Category Archives: tools

The Mixing Glass

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yarai mixing glass

Together with a cocktail shaker, a mixing glass is a pretty essential bar tool, and until recently, I didn’t have a good one. A mixing glass is better for making stirred drinks, like a Martini or Manhattan, but I’ve just been using a regular pint glass for those. A cocktail mixing glass, though, give you both a wider bottom (insert Spinal Tap joke here) and a pour spout. By far, the most popular mixing glass is the Yarai (pictured above), which sells for about $40.

griffin low form 500ml beakers as cocktail mixing glasses

Being a bit of a cheapo, I looked for a more affordable alternative and I found 500ml Low Form Breakers on Amazon. Like the Yarai, these beakers are 500ml and have a pour spout, but they are considerably less expensive (I got a 6-pack for $15). Outside of the obvious elegance factor with the Yarai, the only other difference is that the beakers have a slightly wider mouth, though your strainer will still fit. They match the Williams Sonoma beaker jigger, too (shown above).

Home Bartender Christmas Gifts 2012

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Home Bartender Christmas Gifts

December is here! It’s time to get your home bartender some gifts for a very Merry Christmas, so here are some gift ideas for the simple cocktail maker in your life:

Whiskey Disks. Large (1 3/4″ wide x 3/4″ high) freezable soapstones in a canvas freezer bag. Set of 4.

  • How much: $30.
  • Where: Amazon.
  • Buy for: the whiskey connoisseur who likes their drink neat, cool, and not watered down.
  • Buy because: these guys are actually stonemasons and they make a great product. The disks are large, smooth, uniform, and dishwasher safe.

The NEAT Glass. “Naturally engineered aroma technology” allows you to taste the full flavor of a liquor without the alcohol vapors in your nose.

  • How much: start at $19.
  • Where: Amazon.
  • Buy for: the booze aficionado with a great palate who likes to taste the subtleties of their alcohol.
  • Buy because: it’s a unique product with a lot of smart science behind it.

Bar10der. A 10-in-1 folding and portable bar tool for cocktails, beer, and wine. Like a Swiss Army knife with a strainer, stirrer, jigger, muddler, reamer, knife, channel knife, corkscrew, bottle opener, and zester.

  • How much: $50.
  • Where: Amazon.
  • Buy for: The home bartender who wants all their tools in one and make drinks at other’s homes, too. And they like pretty colors.
  • Buy because: it’s a product that combines all the essential bar tools into one.

Royal Rose Syrups. Natural and delicious simple syrups for cocktails, drinks, and desserts.

  • How much: start at $11.
  • Where: Williams Sonoma or online.
  • Buy for: the home bartender who wants quality ingredients for simple cocktails that lots of people will enjoy.
  • Buy because: they are tasty products that can ease the stress of home bartending.

Sea Stones. Freezable 1 1/4″ rough-cut granite cubes in a wooden presentation tray. Set of 6.

  • How much: $35, including the custom tray.
  • Where: Amazon, Bed Bath and Beyond and online.
  • Buy for: the whiskey connoisseur who likes their drink neat, cool, and not watered down.
  • Buy because: the presentation of the wooden serving tray is classy. Set this out on the table after dinner with whiskey glasses and people will ooh and ahh. No two are alike – they vary slightly in size and shape and vary in color from browns to greys to whites.

Glassware

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Glassware

One of the most important elements of a home bar is glassware. There are several styles of glasses you will find, and each of them fits with a particular drink. Of the absolutely necessary glassware, there are 2 to start with: old fashioned glasses and cocktail glasses.

Old fashioned glasses, also known as rocks glasses, are small and stout, much like the three glasses in the foreground of the photo above. These hold a volume of about 7-13 ounces and are best for serving whiskey straight and for cocktails like Old Fashioneds and  Sazeracs.

Next are cocktail glasses, sometimes called martini glasses. These are tall, stemmed glasses that hold 2 to 8 ounces and are used for drinks like Martinis, Negronis, and many other “martini-style” cocktails. Traditionally, the glassware used for these drinks was the old-style champagne coupes like those in the middle row above, which only hold about 2 1/2 ounces. These can almost exclusively be found used nowadays as glassware manufacturers have discovered that champagne holds it bubbles better in a long, tall glass.

As far as shopping is concerned, glassware can be found anywhere from Target to antique stores and most places in between. Because I like for my glassware to be unique and traditional, I look at thrift shops and antique stores almost exclusively. Here’s what I’ve discovered: Most glassware at Goodwill and other thrift shops will be between 15¢ and $1 each. You will often find multiples of the same glass, but it’s hard to find sets of 6 or more (usually those are missing at least one glass). Even the most ancient glassware can usually be totally redeemed with a good dishwasher and some Jet Dry.

Below is some of my favorite glassware in my home bar. Most of these I have in sets of 3-6 glasses and only one of these was purchased new (from World Market). The “free” glasses were gifts from friends.

Glassware

Perrier and Cocktails [+ Giveaway]

perrier flavors

A staple to any home bar is club soda, and I find myself running out of it more often than anything. There are several “fizzy waters” that you can outfit your bar with – club soda, seltzer, or mineral water – are they all the same and will they all work in cocktails? I’ve found the answer to be yes, but The Kitchn will give you the science behind it all. My short answer? Mineral water can be more flavorful and is more natural. That brings us to the mother of all mineral water: Perrier.

perrier cocktails

Lemon, Lime, Pink Grapefruit, and original Perrier, all great in their own right, also make some great simple cocktails:

Perrier Mojito

  • 2 oz white rum
  • 1 oz lime juice
  • 1 tsp sugar
  • muddle the above with mint leaves
  • fill with ice, top with Perrier Lime
  • garnish with mint sprig and a lime wedge

Perrier Tom Collins

  • 2 oz gin
  • 1 oz lemon juice
  • 1 tsp sugar
  • fill with ice, top with Perrier Lemon
  • garnish with a lemon wedge and a cherry

Cape Perrier

  • 2 oz vodka
  • 1 oz lime juice
  • 1 oz cranberry juice
  • fill with ice, top with original Perrier
  • garnish with lime

Perrier Greyhound

  • 2 oz vodka
  • fill with ice, top with Perrier Pink Grapefruit
  • grapefruit or orange peel garnish

Perrier has generously offered to ship one of our readers a 2 month supply (2 cases) of Perrier for your home bar! Just leave a comment below saying which of these cocktails you would try first, and you’ll be entered to win! (sorry, U.S. addresses only) Contest ends September 30, 2012.

Mercy

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Mercy

Mercy is a “hangover prevention drink” that comes in a little 8.4 oz can (like Red Bull) and it is meant to be consumed either as a cocktail mixer, while you are enjoying several cocktails, or after you’ve had several cocktails. The internet is peppered with people testing the effectiveness of Mercy – some praise it, while others felt it didn’t help. Because you can read lots of different opinions all over the web, and because I didn’t want to get drunk to “test” this stuff, I’m taking a different approach.

In the FAQ section at drinkmercy.com, I found that Mercy can help prevent “Alcohol flush,” which some of my friends get and I can rarely make them cocktails as a result. I made a little “Mercy Kit” with G’Vine Gin, Mercy, and a lime, and I asked my friend Kevin to try it out. He told me “my alcohol intolerance symptoms involve a) being miserable when I drink because my sinuses get super plugged and b) a crazy hangover. After drinking this elixir, I still suffered the sinus craziness but have no hangover. It’s worth it.”

mercy pack

Mercy is a potentially helpful companion to alcohol in several ways: it can prevent alcohol flush, it can protect your liver (it contains milk thistle), it can amp up your immune system, and it can potentially prevent illness the next day. It’s a practical drink, so the fact that it has a very pronounced vitamin flavor is pretty much irrelevant. Mercy is available in New York and Miami, or you can order direct online.

Buyers guides now available!

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simple cocktails buyers guides

I’m excited to announce what may be one of the most useful features available at Simple Cocktails yet: home bar buyers guides!  Whether your budget is $50 or $500, I outline for you the basic ingredients to make the largest amount of cocktails in your price range.  Now go shopping!

What Are Bitters? [+ Contest!]

Fee Brothers Bitters

Depending on the circles you run in, bitters could mean several things.  If you watch enough British movies, you’ll run across the phrase “a pint of bitter.” While unfamiliar to us in the colonies, this just refers to a pale ale.

The second bitter you may have heard of would be a digestive bitter, an after-dinner liqueur that tastes more bitter than sweet, which would include Campari (my favorite), Aperol, Fernet Branca, and many more. These tend to be drunk straight, on ice, or mixed in a cocktail. You can buy them in full-size bottles and they’re similar in alcohol content to a port or vermouth.

The bitters that I will mention most on this blog, though, are cocktail bitters. Cocktail bitters add subtle flavoring and aroma to cocktails by adding just a dash or even a drop. These come in small bottles – usually 4-10 ounces – and some have very high alcohol content (like 45%), but as they can’t be drunk straight, you can find them at Target and other retailers, as well as grocery stores. They’re good for cooking as well. Brands of cocktail bitters include Angostura (the most popular), Fee Brothers, Bitter Truth, or Peychaud’s. Angostura is known for it’s oversized label:

The smell of cocktail bitters ranges from medicinal to herbal to fruity, depending on the brand and the flavor. Angostura is available in aromatic and orange versions, Fee Brothers and others make celery, grapefruit, aged whiskey, chocolate, and many other flavors of bitters. A traditional Martini recipe is gin, vermouth, and a dash of orange bitters. Manhattans cannot be made properly without aromatic bitters. The flavor of bitters are subtle, but you will likely notice when they’re not used in a drink.

Get a bottle of bitters. Use it in your cocktails, of course, but try it in soda or mineral water as well.  To get you started, I’ve got a bitters giveaway for two lucky readers.  One will win a bottle of Angostura Orange bitters and one will receive a bottle of Fee Bros. Aromatic bitters.  Here’s how you can win:

  • 1.  You must be a resident of the United States.
  • 2.  Follow @simpledrinks on Twitter.
  • 3.  Click here and “Like” Simple Cocktails on Facebook.
  • 4.  Comment below.  Tell me your favorite cocktail.
  • 5.  Winners will be chosen at random on August 1, 2012.  I’ll contact them shortly after they win to get their shipping address. The contest is now closed.

GOOD LUCK!

Homemade Cocktail Cherries

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I have an aversion to high fructose corn syrup. I began avoiding it 4 years ago and lost a bunch of weight as a result.  One of the final hurdles for my HFCS-avoidance is maraschino cherries.  The jars of cherries at the store contain pitted cherries, red dye, and HFCS.  I’ve been looking for alternatives, and found a simple recipe to make your own.

Homemade Cocktail Cherries

Combine:

  • Trader Joe’s Dried Bing Cherries (these are pitted too).
  • Brandy of your choosing.  I used Pierre Duchene, which is $8 at Trader Joe’s.
  • A container.

Combine them so that the cherries are completely submerged, and leave some room because they’ll swell quite a bit.

brandy cherries submerged

Ew….but leave them in there for 2 days minimum, and here’s what you get:

brandy cherries plumped

Wow! I had to top it off again with brandy as they really swelled up on me.  Now the result is a firm cherry, not sweet at all (I’m considering using a little sugar in the jar next time).  I’ve used them in Old Fashioneds and they come out great!

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