AMERICAN MIXED DRINKS.

Manawatu Herald, Volume II, Issue 281, 17 September 1889, Page 4

AMERICAN MIXED DRINKS.

What they^^KT^d^c^t^e: abh Mape. " A cocktalF," said the bar tender, is the American drink best known in this country, though oddly enough it is by rifo ffiteans rtfhe most^bpular drink hftfifrfltateli* 1 It is probably as much its quaint name as anything which has caused its popularity here. The base of a cocktail may be almost any kind <>f wine or spirit, the most usual bases are whisky, which should "be rye ojvlfouri>on', thtfu h English people often insist on having Scotch -or even Irish whisky — used brandy, gin, sherry, or champagne. The coi(cSmjfemt p^rts greatly de pend upon the fancy of the bartender ; they must, however, , consist of certain proportions of Angostura bitters, some liquer — as absinthe, vermouth, maraschino, ciuacao, or chartreuse — a little sugar, a little lemon-juice, all well shaken up with ice, then strained and-- a small piece of the rind of,nUemin pjnchedCon to the top. A properly made cocktail should be swallowed qniokly, with the result that, as it goes over tbe palate, tbe basic wine or spirit is only just tasted, whilo tbe delicate flavour of the iiquer and the commingled sense of astringency caused by the bitters remains in the mouth. The cocktail is in rea'ity a medicinal draught, a tonic stimulant, and is, in moderate doses, a very va liable' medicine. It is, ucfo tunately, so very nice and so very insiduous in its effects, that moderation and cocktails are by no means synonymous terms. 11 At different times of the day and for different purposes cocktails are made of different bases. For instance, a capital • soother ' for a soro head an<| coppery, tongue' is a cftaibpagne ' coclita ; l. Before dinner a vermouth cocktail is a fine appetiser. Ladies like a Manhattan cooktail, which is made of rye whisky and Italian vermouth. A brandy cocktail, with a dash of absinthe in it, is a bf tter ♦ piok-me-up ' than the oommonplace brandy and soda. Cocktails are short drinks, as are also ♦ eours.' Sours are made principally with whisky or braudy, or Santa Cruz rum. Tliey are simply, spirit fd''|enibn, juice, with perhaps a vouring of soqueur, shaken up with ice, Bt|ajin«d|iand ttlurthet flavoured with ailic^^Jenibnororange. I may here say that slices ot all kinds of juicy fruit, as oranges, lemons, pineapples, are used to flavour drinks, and also strawberries, which give a delicate aud delicious perfume and flavour to a drijk , " What I niiy call the king of the long drinks, as it is also the base of very many of them, is the- ' John Collons,' or gin fizz. It is knrvwnby both these names. It is a deliciously cooling and refreshing drink, and in quality and effect very harmless. This is how ( it r is made. A wineglass of gia ! by preference, hollands — is put into a ong thin glass, known all over America as a fizz glass. The tumbler is then filled up to the brim with crushed ice, half a lemon squeezed upon it, and about a teaspoonful of pulverized sugar. Pulverised BUgar is what? ia always used for American drinks. This is all whisked up until thoroughly cold, and the tumbler is then filled up with soda , wate.r. 'J he proper way to drink a John Collins is though a couple of straws. This drink may be varied in many ways. By straining it oLthe i^, adding the white of an egg>. ftndji vtfhisking it all up together, we make a ' sj ver fizz.' By substitute© gthe. ypljc for the white, anH gmitg^tnrou^h the same process the ' golden fizz is made. A ' mint julep ' is another pleasing and refreshing drink., jC#, is ths great favourite in the Southern States, where tbjaladies.will,.of ten, make it f or theirlgueats", ' who, sitting out on the ver&naan~s in the evenings, enjoy the mm -flavoured old Hourbim whisky. It is merely whisky, sugar | ice, and a hunch, of |r§sh mint leases pressed iiito 'a glass, and" should be imbibed through a sfcrair. The^e are many kinds of juleps, but they are only varieties of tho niixtui'e I have described. 4 Punches ' are long ' drink , mado of whisk}' or brandy aud flavQuxed-.. 4 % uni, N ' S'. o;je fenca ' is^me) JJJijj|iQino)us cognotneu given to whiTsky which is drunk with cider instead of water. It is said to have an extraordinarily-intoxicating effect, but is decidededly fascinating. Now I think I havo t>.kl you • uough to show you that although thero is a great variety qff,t lUttn^s^ given to American mixed 'drinks, yot in ny of jjhsW, a A' : 9«Q n ly fancy, of th« barkrondeV^orelse aro the old mixtui es with some ingredient or flavouring to suit or tickle -the taste of his