6 Basic Cocktails & More

According to David A. Embury, as stated in his classic, The Art of Mixing Drinks (1948), there are six basic drinks: the Daiquiri, the Jack Rose, the Manhattan, the Martini, the Old Fashioned, and the Sidecar.

Embury's preferred recipe for each is:

Daiquiri

• 8 parts white Cuban rum
• 2 parts lime juice
• 1 part simple syrup

Shake with lots of finely crushed ice and strain well into a chilled cocktail glass.

Jack Rose

• 8 parts Applejack
• 2 parts lemon juice
• 1 part Grenadine

Shake vigorously with ice and strain into a cocktail glass. Garnish with a twist of lemon, if desired. Calvados can be used as a substitute for Applejack.

Manhattan

• 5 parts American whiskey
• 1 part Italian (sweet) vermouth
• dash of Angostura bitters to each drink

Stir with ice, strain into a cocktail glass and serve garnished with a Maraschino cherry.

Martini

• 7 parts English gin
• 1 part French (dry) vermouth

Stir with ice, strain into a cocktail glass, twist lemon peel over the top and serve garnished with an olive, preferably one stuffed with any kind of nut. Embury also states that sherry is a nice substitute for vermouth.

Old Fashioned

• 12 parts American whiskey
• 1 part simple syrup
• 1-3 dashes Angostura bitters to each drink

In an old-fashioned glass, add bitters to simple syrup and stir. Add about 1 ounce of whiskey and stir again. Add two cubes of cracked, but not crushed, ice and top off with the rest of the whiskey. Twist lemon peel over the top and serve garnished with the lemon peel and a maraschino cherry.

Sidecar

• 8 parts Cognac or Armagnac
• 2 parts lemon juice
• 1 part Cointreau or triple sec

Shake vigorously with ice and strain into a cocktail glass. Garnish with a twist of lemon, if desired.

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Updating Embury's list, I would drop the Jack Rose and the Old Fashioned, and add the Bloody Mary and the Gin and Tonic.
The Jack Rose is no longer popular and is too close to the Sidecar, substituting Cognac for Applejack, and substituting Cointreau for Grenadine as the sweetener.
The Old Fashioned is too close to the Manhattan: sweet vermouth versus simple syrup.

Gin and Tonic

• 1½ oz. gin
• 3-4 oz. tonic
• lime wedge

In a highball glass add plenty of ice and pour over the gin and tonic. Garnish with a wedge of lime.

Bloody Mary

• 1½ oz. vodka
• 3 oz. tomato juice
• 1 dash lemon juice
• ½ tsp. Worcestershire sauce
• 2-3 drops Tabasco sauce
• Pepper and salt

Shake with ice and strain into old-fashioned glass over ice cubes. A wedge of lime may be added. (For a Bloody Caesar, substitute 5 ounces of Clamato juice for the tomato juice, rim the glass with celery salt and add a celery stalk. You can make your own Clamato by mixing 2½ cups of tomato juice with 1 cup of clam juice.)

Most often the today the glass is rimmed with a spice mixture commercially available as Bloody Mary rimming spice. It can also be homemade with this recipe.

Sidecar - My Recipe (following Harry Craddock's ratio of 2:1:1)

• 2 parts Cognac
• 1 part Cointreau or Triple Sec
• 1 part lemon juice

Shake vigorously with ice in a cocktail shaker and strain into a cocktail glass. Garnish with a twist of lemon.


Source: Wikipedia and Mr. Boston Official Bartender's Guide, Warner Books, 1984.