It's easy to get in a rut when it comes to home mixology. When you find a few favorite go-to cocktails, you tend to purchase the ingredients for those drinks and make them over and over. A repertoire of a good martini, a perfect Manhattan, the Old Fashioned and a Sazerac will take you a long way when you're entertaining with friends. Plus you can always make a "something and something" for your less adventurous visitors.
But it's also nice to experiment with classic cocktails and new variations to add a little spice to your home menu. Jeremy LeBlanc and Christine Dionese have put together a nice little guide to home mixology titled The Best Craft Cocktails and Bartending with Flair that should be tucked between the bourbon and rye bottles of any home bar.
If the phrase "bartending with flair" brings to mind Tom Cruise in that horrible movie Cocktail or a suspender-adorned TGI Friday's bartender, put those images out of your mind. (Well, except maybe the waterfall scene in Cocktail.) The flair in these cocktails comes from the use of fresh ingredients and interesting techniques.
Two helpful sections at the end of the book highlight how to make inventive syrups, mixes and foams plus a collection of tips of the trade. If you're a fan of the Bacon Manhattan at The Patterson House, try making your own bacon wash at home and adding it to a simple cocktail called the Whiskey Pig. There's also a concise explanation of all the different types of ice you might see while out drinking and why you might want to use a particular variety at home for a specific cocktail. There's not an essay about the awesomeness of Sonic ice, though.
Rather than organizing the list of recipes by the primary spirit used, The Best Craft Cocktails is divided into chapters like "The Apertif," "Exotic Cocktails," "Refreshers" and "Parties & Punches," so you can browse the options based on what sort of soiree you're mixing for. Punches are hot right now, and they are a wonderful way to keep party guests' glasses full and the party buzzing without having to spend all evening shaking individual drinks.
What I really appreciated was the fact that the recipes are clear and concise and rarely depend on super exotic ingredients that are difficult to source or which require a whole lot of preparation. With a moderately stocked bar, the home mixologist should be able to recreate most of these recipes at the drop of an ice cube.
The Best Craft Cocktails and Bartending with Flair is available at Amazon, currently for less than $15 for the paperback edition and $9 on Kindle. The electronic version might not be a bad idea so you can take it with you on your phone and become the life of any party, even when you're away from home.
