Cheers! National Cocktail Day is March 24: Which classic concoction fits your fancy?

Lyn Dowling
·6 min read

Hank Hutson of Indialantic is an Old Fashioned kind of guy — and never is there a better time to try a classic mixed drink than National Cocktail Day, March 24.

He is not a prolific drinker, but friends have joked about Hutson being the “Old Fashioned inspector” because he knows what he likes and insists on what’s good when he orders one of what author David Embury called “the “six basic drinks” in 1948, in “The Fine Art of Mixing Drinks.”

For what it’s worth, “cocktail” has been part of the language since at least the early 19th century, and it was first defined as an alcoholic beverage, originally comprised of spirits, bitters, water and sugar, but later expanded to include liqueur.

In 1862, famed New York saloon owner “Professor” Jeremiah Thomas wrote what probably was the first guide to mixology, “How to Mix Drinks; or, The Bon Vivant's Companion,” wherein he explained (with recipes) the differences between cocktails and the punches, smashes and cobblers of the day, and classified t hem as either sour (with fruit juices) or aromatic (with bitters).

By 1912, Americans were calling cocktail parties cocktail parties, which remained ubiquitous for decades, but they lost popularity in the late 1960s. So-called “cocktail culture” roared back in the early 21st century and here they remain.

Embury wrote that a fine Old Fashioned should have 12 parts American whiskey (bourbon), one part simple syrup and one to three dashes of bitters. Add bitters to simple syrup and stir, then add about an ounce of whiskey and stir again. Into that go two cubes of cracked, but not crushed, ice, which are topped off with the rest of the whiskey. Lemon peel is twisted over the top and a maraschino cherry added.

Hutson, who says the best Old Fashioneds in this area may be found at Mainstreet Pub in downtown Melbourne, is a purist.

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“Stir the bourbon. (It should not be) shaken; do not bruise the bourbon,” he said, and added that his preferred brand is Basil Hayden. “I prefer traditional bitters and the Marie Noe cherry versus all the fancy cherries, and I like the orange just to be peel, not the actual pulp of the fruit in the drink. Sometimes I like it smoked, but just basically peel, and I do prefer a half packet of sugar with the maraschino cherry ... and lots of ice.”

The rest of Embury’s half-dozen definitive beverages and where you can find them include:

  • Daiquiri, a simple but elegant drink, the recipe for which is eight parts white Cuban rum, two parts lime juice and one part simple syrup, shaken with crushed ice and strained into a chilled glass. The rum does matter, according to George Jenkins, one of the locally famed Straw Hat Barmen and a respected fancier of the spirit. “A daiquiri really, really relies on a good rum, he said. “Lourdes Library has Ten-to-One, and I think also Wray and Nephew, which also make great daiquiris.”

Lourdes Library, 587 W. Eau Gallie Blvd., Unit 105, Melbourne. Go to www.facebook.com/Lourdeslibrary321

  • Jack Rose, which Embury wrote as having have eight parts applejack, two parts lemon juice and one part grenadine, shaken with ice and strained into a glass. William Patrick, the food and beverage director at North Brevard’s Bravo Taco, Moonlight Drive-In and liquor-serving Third Culture Kitchen and Vine and Olive Modern Italian, welcomed inquiries about the concoction, invented in the late 19th century in New Jersey, and beloved in the 1920s and 1930s. Patrick does indeed make them, but “not as much as I used to because (at times) we don’t have the applejack ... but it should be Laird’s, because it is from New Jersey.”

Third Culture Kitchen is located at 1000 Cheney Hwy, Titusville. Call 225-4103. www.thirdculturekitchen.com.

Vine & Olive Modern Italian is located at 3350 S. Washington Ave., Titusville. Call 321-567-5028.

  • Manhattan, which, if you go by the book, contains five parts American whiskey (rye), one part Italian sweet vermouth and a dash of Angostura bitters, stirred with ice, strained into a glass and served with a cherry. It is attached to some history, having originated in the 1874 at the Manhattan Club in New York City in honor of Samuel Tilden, who was running for president. Joe Snyder of 28 North Gastropub said it was the drink “for those looking for a sweet note,” but that it requires fine whiskey to achieve, and Sarah Gottesfeld of Alibi Cocktails & Bites in Cocoa Beach agreed. “The spirit quality is definitely important as these drinks are designed to have the spirit be the star of the show,” she said. “We like WhistlePig rye for a Manhattan.”

Alibi Cocktails & Bites, 231 Minutemen Cswy., Cocoa Beach. Call 321-613-2831. www.thealibicocktailsandbites.com.

  • Martini, in its basic form the simplest of mixed drinks, from the late 19th and early 20th centuries: seven parts English gin, one part French dry vermouth and a dash of orange bitters. Stir it, strain it, twist lemon peel over it and garnish it with an olive. That’s the basic form, modernized at first by omitting the bitters, and then by shaking, blending and adding an untold number of ingredients. Hell n’ Blazes Brewing Company may be known for beer, but it also does quite the business in said martinis, including an Espresso Martini made with Oceanside toasted coconut rum, Duke and Dame salted caramel whiskey and J.F. Haden’s espresso coffee blend, chocolate liqueur and cold brew. Still, it will make you an actual martini made with Islamorada gin or a Florida-distilled vodka, because, in the words of front-of-the house manager Julie Cahours, “All the spirits we use are distilled in Florida because we try to keep things local.”

Hell n’ Blazes Brewing Company, 1002 E. New Haven Ave., Melbourne. Call 321-821-4052. www.hellnblazesbrewing.com/

  • Sidecar: Tart, dry and elegant, the Sidecar got its (disputed) start in the early 20th century at Bucks Club, London or the Ritz Hotel in Paris. Embury’s recipe includes eight parts Cognac or Armagnac, two parts lemon juice and one part Cointreau or triple sec) though Grand Marnier or dry curaçao may be part of latter-day versions. Regardless, the ingredients are shaken with ice, strained into a cocktail glass and garnished with a twist of lemon. Classic though they may be, they have not disappeared from restaurants like 28 North Gastropub, where the charm of the thing may be elevated by use of Martell Blue Swift, Courvoisier or other cognacs. “We tend to lean into Grand Marnier here too,” beverage director Joe Snyder said.

28 North Gastropub is located at 2250 Town Center Ave., The Avenue Viera. Call 321-241-1159.  https://28northgastropub.com.

Mainstreet Pub is located at 705 E New Haven Ave, Melbourne. Call 321-723-7811. www.mymainstreetpub.com.

Lyn Dowling is a freelance food and lifestyles writer based in Melbourne.

This article originally appeared on Florida Today: Classic drinks to try on National Cocktail Day (and where to find them)