Martinis, Tom Collins, Old Fashioneds, Oh My!

What happened to the days of the cocktail? In our group they’re still alive and well; we try to incorporate a special mixed drink or two into most of our themed meals, but with the rise of the microbrew and California wines in this country, people are less likely to mix a drink from their living room wet bar these days… so it seems.

Yes, in the sixties, unless it was Riunite (introduced in the US in 1967), expensive - and often unaffordable - French wines, or Schlitz (a favorite of my parents back in the day) you had few choices other than to stir up a little something yourself! So what were the popular cocktails of the “Mad Men” era? Our hostess has done a little research and plans to provide us with the basics for Old Fashions (which I’ve also seen spelled “fashioned” – take your pick!), Tom Collins, Martinis and Mint Juleps. She happens to have most of the needed ingredients on hand, so she’s going to have a 60’s style bar for us to self-serve from! How nice she is!

Some other drinks that come to mind for me are the Highball, the Manhattan and the Boxcar. I’ve heard of these, and remember my grandfather referring to drinking Highballs, but what is in one exactly? According to my beloved www.wikipedia.org, “Highball is the name for a family of mixed drinks that are composed of an alcoholic base spirit and a larger proportion of a non-alcoholic mixer. Originally, the most common highball was made with Scotch whisky and carbonated water, which is today called a ‘Scotch and Soda’….The Online Etymology Dictionary suggests that the name originated around 1898 and probably derives from ball meaning a "drink of whiskey" and high because it is served in a tall glass.” (1)

I’ve included a couple of drink recipes below for you to try if you’re inspired to host your own “Mad Men” themed dinner. I know I’ve said it before, but you know I’ll say it here again: Try something new! Yes, I’ll revert back to my wine drinking ways once I sit down to dinner, but before dinner it’s all about the cocktail, darling!

Dinner Club is this Saturday, so I’ll make sure to follow up next week with my “best dish of the night” recipe as well as photos of our ensembles (mine is an attempt at “Holly Golightly” the main character from the movie Breakfast at Tiffany’s circa 1961! I’m no Audrey Hepburn, but I’ll have fun giving it a shot, complete with eyeliner, cigarette holder and up do if I can make it work! Wish me luck!).

Thanks for reading! Mix a cocktail this weekend, will you?

The Tom Collins
Found at: www.thebar.com
Ingredients:

• 1.5oz. Gin
• 1 oz. lemon or lime juice
• 1 teaspoon sweet and sour mix
• 1 splash club soda
• 1 slice orange

To prepare:

• In a shaker half filled with ice cubes, add gin, lemon or lime juice, and sweet and sour mix.
• Shake well.
• Strain into collins glass filled with ice.
• Add club soda and stir well.
• Garnish with maraschino cherry and orange slice.

The Manhattan

Found at: http://www.epicurious.com/
September 2009 by Clinton Kelly

Bourbon:
Bourbon is a type of whiskey that is only made in America from at least 51% corn. In that regard, it differs from Scotch and Irish whiskeys, which are made from malted barley. Rye whiskey is made from—you guessed it—rye. There's a helluva lot more you could learn on the subject of whiskeys, but you're not gonna learn it here. All you need to know is that good bourbon is delicious.

Ingredients:

Shaker with ice

Hearty shot of bourbon
Splash of sweet vermouth
Dash of bitters

Preparation:
Fill a shaker with ice.
Add a hearty shot of bourbon.
Add a splash of sweet vermouth and dash of bitters.
You can also add a few drops of maraschino cherry juice, whatever that stuff is.
Shake and strain into a martini glass, and garnish with a maraschino cherry. If you're lazy, or alone, just drink it on the rocks.

The Boxcar

Found at: www.esquire.com

Ingredients:Boxcar

• 2 ounces London dry gin
• 1/2 ounce Cointreau
• 1/2 ounce lime juice
• 1 egg whites 

Glass Type: cocktail glass

Instructions:

Shake ingredients well with cracked ice, then strain into a chilled cocktail glass whose rim has been wet with lime juice and dipped in sugar.

Read more: http://www.esquire.com/drinks/boxcar-drink-recipe#ixzz1Jd4VRgHn
(1) Quoted directly from Wikipedia.org