Sour
Drinks All Bartenders Should Know
Sweet-n-sour
mix has many names in
the mixer aisle of your local store. It can be called sour mix,
margarita mix, and whiskey sour mix. Basically, they are all the
same; sweetened lemon/lime water. Most bars use a concentrated
or powered mix that has to be mixed with water. Handmade cocktail
bars will hand squeeze fresh juice and add simple syrup (sugar
syrup) or sugar. Sour drinks should be shaken and have a frothy
top. Also, a Stone Sour means that the mixer is half
sour mix and half orange juice.
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Whiskey
Sour |
Glass:
Highball, Old-fashioned, or whatever your establishment requires.
1 1/2 ounces of whiskey
4 ounces of sour mix
Mixing Method: Shake.
Garnish: Flag, with the minimum garnish being a cherry.
One
Spirit Sour Family
Amaretto
Sour: amaretto and sour mix.
Vodka Sour: vodka and sour mix.
Scotch Sour: scotch and sour mix.
Apricot Sour: apricot brandy and sour mix.
Midori Sour: Midori and sour mix.
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Tom
Collins |
The
Tom Collins was the very first drink
I ever had in the very first nightclub I ever walked into. I can’t
remember the name of the club, but I do remember the name of the
song playing as I entered; Le Freak.
Glass: Collins glass or tall thin glass.
1 1/2 ounces of gin
Fill with equal parts of sour mix and soda water.
Mixing Method: Shake the gin and sour then top with the soda water.
Garnish: Flag, with the minimum garnish being a cherry.
Note: Most guests prefer the taste of half soda water and
half sprite or 7up. Sadly, America has a sweet tooth.
Collins Family
Vodka
Collins: vodka, sour, soda water.
John Collins: whiskey, sour, and soda water.
Singapore Sling #1: gin, sour mix, soda water,
bitters and a cherry brandy floater.
Singapore Sling #2: gin, Cherry Heering, Cointreau,
Benedictine, pineapple juice, limejuice, grenadine, and bitters.
Sloe Gin Fizz: sloe gin, sour mix, half soda
half sprite or 7 up.
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Long
Island Iced Tea |
The
Long Island Iced Tea is a controversial drink.
Bartenders hate to make it and guests think that they can catch
a buzz from drinking only one. It became famous in the late 1970s
disco era and is said to habe been invented by a man named Robert
Butt from Long Island, NY. The gimmick of the drink is that
it looks and tastes like non-alcoholic Iced Tea. It’s had
some pretty good staying power because it’s still popular
into the 21st century.
When
bartenders talk amongst themselves they often
shorten the name to Long Island Tea and Long Island and the reason
that they hate making it is because you have to pick up 5 bottles
of booze, only pouring a half-ounce from each. Some establishments
only allow you to pour 2 ounces of alcohol into a drink, so one
of the clear liquors are usually eliminated.
1/2 ounce vodka
1/2 ounce gin
1/2 ounce rum
1/2 tequila
1/2 ounce triple sec
2 ounces of sour mix
1/2 to 2 ounces of cola depending
Mixing Method: Shake if using fresh squeezed ingredients before
adding the cola, otherwise roll.
Garnish: lemon wedge.
Note: Some guests like more cola than sour and vice versa.
The #1 mistake bartenders make is pouring in too much sour. When
guests taste a lot of sour they think that you cheated them by
not putting in much alcohol. A lot of bartenders have learned
to pick up two bottles in each hand (four at one time) to make
this drink. Also, depending on where you live, there’s controversy
over the differences between a Texas Tea and a Long Island Tea,
whether one has tequila and or gin or not. Who cares?
For a low carb LIIT, you can use fresh squeezed lemon juice,
Splenda or Equal, and diet cola.
LIIT Family
Long
Beach Tea (also called California Tea); vodka, gin, rum,
tequila, triple sec, sour, and cranberry juice.
Miami Iced Tea; vodka, gin, rum, triple sec,
peach schnapps, cranberry juice and sprite or 7 up.
Electric Iced Tea; vodka, gin, rum, gin, tequila,
blue Curacao, sour and sprite or 7up.
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Lynchburg
Lemonade |
I tried to get some information
on this long cool drink from the Jack Daniel’s company
but I got the runaround for about a month and gave up. Then someone
sent me this information about this lawsuit
and it all made sense.
Apparently,
a man named Tony Mason created a drink and
named it Lynchburg Lemonade in 1980. As a bartender he
made the drink for his Jack Daniel's rep in 1982. Basically, the
rep took the drink and the recipe and never gave Tony Mason
credit.
Glass: Tall
1 1/2 ounces of Jack Daniel’s
1/2 ounce triple sec
Fill with equal parts of sour and sprite or 7up
Mixing Method: Shake if using fresh squeezed ingredients before
adding the soda, otherwise roll.
Garnish: lemon wedge.
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Daiquiri |
Okay.
Here’s the deal with the Daiquiri. The
name comes from the name of a beach in Cuba. A man named Jennings
Cox was working in an iron mine as an engineer near Daiquiri
Beach. One weekend, while entertaining some Americans, he ran
out of gin and quickly mixed up some rum, fresh limejuice and
sugar (sounds like a rum sour, huh?). The drink became a hit and
was then served at the Army and Navy Club in Washington D.C. The
rest is history. It was Ernest Hemingway’s favorite
drink.
Glass: Cocktail
1 1/2 ounces of rum
1 ounce simple syrup
1 ounce fresh lime juice
Mixing Method: Shake and strain.
Garnish: None, but some add a lime wedge.
Note: Most guests think that a Daiquiri is a term for a frozen
drink and or most often, a Strawberry Daiquiri. Honestly, I didn’t
know what it was until I worked on a cruise ship and I had to
make trash cans full of Daiquiris for 1500 passengers at the Captain's
party. Be prepared, because many guests will walk up to your bar
and ask for a Daiquiri and you will have to ask them what flavor
they want. 99% of the time, they will not want this drink.
Daiquiri
Family
Bacardi
Cocktail: Bacardi light rum, sour mix and grenadine (by
law it must be made with Bacardi).
Between the Sheets: rum, brandy, triple sec,
sour mix.
Sidecar: brandy or Cognac, triple sec, and sour
mix. Can be served with a sugared rim.
Margarita
This
is by far the most popular drink worldwide
and many people claim to have invented it. If you’re currently
working as a bartender then you probably make around 5000 Margaritas
a year. Double it if you work in a tropical location and triple
it if you work in a Mexican restaurant. Also, know that there
are many that claim to be the inventor of the Margarita ranging
from the 1930s to the 1950s. When you think about it it’s
just a Daiquiri spin-off.
Glass: Many glasses can be used and some establishments even use
real Margarita glasses that have a unique shape.
1 1/2 ounces of tequila
1/2 ounce of triple sec
1/8 ounce lime juice
4 ounces sour mix
Mixing Method: Margaritas can be served up, on the rocks,
or blended.
Garnish: A salted rim and a lime wedge. For presentation sake
some establishments will use lime wheels.
Note: The lime juice called for in this recipe is not fresh
squeezed, it’s sweetened lime juice like Rose’s lime
cordial. This Margarita recipe is the way most bars in America
make it. Handmade cocktail bars don’t use the sweetened
lime juice or sour mix. They use only the tequila, triple sec,
and fresh squeezed lime juice (however they usually upgrade the
triple sec to Cointreau). Guests that have not developed a taste
for this strong puckering taste will compromise with some homemade
sour mix or simple syrup to add a little sweetness. And actually,
if you ever do have a chance to make a Margarita with homemade
sour mix then you’ll probably never drink one with typical
bar sour mix again.
Margarita
Tips
A lot of bartenders are confused about flavored Margaritas.
Understand that a Margarita is tequila, orange liqueur, and lime
juice. To make flavored Margaritas you simply replace the orange
liqueur with another flavored liqueur or mixer. For example if
you use Chambord (sham-BOARD) instead of the triple sec (orange
liqueur) you’ve made a Raspberry
Margarita, if you use Midori you’ve made a Melon
Margarita and if you replace the orange liqueur with
strawberry mix then you’ve made a Strawberry
Margarita.
Bartenders
will develop their own style when making
a Margarita on the rocks. When you’re just beginning, it
helps to make the Margarita in the glass first so you get a feel
for the portions in the glass that you use at your bar. Next,
you can pour it into a shaker tin and while shaking, you can dip
rim the glass with salt with the other hand then pour in the drink.
Experienced bartenders will rim the glass first and pour the perfect
amount of ice, spirit, and mixer into a shaker tin from the beginning,
shake then pour it into the glass.
If you’re not sure if a guest wants their glass rimmed with
salt or not, then just rim half of it.
Know
that Margaritas can be made straight up,
on the rocks or blended (frozen). Also know that most guests don’t
have a clue about Margaritas. They hear about it in a song or
see it in the movies and TV and then walk up to the bar and ask,
Can I have a Margarita? You then will have to ask a series of
questions. So, try to smile and without attitude say, sure, how
would you like it? When you see the deer-caught-in-the-headlight
eyes you’ll know that you are looking at an inexperienced
Margarita drinker. The choices they will have to make are up,
rocks, frozen, salt, no salt, well or top shelf.
To make unforgettable blended/frozen Margaritas, blend the non-alcoholic
portions and pour into the glass leaving room to pour the alcohol
on top. When you blend with the alcohol the melted ice waters
down the drink.
Know
that Cointreau is the true upgrade of triple
sec. A lot of bartenders think Grand Marnier is the upgrade. Grand
Marnier is orange flavored, yes, but it’s a Cognac based
orange liqueur, meaning you are putting Cognac in your Margarita,
making it a cross between a Margarita and a Sidecar.
Course
salt called kosher salt is used for Margaritas,
not table salt.
Margarita Family
Top
Shelf Margarita: means to use any premium tequila and
triple sec that the guests call or that your establishment says
to use.
Golden Margarita: means to use gold tequila.
Golden Grand Margarita: means to use gold tequila
and Grand Marnier.
Blue Margarita: means to substitute the triple
sec for blue Curacao.
Sidecar: brandy or Cognac, triple sec, and sour
mix. Can be served with a sugared rim.
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Lemondrop
Martini |
Glass: Martini.
1 1/2 ounces citrus flavored vodka
1/2 ounce triple sec
2 ounces sour mix
Mixing Method: Shake and strain.
Garnish: sugared rim with a sugar coated lemon wedge.
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Sour
Apple-tini |
Glass: Martini
1 ounce citrus flavored vodka
1 ounce sour apple liqueur
2 ounces sour mix
Mixing Method: Shake and strain.
Garnish: dropped cherry, however handmade cocktail bars will actually
use a slice of green apple.
Note: There are slight variations on this recipe. Some bartenders
add triple sec, others add apple juice and others leave out the
sour mix bumping up the alcohol portions.
Sour
Apple Family
Caramel
Apple-tini: vodka, sour apple liqueur, butterscotch schnapps,
and sour mix.
Washington Apple-tini: Crown Royal, apple Pucker,
and cranberry juice (some bartenders use Southern Comfort instead
of Crown Royal).
The Top Sour Drinks You Must Know
Amaretto Sour
Lemondrop
Long Beach Tea
Long Island Iced Tea
Lynchburg Lemonade
Margarita
Midori Sour
Sour Apple-tini
Tom Collins
Whiskey Sour
