Harper's BAZAAR: What made you want to write a book now?
David Kaplan: I love the romance and beauty of co*cktail culture and didn't see it represented in the range of books that were out. There are some fantastic books on technique, co*cktail history, spirit production, and books of recipes but not so many, or any that I saw, that give you the look and feel of being in a co*cktail bar. Cookbooks often do a great job of this, such as A Day at El Bulli or Peter Meehan's Momof*cku book. They give you a look and feel in to the life of the restaurant, on both sides, from a guest's experience and what it is to run the restaurant. I wanted to accomplish the same. We also set out to speak about what it is to really create co*cktails, and hopefully empower the reader to do so for themselves, or at least be able to reinterpret our recipes for what they have in their home bar, or get inspiration for their own co*cktails.
HB: To what do you attribute the rise in artisanal co*cktails?
DK: The rise in co*cktails is directly related to the rise in great food. If a town has an exceptional restaurant scene a good co*cktail scene is sure to follow. I think this has to do with guests general awareness of what they're consuming, the want for a story behind every ingredient, the longing for some connection to what they're eating or drinking. Media has also played a strong part as co*cktail culture has grown, media has pushed it in to a great snowball effect. You now see classic co*cktails of every sort of show or media platform, co*cktails have very much hit the mainstream. I had a conversation with a friend, actually a bartender, years ago and he asked when I thought co*cktails would pass as a fade. I answered that eating well has never gone out of fashion, and drinking well, now that we understand what that is again, will never go out of fashion either.
HB: What's the secret to a great co*cktail?
DK: Great ingredients, balanced recipe, and skillful technique. co*cktails can be incredibly easy or absurdly complex to execute, but the end result should always seem equally effortless.
HB: Favorite ingredient?
DK: Vermouth. I typically gravitate towards stirred drinks of various base spirits with bianco or blanc vermouth, or dry vermouth.
Conference
Created by: Brian Miller, 2008
One of our servers asked me to make her something stirred and boozy. So I threw four of my favorite spirits into an old-fashioned template, splitting the base four ways. These brown spirits needed something to tie them together. Avery Glasser (of the bitters company Bittermens) happened to be sitting at the bar, and he suggested trying his mole bitters. It was like lacing up a shoe.—BM
1/2 oz. Rittenhouse Rye 100 Proof
1/2 oz. Buffalo Trace Bourbon
1/2 oz. calvados
1/2 oz. H by Hine cognac
1 tsp demerara syrup
2 dashes angostura bitters
1 dash Bittermens Xocolatl Mole bitters
1 lemon twist and 1 orange twist, to garnish
Stir all the ingredients over ice, then strain into a double rocks glass over one large ice cube. Garnish with the lemon and orange twists.
Get Lucky
Created by: Scott Teague, 2013
This drink comes from me not taking myself too seriously. I wanted to make something that looks like it could come from TGI Fridays but tastes like a Death & Co drink.—ST
3 blackberries
2 oz. Flor de Caña extra-dry white rum
3/4 oz. lemon juice
1/4 oz. ginger syrup
1/4 oz. orgeat syrup
1/4 oz. acacia honey syrup
Peychaud's bitters, to garnish
In a pilsner glass, gently muddle the blackberries. Fill the glass with crushed ice. In a shaker, whip the remaining ingredients, shaking with a few pieces of crushed ice just until incorporated. Strain into the glass. Garnish with a thin layer of bitters and serve with a straw.
Strange Brew
Created by: Thomas Waugh, 2008
My friends and I used to go to Dolores Park in San Francisco and drink beer mixed with fresh fruit from the farmers' market, like the Germans do. My favorite combination was pineapple with IPA, which inspired this drink, named after the B-side to EMF's hit song "Unbelievable."—TW
2 oz. Tanqueray No. Ten gin
3/4 oz. velvet falernum
1 oz. pineapple juice
1/2 oz. lemon juice
Green Flash IPA
1 mint sprig, to garnish
Short shake all the ingredients (except the IPA) with three ice cubes, then strain into a pilsner glass filled with crushed ice. Top with IPA. Garnish with the mint sprig and serve with a straw.
Meet the mixologists and authors on October 7 at The Bowery Hotel for co*cktails and a book signing. Tickets available now at Eventbrite.
