Introducing -- Stock The Bar

Last week, David Griner challenged me to pick the drinks I'd mix for stock photo characters. After a few trial names were thrown about, Stock The Bar was born. Without further ado, here's round one!

1. Brickman obviously needs a Blood & Sand. It's sweet without being cloying and contains Scotch -- the perfect combination to loosen him up. But watch out for sales pitches. The drink's color may trigger residual brick salesmanship.

2. Silence in the library! This perturbed teacher probably loves quiet, Doctor Who and suspenders, so a Sidecar would be suitably geeky. It might be a little sweet for her taste, so I'd add a dash or two of bitters to dry it out.

3. Following the Golden Rule is paramount in life, so this yogi will drink as I drink. Does rye whiskey, lemon juice, Luxardo and green Chartreuse sound appealing? Maybe not on paper, but he'll have the Final Word.

4. If Fae Barbie wants a double vodka soda with lime, that's what she'll get. Unless she's an avowed whiskey drinker as well, there's not much I can do to change her preference.

5. This child of the corn will take a Dirt 'n' Diesel. With blackstrap rum, Fernet, demerara, Cynar and lime juice, this earthy recipe needs rebalancing but should be dark, rich and challenging.

Cocktails, food and more cocktails

Before you get worried, let me clarify: the title describes my reading list, not my nightly routine. Currently, I've got a foot-high stack of cocktail history books on my coffee table and a couple more in my bag. As both a craft bartender and food/drink writer, deep dives into cocktail history and lore have sharpened my skills and deepened my interest in the subject. I'm also lucky to have friends and loved ones who loan me books. Since the craft cocktail movement is still building here in Birmingham, it is also relatively new to public understanding. As a result, local libraries don't have much related material. My coworkers and friends have been invaluable in pointing me towards the best history and reference books in the field. Here are a few books that I've thoroughly enjoyed:

• Jim Meehan's The PDT Cocktail Book This funky, modern cocktail book breaks down every part of the bar experience into interesting and manageable segments. All pieces of drink-making and preparation are explained, including infusions and syrups specific to each recipe. Though some home bartenders may have to rebalance a few recipes to please their own palates, it's a wonderfully accessible primer on all things bar-related.
• Jerry Thomas's How to Mix Drinks or The Bon Vivant's Companion or The Bartender's Guide Thomas's historical cocktail guide is delightfully Victorian without being prudish. Widely considered the great-great-great grandfather of modern mixology, Thomas is responsible for much of the flair and technique that made the American Cock-Tail into what it's become today. However, many of the recipes are written in measurements vague enough to kill even the best constructed drink. Luckily, modern cocktail historian David Wondrich has written a fantastic biography of Jerry Thomas called Imbibe! that translates and, in some cases, slightly rebalances these cocktails for the modern palate.
• Wondrich also crafted a fantastic history of punch in Punch: The Delights (and Dangers) of the Flowing Bowl. At once sassy and informative, this guide traces the drink's origins, takes a stab at its exact date of birth, goes on to give historical recipes with translated, user friendly modern equivalents.
• David Embury's The Fine Art of Mixing Drinks is an unintentionally hilarious, overtly sexist and absolutely curmudgeonly take on bartending. Embury himself never worked a bar shift, but had such strong ideas of how drinks should be made that he taught seminars on the matter after Prohibition. I'm only a few chapters in, but have laughed out loud multiple times.
• Brad Thomas Parsons's Bitters is both historical and practical for the home bartender. If you've ever been curious on what exactly bitters are or how they're made, pick up a copy and enjoy. (Disclaimer: I've only read the introduction).
• Ted "Dr. Cocktail" Haigh's Vintage Spirits and Forgotten Cocktails is a delightful romp through pre- and post-Prohibition cocktails. Home bartenders beware: some of the recipes aren't balanced for modern tastes. Some drinks might not be to your taste.

Cocktail of the hour -- the Sazerac

Do you regularly pronounce New Orleans as "nawlins?" Would you rather chug a Jaeger Bomb than sip an Old Fashioned? If you've answered yes to the second question, the Sazerac may not be the drink for you. If you said yes to the first, you might need to befriend some actual New Orleans natives. Either way, if you're feeling adventurous or like whiskey at all, give it a chance -- you might be surprised.

As another descendent of the 18th century cocktail (liquor, sugar, bitters and maybe a splash of water), this variation adds in a few elements that will please drink nerds: a cool history and boldly flavored, relatively hard to find ingredients.

Though the  first written recipe for the Sazerac wasn't printed until the early 1900s, the history of the drink itself starts around 1850. At that point, Sewell T. Taylor gave up his bar and went into the liquor import business. One of his products was Sazerac-de-Forge et Fils. Aaron Bird, the man who bought Taylor's bar, renamed it the Sazerac House. Their specialty was the Sazerac Cocktail, a brandy-based drink made with Taylor's brandy and (supposedly) bitters made by the neighborhood apothecary, Antoine Amedie Peychaud.

Since then, the Sazerac House was bought and sold many times. At some point during Thomas Handy's ownership, he either wrote down the Sazerac recipe or shared it with someone. In any case, it ended up in the 1908 edition of The World's Drinks and How To Mix Them -- with one change: this cocktail called for "good whiskey," not Sazerac cognac.

During that time, Europe's grape crops were decimated by an infestation of American aphids. In just four years, French wine production was cut by 67 percent, and dedicated cognac drinkers switched to whiskey. For New Orleans, that meant switching to rye whiskey that was shipped to the city down the Ohio River to the Mississippi.

However the change happened, the spice of the rye compliments the bitters beautifully. Using just a touch of absinthe to rinse the glass gives the drink an herbal nose, and finishing the drink with a lemon peel adds depth and a light, citrusy note.

Recipe:

2 dashes Peychaud's bitters

1 dash Angostura bitters*

.25 oz simple syrup (or a sugar cube)

2 oz good rye whiskey (don't skimp -- use the good stuff)

lemon peel for garnish

Combine all ingredients except the lemon peel over ice in a mixing glass. Stir well to combine. Roll a few drops of absinthe around in a chilled rocks glass to rinse, and strain the mixture into the rinsed glass. Garnish with a lemon peel and enjoy.

*Angostura bitters aren't part of the original recipe, but they're a traditional ingredient.