Drink Categories II

I have started with Drink Categories I - and presented sours, fizzes, collinses, rickeys, highballs and cocktails.

in courtesy of www.esquire.com

I don't want to go towards Tiki drinks - I think they are reflecting a completely different approach to bars - which is not me.

However there are still some other classic drinks, which were not mentioned.

Juleps

These drinks are a staple from the more Southern states of the US; the most popular are the classic Mint Julep on Bourbon base and the Georgia Mint Julep which is made with brandy and apricot brandy.
Ingredients are:

Spirit [> 6 cl only a spirit is used; 4 cl if in combination with a liqueur]
Sugar [optional another sweetener like liqueurs]
Water
Mint

Mint is traditionally used only as flavor and then discarded. A lot of fresh mint is used as garnish.

Juleps are served on fine crushed ice and preferable in a silver or pewter cup.
Juleps are usually not using any juices

Smashes

While smashes were before also a quite strict category with a lot of parallels with juleps, they are now much more used for more creative recipes.
Other herbs can be used to replace the mint.
While originally made without any juice, it can be added for more diversity.
One absolutely stunning examples of a wild variation of this classic is the Basil Smash [Joerg Meyer], which is made with gin, lemon juice, sugar and basi;, other variations include a whiskey smash usually made with cranberry juice.

There are many more examples of unique categories. Just get out your Jerry "the Professor" Thomas Bar Manual [or get to Darcy's website artofdrink.com to see the online version].

Learn and try out all these unique categories [some are quite odd] and then start to add contemporary touches.

But please - leave the individual classic drinks alone. E.g. the mojito doesn't deserve to be violated with different fruits, purees and other weird stuff...

And below the long list of Jerry Thomas drinks - in courtesy of www.artofdrink.com

How to use citric acid - and why you might not want to use it anyway!

To be honest, I shied away of this topic, because I think, people can misinterpret this - big time. I don't want to be part of the problem - I want to be part of the solution! But when Chris, over at A Bar Above discussed this subject- I literally could not resist to join into "the discussion". Here is the video: I - however take a bit slower approach than Chris. What is citric acid? Chemical Compound Citric acid is a weak organic acid with the formula C6H8O7. It is a natural preservative/conservative and is also used to add an acidic or sour taste to foods and drinks. Wikipedia Formula: C6H8O7 Molar Mass: 192.124 g/mol Melting Point: 153C Density: 1.66 g/cm3 Boiling point: 175C Soluble in: Water Why is it controversial? In my "mixology world" it is controversial, as citric acid is the stuff, which makes the nightmarish sour mix [ preferably in powder form ] sour. Yeah - citric acid is the main ingredient in one of the most

Fentiman's - part deux

You might already know [otherwise just read my last post ], that Fentiman's Botanical Tonic Water taste great. And I mentioned, that I am not totally convinced of the other flavours... Let me now and here explain why. First to the great ones: Rose Lemonade is really nice... however I have to come across one rose drink, which doesn't taste really good. A couple of years I have reviewed [and tried] Sence - also a drink which is based on Bulgarian roses - and it was lovely. Fentiman's Rose Lemonade is not different - maybe slightly too acidic. Anyway - it is just great [however also very simple to replicate - citric acid, sugar syrup, carbonated water and rose water is all what you need...]. The Curiousity Cola is also nice - it is a bit more standalone and unique as other cola sodas- but hit the right spots. Only problem still is: the original just taste better and - well like the original. Cherrybark Cola - is another good soda. While I've expected it to taste

What is the best cranberry juice in the bar?

A good friend of me "whatsapp'ed" me today and asked for my expertise: "What is the best cranberry juice?" I would loved to just let him know the brand - however it is not that easy. What do we understand of cranberry juice? One of the biggest [maybe the biggest producer] of cranberry products is Ocean Spray. And: it is well regarded. Problem is: it is not a juice! Wait - what? Ocean Spray doesn't produce a juice - they produce a juice cocktail - which translates into a lot of water, a lot of sugar, some taste-balancers as citric acid [nothing against this really] and a minuscule portion of juice - usually around 3%. Yes they have something which is called 100% juice. Which is on one hand true, on the other the biggest deception ever. Because you don't get 100% cranberry - you get a mixture of juices of concentrate - most of the time apple and white grape and a bit of cranberry. There are also some other brands around, which might feature a h

opinionated alchemist

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