Stirred and Shaken: The Vintage Cocktail Returns Just When We Need It Most

Our current economic uncertainty, with all the induced stress, will most certainly lead the majority toward more comforting sensibilities, however small. The search for handcrafted, cared for items has replaced the frivolous spending of a mere couple years before. And, as we seek to get the most for our priceless dollar we are now demanding quality more than ever, and that even extends into the very substance that we may be drowning our sorrows in: the cocktail.

Classic cocktails have been making a resurgence for a few years now, but it is during this current economic downturn that their true value is coming to light. Our desire to look forward, or to the bottom of an empty glass (depending on your perspective), coincidentally involves harkening back to an era when ragtime was the music, and the cocktail was the drink. That is, until the Great Depression snuffed out the fun.

Historically, the emergence of the cocktail coincided neatly with the onset of Prohibition—by no accident of course. The lure of sneaking a beverage behind the backs of the authorities by all accounts contributed to the rise. Naturally, the speakeasy was born during this era. And with the bustling economy, the endless nights and the demure costumes of the roaring twenties patrons never looked more comfortable, and attractive, with a cocktail in hand in these settings.

There is something very alluring about the speakeasy, if not downright romantic. Being nestled into a backroom bar, drinking well-prepared libations, dressed to the nines with, perhaps, a live jazz band at hand all has its appeals. Throw into the mix the prospect of being raided by the authorities at any moment, and the fun factor increases exponentially. Let's face it: everything is always slightly more enticing when we shouldn't be doing it in the first place.

The cocktail renaissance began as a reaction, of sorts, to the more popular sensibilities of drug use, cheap wine and macro brew beers that all stemmed from the seventies and continued through the late eighties. At the helm of this resurgence was Dale Degroff, who, most notably, plied his trade at New York's famous Rainbow Room in the late eighties. Degroff's influence on the profession of bartending is insurmountable. He is credited for recreating the classic cocktail and transforming the profession of bartending, almost single-handedly, and his many disciples lay claim to his expertise and only add to his impressive pedigree.

The Carlyle Hotel, more specifically its bar Bemelmans has always been the bedrock for the cocktail in New York, since its opening in 1930. Even before classic cocktails were called such, and were merely called cocktails New Yorker's could wet their whistle on the corner of 76th and Madison on Manhattan's Upper East Side. Bemelmans bar reopened in early 2002, after a brief restoration, was led by non other than Audrey Saunders, who studied, and then later partnered with Degroff in the '90's.

The classic cocktail requires proper tools and technique for proper execution. It isn't just a spirit and a flavored soda over ice, but rather a drink constructed with proper ratios, proper methodology and, at times, the mixologist's personal spin. Behind the Burner expert and bartender Jason Kosmas of Employees Only in Manhattan's West Village, keeps his bar stocked with these necessary implements: "A Boston shaker, a hawthorn stirrer, a julep strainer, a pairing knife and very large ice cubes."

Thanks to professionals like Degroff, Saunders and a slew of talented newcomers in the mixology world, bartending is now viewed as a skilled trade rather than a mere job. Much care is given to the simplest details, even down to the size of the ice cube and the brand of bitters used. The approach is almost scientific.

And in some cases scientific inquiry is the inspiration. Xavier Herit, mixologist at Daniel, has brought the world of molecular gastronomy to the bar, aptly named molecular mixology. Herit says, "The approach has the influence, above all, on the visual and textural aspects of the drink with the use of unexpected ingredients such as gelatin, alginate and citrus of calcium to change the visual and work the textures." Obviously, this methodology strays from the classic approach, however is a testament to the skilled approach of tending bar.

The recent flourish of bar openings in Manhattan alone clearly indicates that the properly made cocktail is here to stay. Stalwarts like Milk & Honey, Employees Only and Saunders' Pegu Club have paved way for relative newcomers like PDT, Death & Co and White Star Bar. Mayahuel, Death & Co's most recent venture, has a menu largely devoted to tequila and mezcal-based cocktails. As the competition increases specificity becomes increasingly important.

One element that defines these bars from a sports bar or neighborhood jaunt is craft. These establishments take great care in design elements, mood and of course properly mixing a cocktail. Everything from researching recipes from turn of the century bar manuals to dressing the part as a bartender, replete with carefully trimmed facial hair or coiffed head, contributes to the superbly mixed end result. There are many timeless elements at work, which, undoubtedly, ensure a welcome diversion from our harsh everyday routines.

— Written by Chris Forbes

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