Cool cocktails
A selection of summertime sips
Now that summer’s here and we can open our homes — or at least our back yards and front porches — to entertaining again, we want to keep things deliciously simple. When it comes to cocktails, that often means the classics, and the classics often mean three-ingredient cocktails.
“There’s a reason they’re classics — because they work,” says Jay Jones, bar development leader for Joey Restaurants.
Simple though they are, trios can taste surprisingly rich and complex. And there are dozens, no, hundreds of them to try.
“Manhattans, Old Fashioneds, Sidecars, Gimlets ... there’s so many,” says Sabrine Dhaliwal, bar manager of Juke Fried Chicken.
Indeed, the very first recorded cocktail, the “bittered sling” described in 1806 as being “composed of spirits of any kind, sugar, water and bitters,” was a three-ingredient cocktail. (Water and ice, essential though they are, are not truly considered ingredients.)
Almost all the founding members of the sour family — Margarita, Sidecar, Daiquiri, Gimlet, Whisky Sour — are three-ingredient cocktails. So is the Negroni, its sibling the Boulevardier and distant cousin the Aperol Spritz. The Manhattan is a trio. Same with the original Martini. And, of course, the Old Fashioned, which is what we now call that long-ago bittered sling.
“Many bartenders take pride in these simple cocktails and the challenge they bring with finding the perfect balance between spirit, sugar and sour,” says Katie Ingram, bar manager at Elisa Steakhouse.
But simple, as we all know, isn’t always easy.
“In theory, these cocktails are made to be simple and because of this, can spark inspiration as solid foundations that we can build upon,” Ingram adds. “In theory, it should be easy, but in reality, it’s not.”
“The simplicity makes it more complicated,” Dhaliwal says. “There’s nothing to hide behind if there’s an error. You’ve either made it well, or you didn’t. They’re unforgiving.”
There’s a reason they’re classics — because they work. Jay Jones, bar development leader for Joey Restaurants
The trickiest thing, as anyone who’s ever tumbled off a three-legged stool knows, is balance. Many original recipes call for equal parts, but within that simple 1-1-1 formula are many factors that can change the outcome of the drink. As Jones says, “The 1-1-1 thing is relevant to what your brands are. Then there’s the dilution factor, and how clean your glass is.”
And if making a good three-ingredient classic cocktail is tricky, just imagine trying to create a brand new one.
“Most great trios have already been created. Is another Manhattan going to be invented?” says Jones. “It’s like painting with primary colours only. It can be done, but you have to be an expert.”
That’s why most modern classics comprise four, five or more ingredients, which add subtlety, character and nuance. “As soon as you take away one ingredient, you’re down to the balance and the foundation,” Jones says.
With so few ingredients in the glass, Ingram points out, each one has to be the best possible quality — “The better ingredients you use, the greater the outcome will be,” she says — and add the complexity the formula doesn’t.
“While your imagination can run wild with flavour combinations, you are still limited with the amount of ingredients that you can use,” she says. “So why don’t we get creative with our elements?”
Instead of one-note simple syrups, she suggests using cordials, acidified syrups that combine sweet and tart flavours, or oleo saccharum, a vintage ingredient whose name, in Latin, means oil and sugar.
Another ingredient that “adds complexity while still making it simple” is tea, says Dhaliwal. Black teas can add bitter tannic notes, while herbal teas can add grassy, floral and botanical ones.
Perhaps the most complex flavours can be found in vermouths, fortified and aromatized wines flavoured with a dozen or more botanical ingredients, which are essential for Manhattans, Negronis and “wet” Martinis, and can stand entirely on their own.
Three, they say is a charm. Certainly, it makes magic in a cocktail glass. And couldn’t we all use a little enchantment?
SOUR GRAPES
Katie Ingram, bar manager at Elisa Steakhouse, created this showstopper cocktail recipe. Plan to start at least a day before you serve it to prepare the oleo saccharum, the “sugar oil,” in the homemade citrus cordial. 2 oz (60 mL) Volcan de mi Tierra blanco tequila
2 oz (60 mL) citrus cordial (see recipe below)
2 dashes Bittered Sling Cascade Celery bitters
Combine all ingredients in a shaker tin and fill with ice. Give it a hard shake. Double-strain or fine-strain your cocktail into a chilled coupe. If you like, garnish with a dehydrated lime wheel. Serves 1.
CITRUS CORDIAL
1 tbsp (10 g) tartaric acid (available at Gourmet Warehouse)
1/3 cup (80mL) water
½ cup (120 mL) citrus oleo saccharum (see note below)
Pinch of salt
Combine all ingredients, stirring until everything is fully dissolved. Makes about ¾ cup (180 mL).
Note: Oleo saccharum is a traditional ingredient that combines citrus oil with sugar to create a deeply flavourful syrup.
To make citrus oleo saccharum: Peel 1 grapefruit, 1 orange and 1 lemon, taking care to remove the zest only, and not the bitter pith. Place the peels in an airtight, non-reactive container, cover with 2 cups of sugar, and seal.
Let sit at room temperature for 24 to 48 hours. Scrape the peels, sugar and any accumulated oils into a small pot and add 1 ½ cups of water. Heat over medium-low temperature, stirring constantly until the sugar is fully dissolved. (Do not boil.) Remove from heat, cool and strain out peels. Oleo saccharum will keep in the fridge for three weeks.
CAMOMILE EXPRESS
Sabrine Dhaliwal, bar manager at Juke Fried Chicken, created this herbal variation on a classic Gimlet using items you likely already have in your pantry. “They give this drink an extra layer of complexity that complements the rich, spicy rye notes of Belvedere vodka,” she says.
2 oz (60 mL) Belvedere vodka
¾ oz (20mL) fresh lime juice
½ oz (15 mL) camomile honey syrup (see note)
Combine all three ingredients into a cocktail shaker or Mason jar, add ice, and shake vigorously for 7 to 10 seconds. Fine-strain into a chilled coupe. If you like, garnish with a lime wheel. Serves 1.
Note: To make camomile syrup, combine 1/3 cup (80 mL) hot, strong camomile tea with 2/3 cup (160 mL) local honey. Stir until a smooth consistency is reached. Label, date and store in the fridge for up to two weeks. Makes about 1 cup (240 mL).
WET MARTINI
This old-new vermouthforward spin on the classic gin cocktail comes from Jay Jones, the bar development leader for Joey Restaurants.
2 oz dry vermouth
1 oz gin (such as Isle of Harris or Sheringham Seaside Gin)
1 dash orange bitters (such as Bittered Sling Orange and Juniper Bitters)
Place all ingredients in a mixing glass with ice. Stir until well chilled and nicely diluted.
Fine-strain into a chilled cocktail glass. Garnish with a Castelvetrano or Cerignola olive. Serves 1.