August 23, 2007

Don't Be Afraid...Be a Mix Master

In a world dominated by quease-inducing, saccharine sweet, pre-made cocktail mixers, it's time for you to take a stand and drink something hand-crafted. Yeah, you can go to your finer, and even some mid-range, bars and sample the work of a true mixologist, but isn't it time you learned how to do it yourself? Toss the pre-sweetened lime juice and the scary red maraschino cherries - it's time to start making your mixers yourself.

Don't be afraid - we found a great article by Jason Wilson at the Washington Post to get you started. Go ahead. Be bold. If you're still not convinced we'll paraphrase some Mad Max Beyond Thunderdomeat you - "Who run Bartertown? Mix Master run Bartertown!"

Snippet, link, and recipes below.

When I told people I planned to make maraschino cherries and cocktail onions, as well as infuse my own spirits and bitters, they looked baffled. It was if I had told them I would be performing open-heart surgery in the living room.
That was before my shipment of cinchona bark quinine powder arrived. Then I informed friends and relatives I would also be making my own tonic water. Even my editors were a little mystified. "Why?" they asked. "Is it worth the effort?"

After a week of playing chemist in the kitchen and testing the results among a friendly crowd, I can now tell everyone: Yes, yes, yes. Homemade cocktail ingredients are indeed worth it.

Recipe - Preserved Cherries
Recipe - Saffron Cocktail Onions
Recipe - Orange Bitters
Recipe - Homemade Tonic Water

More at Washington Post - Be a Bold Mix Master