For years, I and many other far better booze snobs have exhorted the general population to learn the classic drinks before trying to branch out into creative mixology ventures involving peanut infusions and muddled kumquats.
The rules are much like those of language: Learn them well before you attempt breaking them or stretching them, so your fractures and frayings are more likely to work. The rules of a balanced cocktail — the order of building, the proportions of spirit to sour to sweet to bitter, the appropriate amount of dilution, the proper glassware, etc. — are often the hidden bones of the most elaborate and esoteric-sounding cocktail.
If there ever was a moment to throw caution to the wind, at least as it relates to cocktail-making, now may be that moment.
Here's a rundown of tips for drinks to take the edge off:
■ Have no shame. Does it taste good? Does it provide a moment of pleasure or amusement? Then, by god, enjoy it.
■Look for hidden fruits. You may not want to risk a creme de cassis run to the liquor store just for the sake of a Kir Royale. And while fresh fruit is almost always the best option for drinks, you may have all sorts of fruits hidden away in your pantry and fridge that can lend a hand. That random jar of berry jam a colleague gave you for the holidays? A dollop thrown into a classic martini template can be wonderful (and this is one martini variation you should shake, to break up the solids in the drink). Fresh and dried fruits can be left in a bottle of spirits to infuse it with lovely new flavors. And all those bags of freeze-dried fruits I usually bypass at the store can do terrific stuff in a drink. While they lack the juice and texture of the fresh ones, they retain much of the flavor and often the color, as well. Mash 'em into simple syrup for flavor.
■ Simple syrup isn't the only way to sweeten a drink; consider honey, maple syrup or other sugars you usually use for baking. Sodas can be used as-is or reduced over heat into more intense syrups. Honey and sugars can be turned into drink-friendly syrups easily. It's critical to do so with honey because if you use it in a drink straight out of the bear, it'll turn into a gloppy mess. You want to thin it down much the same way you make simple syrup: 1-to-1 honey and water, heat it to dissolve, and store it in the fridge. Maple syrup can be used as-is and goes great with brown spirits; a maple Old Fashioned is about as easy as it gets.
This gin-based drink can easily be made with other white spirits, and you can vary the jam as well — try strawberry, orange marmalade, apricot or whatever's hiding in your fridge. If you want to add a dash of bitters for complexity, go for it, but the vermouth already adds a nice herbal note. Use the larger amount of jam if you like a sweeter drink. The main thing to remember is to shake it thoroughly to break up the pectins in the jam or preserves, and double-strain the drink at the end.
Jammartini
Ice
1 ½ ounces gin
1 ounce dry vermouth
1 to 1 ½ teaspoons raspberry jam
Dash of bitters (optional)
Chill a cocktail glass. Fill a cocktail shaker with ice, then add the gin, vermouth, jam and bitters (if using). Shake hard to chill, dilute and break up the solids in the jam, then double-strain the drink into the cocktail glass.
Makes 1 drink.