two ounces of the requested liquor, and fill with the requested beverage.
Most cocktails are named according to recipe and can cause very little confusion. For example: Bourbon and water, Scotch and soda, gin and tonic, vodka and seven (referring to 7-Up, of course).
The other drinks you’re likely to be concerned with are the martinis (both vodka and gin), Manhattans, and Rob Roys. This is where the vermouths come in. You’re lucky if your guests specify them “on the rocks,” then all you have to do is put an ice cube or two in an old-fashioned glass, pour in the base liquor, add the proper vermouth, stir, and serve.
A nicer way to serve them though is “up”—in a stemmed cocktail glass. In this case the drink is mixed in a pitcher, or if you’re working in the privacy of the kitchen when mixing the drinks, almost any container with a spout will do, stirred with ice, and strained into the glass.
For martinis the base is either vodka or gin. Traditionally it is gin, but the preference has so swung over to vodka martinis that in some cities you have to specify “gin” to get a gin martini—otherwise you get a vodka martini. In any case, your proportions should never be more than one part of vermouth to four parts of gin or vodka. There are some hardy souls that prefer no vermouth at all. Serve with a stuffed green olive in the glass. Or a small cocktail onion, which magically changes the drink into a Gibson. And before somebody says, “Ah ha!,” use dry or Italian vermouth for this drink.
The Manhattan is made the same way as the martini, except that bourbon is used instead of vodka or gin, and sweet vermouth is used instead of the dry. But here you use proportions of one part of vermouth to three parts of bourbon. As Jackie says, “Manhattan drinkers are a different breed.” But there are sub-species, and eventually you’ll find someone who’ll ask for a dry Manhattan, in which case substitute dry vermouth and use less of it.
The Rob Roy is traditionally a Manhattan made with Scotch. But so much preference has been made lately for the dry Rob Roy (same rules apply as to Manhattans of this variety) that when your guests request this, it is advisable to ask, “Classic or dry?” It’s a good line, too, and simply means “sweet or dry vermouth?”
One word of warning. In the case of the last two drinks, you may run across the rare character who wants his Manhattan or Rob Roy “perfect,” in which case you use half dry vermouth and half sweet vermouth, but keep the total amount of vermouth in the same proportion to the base of Scotch or bourbon.
As you expand the variety of liquors and liqueurs in your bar, you’ll want more recipes for fancier drinks. One of the best books out, and sometimes called the “Bartender’s Bible” is Old Mister Boston. It’s not expensive and is well worth having.
After dinner, it’s nice to retire to the drawing room for coffee and liqueurs, or you may choose to serve them “at table.” In any case it’s nice to have a selection of three or four at hand, and let your guest choose from among them. Reliable standbys are Cognac (which should always be served in a snifter), Galliano, crème de menthe (the green is more favored), and Drambuie. These latter three should be served in liqueur glasses.
There are many more types available, but these four have particular versatility, as you’ll see later on when we get into the preparation of various recipes where liqueurs are specified ingredients. Just to give you an idea, when you’re cooking green peas add a dash of crème de menthe, or serve brandy over a peach half.
Eventually you’re going to want to entertain more than just a small intimate group at dinner—as sort of a repayment for all those invitations you’ve received from helpful friends who are trying to get you married off. It’s a wise idea, especially if you would like their continued assistance. The easiest (and cheapest) way to provide drinks for such a crowd, usually about twelve or more, is to serve a punch.
This first one is Fish House Punch, and Jackie tells me it was one of George Washington’s favorites. The recipe serves about fifteen people under normal circumstances.
Dissolve three-fourths cup sugar in one pint lemon juice. Add one fifth of Jamaican rum, one pint of cognac and two ounces of peach liqueur. Stir well, and allow mixture to stand for several hours, stirring from time to time. At serving time, add a block of ice and one quart club soda. One thing more—mix the whole thing right in the punch bowl.
Here’s another nice little ice-breaker, if you have an electric blender, and want to live dangerously. It’s the Mollie Hogan.
In a blender put the juice of twelve oranges and the juice of two lemons, six teaspoons vanilla extract, and six eggs. Mix thoroughly and add one fifth gin (or vodka). Serve one and one-half ounces over ice in a tall glass and add 7-Up to fill. It goes down easy, but gets up slow!
One more, and we’ll go on into a discussion of what to serve with all these delightful nectars. This I call “Either Way” or “AC-DC.” You know how it is sometimes when you go to the store and have to make a last-minute substitution because they just sold the last can, box or whatever? Well, that’s how this developed.
In a punch bowl (preferably an hour or so before the party) put: two quarts orange sherbet (or ice) or pineapple sherbet (or ice), three fifths chilled sauterne or Chablis, two six-ounce cans frozen orange or grapefruit juice, and one bottle chilled champagne. (No substitutions on this.) Then stand back and let ’em at it.
A word to the wise—if you’re planning another activity later on, pour lightly!
CHAPTER THREE
Grand Openings (Appetizers, Canapés, and Such)
When it comes to appetizers, you can be as plain or fancy as your talents and your budget allow. We are trying here, though, to keep the budget at a minimum, and in the case of appetizers that greatly simplifies things.
APPETIZERS & HORS D’OEUVRES
The simplest appetizer, served as a first course at dinner, might be nothing more than a small glass of well-chilled tomato juice served with a lemon wedge.
Another delightful opening to dinner is a shrimp or oyster cocktail, and involves no more than opening a can of shrimp or oysters (or thawing out a frozen package), and serving them in something as simple as a sherbet glass, topped with a prepared sauce.
The present tendency is to eliminate the appetizer course in favor of serving canapés or hors d’oeuvres, so that a number of delicacies that were formerly considered as appropriate appetizers are now classed as hors d’oeuvres. In the main these are rather complicated recipes. The beginning cook is going to have enough to do with the main part of the meal, so let’s keep things simple.
We must keep in mind that in general cocktails and such are a prelude to dinner—plan accordingly, so that guests are not overfed, or their appetites jaded by the time they arrive at table.
As a suggestion for something light, you might glance back at the section on vegetables and see which ones are edible as raw relishes. Two or three of these, cut to bite-sized pieces and arranged over shaved or cracked ice is a most attractive and delicious prelude. You might even arrange to have a dunk for the vegetables to be dipped in. Here’s a real simple one:
To one-half pint sour cream add one tablespoon chili sauce, one teaspoon dry mustard, one grated onion, one teaspoon Worcestershire Sauce, one tablespoon chopped chives, one-half teaspoon salt, and one-half teaspoon cracked pepper. Mix well and chill for one hour before serving as a dunk for raw vegetables.
CANAPÉS
In recent years
