A glimpse at Michelle's Home Bar..don't worry if you don't have this many bitters.
Be Your Own Bartender
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Every summer I look forward to the myriad of concoctions that my local bartenders whip up to entice me inside their air-conditioned havens. Sadly, this year looks a little bit different with bars and restaurants closing left and right, and the ones that remain open for outdoor seating are limited and exposed to the elements. It has served as another rude reminder of the toll this virus has had on our industry. It has also reminded me that I have been neglecting my own bar at home as an alternative means of supporting our friends on the distillation side of the beverage world. You don't have to be an expert mixologist to have fun with a few ingredients and take pride in your own creations!
The basics of bartending come down to the same thing that we look for in the crafting of wine or spirits: balance. In wine/spirits we look for a balance of sugar (sweetness), to alcohol (heat), to tannin (bitterness), to acid (tartness). In cocktails we look to find the same balance, which will be different for you depending on your taste. When making a cocktail that has a juice element (lemon, lime, grapefruit, etc) you want to balance the tart acidity with a sweet component like simple syrup (a mixture of sugar and water), honey, agave, or maybe even a liqueur, to highlight or complement your base spirit (bourbon, gin, tequila, etc). In a cocktail without juice, the tart component is replaced with a bitter component, and the ratio changes a bit. This includes a whole array of classic cocktails like an Old Fashioned (arguably the very first cocktail, otherwise known as the "Bittered Sling") where bitter Angostura is balancing the sweetness of a sugar cube, and softening the edges of your favorite whiskey.
A very basic juice cocktail will have a ratio of 2 parts spirit: 1 part juice: 1 part sugar. This can be translated into hundreds of variations from a very simple Daiquiri (2 parts White Rum, 1 part lime juice, 1 part simple syrup) to something with a few extra components like a Mojito ( 2 parts white Rum, 1 part lime juice, 1 part sugar, a handful of mint, topped with club soda), and beyond. These kinds of drinks will be best shaken to allow the juice to better incorporate with the other ingredients, and adds extra dilution (read: water) from breaking down the ice. The harder and longer you shake, the more water you're adding. If you're making a Mojito, you won't need to shake as much, because the club soda adds to your dilution. If you don't yet have a shaker tin set, throw your ingredients in a mason jar, screw on the lid and shake it until it starts to condensate on the glass before straining it into a new glass over ice...or just put in a straw, because this is your bar, and you make the rules! Just be warned your drink may get pretty watery, pretty quickly this way.
A basic "bittered sling" will have a ratio of roughly 5 parts spirit: 1 part bittering component: 1 part sweetener. Translated to a classic Old Fashioned will be ~2oz Whiskey, 2 dashes of Angostura bitters, and 1 sugar cube, muddled and stirred together over a block of ice, finished with the twist of an orange and/or lemon peel. However the ratio can vary greatly depending on the ingredients and desired effect. A classic Negroni will be equal parts bitter, sweet, and heat with 1oz Gin, 1oz Sweet Vermouth, and 1oz Apertivo. One of the key components here that is often overlooked is water (dilution). In a shaken cocktail you're adding a good amount of water by shaking, and perhaps more by topping with soda or sparkling wine. In a bitter drink, your focus is highlighting the spirit, so you want less dilution to water it down. Spirits and syrups mix together well and don't require the force of shaking to incorporate, so if there's no juice in your drink, you only need to stir your ingredients over ice. The longer you stir, and the smaller your ice cubes are to begin with, the more water you'll be adding to your drink (just something to think about when you decide how strong or mellow you want your cocktail to be).
The idea is not to be rigid with ratios or measurements. It's all about how it tastes to you! This is just a great basis to start with if you're thinking about getting creative with your bar at home. Take a classic you love and mix it up! Split your juice portion into lemon AND grapefruit, try swapping out simple syrup for Fair Goji Liqueur, or whatever random liqueur you have lying around. Michelle DeWyngaert
Here are our staff picks for our favorite at-home libations if you're looking for a little inspiration:
- I have always loved rum and not just because I am from Puerto Rico. I enjoy the versatility and range of the spirit. With that said one of my favorite cocktails is the mojito. A simple cocktail without all the frills. All you need is white rum (Privateer New England White Rum being the choice for me), fresh lime juice, mint leaves, sugar and a splash of soda water. Muddle the mint and sugar together in your glass; add the soda water pour the rum over. You can garnish the cocktail with a sprig of mint and a wedge of lemon if you like. Enjoy! Nelson Dejesus
- 1.5 oz White Rum
- 1oz fresh lime juice (trust us, you can taste if it's fresh!)
- 2 tsp simple syrup (mix equal parts sugar and water, heat to dissolve, or just use a spoonful or two of granulated sugar)
- 6 mint leaves (a handful)
- splash of club soda
- Instead of adding orange juice to sparkling wine during a late morning/early afternoon meal with friends, I prefer to mix something more interesting into bubbles. Some call it a "Bitter Morning," and it is very simple: amaro and prosecco. The Forthave Marseilles Amaro has the perfect combo of bitter and subtly sweet flavors, and when added to the organic Il Fortunato Prosecco, the result is a stunningly refreshing, yet complex, glass. One of the best features of this drink is that you can stir in the Forthave to your taste. A larger pour making it darker and richer, with more of a bite, or just a dash to provide some nuance and character. David Hatzopoulos
- Splash (or two or three) of Amaro
- Top with Prosecco
- Enjoy!
- The French-75 dates back to WWI, supposedly named after the 75mm Howitzer gun used by the French in the war, and apparently has a similar kick to it. This refreshing, effervescent cocktail is best with crisp, racy Champagne like the Ponson NV Extra Brut, and a grape based gin like G'Vine seems to be a perfect match. If you're feeling ambitious, take out the shaker tin to combine the gin with fresh lemon juice and simple syrup, or just pour into the bottom of your flute, then top with Champagne or French sparkling wine of choice (it is a French 75 after all). John McIlwain
- 1oz Gin
- .5oz fresh lemon juice
- .5oz simple syrup
- Shake together with ice
- Strain into a flute
- Top with Champagne
- Garnish with a lemon twist
- The Martini is a very personal drink. When I worked as a bartender, the orders always came with a slew of instructions. Over time my own preference for Martinis has evolved from once declaring it should be "as dirty as possible; filthy!", (meaning I was really just drinking Vodka-laced pickle juice) to now preferring something of a Vesper variation, and always with a proper amount of Vermouth. I really love making this with Forthave Blue Gin because the lavender and pine notes play so well with abundantly floral slightly bitter La Quintinye Vermouth (Extra Dry or Blanc if you want to invoke the spirit of the original Lillet). Despite what James Bond is famous for declaring, there is no need to shake this cocktail unless you enjoy little shards of ice in your glass. Michelle DeWyngaert
- 2 oz Gin
- 1 oz Dry or Blanc Vermouth or Aromatized Wine of choice
- Stir over ice
- Strain into a chilled coupe (or wine glass, or mason jar, or sippy cup, you do you.)
- Garnish with a lemon twist
- I struggle these days with full-octane cocktails, particularly at home, as their consumption means I will have to drink less wine. A Bamboo satisfies not only my need for a Martini, but my love for a glass of good crisp Fino sherry, in this case the Bodegas Grant "Garrocha" Fino is perfect with the Dolin Dry Vermouth de Chambery. Sam Ehrlich
- 1.5 oz Fino Sherry
- 1.5 oz Dry Vermouth
- 2 dashes Orange Bitters
- 2 dashes Angostura Bitters
- Stir over ice
- Strain and serve up in a cold cocktail glass
- Garnish with lemon peel.
- I'm not much of a cocktail drinker at home, but I like to keep some gin in the freezer during the summer in order to make myself a refreshing Tom Collins every now and then. It's very easy to make, only really has a single (alcoholic) ingredient, and I find it invigorating and refreshing. As a tall drink topped with seltzer, you can easily make it as potent or as low-alcohol as you like. Ben Fletcher
- 1.5 oz Gin (the classic choice is an Old Tom Gin, like Caledonia Spirits Barr Hill Gin, but I also love to use Mahon Spanish Gin or Forthave Spirits Blue Gin)
- 1 oz fresh lemon juice
- .5 oz simple syrup or honey
- topped with seltzer water
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Eben told me that his favorite home cocktail is a simple 50:50 mix of two ingredients that are awesome on their own, but even more interesting together: Sonoma Distilling Rye Whiskey and Varnelli Amaro Sibilla. This blend channels the classic appeal of a traditional Rye Manhattan but incorporates the complexity of Amaro Sibilla, which is less sweet and more spicy and herbal than sweet vermouth. He likes to serve it with a single large ice cube. The recipe reminded me of a Black Manhattan, but I definitely prefer Amaro Sibilla to Averna!
- 1.5oz Rye Whiskey
- 1.5 oz Varnelli Amaro Sibilla
- I like to make a negroni with Mezcal. It is important to choose a good, interesting Mezcal, but you don’t want to go overboard and overpower something really special with the other ingredients. I like Derrumbes Selmiana San Luis Potosi or Mezcal Tosba Espadin Oaxaca. The Forthave Red is a great replacement for Campari, and the Casa Mariol Vermut Negre is a very solid sweet vermouth. Garnish with a twist of orange. Derek Van Wormer
- 1oz Mezcal
- 1 oz Forthave Red
- 1 oz Sweet Vermouth
- Sometimes the best thing to do is to just keep it simple. When asked for his favorite at-come cocktail, Jamie replied that he enjoys a Scotch on the rocks (a favorite of my mother's as well); we recommend the Bank Note 5 Year Blended Scotch for just such occasions.
- X oz Scotch (because there are no rules here)
- ice (as much as you see fit)
**Please be advised that Spirits can only be shipped within NYS**
