Speakeasy - The Employees Only Guide to Classic Cocktails Reimagined

Zusatztext 45292907 Informationen zum Autor JASON KOSMAS and DUSHAN ZARIC first became a team at Soho’s Pravda, where they were at the forefront of the Martini craze that swept the late 1990s. They opened Employees Only along with three other owners in 2004. Together the two have also formed Cocktail Conceptions, a beverage consulting company, and have created brand launches and marketing strategies for major labels such as Absolut, Pernod Ricard, and Perrier-Jouët Champagne. Their latest bar-restaurant venture is Macao Trading Co. in Tribeca. Klappentext Time-honored cocktails like the New York Sour and the Sidecar were born during the era of Prohibition, the blessedly bygone social experiment that turned drinking into an underground adventure. In those days, hard beverage options were usually made with homemade hooch and flavorings of dubious origin and quality. Thankfully, a cocktail renaissance has emerged in many of today's bars, where inventive drinks showcase both the artistry and craft of bartending. At their moody and atmospheric West Village bar-restaurant Employees Only, master mixologists Jason Kosmas and Dushan Zaric can regale you with colorful tales of cocktail origins-or just pour you a mean drink. In Speakeasy, Kosmas and Zaric take their inspiration from traditional favorites, then use the finest spirits, the freshest ingredients, and a good measure of reverence for their craft to elevate the mixed drink to artisanal status. More than 80 imaginative libations that riff on the classics are showcased in this one-of-a-kind collection. Recipes emphasize fresh fruits and herbs, homemade syrups and infusions, and a careful balancing of flavors, with a mind toward seasonality. A Ginger Smash is offered in four different versions: kumquat, pineapple, pear, or cranberry, depending on the time of year. The Millionaire becomes the Billionaire with the addition of homemade grenadine and 107-proof bourbon. And the South Side becomes the West Side by replacing the gin with sun-kissed Meyer lemon-infused vodka. With the specter of Prohibition firmly in the past, Speakeasy shares recipes for the choicest potent potables, reimagining the finest drinks of yesterday for today's thirsty imbibers. Introduction   In late 2001, a small group of bartenders at the most popular bars in downtown Manhattan saw the writing on the wall: chefs in the vanguard were beginning to use ingredients that they touted on their menus as “homemade,” “handcrafted,” and “organic,” and the public was paying attention. The bartenders saw change coming to their craft, too. The days of the vodka Martini were numbered. So they launched a project to change the way people were drinking in their town. Little did they know that they would help destroy bottle service, bring back classic cocktail culture, and singlehandedly revive the mustache.   Paving the Way for Classic Cocktails Our story begins in 1998, when we were young, eager bartenders behind the wildly fashionable bar Pravda, located in Manhattan’s über-hip SoHo neighborhood. Pravda, a Soviet Russia–themed subterranean vodka and Martini bar, was envisioned by restaurant mogul Keith McNally and opened in 1996 under the tutelage of Dale DeGroff, the most influential figure in the rebirth of the cocktail. Pravda was one of the first bars to take the leap into making drinks with fresh juices and Boston shakers. Ironically, the classic American bar style was the heart of the communist-themed lounge. Pravda’s cocktail menu was heavy on vodka, with more than nine homemade infusions on the menu and more than a hundred frozen vodkas from all over the world. But the cocktails incorporated fresh and seasonal ingredients and were executed in the classic style of bartending, focusing on technique and balance of flavor. Any drink on the menu made with vodka served up could be called a Martini. This opened up enormous possibilities...

Product details

• Authors: KOSMA, Kosmas, Jason Kosmas, Jason/ Zaric Kosmas, Zaric, Dushan Zaric
• Publisher: Ten Speed
• Languages: English
• Product format: Hardback
• Released: 12.10.2010
• EAN: 9781580082532
• ISBN: 978-1-58008-253-2
• No. of pages: 192
• Dimensions: 213 mm x 238 mm x 20 mm
• Series: TEN SPEED PRESS
• Subject: Guides > Food & drink > Drinks