Did you know that we are currently in the second golden age of cocktails?  Huh?!  Second? When was the first golden age?  The first time cocktails reached a level of sophistication and craftsmanship that we are seeing today was 1885 – 1920.  It may not be obvious, especially in a small city like Lethbridge, but cocktails are back “in.”  In cities like New York, San Francisco, and Seattle (to name a few) the cocktail scene is huge and gaining momentum.  Am I saying that it’s been close to 100 years since you could order a decent cocktail in a bar?  No, of course not.  What I am saying is that the amount of mixologists (yes, this is a real word coined in 1856 to describe a bartender who was superior at mixing drinks) practicing the craft of making cocktails hasn’t been this high in almost 100 years.  So what does “the craft of making cocktails” mean anyway?  Craft cocktails are cocktails made with an attention to details – cocktails made with fresh ingredients and high quality spirits.

Take for example the Gin & Tonic I ordered at a bar-that-won’t-be-named.  Now a G&T should be fairly straight forward, right?  Well, my G&T was served in a glass taken from the dishwasher and was still hot, drowned in tonic water served from a fountain gun, and garnished with a lime wedge that was dry and hard as a rock.  This was clearly not a craft cocktail.  The next time you order a cocktail, check and see if the bartender pays attention to the details.  Does he/she use a generic sour mix or freshly squeezed fruit juice?  Has your cocktail glass been pre-chilled?  Did they use bitters where appropriate?  A good bartender or mixologist will pay attention to these details and your cocktail will be better for it.  You don’t, however, need to have 20+ years experience to make a decent cocktail, and that is the point of this column.  With a little know-how and the right tools, I’m hoping to show you, the reader, that making good quality cocktails at home is easy and fun.

So what exactly is a cocktail?  By today’s definition, a cocktail is simply any alcoholic drink containing spirits (as opposed to beer or wine).  The history books, however, say otherwise.  According to David Wondrich, the earliest written record of the term “cocktail” dates back to 1803 where it appeared in the Farmer’s Cabinet, a newspaper from New Hampshire.  The earliest definition of a cocktail goes back to 1806 where it is described as “…a stimulating liquor, composed of spirits of any kind, sugar, water, and bitters…”  The key ingredient here is the bitters. What the hell are bitters?  Well, I could write an entire column on bitters alone (perhaps in the future) but for now let’s just say that bitters are to cocktails as salt is to soup.  Soup without salt is bland and generic.  Too much salt and that’s all you taste.  But with the right amount, it adds depth to the soup and helps tie the flavours together.  The same goes for bitters and cocktails.

As to where the name “cocktail” first originated, I’ll leave that for someone else to figure out.  To be sure, there are many theories as to the origins of the name but none have any definitive proof to back their claim.  Honestly, if cocktail historian guru David Wondrich can’t track down the origins of the term, I don’t know who can.

Where were we?  Ah yes, cocktails.  What better cocktail to feature for this column than the oldest cocktail, the Old Fashioned.  By 1885, The Old Fashioned was, well, old fashioned.  As new cocktails evolved using fancy ingredients like vermouth, curaçao, and orgeat syrup, the old guard cried murder.  I can picture the scene, an old curmudgeon leaning against the bar ordering a cocktail.  “I don’t want some fancy new cocktail. Make me one of them there Old Fashioned cocktails…”

Made with rye, water, sugar, and bitters, an Old Fashioned embodies the very definition of a cocktail. Unfortunately, as simple as this cocktail is, it is often poorly made (see my G&T above).  One tendency is for bartenders to top up an Old Fashioned with soda water.  Please, for the love of all that is holy, don’t ever top your Old Fashioned with soda water.  You will only turn this beautiful cocktail into a carbonated watered-down mess.

Salut!

Old Fashioned Cocktail

• 2 oz rye
• 1 sugar cube
• 3 – 5 dashes Angostura bitters
• Orange twist for garnish

In an old fashioned (or double old fashioned) glass, add the sugar cube and soak with the bitters (~5 – 6 dashes).  Add a bar spoon of water (~1/8 oz) and muddle (i.e. crush) the sugar until most dissolves.  Add the rye and three big cubes of ice and stir until well chilled.  Twist the orange peel over the glass to express the oils and drop into the drink.

A note on the ingredients:  In an ideal world we would be able to buy American rye in Canada.  Unfortunately, it is very hard to come by so we have to settle for Canadian rye.  For my money, I would go with Alberta Premium rye.  It’s cheap and makes a very decent cocktail.  As for bitters, most of the big grocery stores sell Angostura (usually found in the pop aisle).  When choosing an orange, choose a firm, ripe navel orange (not a mandarin).  Use a potato peeler to cut a twist roughly 3 inches by 1 inch getting as little of the white pith as possible on your twist.