Making Fancy Cocktails - ways to learn?

Hello! We have been loving fancy cocktails and I would love to take a course or otherwise learn some tricks and ingredients. Any suggestions?

What do you consider a "fancy cocktail?" Nuevo "martinis?"

If I were a beginning mixologist I would start with some of the basic, classic manuals(available at any fine bookstore)...and go from there...a strong foundation is the best place to start when extrapolation is the goal.

I am not a fan of "fancy cocktails" but, perhaps Sandra Lee or Rachaeeyel Wrai have sections in their cookery books devoted to such?

Forgive Mr. Gordon for he knows not of what he speaks

There's one book that's the perfect started- it's very much industry focused, but it's the best starter book out there for someone who wants to seriously make cocktails.

Go pick up a copy of Gary Regan's The Joy of Mixology. It's got everything you want in it, from the history of a lot of cocktails to how to make them properly. After that I might look at Imbibe for more of a history background, and the ultimate recipe book- Jigger Beaker Flask by Baker. Start with Regan though.

jpschust wrote:Forgive Mr. Gordon for he knows not of what he speaks

There's one book that's the perfect started- it's very much industry focused, but it's the best starter book out there for someone who wants to seriously make cocktails.

Go pick up a copy of Gary Regan's The Joy of Mixology. It's got everything you want in it, from the history of a lot of cocktails to how to make them properly. After that I might look at Imbibe for more of a history background, and the ultimate recipe book- Jigger Beaker Flask by Baker. Start with Regan though.

That's uncalled for. I may think "fancy cocktails" are bs, but my advice to check out readily available texts on bartending is unassailable. And I'm completely aware of the new mixology that ranges far beyond "sake-tinis." Someone asking for "fancy cocktails," probably isn't. Never mind me, I'll just go back to my Midori and creme de menthe woo woo.

Thanks. Although I'm confident from the farmer's market to the table, with or without recipes, I don't know much about mixing cocktails. So when I say 'fancy', I think I just mean thoughtful and well-composed. And fun. Like creative cuisine. Plus there are some really interesting ingredients out there, like bitters, about which I'd like to learn more.

Christopher Gordon wrote:That's uncalled for. I may think "fancy cocktails" are bs, but my advice to check out readily available texts on bartending is unassailable. And I'm completely aware of the new mixology that ranges far beyond "sake-tinis." Someone asking for "fancy cocktails," probably isn't.

I'm completely aware of the new mixology as well, which often harkens back to old-fashioned bartenders like Jerry Thomas and Harry Craddock. But when I'm talking about elaborate drinks like pousse cafes, mai tais and brandy crustas (vs. martinis, Cuba libres and other simple libations), I tend to describe them as "fancy cocktails."

By the way, the 1930 Savoy Cocktail Book offers a recipe for a champagne cocktail called the "fancy cocktail."

I was recently reminded of how lovely champagne cocktails can be by a terrific one with blood-orange bitters mixed by Jody Richardson at Niche. (The food was delightful, too.)

Niche Restaurant
14 S. Third St., Geneva
630/262-1000
www.nichegeneva.com

I offer my own "fancy cocktail," enjoyed by neighbors at a recent get together:

Dry Soda(TM) kumquat

kumquat syrup(from home-candied kumquats)

Cristalino

one candied kumquat per glass

I deleted a series of posts from this this thread, which seemed to be degenerating over the meaning of "fancy cocktails."

Please refrain from attacks, accusations, rebuttals, and the like.

As for the cocktails, I've used Mr. Boston's for quite some time, and it has a rather long list, even if perhaps not as "nouveau" as some. My current copy's probably 10 years old anyway, and the recipes are quite straightforward. No homemade bitters or vodkas infused in your basement.

Maybe I'm too much of a neophyte, or underestimating your sophistication, Mlle. Danielle (and if so, I apologize), but I'm not sure there's enough in the technique, especially when just starting, to warrant a class.

That said, I highly recommend a trip to the Violet Hour. Grab a seat at the bar, ask if Kyle's working (others are good too, I'm sure), and have him teach you what you want to know. It's like a class where you pay by the drink. Good times. And good luck.

A few seminars:
Mixology 101 Seminar, April 17, at Sam's South Loop
Springtime Cocktails, April 24, at Schaefer's
Cocktail Master Class, by appointment, at Avenue M
Tales of the Cocktail, July 16-20, New Orleans

Probably more serious instruction than you want:
ABC Bartending School
Professional Bartenders School of Chicago

I'd avoid the bartending schools. With a little focus and a book, or maybe a one time class or so, you'll learn just as much and also not have to learn flare..

jpschust wrote:not have to learn flare..

Why wouldn't one want to learn flair? I'd think that if you're going to the trouble to learn to mix fancy cocktails for home entertaining, learning to serve them theatrically would be a bonus.

But I doubt they teach much flair in the one-week bartending course these days. It's probably more taken up with dram shop liability law.

LAZ wrote:

jpschust wrote:not have to learn flare..

Why wouldn't one want to learn flair? I'd think that if you're going to the trouble to learn to mix fancy cocktails for home entertaining, learning to serve them theatrically would be a bonus.

But I doubt they teach much flair in the one-week bartending course these days. It's probably more taken up with dram shop liability law.

Because it just ends up as a waste of alcohol, plus do you really want liquor all over your floor? They actually do teach it in a LOT of those classes. Now, if you can do the shaker to glass trick of mixing without spilling I'd be amazed!

jpschust wrote:Now, if you can do the shaker to glass trick of mixing without spilling I'd be amazed!

So would I.

Personally, I stir my cocktails gently in a pitcher. Not only does it avoid such embarrassing mishaps, it doesn't bruise the gin.

LAZ wrote:

jpschust wrote:Now, if you can do the shaker to glass trick of mixing without spilling I'd be amazed!

So would I.

Personally, I stir my cocktails gently in a pitcher. Not only does it avoid such embarrassing mishaps, it doesn't bruise the gin.

Gin doesn't really get bruised. I use shakers all the time at home and even boston shakers, it's doing that tossing the liquor from glass to glass thing that I just can't do.

I took a non credit bartending 101 class at College of DuPage back in the early 90's and thought it was a good intro into the basics. Things like: glass types and why, using a shaker, how long to shake/mix without getting a watery drink, using the "tools," don't scoop ice with a glass glass, cutting fruit, basic mixers and the like. It was pretty informational. They told me to buy the Boston's book, which is a good purchase.

I'd look into something like this or a try to find a workshop. Perhaps this is a business idea for one of the bartenders on the site. They could have an hour of basics, and an hour of classic cocktails, and then an hour of new preparations. Just a thought...

Don't forget the umbrellas!

Thanks so much for all the ideas, folks, and thanks to some of you for your recipes! I'll sign on with some success stories soon... Will order a simple book too, or perhaps ask my 89 year old grandmother for a lesson ; )

I just wanted to put my two cents in and say that while I do not make my own syrups and bitters, my friends say I can mix a decent drink. Most of what I learned I got from reading books. I think one of the first books I read cover-to-cover was (no joke) Bartending for Dummies. You guys laugh, but it actually had a lot of good, basic information that stuck in my head. After that, I studied a basic cocktail list to get an idea of how to make classic cocktails like an Old Fashioned or a Rob Roy. At that point, you can get a cocktail book and learn how to take it to the next level. It really depends on how involved you want to get.

Most good drinks, in my opinion, involve fresh ingredients and good liquor. If you want a decent margarita, for instance, don't use Cuervo and sweet-and-sour mix. Squeeze some fresh limes, and splurge on some decent liquors. Even in a mixed drink, it makes a difference.

If you're serving for a party, choose one or two main cocktails that go with your theme or your food offerings. If people don't want that, they can be boring and have wine or beer. No need to try and be everything to everyone. (I speak from experience: this is my consistent failing and why I often spend my parties working the bar instead of working the crowd. )

Totally agree with Nora, even on the Bartending for Dummies. Good conventional recipes and ingredients lists and an excellent glossary.

Making your own flavored vodkas, limoncello, and bitters is a really nice touch for entertaining and will usually blow away store-bought flavors. They also make wonderful gifts in small bottles; after you impress your guests by livening up their Waldorf, Yale, crusta, or shandy with your home-made infusion, passing on a nip will put the presentation over the edge.

The bitters recipe here with grapefruit rind and allspice is simply amazing:

http://www.bostoncocktails.com/2006-06- ... tters.html

I will second the idea of going to Violet Hour. If you go at a slow time--say, early evening or Sundays--the bartenders all seem perfectly happy to talk about how they make their drinks. Many of them have created drinks that are now on the menu, so they'll certainly be enthusiastic about talking them up! (My friend Ira let us taste-test the "Sunburned Dane" right before it became an official offering, we felt very important.)

I've gotten several recipes from the VH staffers, they certainly don't seem to regard them as trade secrets.

geli wrote:I will second the idea of going to Violet Hour. If you go at a slow time--say, early evening or Sundays--the bartenders all seem perfectly happy to talk about how they make their drinks. Many of them have created drinks that are now on the menu, so they'll certainly be enthusiastic about talking them up! (My friend Ira let us taste-test the "Sunburned Dane" right before it became an official offering, we felt very important.)

I've gotten several recipes from the VH staffers, they certainly don't seem to regard them as trade secrets.

Ira is a great bartender. He's really come a long way in just a few months there. (Not that he wasn't great before, but he's exceptional now.

This is one of the great things about the Chicago cocktail community. People don't think of their drinks as secrets as some do in NY. The guys at Violet Hour are doing a great job.

I was a bartender for four years back in the ancient days at the Big Bar at the Hyatt on Wacker.We had three weeks of training. The basic principles are as follows: proper glass first (rocks, highball, martini, flute, etc.) Second is method of construction ("building",which just means placing ingredients into a glass, stirring, mixing, blending, layering as in a B-52, muddling). Ice if used always goes in first. Then proper ingredients, and lastly the garnish. Understanding these principles, you can just use any of the many recipe books out there to do pretty much whatever you want.

During the course of my training we had to learn about 150 different recipes, and I went out and bought all the different types of liquors and mixes and garnishes to practice at home. My wife remembers (barely) that time as a very interesting one, because she was my guinea pig to try all the different drinks. She had no objection, except every once in a while in the morning.

BTW, martinis should be stirred never shaken, James Bond is out of his mind.

I got this in an email today:

SUMMER COCKTAIL SEMINAR
Tuesday, May 5, 6:00-8:00pm
Binny's in South Loop
1132 S. Jefferson Street
Chicago, IL
312-768-4400

Meet Belvedere Vodka global mixologist Claire Smith as she teaches you the latest trends in cocktails and entertaining. Reservations are required as seating is limited. FREE ADMISSION!

Call Juan at 312-768-4400 or email juan@binnys.com for reservations.

Santander wrote:Totally agree with Nora, even on the Bartending for Dummies. Good conventional recipes and ingredients lists and an excellent glossary.

Making your own flavored vodkas, limoncello, and bitters is a really nice touch for entertaining and will usually blow away store-bought flavors. They also make wonderful gifts in small bottles; after you impress your guests by livening up their Waldorf, Yale, crusta, or shandy with your home-made infusion, passing on a nip will put the presentation over the edge.

The bitters recipe here with grapefruit rind and allspice is simply amazing:

http://www.bostoncocktails.com/2006-06- ... tters.html

Santander, I'm really intrigued with the grapefruit rind and allspice recipe. Do you have a favorite drink that you use it in?

Another free cocktail class/advertisement at Binny's in the South Loop with Hendricks' "head mixologist":

Thursday, May 15, 6:00-8:00pm
Binny's in South Loop
1132 S. Jefferson
Chicago, IL
312-768-4400

Meet Charlotte Voisey, Hendrick's Gin mixologist, who has run cocktail bars around the world. With diverse locations that include Barcelona, Buenos Aires and London, she has travelled the globe showcasing her mixing skills. Now she brings those skills to Binny's to help you improve your cocktail repertoire. Reservations are required as seating is limited. FREE ADMISSION!

Call Juan at 312-768-4400 or email juan@binnys.com for reservations.

Here's another cocktail class - this one in Andersonville at In Fine Spirits:

Tuesday, June 17, 7:30pm
Practical Seminar: Classic Cocktail Mixology
Impress your guests - learn to make great classic cocktails at home! Hosted by Sonja Kassebaum, North Shore Distillery ($35)

Several cocktail classes are coming up from local "bar chefs" next week:

How to join Chicago's new cocktail culture

The French liqueurs class and the class from Adam Seger on heirloom-tomato cocktails seem particularly interesting.

You could always read my new cocktail blog -- everydaydrinks.blogspot.com!

LAZ wrote:Several cocktail classes are coming up from local "bar chefs" next week:

How to join Chicago's new cocktail culture

The French liqueurs class and the class from Adam Seger on heirloom-tomato cocktails seem particularly interesting.

The Brasserie Jo class is full. There is a waiting list, and they likely will be offering more classes in the future.

All right, I've had it. I'm getting sick of my half ass cocktail making skills. I need a good "Bartender Guide", or something along those lines. Any recs?

thanks,