half the places where they undertake to serve them, Fr[dry] vermouth is substituted, and the ne avor is altogether destroyedFrench vermouth is a sort of wine, while Italian vermouth is a cordial, psimple. ey are as different as milk and molasses. A cocktail made fromFrench brand is no more a Manha an cocktail than it is a Spanish omele



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3. NATURAL DAIQUIRI

2 shots light white rum, shot lime juice, shot sugar syrup, shot water. Shake all ingredients with ice and ne strain into a chilled glass. Garnishwith a lime wedge.

Invention of the Daiquiri is credited to Jennings Stockton Cox, an American engineer at the turn of the 20th century who was working at aCuban iron-ore mine near the small town of Daiquir.

e Daiquiri is an easy drink to make, just three ingredients shaken withice, but achieving the perfect balance to produce a truly sublime cocktailrequires methodical measuring of each ingredient according to a tried andtested formula.

Convention calls for a 8:2:1 formula (2 shots white label Cuban rum, shot lime juice and shot sugar syrup). I use this formula when using aged rum, but a refreshing classic Natural Daiquiri should be made with a

light white rum such as Bacardi Superior. A er much experimentation Ihave discovered the 10:3:2 formula I specify here works best.

Making your own double strength sugar syrup (one cup water to two cupsof caster sugar) strangely works be er than the best packaged syrups, andis easier to measure accurately than spoons of granulated sugar. Dilutionis also a crucial factor, hence my adding water when shaking with doublefrozen, just out the freezer, ice.



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4. MARTINEZ

2 shots old tom gin, shot dry vermouth, shot sweet vermouth, shot Maraschino liqueur, 1 dash Angostura Aromatic Bi ers.

Stir ingredients with ice and ne strain into a chilled glass. Garnish with amaraschino cherry and/or orange zest twist.

Probably the forerunner of the Martini, the rst known recipe for thisdrink appears in O.H. Byron's 1884 e Modern Bartender where it ilisted as a variation to the Manha an. Its rst standalone recipe booklisting appears in Harry Johnson's 1888 Bartender's Manual.

Although the drink appears in his 1887 Bartenders Guide (as a variation), there is no evidence that Jerry omas invented the Martineand signi cantly he omits the drink from the earlier 1862 edition of hBartender's Guide. Many claim that one Julio Richelieu created the din 1874 for a goldminer and that the drink is named a er the Californtown of Martinez, where that unnamed goldminer enjoyed this libatio

Drinks historian David Wondrich and others believe the Martinez wasrst made using Dutch oude genever as this was the style exported to

America long before English Old Tom gin or London Dry gins. I do ligenever based Martinez but being an Englishman Im biased towards use of Old Tom, a vintage style of gin with London origins. I also favothe use of dry and sweet vermouth, one balancing the other andadding complexity.



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5. MIZU WARI

2 shots of blended Scotch whisky, topped up with water.

Fill a glass with ice and stir until water forms in thebase of the glass. Add more ice and continue stirring tocool the glass. Strain the water om the glass, pour thewhisky into the glass and top with ice to the brim. Stir whisky and ice, adding more ice to keep level at thebrim. Lastly, add water and brie y stir some more.Garnish with a lemon zest twist (discarded) andmint sprig.

is is simply whisky and water, but as with the Japanese tea ceremony, observing the time andcare taken over making it and the prolongedanticipation contributes greatly to the nisheddrink. And you thought an Old Fashioned took along time.

Pronounced "Mi-Zoo-Ware-E", this literallytranslates as "mizu" = water and "wari" = divide,thus the whisky is simply cut with water and served

over ice. e ratio is personal to both the drinkerand bartender and varies between 1:2.5 and 1:4 whisky to water. It is common in Japan for diners todrink mizu wari in place of wine with their mealsand the light whisky avours combine excellently with Japanese food. Extremely thin, delicate glassesare used and the thickness and quality of the glassis considered key to Mizu Wari in Japan.



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6. PISCO PUNCH

2 slices orange, 3 esh marinated pineapple wedges, 2 shots pisco, shot

pineapple marinade, top up with soda (club soda). Muddle orange and pineapple in the base of a shaker. Add pisco and pineapplemarinade. Shake with ice and ne strain into an ice- lled glass. Top with no morethan two shots of soda water. Garnish with a pineapple wedge.

Rudyard Kipling in 1889 described the Pisco Punch as beingCompounded of the shavings of cherubs wings. is exquisite drinkscreation is usually credited to Professor Jerry Burns of San Franciscos BExchange. However, its origin could lie in the late 1800s, when the drinserved aboard steamships stopping in Chile en route to San Francisco.

e Bank Exchange was a ballroom that opened in 1854 and survived earthquake and re of 1906. Its popularity never waned and onlyProhibition brought about its demise. Much of the Bank Exchangesnotoriety was due to the Pisco Punch.

e recipe was handed down from owner to owner in absolute secrecy.Duncan Nichol, the Sco ish immigrant who owned the bar from the l1870s until it closed, inherited it from the previous owners, OrrinDorman and John Torrence, and is thought to have carried it to his graHowever, Alfredo Micheli (who went by the nickname Mike) wasemployed at the Bank Exchange and spied on Duncan Nichol to learnhow to make this legendary drink. A er he believed hed learnt the sehe le to start serving at a newly opened competitor to the BankExchange, Paolis on Montgomery Street.



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7. SAZERAC

shot absinthe, top up with water (cold), 1 shot cognac V.S.O.P., 1 shotbourbon whiskey, shot sugar syrup, 3 dashes Angostura Aromatic Bi ers, 3dashes Peychaud's Bi ers.

Pour absinthe into an ice- lled glass, top with water and leave to stand.Separately stir other ingredients with ice. Discard contents of the glass (absinthe,water and ice) and strain contents of stirring glass into absinthe-coated glass.Garnish with a lemon zest twist (discarded).

e rounded, distinctive avour of this classic New Orleans cocktail is relianton one essential ingredient: Peychauds aromatic bi ers created by one Antoine Amedee Peychaud, who opened a drug and apothecary store at 437Rue Royale (then No. 123 Royal Street), New Orleans in 1834. Here he createdan American Aromatic Bi er Cordial and marketed it as a medicinal tonic.

Antoine Peychaud advertised his bi ers in local newspapers and many New Orleans bars served drinks prepared with them. One such bar was theSazerac Coffee House at 13 Exchange Alley, owned by John B. Schiller, alsothe local agent for a French cognac company Sazerac-du-Forge et Fils of Limoges. It was here, sometime between 1850 and 1859, that a bartendercalled Leon Lamothe is thought to have created the Sazerac, probably using Peychauds aromatic bi ers, Sazerac cognac and sugar.

A combination of the phylloxera aphid (which devastated French vineyards)and the American Civil War made cognac hard to obtain so forcing the recipeto change to a base of more locally made Maryland Club rye whiskey,retaining a dash of cognac and adding a splash of the newly fashionable absinthe.



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8. MARGARITA

2 shots blanco tequila, 1 shot triple sec, 1 shot lime juice, 1 spoon agave nectar / syrup, 3 drops Margarita bi ers (optional).

Shake all ingredients with ice and ne strain into a chilled glass. Garnish withsalt rim and lime wedge.

e Margarita can be considered a Tequila Sour, or a Tequila Sidecar, antwo variations of this classic cocktail date back to the 1930s: the TequDaisy and the Picador. Both, however, lack the distinctive salt rim.

ere are many people who claim to have invented the Margarita, whicas Spanish for "daisy" and a popular woman's name, would have been very common name for a drink. Of the many claimants it is socialite Margaret Sames who is most widely identi ed with the drinks creatioapparently during a Christmas party in Acapulco, Mexico, in 1948. estory goes that she thought nothing of it until, when ying home to Sa Antonio from Acapulco airport, she saw a bar advertising 'Margarita'sDrink', a cocktail with exactly the same ingredients as her own.



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9. SPRITZ AL BITTER

3 shots Prosecco sparkling wine, 1 shots Campari Bi er, top up with soda(club soda).

Pour ingredients into an ice- lled glass and lightly stir. Garnish with an orangezest twist.

Popular in northern Italy, especially in Venice and the Veneto region where it is pronounced Spriss (from the German verb Spritzen, meaning spray or splash), this aperitif cocktail's origins date back to the end of the19th century when Venice was still part of the Austrian Empire. During this period, German soldiers drank the local wines of Veneto in taverns where they were billeted but they o en diluted these with water to achievea similar alcohol content to the beer they were more accustomed todrinking. Hence, the Spritzer, a combination of equal parts white wineand soda water.

In Veneto, the Spritz al Bi er is made with the traditional white wines of the Veneto region, Pinot Grigio, Soave or Prosecco. e bi er liqueurused varies according to personal taste with Campari perhaps the driest.

Other popular bi er liqueurs used include Aperol, Gran Classico, Selector Cynar. It is usually garnished with a slice of orange but sometimes anolive depending on the liqueur used. According to Gruppo Campari, in Veneto, around 300,000 Spritzes are consumed every day. ats morethan 200 a minute.



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10. BLOODY MARY 2 rings yellow bell pepper, 2 shots vodka, 3 shots tomato juice, shot sherrycream (med/swt), 8 drops Tabasco hot pepper sauce, 4 dashes Worcestershiresauce, 2 pinches celery salt, 2 grinds black pepper.

Muddle pepper in base of a shaker. Add other ingredients, rock rather than shakewith ice and ne strain into an ice- lled glass. Garnish with salt & pepper rim plus celery stick.

e creation of the Bloody Mary is generally credited to Fernand Petio Whether this was in 1920, when he was a young bartender at Harry's York Bar in Paris, or in America, during the 1940s is not clear.

If Petiot rst created the Bloody Mary around 1920, then it is said thename was borrowed not from the English Queen Mary I, whosepersecution of Protestants gave her that name, or from the silent moviactress Mary Pickford, but from one of Petiot's customers, apparently entertainer Roy Barton. He had worked at a nightclub (or knew a bar)called the Bucket of Blood in Chicago, where there was a waitress knas 'Bloody Mary', and he said the drink reminded him of her.

If Petiot invented the Bloody Mary in New York, where he worked atSt. Regis Hotel certainly from the end of Prohibition, then he may havhad assistance in its creation from Serge Obolansky, the manager of thhotel, who is said to have asked him to spice up his 50-50 blend of voand tomato juice.



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THE REST OFTHE BEST



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ADONIS

2 shots Tio Pepe no sherry,1 shot sweet vermouth, 2 dashes

orange bi ers.Stir all ingredients with ice and straininto a chilled glass. Garnish with anorange zest twist.

ought to have been created in 1886 tocelebrate the success of a Broadway musical. A surprisingly delicate, dry,aromatic oldie.

AIR MAIL

2 shots golden rum, shot honeysugar syrup, shot eshly squeezed

lime juice, shot eshly squeezedorange juice, top up with brut champagne.

Shake rst four ingredients with iceand ne strain into an ice- lled glass.Top with champagne. Garnish with amint sprig.

Adapted from a classic recipe, which rstappears in the 1949 Esquire's Handbook for Hosts. is is a potent drink and thename could be a reference to airmail being the quickest way of ge ing a le erfrom A to B. is old classic is basically aHoneysuckle served long and topped with champagne, making this one of the be er champagne cocktails.

ALASKA #1SAVOY RECIPE

2 shots London dry gin, shot yellow

Chartreuse liqueur, 1 shot Tio Pepe nosherry, 3 dashes orange bi ers.

Shake all ingredients with ice and nestrain into a chilled glass. Garnishwith an orange zest twist.

In his 1930 ' e Savoy Cocktail Book',Harry Craddock writes, "so far as can beascertained this delectable potion is

NOT the staple diet of the Esquimaux.It was probably rst thought of in SouthCarolina hence its name." e additionof dry sherry is recommended in DavidEmbury's 1948 'Fine Art of Mixing Drinks'.

ALBERTO MARTINI

1 shots London dry gin, 1 shotsdry vermouth, 1 shot Tio Pepe no

sherry, shot triple sec liqueur.

Stir all ingredients with ice and straininto a chilled glass. Garnish with anorange zest twist.

In W.J. Tarling's 1937 Caf RoyalCocktail Book the invention of thiscocktail is credited to A.J. Smith. Dry,complex and aromatic; an equal parts gin

and vermouth Martini with a good doseof no sherry and a splash of triple sec.


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ALGONQUIN

esh pineapple ring, 1 shots straight ryewhiskey, shot dry vermouth, 1 dash Peychaud's Aromatic Bi ers.

Muddle pineapple in base of a shaker. Add otheringredients, shake with ice and ne strain into anice- lled glass. Garnish with a pineapple wedgeand maraschino cherry.

One of several classic cocktails accredited to New York City's Algonquin Hotel in the 1930s. Its true origins arelost in time. A dry aromatic aperitif-style of cocktail; if youdon't want this drink frothy then stir instead of shake.

BAMBOO #1

2 shots Tio Pepe no sherry, 2 shots dry vermouth, shot triple sec liqueur, 3 dashes orange bi ers.

Stir all ingredients with ice and strain into a chilled glass. Garnish with an orange zest twist.

A classic and all but forgo en cocktail from the 1940s. Forsophisticated palates only.

BENTLEY

1 shots calvados brandy, 1 shots Dubonnet Red(French made), 2 dashes Peychaud's Aromatic Bi ers.

Stir all ingredients with ice and strain into an empty glass. Garnish with an orange zest twist.

Adapted from Harry Craddock's 1930 ' e Savoy CocktailBook'. Dry, spiced wine impregnated with apple - pre y damn good.



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BLOODY BLOOD & SANDDIFFORD'S RECIPE

shot blended Scotch whisky, shot Lagavulin 16yo malt whisky, shot cherry brandy liqueur, shot sweet vermouth, shot blood orange juice.

Shake all ingredients with ice and ne strain into a chilled glass.Garnish with an orange zest twist.

e original Blood & Sand cocktail was created for the premiere of the 1922 Rudolph Valentino movie, Blood & Sand. My 2014adaptation ampli es Scotch notes with the addition of Islay whisky and uses blood orange juice to add colour and avour.

An equal parts Blood & Sand works due to the smoky in uence of Islay single malt whisky and the rounding citrus notes of bloodorange juice.



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COCKTAIL DU VIN

1 shots V.S.O.P. cognac, 1 shotssauvignon blanc white wine, 1shots esh pressed pineapple juice, shot sugar syrup (1 water :2 sugar).

Shake all ingredients with ice and ne strain into a chilled glass.Garnish with a vanilla pod.

I created this drink in 2003 and namedthe drink U.S. Cocktail but senseprevailed. A relatively dry cocktail where the vanilla combines beautifully with the cognac and the acidity of the wine balances the sweetness of thepineapple juice.

ESPRESSO MARTINI2 shots vodka, 1 shots espresso coffee(hot), shot sugar syrup (1 water : 2sugar), shot coffee liqueur.

Shake all ingredients with ice and nestrain into a chilled glass. Garnishwith 3 coffee beans.

Created by Dick Bradsell and adaptedfrom his 1983 'Vodka Espresso' inventedat the Soho Brasserie, London. Forgetthe 'Vodka Red Bull', this is the cocktailconnoisseur's way of combining caffeineand vodka.



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HABERDASHER

1 shots bourbon whiskey, 1 shot

dark crme de cacao liqueur, shot Fernet Branca, shot GreenChartreuse liqueur, shot double(heavy) cream, shot milk.

Stir the rst 3 ingredients with ice andstrain into a chilled glass. Dry shakeChartreuse and cream (without ice)and layer by carefully pouring over thesurface of drink. (Whip cream toensure it oats.) Garnish with cocoaand a mint leaf.

Discovered in January 2013 at Pouring Ribbons, New York City. Chocolaty bourbon with a freshening herbal blast of Fernet Branca, smoothed by sipping through a Chartreuse cream head. eultimate a er-dinner drink.

HONEYSUCKLEDAIQUIRI

2 shots light white rum, 4 spoons runnyhoney, 1 shot eshly squeezed lemon juice, 1 shot eshly squeezedorange juice.

Stir honey with rum in base of theshaker until honey dissolves. Add lemonand orange juice, shake with ice and ne strain into a chilled glass. Garnishwith a mint leaf.

Adapted from a recipe in David A.Emburys 1948 Fine Art of Mixing Drinks.

IN SEINE

1 shot cognac V.S.O.P., 1 shot bourbon

whiskey, 1 shot elder ower liqueur, shot absinthe, esh egg white.

Shake all ingredients with ice and nestrain into a chilled glass (without ice).Garnish with white grapes on a stick.

I created this in 2006 at e CabinetRoom, London. e name is a referenceto the Parisian district of St-Germainlying on the le bank of the River Seineand also a nod to the use of absinthe andits pre-war ban in France, partly due tothe belief that it induced insanity.Elder ower liqueur mellows and boosts

oral notes in the cognac while themerest dash of absinthe dries and adds arobust hint of aniseed.

KING'S JUBILEE

2 shots light white rum, shot

maraschino liqueur, shot eshlysqueezed lemon juice.

Shake all ingredients with ice and nestrain into chilled glass. Garnish witha lemon zest twist.

Recipe adapted from W.J. Tarling's 1937'Cafe Royal Cocktail Book - CoronationEdition' in which Tarling credits thisdrink's creation to Harry Craddock, thethen head bartender of the American Barat London's Savoy Hotel. If there is such athing as a 'Rum Aviation', then this issurely it.



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LAVENDER MARGARITA

2 shots tequila (100% agave), 1 shot eshly squeezedlime juice, shot lavender sugar syrup.

Shake all ingredients with ice and ne strain into achilled glass. Garnish with a lime wedge.

I created this cocktail in 2006 at the Cabinet Room,London; lavender lime and tequila combine harmoniously.

THE LAST WORD COCKTAIL

1 shots London dry gin, shot Green Chartreuseliqueur, shot maraschino liqueur, shot eshlysqueezed lime juice, shot chilled water.

Shake all ingredients with ice and ne strain into achilled glass. Garnish with a lime wedge.

is vintage classic was rst documented in Ted Saucier's'Bo oms Up' in 1951 where its creation was a ributed to theDetroit Athletic Club. It was practically forgo en untilchampioned by the team at Pegu Club, New York City in

2005. e Detroit Athletic Club was established in 1887 by agroup of privileged young men who enjoyed amateurathletics. In 1913 a group of the city's prominent automotiveand industrial leaders re-established the club andcommissioned architect Albert Kahn to design themagni cent six-story Clubhouse. Completed in April 1915,and standing at 241 Madison Avenue in Detroit's theatredistrict, this still houses the exclusive club to this day.

LEFT BANK MARTINI

2 shots London dry gin, shot elder ower liqueur, shot chardonnay (Chablis) white wine, shot dry vermouth.

Shake all ingredients with ice and ne strain intochilled glass. Garnish with a lime zest twist.

I updated this recipe in 2013. Older? Yes. Wiser?Perhaps. Drier palate? De nitely. Hence, seven yearsa er creating this drink I reduced the elder owerliqueur from 3/4 shot to 1/2 shot and I also reduced the vermouth from 1/2 to a 1 /4.

An aromatic, dry blend. Modern bartending convention would suggest that this drink should be stirred.However, its much be er shaken. Go easy with the spray of lime zest oils - this delicate drink is easily over

powered with any more than a ne mist.



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DE LA LOUISIANE #4

1 shot straight rye whiskey, shot Bndictine D.O.M. liqueur, 1 shot sweet vermouth, shot absinthe, 2 dashes Peychaud's Aromatic Bi ers, shot chilled water.

Stir all ingredients with ice and strain into a chilled

glass. Garnish with a maraschino cherry.Recipe adapted from Stanley Clisby Arthur's 1937 book 'Famous New Orleans Drinks and How to Mix 'Em' in which he wrote, is is the special cocktail served atRestaurant de la Louisiane, one of the famous Frenchrestaurants of New Orleans, long the rendezvous of those who appreciate the best in Creole cuisine. La Louisianecocktail is as out-of-the-ordinary as the many distinctivedishes that grace its menu.

Its a rye-based Sweet Manha an made even sweeter withherbal Bndictine liqueur. Originally made with equalparts rye whiskey, Bndictine DOM and sweet vermouth, unless you have a sweet tooth reducing theliqueur as per this recipe makes for a more balanceddrink. is is our favoured version of this famous New Orleans cocktail.

MALTY DRY MARTINI

2 shots genever , shot dry vermouth.

Stir all ingredients with ice and strain into chilleda glass. Garnish with a chilled orange or lemonzest twist.

A drink promoted by Bols since the launch of BolsGenever in 2008. Using a genuinely malty jeneverproduces a deliciously retro take on the modernDry Martini.



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12 esh mint leaves, 2 shotsbourbon whiskey, shot sugar syrup

(1 water : 2 sugar), 3 dashes Angostura Aromatic Bi ers.

Shake all ingredients with ice and nestrain into a julep cup half lled withcrushed ice. Churn (stir) the drink withthe crushed ice using a bar spoon. Top upthe cup with more crushed ice and churnagain. Repeat this process until the drink lls the cup and serve. Garnish with amint sprig dusted with icing sugar.

Like so many cocktails, the humble Mint Juleps origins are the subject of heateddebate. Today it is closely identi ed with Americas Deep South, famously servedat the Kentucky Derby. However, thename derives from the Arabic word'julab', meaning rosewater, and the rst

known wri en reference to acocktail-style Julep was by a Virginia

gentleman in 1787. At that time it could be made with rum, brandy or whiskey, but by 1900 whiskey had become thepreferred base spirit. Indeed in his 1862 e Bartenders Guide: How to Mix Drinks, Jerry omas calls for cognac, adash of Jamaican rum and a garnish of berries and orange slices. He also lists a Julep variation made with gin and onecalling for ripe pineapple as well as thenow ubiquitous whiskey version.

Common perceived wisdom hasit that the Julep originated in Persia, orthereabouts, and it travelled to Europe(some say Southern France) where therose petals were substituted forindigenous mint. e drink is then believed to have crossed the Atlantic where cognac was replaced with peach

brandy and then whiskey - the Mint Julep we recognise today.

e remodelled US style mint julepreached Britain in 1837, thanks to thenovelist Captain Frederick Marryat, whocomplained of being woken at 7am by aslave brandishing a Julep. He popularisedthe drink through his descriptions of American Fourth of July celebrations andpraise such as the following: I mustdescant a li le upon the mint julep, as itis, with the thermometer at 100, one of the most delightful and insinuating potations that was ever invented, andmay be drunk with equal satisfaction when the thermometer is as low as 70... As the ice melts, you drink. I onceoverheard two ladies in the room next tome, and one of them said, Well, if I havea weakness for any one thing, it is for aMint Julep! - a very amiable weakness,

and proving her good sense and taste.ey are, in fact, American ladies,

irresistable. When making a Mint Julep it isimportant to only bruise the mint ascrushing the leaves releases the bi er,inner juices. Also be sure to discard thestems, which are also bi er.

It is imperative that the drink isserved ice cold. Cocktail etique edictates that the shaker containing themint and other ingredients should beplaced in a refrigerator with the serving vessel for at least two hours prior toadding ice, shaking and serving.

Variations on the Mint Julepinclude substituting the bourbon for rye whiskey, rum, gin, brandy, calvados orapplejack brandy. Another variation callsfor half a shot of aged rum to be oatedon top of the bourbon-based Julep.


MINT JULEP COCKTAIL


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PENICILLINCOCKTAIL

2 spoons runny honey, 1 shot Lagavulin 16yo malt whisky, 1 shot blended Scotch whisky, shot ginger liqueur, shot eshly squeezedlemon juice.

Stir honey and whisky in the base of ashaker to dissolve honey. Leave honeyspoon in shaker, add other ingredientsand stir again. Shake with ice andstrain into an ice- lled chilled glass.Garnish with candied ginger.

Adapted from a recipe by Sam Ross at Milk & Honey, New York City. Smokeand honey with subtle spice and plenty of Sco ish a itude.

LA PERLA

1 shots tequila (100% agave), 1shots Manzanilla sherry, shot pear & cognac liqueur.

Stir ingredients with ice and straininto a chilled glass. Garnish with alemon zest twist.

Adapted from a drink created in 2010 by Jacques Bezuidenhout, San Francisco,

USA. Dry salty sherry with dry salty tequila, sweetened with pear andcognac liqueur.

THE PURITAN

1 shots London dry gin, shot dryvermouth, shot Yellow Chartreuse,1 dash orange bi ers, shotchilled water.

Stir all ingredients with ice and straininto chilled glass. Garnish with anorange zest twist.

An o en overlooked classic which is

thought to have originated at the end of the nineteenth century. Vermouthenhances the aromatics; Chartreuse andorange bi ers add a hint of sweetnessand complexity; gin underpins the whole drink.

THE STIG

shot calvados brandy, shot Macchu pisco, 1 shot elder ower liqueur, 1 shot sauvignon blancwhite wine.

Stir all ingredients with ice and straininto an ice- lled glass. Garnish with alime zest twist.

I created this drink in 2006 at e

Cabinet Room, London. Named partly for the 'St-G' on the screw cap of St-Germain and partly a er ' e Stig', themysterious racing driver on the 'TopGear' TV series. Whiter than white but yet mysterious.



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SUCCULENT BLOOD

2 shots mezcal, 1 shot blood orange juice, shot cinnamon syrup (2:1), shot Taylor's Velvet Falernumliqueur.

Shake all ingredients with ice and nestrain into a chilled glass. Garnishwith a dehydrated blood orange slice.

I created this cocktail in February 2014a er misreading the recipe for a SangreDulce by Regina Butler at Blackbird Bar inSan Francisco. I used Valet Falernum inplace of Fernet Valet but liked the result.

e name came about as mezcal is distilledfrom agave plants which are categorised assucculents, meaning they are thickenedand eshy, allowing them to retain water inarid climates.

VANILLA DAIQUIRI

2 shots light white rum, shot eshlysqueezed lime juice, shot sugar syrup (1 water : 2 sugar), shot chilled water.

Shake all ingredients with ice and nestrain into a chilled glass. Garnishwith a lime wedge.

e classic 'Natural Daiquiri' with a hintof vanilla.

VESPER DRY MARTINI

2 shots London dry gin, shot vodka, shot Lillet Blanc.

Shake all ingredients with ice and nestrain into a chilled glass. Garnishwith a lime zest twist.

is variation on the Dry Martini is saidto have been created by Gilberto Preti atDukes Hotel, London, for the author IanFleming. He liked it so much that in 1953he included it in his rst James Bondnovel, Casino Royale. In chapter sevenBond explains to a Casino bartenderexactly how to make and serve the drink:In a deep champagne goblet. reemeasures of Gordons, one of vodka, half a measure of Kina Lillet (now calledLillet Blanc). Shake it very well until its

ice-cold, then add a large slice of lemonpeel. When made, 007 complimentsthe bartender, but tells him it would be

be er made with a grain-based vodka.He also explains his Martini to Felix Leiter, the CIA man, saying, isdrinks my own invention. Im going topatent it when I can think of a goodname. In chapter eight, Bond meetsthe beautiful agent Vesper Lynd. Sheexplains why her parents named her Vesper and Bond asks if shed mind if he called his favourite Martini a er her.

Like so many of Bonds love interests Vesper turns out to be a double agentand the book closes with his words, e bitch is dead now.

Many bartenders advocate that a Martini should be stirred and notshaken, some citing the ridiculousargument that shaking will bruise thegin. If you like your Martinis shaken(as I do) then avoid the possible look of distaste from your server and order a Vesper. is Martini is always shaken,an action that aerates the drink, andmakes it colder and more dilute thansimply stirring. It also gives the drink aslightly clouded appearance and canleave small shards of ice on the surfaceof the drink. is is easily prevented by the use of a ne strainer when pouring.



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WHISKEY SOURDIFFORD'S RECIPE

2 shots bourbon whiskey, 1 shot eshlysqueezed lemon juice, shot sugar syrup (1 water : 2 sugar), 3 dashes Angostura Aromatic Bi ers, eshegg white.

Shake all ingredients with ice andstrain into an ice- lled glass. Garnishwith a lemon slice and cherry on stick.

A 4:2:8 sour formula. Smooth with a hintof citrus sourness and an invigorating blast of whiskey.

WIDOW'S KISS1 shots calvados brandy, shot Bndictine D.O.M. liqueur, shot Yellow Chartreuse liqueur, 2 dashes Angostura Aromatic Bi ers.

Stir all ingredients with ice and nestrain into a chilled glass. Garnishwith a mint leaf.

Created before 1895 by GeorgeKappeler at New York City's HollandHouse. Fantastically herbal with hints of apple, mint and eucalyptus. is classic iso en made with green Chartreuse - Iprefer mine with half yellow and half green and dare I say shaken.


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