Classic Cocktails for the Holidays

A 1939 Cocktail recipe book I found in my
 friend's kitchen. I want one!

The holiday season is around the corner and I am thinking of warm and fuzzy dinner gatherings, tiny white holiday lights in my patio, and fire places. Usually, a glass of good California wine is all it takes to spice up a gathering or a gourmet meal for me. But, when a dear friend once mixed me a classic cocktail, Rosemary Baby, I found a new passion to chase. Bar tending? No. But I surely aspire to become a savvy classic cocktail mixer. I love the chemistry.


What makes classic cocktails classic is the era they date back to - the 1930's. They are probably the only sane thing that came out of the 1030's besides aviation and radio. I found out that these classic drinks are made purely by mixing spirits and bitters or fresh extracts. Today while we easily whip up sweet, fake colored cocktails with mixes, little do we remember that originally the cocktail was a simple drink consisting of two or more ingredients - a mixture of spirits, sugar, water, and bitters. 


Fancy bottles of breezers, colored mojito mixes, and margaritas put me off. Why can't we hold on to good from the past and mix our cocktails in the purest way like they used to in the early 1900's! What happened to the real cocktail!


If this makes you want to try out a classic cocktail, here are two simple and delicious classic cocktail recipes for the holiday season - 


GOLD RUSH
2 oz bourbon (EC)
1/2 oz lemon juice
1/2 oz honey syrup (warmed-up honey)
Shake


ROSEMARY BABY
2 oz gin
1 oz dry vermouth
1/2 creme de violette
muddled fresh rosemary leaves
Shake
Garnish with a rosemary twig


HAPPY HOLIDAYS!