As we heard in the news recently a new cocktail bar will open in uptown Saint John early 2022 and will be located on Grannan St. As son as i heard this story on the news i had an immediate flashback to the first year of my Marriage(1979).
Gayle was in year two at NBCC where she was studying Medical Laboratory Technology. No fair she is the smart and good looking one.(I was working at Ocean Steel at the time and driving cab on the weekend) Any way it was very demanding her classes were from 8am-5pm daily and hours of study every night. So what does this have to do with a cocktail flashback? With Gayle’s evenings consisted of hitting the books I was looking for ways to keep myself busy and out of trouble at night. Remember it’s 1979 no internet , no social media our entertainment at home was 12 inf black and white TV And of course a kick a** stereo. I saw an add for a Mixology course being offered at the Admiral Beatty Complex (That space no occupied by Hats On The Square). So I signed up and after a few weeks I received my Mixology Certificate. I was now an armature very armature bartender. I remember one of the best things was the homework assignments.
A lot of the cocktails we were mixing up back then would now be old school . So here are some old school drinks that are quite easy to make with only a few ingredients. The exception will be The Singapore Sling there’s a little more to this one. Let’s get started with the classic Old Fashion.
Ingredients
1 sugar cube, or 1/2 teaspoon sugar
3 dashes bitters
2 ounces bourbon or rye whiskey
Orange peel, for garnish
Maraschino cherry, for garnish
Steps to Make It
1 Gather the ingredients.
2 Place a sugar cube or sugar in an old-fashioned glass and saturate it with bitters. Muddle or stir to mix.
3 Add the whiskey, fill the glass with ice, and stir well.
4 Express the orange peel over the drink before dropping it into the glass: Twist up the peel and give it a good squeeze (directed toward the glass, not your eyes) and bits of citrus oil will spray into the drink. Add a cherry if you like.
And now the very tasty and easy to make Harvey Wallbanger
Ingredients
1 1/2 ounces vodka
4 ounces orange juice
1/2 ounce Galliano Liqueur
Orange slice, for garnish
Maraschino cherry, for garnish
Steps to Make It
1 Pour the vodka and orange juice into a Collins glass with ice cubes.
2 Layer the Galliano on top by pouring it slowly over the back of a bar spoon.
3 Garnish with an orange slice and maraschino cherry. Serve and enjoy.
If you switch from vodka to tequila, you’ll have a Freddie Fuddpucker.
Looking for something less sweet and a little tart how about A Whiskey Sour
Ingredients
2 ounces bourbon or rye whiskey
1 ounce fresh lemon juice
¾ ounce simple syrup (see note)
Garnish: Orange peel and a cocktail cherry
Ice, for serving
Instructions
1 Add the whiskey, lemon juice, and syrup to a cocktail shaker. Fill with a handful of ice and shake until very cold.
2 Strain the drink into a lowball or Old Fashioned glass. Serve with ice, an orange peel and a cocktail cherry.
NOTE: A lot of drinks will call for simple syrup to replace sugar
How to make simple syrup
If you’ve got sugar and 5 minutes, you can make simple syrup! There’s really no skill involved here, so let’s get right to it. It’s a formula you can memorize and make again and again:
Place equal parts sugar and water in a saucepan. In this recipe, we used ½ cup sugar and ½ cup water.
Heat over medium and whisk until the sugar dissolves. Resist the urge to simmer! All you want is to dissolve the sugar.
Cool to room temperature. That’s it: you’re done! Cool to room temperature before using.
And now the very classic Singapore Sling -a little more work but well worth it
ingredients
1 1/2 ounces gin
1/2 ounce cherry brandy
2 ounces orange juice
1/4 ounce simple syrup
2 ounces club soda
Orange slice, for garnish
Maraschino cherry, for garnish
Steps to Make It
1 In a cocktail shaker filled with ice cubes, pour the gin, cherry brandy, orange juice, and simple syrup.
2 Shake well.
3 Strain into a highball glass over fresh ice.
4 Top with club soda.
5 Garnish with an orange slice and cherry. Serve and enjoy.
If you don’t have bar supplies such as a cocktail shaker or drink strainer you just pour into a glass and give it a little stir
