Putting the "Classic" back into the Cocktail

By Robert Hess, aka Drink Boy

If I told you that the cocktail was over 200 years old, would you be surprised? What if I told you it was a uniquely American creation? Or that technically speaking it is not only a cuisine, but the first American cuisine to gain international recognition?

In truth, the cocktail is all that, and a lot more.

Today's bar customer, and sometimes even bar tender, often sees the cocktail as just being any mixed drink which might be served by a bartender. Actually, the cocktail is a classification for a type of mixed drink, just as the julep, punch, fizz and toddy are each a classification of their own as well. Time once was that a customer would order a gin fizz, gin toddy or gin cocktail, and because the bartender knew what a fizz, toddy and cocktail specifically were, could mix up exactly what the customer wanted. It is in 1806 that we encounter the first known description of what a cocktail is. In "The Balance and Columbian Repository," the editor replies to a reader's question and relates that the cocktail "…is a stimulating liquor, composed of spirits of any kind, sugar, water and bitters…"

In those early days customers would simply order a gin cocktail, whiskey cocktail, brandy cocktail or rum cocktail, with little in the way of diversity beyond that. Mostly this is due to the fact that there was a limited number of additional ingredients which were being used behind the bar. Over time, bartenders' repertoire increased as new ingredients came to market, or the value of existing ingredients for use by the bartender were discovered. Probably the most important advancement was the addition to vermouth as a mixing ingredient. This allowed the creation of such drinks as the Manhattan, which was soon followed by the Martini in the late 1800s, two classic drinks which continue to be popular today.

It was during the 1800s that the role of the bartender evolved from simply being someone who doled out drinks to their customers to being someone who was viewed as a craftsman, if not artist, on par with the chefs of the era, only dealing with ice and liquids instead of heat and solids. The classic bartender was a highly respected position, often taking candidates many long months, if not years, of training before they were deemed fit to serve a customer.

The Golden Age of cocktails took place in the early 1900s, as the popularity of well-crafted cocktails grew almost exponentially, only to come crashing down in 1920 when Prohibition was enacted. The damage to the American cocktail culture caused by Prohibition's short thirteen years continues to silently inflict us today. In many ways, the cocktail is just now barely approaching the level of stature, understanding and, more importantly, quality that it enjoyed during its heyday.

Photo: courtesy of Museum of American Cocktails

For me, a critical component in restoring the cocktail to its rightful level of quality is to treat it as a cuisine and to get bartenders to think about the process of making cocktails just as a chef would think about making the dishes they prepare. Ask any chef and they will always tell you that one of the first and most important things that any budding chef needs to learn is how to master the basic classic elements. The basic cooking styles, the common preparation techniques, the mother sauces; it is important for the chef to know each of these, but more importantly, to really understand them and the roles they play in what they are preparing. Likewise, a bartender needs to know the basic classic cocktails, the methods of preparation and how to properly utilize the standard tools. Not just repeating the motions they've seen others do or memorizing recipes from some random cocktail book, but to really know and appreciate everything that goes into making a great cocktail.

One of the most basic and most classic of all of the cocktails around is the Old Fashioned. Nobody knows what the "first" cocktail was, but the Old Fashioned fits the mold almost perfectly. As outlined in 1806, a cocktail is a spirit, plus sugar, water and bitters, which is exactly what an Old Fashioned is. Today however, when asked for an Old Fashioned, most bartenders will serve up a drink which is almost, but not quite, totally unlike an Old Fashioned. Many bartenders will in fact be a little surprised when customers order an Old Fashioned, since it is a drink they so rarely see people order these days. This is most likely due to the fact that what they are serving is rarely very good.

Follow me then as I carefully walk you through the steps of how to quickly and easily make an excellent Old Fashioned.

Start with what is aptly called an "Old Fashioned" glass, named such to pay homage to what used to be its most well known occupant. It is also often referred to as a "rocks" glass.

Place one sugar cube (or one teaspoon of sugar) into the glass.

Add 1 tsp of water and a dash or two of Angostura bitters.

Using a wooden muddler if you have one, or the back of a small teaspoon if you don't, break up the sugar cube and stir it well to dissolve the sugar as much as you can in the bitters and water.

Fill the glass about 2/3rds of the way with ice.

Pour over the ice 2 ounces of a good bourbon whiskey. I typically use Maker's Mark, but you can use whatever your favorite might be.

Give the drink a couple of stirs to help mix the sugar slurry into the bourbon, and to chill the drink down.

If you have a fresh orange, use a potato peeler to cut about a two-inch long section of orange peel, doing this OVER the drink so any oils that burst from the skin fall into the drink, then twist the peel firmly over the drink, and drop it in.

Now add a maraschino cherry as a final garnish.

Serve with a couple of sip straws, and enjoy.

This then should be an excellent example of what an Old Fashioned is all about. It is however a far different drink then you will likely be served in most bars. Usually they will muddle an orange slice and the cherry in at the very beginning, which is a relatively recent change to the basic recipe and one which does more harm to the drink then it does good. Orange was not an original ingredient or garnish for this drink, although orange and bourbon do work very well together. The twist of orange peel used above provides all of the orange essence needed, but without any of the pulp or juice which will lower the overall quality of the drink. Lastly, most bartenders will top the drink off with soda water, most likely to make sure they give you a "full" drink, but in doing so they destroy its soul. The melting ice will provide all of the water that is needed in this drink to soften the bite of the whiskey. The only other need for added water is to help dissolve the sugar used at the very beginning, and for that you just want to add about as much water as you are adding sugar, in essence making what is referred to as a "simple syrup" in the glass.

Properly done, the Old Fashioned is an excellent and well balanced drink. Not to sweet, not too strong and not too weak. It celebrates the spirit that goes into it, and provides the customer with an excellent example of the potential of this liquid cuisine we call the cocktail!

Robert Hess is one of Seattle's most knowledgeable mixologists and has written extensively about the cocktail. He has teamed up with Small Screen Network to create a series of on-line video broadcasts about cocktails and mixology. His website, www.drinkboy.com shares a wealth of recipes and information about spirits.

October 2008
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