Read Emily Post's Great Get-Togethers Online
Authors: Anna Post
The following books and Web sites provide great references, both for rating and discussing beer:
Single Malt Scotch and Single Barrel Bourbon
Increasingly popular as an after-dinner drink, these whiskeys are to a distiller as a vintage reserve is to a vintner. So what’s the buzz? A single malt Scotch is whiskey that must be made in Scotland from a single grain (barley) malted at a single distillery and aged for at least three years in old oak barrels, although many are aged much longer. The only ingredients used are barley, yeast, and water. The barley is malted—mixed with water and left to germinate for several days—then the mixture is air dried, with the introduction of peat smoke to varying degrees to help impart the whiskey’s unique flavor.
Bourbon, by law, is an American whiskey, made from at least 51 percent corn (usually it’s 70 percent) with the addition of wheat and/or rye or malted barley. It’s aged in new charred oak barrels, imparting a vanilla flavor. Single barrel bourbon is whiskey that literally is bottled from a single barrel. A promising barrel is chosen and bottled, so each bottling is unique. Small batch production takes whiskey from a number of selected barrels and combines them to give a more consistent bottling. Then there’s small-scale production, as done at Maker’s Mark, which is simply dedicated to producing a consistent, high-quality whiskey in all their barrels.
Purists serve it neat—adding no ice or water.
When It’s Cocktails
W
hile the trend at smaller cocktail parties is to offer a seasonal cocktail along with beer, wine, sparkling water, juices, and other nonalcoholic options, a large cocktail party usually offers a full bar. To know how much you’ll need, start by doing a little math.
For a large party, have plenty of glasses on hand. Guests tend to put glasses down and lose track and end up getting a refill in a new glass. Consider renting or investing in an extra set of inexpensive barware. Plastic glasses are perfect for an informal pool party (where broken glass is a danger); otherwise real glasses are more in keeping with a party atmosphere.
The most critical ingredient is ice. Crushed ice will keep wine and beer cool, or you can fill tubs with cubes and water. For mixed drinks, have a bucket full of ice cubes at the bar and refill as needed. If your freezer can’t produce what you need, cubed ice is available at most grocery and convenience stores. Just buy it close to party time so it doesn’t melt. Commercial ice, which holds up best, can be ordered through a liquor store. If you live in an urban area, save time by having your liquor and ice order delivered.
The Well-Stocked Bar
T
his is a soup-to-nuts list of what you might need for a large cocktail party. In general, stock what you like to drink and have on hand what close friends usually like. Pimm’s isn’t stocked at every bar, but Anna would never throw a party without it. Add equipment and garnishes—like a martini shaker and cocktail onions—as the occasion arises.
Liquor:
Vodka, vermouth (sweet and dry), rum, Scotch, bourbon, tequila, gin, triple sec, Champagne or sparkling wine, rosé, red and/or white wine, a variety of beers.
Mixers:
Tomato, Clamato, cranberry, fresh orange and grapefruit juices, tonic water, seltzer or club soda.
Additional ingredients:
Bitters, Worcestershire sauce, seasoned salt, Tabasco, Rose’s lime juice, Rose’s grenadine syrup.
See Simple Syrup (page 112)
.
Garnishes:
Lemons, limes, lemon twists, green cocktail olives, cocktail onions, orange slices, maraschino cherries, rimming salt for margaritas. Get creative with unexpected fruits and berries.
Glasses and paper goods:
Napkins (3 to 4 per person; 6 to 8 if serving hors d’oeuvres), glasses (3 per person), toothpicks, coasters (place plenty of these around
before
the party to protect furniture).
Equipment:
Jigger, corkscrew, bottle opener, ice bucket, tongs or ice scoop, shaker, long-handled cocktail spoon or stirrer, paring knife and small cutting board, bar towel or paper towels, pitchers for water and mixed bases such as Bloody Marys or margaritas, cocktail picks, bowls for garnishes, blender.
What’s an Aperitif?
From the Latin
aperire
, to open, an aperitif is an alcoholic drink served before a meal or as a cocktail, accompanied by salty little nibbles—olives, pistachios, chips, Parmesan shavings, or salted nuts. A number of aperitifs are sweetened and infused with fruits, flowers, herbs, or seeds and pack a wallop of flavor—sometimes sweet, sometimes bitter. Lillet, Dubonnet, Cinzano, sherries, vermouths sweet and dry are fruity or floral in nature (served chilled over ice), while Campari and Cynar (made from artichokes) are bittersweet and prepare your palate for what’s to come. They are cocktails pared to their essence. Cocktails, too, can be made with aperitifs, such as Campari and soda served over ice with a twist, or a Negroni—Campari with vodka or gin, sweet vermouth, and a twist of orange or lemon.
A Primer on Glassware
I
t’s a sure bet that your favorite bar has a special glass for almost every drink. At home, having a different glass for every drink you serve isn’t really practical. But you can build a collection of basics, including the following:
Wine:
White wine is served in a glass with a tulip-shaped bowl. The bowl of a red wineglass is rounder and wider than that of a white wineglass. If you’re on a budget, an 11-ounce, all-purpose glass will work for red and white wine, spritzers, wine punches, even sparkling water. Choose a shape in between the narrow white wineglass and the balloon-shaped red.
Champagne:
If you’re a real fan, flutes are the way to go. But if you have your grandmother’s old-fashioned Champagne coupes and want to use them, why not?
Rocks or Old-Fashioned:
This is a short tumbler, usually holding 5 to 10 ounces.
Highball:
A tall tumbler, this 8- to 14-ounce glass will accommodate mixed drinks, beer, soda, water, or iced tea.
Pint or Pilsner:
These are classics for serving beer. The pint is a tall tapered tumbler, wider at the top than the bottom, holding a pint of liquid. A Pilsner, named for the beer, is a tall, narrow, tapered, and footed glass that usually holds less than a pint.
Martini:
A classic Y shape, the modern-day glass is available in sizes ranging from a demure 6 ounces to a whopping 16 ounces. Remember: A martini is to a martini glass as Champagne is to a Champagne flute. Serving one in anything else doesn’t quite cut it!
Nice, but not critical:
Margarita:
A shallow, widemouthed glass on a sturdy stem, typically holding 10 to 12 ounces. True aficionados feel about the margarita glass the way martini and Champagne drinkers feel about their special glasses.
Sherry:
A 4- to 6-ounce small wineglass, it’s also great for aperitifs like Campari or Lillet, or liqueur-based drinks.
Shot:
Not really appropriate for the cocktail party (savor, savor, savor) except to serve single malt whiskey neat.
To Stem or Not to Stem—That Is the Question...
Until recently, all serious wineglasses came with stems—the idea being that a wineglass is held by the stem rather than by cupping the bowl, so the temperature of the wine isn’t affected by the warmth of your hand and icky-smeary fingerprints aren’t transferred to the glass. Then along came the stemless wineglass, popularized by a line introduced by Reidel in 2003. This is really a case of “everything old is new again”: In France and Italy, regular everyday wine is just as likely to be served in a tumbler as in a wineglass—and what is a stemless wineglass but an upmarket, crystal version of its glass cousin? On the plus side, stemless glasses are less likely to tip over, and they can go—and fit—in the dishwasher.
On the negative side, you
have
to cup them in your hand, which may put them out of the running for white wines and makes smeary fingerprints a given. And then there’s the whole issue of how they look on your table. Some people just love the drama and height created by stemmed glasses. There’s no right or wrong here; your taste and preference is what counts.
Top Five Cocktails Everyone Should Know How to Make
Mimosa
Makes 1 drink
2 ounces juice of your choice: fresh orange or blood orange, pomegranate, or passion fruit
4 ounces Champagne or sparkling wine
Pour the juice into a flute and top with the Champagne or sparkling wine.
Note:
If you use white peach juice, it’s called a Bellini, made famous by Harry’s Bar in Venice. Regular peach juice also works just fine. Anna loves mimosas of all kinds, but one of her favorites uses elderflower liqueur, such as St-Germain.
Martini
Makes 1 drink
3 ounces dry gin (the classic!) or top-quality vodka
1 teaspoon dry vermouth
Ice, for shaking
Lemon twist or olive, for garnish
Pour the gin or vodka and vermouth into a shaker. Add ice and shake. Strain into a chilled martini glass and garnish.
“Top-Shelf” Margarita
Makes 1 drink
1½ ounces 100% agave reposado tequila or high-quality mescal
Juice of ½ lime
1 ounce Grand Marnier
1½ ounces Simple Syrup (page 112)
Shake all ingredients together and pour over ice into a salt-rimmed glass. Or serve up by shaking with ice and straining into a salt-rimmed margarita or martini glass.
Frosting Rims
1. Rub a citrus wedge along the rim of the glass or dip the rim in water.
2. Now dip the rim into a shallow bowl of salt or sugar.
Note:
Colored sugars can be a fun way to dress up cocktails.
Uncle Mac’s Cosmo
Divine!
Makes 1 drink
Lime wedge
2 ounces Ketel One Citron Vodka
1 ounce triple sec
1 ounce Rose’s lime juice
1½ ounces cranberry juice
Ice, for shaking
Squeeze the lime into a martini glass. Leave the squeezed lime in the glass. Pour the vodka, triple sec, lime juice, and cranberry juice into a shaker. Add the ice and shake. Strain and pour into the glass over the lime.
Bloody Mary
Makes 1 pitcher or 8 drinks
16 ounces vodka
32 ounces tomato juice or Clamato juice
8 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
8 dashes Tabasco
Ice
Lemon or lime slice or leafy celery stalk, for garnish
Combine the vodka, tomato juice, Worcestershire sauce, and Tabasco in a pitcher. Stir and pour into tall glasses filled with ice and garnish.
For a
Bloody Maria
, substitute tequila for vodka and definitely garnish with a lime slice.
Note:
For a party, especially for a brunch, make a pitcher of Bloody Marys without the vodka—called a Bloody Shame—so friends who want to skip the alcohol can enjoy them, too. Just add the vodka as you pour each drink.
And a Few Extras...
The Lemon Drop
A variation on the martini. Makes 1 drink
1½ ounces vodka
¾ ounce freshly squeezed lemon juice
1 teaspoon Simple Syrup (page 112)
Ice, for shaking
Lemon twist, for garnish
Pour the vodka, lemon juice, and syrup into a shaker. Add ice and shake. Strain into chilled martini glasses and garnish with the lemon twist.
Note:
You can also rim the glass with sugar
(see Frosting Rims, page 109)
.
Manhattan
Makes 1 drink
2½ ounces rye or bourbon
1 ounce sweet vermouth
Ice, for shaking
Lemon twist or maraschino cherry, for garnish
Pour the rye or bourbon and sweet vermouth into a shaker. Add ice and shake. Pour into a martini glass and garnish with a lemon twist or a cherry.
Note:
These can also be made by the pitcher.
Gin and Tonic
Makes 1 drink
2 ounces top-quality dry gin
4 ounces tonic water
Ice
Lime wedge, for garnish
Pour the gin and tonic into a tall, ice-filled glass. Stir and garnish with the lime wedge.
Suggested Reference Books
Artisanal Cocktails
,
by Scott Beattie
Southern Cocktails: Dixie Drinks, Party Potions, and Classic Libations
,
by Denise Gee
The Ultimate Bartender’s Guide
,
by Fred DuBose
A TIP FROM LIZZIE
SIMPLE SYRUP
An ingredient in many cocktails, simple syrup is nothing more than liquid sugar, necessary because granular sugar doesn’t dissolve well in alcohol. It’s easy to make and keeps well in the fridge in a tightly sealed bottle for up to one month. It can be flavored with fruits, herbs, and spices. It’s also great for sweetening lemonade, iced tea, and iced coffee.
1 cup water, 1 cup sugar
Bring the water to a boil in a saucepan. Stir in the sugar until it’s completely dissolved. Let cool, pour into a clean bottle or jar, seal tightly, and store in the fridge for up to 1 month.