Cocktail Hour Advice?

[ValenciaCalling]

I just turned 21 a few months ago, and I know what to order when I go out, but I'm new at making cocktails at home for my guests and myself. I'm still unsure of what I can mix together and what I can't. I know the rule that you shouldn't drink wine and beer at the same time, but are there any other rules I should be aware of to avoid an unpleasant concoction?

 

[zetwal]

I think many people prefer not to mix alcoholic beverages. Those that do can tell you which combinations they have learned to avoid. I would add that you should drink only in moderation and be careful about mixing alchohol with pharmeceuticals (prescription drugs or otherwise).

 

[scotrace]

Beer before Liquor, never sicker.
Liquor before beer, you're in the clear.

When touring the Jack Daniel's distillery several years ago, the guide told us to avoid either overly sweet mixers or eating too much sweet food with hard liquor. The sugars re-start the fermentation process in your stomach, and then the contents of said stomach are pushed back whence they came...

In general, the sweeter a concoction is, the more careful you should be about slow and controlled, limited consumption. You can drink a lot of vodka, for example, at a sitting, as long as you are eating something savory (sandwiches, cheeses, salty snacks) along with.

But drinketh not the Sloe Gin. lol

Always drink responsibly. Just because you can, doesn't mean you should. People respect others who know when to stop. Those who can't stop, however, don't get invited back.

 

[Carlisle Blues]

This is a pretty good site...

http://www.webtender.com/browse.html

 

[Miss Neecerie]

One idea I really like is to serve -one- cocktail....for a cocktail party.....as both a way to still have a party without having to have an entire contingent of various alcohol.....and as something to give the party a mild and classy theme.

If you pick classics and not say a banana-frappe sort of thing....you tend to have most folks able to drink the -main- drink...and need less of other things....but of course having wine and beer on hand for those less daring souls is good ...and a punch for the non-drinkers...

For the -starter- home bartender...this is a good thing.....

 

[Brad Bowers]

When touring the Jack Daniel's distillery several years ago, the guide told us to avoid either overly sweet mixers or eating too much sweet food with hard liquor. The sugars re-start the fermentation process in your stomach, and then the contents of said stomach are pushed back whence they came...

In general, the sweeter a concoction is, the more careful you should be about slow and controlled, limited consumption. You can drink a lot of vodka, for example, at a sitting, as long as you are eating something savory (sandwiches, cheeses, salty snacks) along with.

So THAT'S why I have so much trouble when I drink five or more whiskey floats with extra whipped cream...:eusa_doh:

Brad

 

[Ethan Bentley]

First off, congratulations.

I think I had my first cocktail party at 18, but we have very different rules in the UK about alcohol including an emphasis on buying rather than consuming. At 18 you can buy alcohol.

Anyway the mistake I made was to try and do too many cocktails on my first try.

My suggestion, find half a dozen (maybe less depending on the advice) and stick to those, it saves on get ingredients you don't need and means you have more time to socialise. The most important role of an host, or hostess.

A non-alcoholic cocktail(s) is a nice option for those that don't wish to drink.

Punch is another possibility for when guests arrived - I tend to do a non-alcoholic "Prohibition Punch" which is apple juice, ginger ale, lemon and maybe some cinnamon etc.

Garnishes are also a nice touch and don't have to be too difficult or expensive to do, cocktail cherry, orange spiral etc. and they really add to the drink.

But my #1 piece of advice is ICE ICE ICE it seems to me that you can never really have enough.

I'm sure you'll have great fun!

 

[rumblefish]

Rose's lime juice and Irish Cream.
Unless you want to make a cement mixer.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ayX0kYGsyoE

 

[Geesie]

I just turned 21 a few months ago, and I know what to order when I go out, but I'm new at making cocktails at home for my guests and myself. I'm still unsure of what I can mix together and what I can't. I know the rule that you shouldn't drink wine and beer at the same time, but are there any other rules I should be aware of to avoid an unpleasant concoction?

The joy of being 21+ and at home is that it's only your time and money you are wasting on failed experiments. When I hit 21, my roommate and I bought practically every different liquor type we could get at the local grocery store and a few cocktail books. We made everything. Some of it was good. Some of it was bad. But now I know what I like and what I don't.

 

[BinkieBaumont]

I Tend to serve three classic cocktails at a party usually between 5pm and 7.00 pm, will you all be going on for Dinner at a restaurant afterwards.

otherwise you turn your guests into the street with a lonely night ahead of them

If your all staying "Chez Vous" its realy a "Bottle Party" and you can ask guest to bring "An Ingredient" that you specify

Do, Do Do, serve lots of "Horses Do-ves" from the moment guests arrive, and keep the food coming all evening,so your guests wont get "Tight" and you can never have too much "Stemware"


STEMWARE STEMWARE STEMWARE


Oh !Have a wonderful party!!

 

[ladybrettashley]

I second "ice, ice, ice!"

And also want to add Play! Just toying around with it is how i've learned everything i know about mixing drinks - i've still got a long way to go, but i'm having a lot of fun. I'd recommend getting some generic drink-mixing book and experimenting. If it's something i'm unsure of, i often make a half-recipe in case it is terribly disappointing (and because modern cocktails tend to be the size of a tumbler!) Then i make notes. Usually just a check or x, or just an "i've tried this" dot - but sometimes more.

That is probably not what you want to do at a cocktail party. It would take up all your time and you might end up with some real flops. Think of it more as prep-work for the parties to do alone or when you have just a couple of good-sport friends by.

 

[Ethan Bentley]

I second "ice, ice, ice!"

And also want to add Play! Just toying around with it is how i've learned everything i know about mixing drinks - i've still got a long way to go, but i'm having a lot of fun. I'd recommend getting some generic drink-mixing book and experimenting. If it's something i'm unsure of, i often make a half-recipe in case it is terribly disappointing (and because modern cocktails tend to be the size of a tumbler!) Then i make notes. Usually just a check or x, or just an "i've tried this" dot - but sometimes more.

That is probably not what you want to do at a cocktail party. It would take up all your time and you might end up with some real flops. Think of it more as prep-work for the parties to do alone or when you have just a couple of good-sport friends by.

That's a good point, you want to enjoy yourself too and get time to socialise, I've made this mistake before.

Another point is whether the cocktails are a free-for-all anyone can make what they like or you're a bit more selective.
I remember at one of my first parties one girl put some lemonade in a cocktail shaker and then....
People also started chasing each other around in the garden with the soda syphon.

This was many years ago, it was good fun but it's not exactly sophisticated. lol

 

[BeefeaterGin]

Hi ValenciaCalling -

Great thread. The key is to experiment but know what you can and cant mix.. A place like webtender is decent for cocktail recipes as well as someone has previously stated. I think i have a perfect drink for you to make for you and your friends. The drink is the French 75.. A real classic.

I have an instructional video for you that is part of the beefeater mixology series which has just been released which will teach you what to do.

The French 75 first made its appearance in print in the 1930 edition of Harry Craddock's famous Savoy Cocktail Book. Legend has it the cocktail was first invented by WW1 Franco-American flying ace, Raoul Lufbery. Its name comes from the fact that it has such a kick, it felt like being shelled by the French 75mm field gun.

Ingredients are as follows but i would consult the video for a real How to....

2 PARTS Beefeater Gin

2 PART Freshly squeezed lemon juice

1 PART Sugar syrup

TO TOP Champagne

METHOD Shake the gin, lemon juice and sugar syrup with ice, then strain into a Champagne flute. Top with the Champagne, and garnish with a Maraschino cherry.

Enjoy and let me know what you think!!

 

[thunderstick]

I see that your from Philidelphia. Now that you can drink in a bar treat yourself to the experience of Dirty Franks in Center City. Everyone has to go there at least once in their life.

 

[Wally_Hood]

Cocktail Timetable?

Is there some sort of cocktail etiquette that dictates certain cocktails at certain times of the day? What prompted this question is the scene in the original Father of the Bride, when Spencer Tracy prepares a tray of martinis to serve at his daughter’s engagement party. A line of dialogue establishes the time as 5 o’clock. Guests come in and ask for something other than a martini; old-fashioneds, bourbon and water, and so on.

At one point, when offered a martini, one guest says, “It’s a little early for a martini; do you have scotch?”

What time does it have to be to enjoy a martini? Why would an old-fashioned be fine at 5 o'clock?

Does anyone have an insight to this “certain drinks at certain times” protocol?

BTW, I once asked my late dad, who was a World War 2 vet, if that was the practice back then, and he said it was, but couldn’t give any specifications.

 

[David V]

Is there some sort of cocktail etiquette that dictates certain cocktails at certain times of the day? What prompted this question is the scene in the original Father of the Bride, when Spencer Tracy prepares a tray of martinis to serve at his daughter’s engagement party. A line of dialogue establishes the time as 5 o’clock. Guests come in and ask for something other than a martini; old-fashioneds, bourbon and water, and so on.

At one point, when offered a martini, one guest says, “It’s a little early for a martini; do you have scotch?”

What time does it have to be to enjoy a martini? Why would an old-fashioned be fine at 5 o'clock?

Does anyone have an insight to this “certain drinks at certain times” protocol?

BTW, I once asked my late dad, who was a World War 2 vet, if that was the practice back then, and he said it was, but couldn’t give any specifications.

5 P.M. is pretty standard and the old joke being "It's 5 o'clock somewhere."
In the film, the joke ( which is what it was) is on Tracy's character. He makes up all these martinis and nobody wants one.

 

[Mike in Seattle]

I don't think there's any rule as to what time to serve a Martini as opposed to any other hard liquor. I'd consider Scotch and Martinis as well as Collins, Margaritas, G&T's, gimlets, old fashioned, sidecar, etc., to name a few, on the same level. They're all cocktails mixed of "hard liquor" and would fall under the 5 pm generalized rule. And there are exceptions - Bloody Marys at brunch / lunch, the two Martini lunch, a beer or Margarita at lunch with a big Mexican meal, etc. wouldn't be out of the question at times.

I think, as already mentioned, in that particular movie, Tracy obviously liked Martinis. It came up in the dinner with Taylor's in-laws to be - Moroni Olsen & the always fantastic Billie Burke. So that establishes that as his cocktail-of-choice. So not that far out of the realm of understandability that having a big party at home, he'd make a batch of Martinis...and then finds out that the various guests wanted other beverages (the funniest of which are the Coca Cola geysers).

 

[BinkieBaumont]

" I love that scene in Noel Cowards "The Vortex" when Florence asks Pawnie "Shall we have a Cocktail?" Pawnie replies "Isn't it a little early?" Florence replies" Nonsense! its never too early for a Cocktail darling!"

But really Cocktails are from 5.00pm, after, Afternoon tea and a lie down

"An afternoon sipping Champagne Cocktails with Comrades"

 

[Ethan Bentley]

An interesting question and I have tried, in vain to find anything definitive.
However, generally speaking.

Breakfast/Brunch
Bucks Fizz

Lunch
Bloody Mary (thanks Mike)

Afternoon
Pimm's No. 1 Cup
Sangria
(essentially, something that is not too heavy and usually served in a pitcher).

Cocktail Hour 17:00
I've always thought that the may point of these cocktails was to raise the appetite before dinner.
Esquire's Handbook for Hosts suggests;

Martini
Manhattan
Old Fashioned
Champagne Cocktail

I also find a Gin & Tonic works well here too.

Dinner
Depends on what you're serving.

Cheese
Port

Coffee
Cognac, Liqueurs, Cordials

So generally no cocktails after dinner, you don't have to follow this, because you would have Port, Cognac or perhaps a fine Single Malt Scotch.

Sources: Esquires Handbook for Hosts, Drinks (Straub, 1914).

I apologise that this is something of a hodge-podge. Anyone else feel free to add/adjust the list and maybe we can come up with something a little more comprehensive.

 

[Wally_Hood]

Mr. B,

Thanks! This is definitely what I was pondering!