The One-Bottle Cocktail

January 1, 2018
Hoffman, originator of the Serious Eats: Drinks section of the Serious Eats website, offers 83 cocktail recipes that require no liqueurs, bitters, or vermouths. A trip to the local green market and a bottle of vodka, gin, rum, tequila, brandy, or whiskey are all that are required for concoctions such as the Phuket, a blend of honeydew, vodka, sugar, and lime garnished with mint leaves and cilantro. Hoffman calls on bartenders from across the country for their favorite concoctions. Kristina Magro of Chicago’s Pub Royale stirs things up with the Gincident, which combines gin with blueberry syrup, lemon juice, basil, and rosemary, and New Orleans mixologist Laura Bellucci conjures a Sidecar Named Desire, a pairing of cognac and apricot jam. Chapters are organized by type of liquor, but each section ends with notes on acceptable substitutions should one, for example, prefer rum over tequila in the grilled margarita (which features the juice of grilled lemons). Hoffman includes a chart of drinks by season and occasion in which she suggests, for example, that the Sassy Flower (mescal, lemon juice, and hibiscus-rosemary syrup) is as appropriate for a Super Bowl party as it is for Valentine’s Day. Cocktail photographer Kelly Puleio triggers the thirst center with close-ups of these bright and potent refreshments. The recipes might be time-consuming, but they are fun and imaginative, especially for home bartenders looking to up their game.