1954 Practical Bar Management by Eddie Clarke

THE ART OF MIXING

more in the manner of dashes,just to give a cocktail a bewitching fragrance or a delicate elusive after-taste. Never should a cocktail contain more than 25 per cent, of liqueur value, otherwise it will have far too much sweetening to be classed as anything else but an after-dinner drink. It would be similar to sitting down and eating a bag of sweets in the hope of working up an appetite for lunch. There are afew exceptions to the rule whereby a liqueur is to be used as the flavouring ingredient. Such is the case with the Clover Club Cocktail where the base is gin,the subduing mediums are fresh lemon juice and white of egg, but the liqueur is replaced by Grenadine. Another example is the Bronx Cocktail which has a base of gin, the softening-up ingredient is vermouth, and the flavouring orange juice. The Aperitif and the Use of Bitters Theformula for the Aperitif Cocktail is a little different because it is based on two ingredients only. No. i is the basic spirit, which is anything between 50 per cent, and 75 per cent, of the total volume. No.2 is not only the toning down agent but the flavouring one as well, it is nearly always an aperitif wine, but in some cases it can be a fruitjuice. There are, ofcourse,exceptions here also,for some aperitifs do not contain any spirits at all but are a mixture of aromatic wines. There is another important ingredient which has not yet been mentioned and that is the small family of"Bitters Expertly used they will give a special flavour and fragrance to a drink, but if applied with too heavy a hand the whole character of the cocktail can be ruined—where a dash is stated in a recipe, it means a dash and not a spoonful. These bitters fall into two categories, as follows: (a) Fruitflavoured—of which Peach and Orange are the most popular. {b) Aromatic— such as Angostura,Peychaud and Campari. These are used in a variety of cocktails which are classed as appetizers, mainly because these bitters have a stimulating effect on the appetite. One other final touch which often adds to the refinement and

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