58
MY
ROUSES
EVERYDAY
MAY | JUNE 2014
the
Chef
issue
I
magine working a weekend shift behind
the bar of a storied New Orleans cocktail
bar. There’s a steady crowd lined up on the
20-foot mahogany runway and a dozen or
so cozy tables filling the parlor-style room.
Your patrons pass through the doors, get
settled in for a drink and they ask for…
Well, almost anything.
It could be a simple beer order, a request for
a glass of fine wine or a stiff shot of single-
malt Scotch, served with just the slightest
splash of water.
But if it’s a cocktail order, the possibilities
approach infinity pretty quickly. Your
customer can ask for a simple highball (gin
and tonic), a classic (dirty martini up) or a
random phrase they heard on a movie once
(“Perfect Rob Roy on the Rocks”).
And when this happens, it’s your job,
as barkeep, to not only keep the orders
straight, but to remember how to create any
of a
million
fancy cocktails without breaking
stride and tending to the other sixty guests
at the bar. Need a margarita on the rocks? A
classic daiquiri straight up? Fancy a Lemon
Drop made with your favorite triple-filtered
premium vodka?
No problem. They’re all basically the same
drink and share a common spiritual DNA.
Chris Hannah, bartender at Arnaud’s
acclaimed French 75 bar, draws on a palate
and skills honed by decades behind the bar.
And while fielding complex orders comes
with the territory of the new “craft cocktail”
movement, he relies on a trusted method
for remembering how to recreate a world of
adult beverages: always look for the family
resemblance.
“All those drinks—margarita, daiquiri,
lemon drop—are basically daisies, and
that’s 2/1/1.”
The last part — the numeric phrase — is
common bartender’s shorthand for the
drinks basic proportions. “2/1/1” translates
to “2 ounces liquor, 1 ounce citrus juice, 1
ounce sweet,” the rule-of-thumb formula
for a classic juice-based cocktail. (To be
exact, the “sweet” in many cases is equal
parts simple syrup and a sweet flavoring
liqueur.)
Once you know that simple formula you can
make a pretty broad range of cocktails by
swapping out different spirits, liqueurs and
juices.
This “family resemblance” approach works
well for the novice home bartender as
well, allowing beginners to simplify their
approach and see the stylistic connections
the way professionals do. Like a nice Old
Fashioned? You’ll probably enjoy its cousin
the absinthe-scented Sazerac. Fond of the
refreshing Vodka Collins? Try your hand at
the Paloma, made by substituting tequila
for vodka and grapefruit for lemon juice.
If you’re a home bartender with an interest
in the classics, learning these three families
will significantly accelerate your spiritual
education and open up new avenues for
happy-hour exploration. They’ll also give you
a deeper appreciation of the bartender’s art.
THE DAISIES
Basic formula:
2 oz. spirit
1 ounce fresh-squeezed citrus juice
1 ounce sweetener (simple syrup or half/
half syrup and liqueur)
When Hannah explains how to “build a
cocktail,” he’ll sometimes use the term
“short sour” rather than the more floral
family name.
The classic daisy was made with gin or
brandy, lemon juice and just enough simple
syrup (see sidebar) and Cointreau, to
counteract the tartness of the citrus.
“It’s really all about balance. With a short
sour drink, you want the sweet and tart
about equal. That’s the most important
thing.”
Replace the lemon juice with lime and the
brandy with tequila, and you’re building
a Mexican variation of the daisy — more
commonly known as themargarita.Another
variation: substitute a nice white rum for
the tequila, drop the Cointreau, and you’ve
made a classic daiquiri. Team bourbon with
lemon and just the right amount of simple
syrup and you’ve got a classic (if notoriously
temperamental) whiskey sour.
THE FIZZ FAMILY
Basic formula:
Basic daisy + seltzer/club soda
Once you’ve mastered the “short sour”
form, it doesn’t take much to adapt that
drink into a tall summertime refresher.
Make a basic gin daisy, but instead of giving
it a vigorous shake, stir it into a highball
glass, then add ice. Add about 2 ounces of
bubbly club soda and you’ve made a classic
Tom Collins, a perfect drink for porch-
sipping and fighting the Louisiana summer
heat. (Pro tip: if you shake instead of stir,
you’re making a simple Gin Fizz, though
not the complex Ramos variety that’s native
to New Orleans.)
Liquor swaps are easy. Cocktails in this
branch of the family tree include the Tom
Daisies, Slings and Fizzies
by
Pableaux Johnson
—A beginner’s guide to thinking like a bartender
photo courtesy
Arnaud’s
