Here Come the Classic Cocktails
With all the attention I’ve been giving lately to classic cocktails like the martini, Manhattan, and others, I sometimes forget that they often don’t even appear on the most frequently ordered drink lists any more. However, they’re poised for a comeback. Just look at this guide to retro refreshments. In fact, one of the things that the instructor mentioned in class was that many more jobs these days are requiring knowledge of “classic cocktails”.
Anyway, the linked article goes in good detail about the Old Fashioned, martini, Manhattans, and Cosmpolitans. It also mentions the Presbyterian (or “Press”), which I hadn’t heard of before: bourbon, ginger ale, soda, and lime. Just don’t follow the article’s recipes literally, though. There are a million ways to make each drink, and like all articles, this one leaves out a good deal of information.
There’s also another great article at the LA Times about classic and contemporary cocktails. Tony Abou-Ganim, the writer of the upcoming book “The Modern Mixologist” even goes so far as to say, “If you don’t understand the classics, it’s tough to understand what makes a great cocktail.”
