After a discussion of drinks, I decided to try my friend Joye’s favorite: the whiskey sour. Fresh lemon juice, sugar syrup, ice, check. I was almost out of Ancient Ancient Age, my go-to mixing bourbon, so I went crazy and added some Rare Breed. I used the proportions on Wikipedia and we were off to the races.
I tasted it, and it screamed LEMON JUICE! After a few more sips, I decided to add some more syrup. Just a touch more, as I didn’t want to make it sickly sweet. HOLY COW, what a difference a teaspoon or so made. Suddenly I’ve got this gorgeously blended drink that’s more than the sum of its parts. With the acid balanced out, the smokiness in the bourbon leapt forward, and it was a thing to behold.
I never would have thought such a small change could make such a huge difference!
My other favorite technique to add wonder to a drink is using Luxardo cherries in a Manhattan. I’ve never cared for your standard neon red maraschinos, but these babies are in a class by themselves.
What little touches do you find that make a drink dazzling?
The other thing that makes a massive difference is good mixers. A Cuba Libré made with Mr. Boston rum and Shasta cola is an affront to all that is holy. Either spring for the good stuff or stay sober!
Never believe the old adage that you can use cheap booze in a cocktail because you don’t taste it. If you don’t taste the booze, you’re not making the cocktail correctly.
Fresh citrus is key. Mixers suck; don’t use them.
Sugar syrup is easy to make, and lasts a long time in the fridge. Keep it around.
A micro-pinch of cinnamon in a properly-made Margarita (Tequila, Contreau/Grand Marnier, citrus juice, sugar syrup in very small proportions only if your citrus is overly sour) adds a lot of complexity. If you can taste the cinnamon, you added too much.
Use hard ice. This is one that bars get wrong a lot; some commercial ice makers make “soft ice” - that is, ice that’s only a couple degrees below freezing. A home freezer, on the other hand, is much colder. Drinks made with soft ice tend to get watered down very quickly, resulting in a diluted cocktail.