Cocktail of the Day: Chutes and Ladders

February 20, 2010

Siete Leguas reposado tequila
Amaro Nonino
apple cider
lemon juice
cinnamon bitters
meyer lemon syrup

Shake ingredients and strain into an ice-filled bucket. Garnish with a star-anise pod.

Tart, spicy and oh so good...

Essential Bar Tools:

Pint glass
Shaker
Citrus squeezer
Paring knife
Cutting board
Patience
Wine opener
Bottle opener
Jiggers: Utensils for measuring liquids with 1/4- 1/2 oz. increments.
Hawthorne strainer: Metal device with a spring that fits over a shaker in order to strain the liquid from the ice.
Julep strainer: Solid metal paddle-like strainer with numerous holes. Fits into a pint glass, and is often used with stirred cocktails.
Fine strainer: Small metal sieve used to remove anything solid from a cocktail.
Bar spoon: Long, thin spoon used primarily to gently stir cocktails.
Channel knife: Tool used to carve twists from citrus.
Muddler: Baton-like device used to press, crush or pulverize ingredients.
Extra Liver: Let's just say: We like what we do.

More to come, of course!

Cocktail Terminology:

Up: Chilled, but served without ice, typically in a martini glass.
Neat: Served at room temperature, typically in a rocks glass.
Over: Served on ice. Glass may vary.
Strained: Ingredients combined in a shaker are strained into a glass through a Hawthorne or Julep strainer.
Fine Strained: Ingredients are poured through a small mesh strainer, eliminating ice chips, fruit pulp, or whatever else is unwanted.
Twist: The zest of any citrus (but not the flesh of the fruit).
Ribbon: Wide twist made from using a vegetable peeler. Not an official term, but it's what we use at Range.
Wedge: A wedge of fruit (often citrus) which includes the zest, pith and flesh of the fruit.
Wheel: Round cross section of citrus.
Half-moon: Half of a wheel. Another Range term. Not sure why we don't call them "half wheels".
Chip: A small, circular piece of citrus zest used as a garnish.
Dry: For Martinis this means using only a few drops of vermouth.
Very or Extra Dry: No vermouth
Shake: To mix vigorously with ice in a shaker
Stir: To gently stir a drink in a shaker with a bar spoon. This keeps the ingredients more "pure" because the ice doesn't break up and melt as it does with shaking. The trade off is that the cocktail is less chilled. Gin Martinis, Manhattans, and Sazeracs are examples of drinks that should be stirred.
Dry shake: To combine ingredients in a shaker without any ice. Typically used in order to properly emusify cocktails containing egg white.
Muddle: To use a muddler to press, crush or pulverize any ingredient in order to extract juice and/or flavor.
Rocks Glass: Short, cyllindrical glass meant to hold a spirit and ice.
Bucket: A large rocks glass. Gin and tonics and the like are typically served in a bucket.
Collins Glass: Tall, cyllindrical glass used for collins, fizzes, and often juice-bassed drinks.
Pilsner Glass: Very tall glass, often featuring a pedestal base. Aside from beer, these are used for cocktails that contain juice and soda, such as Mojitos.
Cocktail Glass: Often called a "Martini Glass".
Shot Glass: Small glass meant to hold around two ounces of liquor.
Cordial Glass: Smallish stemmed glass used for port, and desert wines.

More to come, as well!

Cocktail of the Day

Sunday, February 21, 2010

Chutes and Ladders

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