Mixologist Manifesto

Mixologist Manifesto


Manifesto? The very word calls up images of a blogger hunched shivering over a laptop in a wilderness shack, plotting the overthrow of the modern order. No, no -- these words are not to be scrawled out on a dirty piece of paper and delivered to the local TV station. Instead, they are suggestions for home mixologists to make the most of their creations.

It's not the Unabomber, or even Karl Marx -- instead, it's the Rejiggered version of the Mixologist Manifesto:

* Fruits should be fresh and of high quality. No browned mint leaves or spotty limes.

* Freshly squeeze all fruit juices. Exceptions for exotic juices are, regrettably, tolerable -- unless you are actually in that exotic locale.

* Strain those freshly squeezed juices. Drinks must not be chewy.

* Chill the glasses for cold drinks. Some of you may use ice alone for this purpose; others may use ice and water.

* Garnish your glasses. Fruits, sugars, salts, rinds, umbrellas, toys – acceptable all, so long as they complement the drink.

* Glassware should be spotless and elegant.

* Liquors should rise to the call of duty, and need not do more. The gin in a martini should be top shelf, while the gin in a fruity mixed drink like a Grapefruit Maiden's Prayer need only taste of good gin – good enough to drink straight but not necessarily the best.

These rules can bend. If you’re cobbling together cocktails from a minibar or a convenience store, or if your venue is a boat or a tailgate or a beach, strive to live within the Manifesto with the comfort of knowing your guests will understand if you cannot.

Additions or suggestions to these rules? Please leave them as comments. Cheers!


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