The Thin Man

From the classic movie series The Thin Man from the 1930s, the lead character, Nick Charles (as portrayed by William Powell), epitomized the style of post-prohibition New York high-life. "Highballs and cocktails, he announced, "the long and the short of it."

Here are just a few of the cocktails from the movies of the golden age of Hollywood.

Nick Charles' Dry Martini (from The Thin Man)

2½ oz gin
½ oz dry vermouth

Stir ingredients with cracked ice and pour into a chilled cocktail glass. Garnish with either a lemon zest, olive or cocktail onion (which makes it a Gibson).

General Sternwood's Champagne Cocktail (from The Big Sleep)

1 sugar cube
2 or 3 drops Angostura bitters
⅔ oz Cognac
6 oz Champagne

Soak sugar cube with Angostura bitters. Place cube in bottom of Champagne flute. Add Cognac, fill with Champagne. Garnish with a twist.

Sugar Kane's Manhattan (from Some Like It Hot)

2 oz rye whisky
½ oz sweet vermouth
1 dash Angostura bitters

Shake ingredients with cracked ice; strain into a chilled cocktail glass and serve. Garnish with a Maraschino cherry.

The Vesper

In Ian Fleming's first James Bond novel, Casino Royal, we find  the recipe for his distinctive version of the martini — the "Vesper."

3 measures of Gordon's gin
1 measure of vodka
Half a measure of Kina Lillet*
Lemon peel

Shake all together with lots of ice until very cold. Pour into a glass and add the thin slice of lemon peel.

* - rather than the typical dry vermouth as used in most martinis, we have a more distinctive aperitif that boasts citrusy notes along with the addition of quinine — the primary ingredient of tonic water.

Bar basics - mixers

There are a number of liquid ingredients needed for cocktails beside the alcohol.

Tomato juice
Clamato juice
Orange juice
Coconut milk
Grenadine
Tabasco sauce
Worchestershire sauce
Angostura bitters
Club soda
Simply syrup*
Ice

* - to make simple syrup, bring 1 cup of water to the boil and add 2 cups of sugar. Stir constantly until the sugar is completely dissolved. Let cool and refrigerate.

Bar basics - potables

The first thing needed for cocktails are the alcoholic bases.

Vodka
Rum
Whisky
Tequila
Brandy
Cognac
Gin
Bourbon
Triple Sec
Cointreau
Dry Vermouth
Sweet Vermouth

Bar basics - essential garnishes

Here is a list of the basic garnishes.

Olives
Maraschino cherries
Mint
Limes
Lemons
Cocktail onions

Bar basics - equipment

There are a few essential pieces of equipment required of the the well set bar.

Cocktail shaker		Corkscrew		Ice bucket & Tongs		Strainer
Peeler		Cocktail picks		Swizzle sticks		Muddler
Measure - 1 oz and ¾ oz shots, or a graduated measure

The modern/deco style above is available from MixologyAndCraft (and Amazon).

---

To enhance a cocktail presentation, use these ice presses made from brass, copper or aluminum to melt lumps of ice into fancy diamond, sphere or polygon shapes. They range in price from $150 to $4000 depending on materials and quality. The highest quality maker seems to be Meltdown Ice. Also see BF Tech and Vevor.

Meldown Ice - Ice Ball Maker

Vevor - Ice Ball Maker

Making crystal clear ice cubes isn't easy. Standard ice cube trays allow the ice to cool too quickly on the outer surfaces which result in a cloudy centre. The solution is an insulated container that slows down the rate of cooling to allow excess air bubbles to dissipate. The GLAZER mini by OriFuture is one solution. They make ice cube molds for a variety of shapes: cube, ball, diamond (shown), skull, barrel, golf ball, etc. (They also make ice presses.)

The Cocktail Cabinet

I first saw a cocktail cabinet in the posh Manhattan apartment of Nick and Nora Charles in the famous Thin Man movies. I knew I had to have one one day and finally found it in a second hand store.

It was in fairly good condition but the woodwork needed refinishing. I had it done by a local furniture restorer and the result was perfect!

I prefer the Art Deco period but mine is more Art Moderne, probably from the 1940s. On the shelf are an ice bucket, a cocktail shaker, and an assortment of cocktail glasses.

On the lid are the skewers for cocktail garnishes. The two door cabinet below holds the bottles of liquor. (I do not know what the two brackets in the centre of the lid are for. I've seen cabinets that have three brackets that hold a citrus squeezer but there was never a third bracket on mine — no screw holes. Possibly it held a muddler.)