The Fine Art of Mixing Drinks is a classic cocktail book by David A. Embury, first published in 1948. The book is noteworthy for its highly opinionated and conversational tone, as well as its categorization of cocktails into two main types: aromatic and sour, its categorization of ingredients into three categories: the base, modifying agents and special flavoring and coloring agents, and its 1:2:8 ratio (1 part sweet, 2 parts sour, 8 parts base) for sour type cocktails. A cocktail. ... An editor has expressed a concern that the subject of the article does not satisfy the notability guideline or one of the following guidelines for inclusion on Wikipedia: Biographies, Books, Companies, Fiction, Music, Neologisms, Numbers, Web content, or several proposals for new guidelines. ... Year 1948 (MCMXLVIII) was a leap year starting on Thursday (the link is to a full 1948 calendar). ... In scuba diving, the word cocktail also means a hazard with diving with some rebreathers: it means a caustic solution resulting from water reaching and dissolving the absorbent. ...

Basic Principles

Embury first outlines some basic principles for fashioning a quality cocktail:

• It should be made from good-quality, high-proof liquors.
• It should whet rather than dull the appetite. Thus, it should never be sweet or syrupy, or contain too much fruit juice, egg or cream.
• It should be dry, with sufficient alcoholic flavor, yet smooth and pleasing to the palate.
• It should be pleasing to the eye.
• It should be well-iced.

Alcoholic proof is a measure of how much ethanol is in an alcoholic beverage, and is approximately twice the percentage of alcohol by volume (ABV, the unit that is commonly used at present). ... Various distilled beverages in a Spanish bar A distilled beverage is a liquid preparation meant for consumption containing ethyl alcohol (ethanol) purified by distillation from a fermented substance such as fruit, vegetables, or grain. ... The appetite is the desire to eat food, felt as hunger. ... Sweetness is one of the five basic tastes, and is almost universally regarded as a pleasurable experience. ... Juice is the liquid naturally contained in plants. ... An egg is an ovum produced by a female animal for reproduction, often prepared as food. ... Cream is a dairy product that is composed of the higher-butterfat layer skimmed from the top of milk before homogenization. ... Dryness, a property of alcoholic beverages, is the lack of sweet taste. ... Flavor or flavour (see spelling differences) is the sensory impression of a food or other substance, and is determined mainly by the chemical senses of taste and smell. ... Many see natural beauty in the rose. ... Snowflakes by Wilson Bentley, 1902 Ice is the name given to any one of the 14 known solid phases of water. ...

Components of a Cocktail

Embury breaks all cocktail ingredients down into three categories:

The Base is the principal ingredient of the cocktail. It is typically a single spirituous liquor, such as rum, gin or whiskey, and typically makes up 75 percent or more of the total volume of the cocktail before icing. A cocktail. ... Various distilled beverages in a Spanish bar A distilled beverage is a liquid preparation meant for consumption containing ethyl alcohol (ethanol) purified by distillation from a fermented substance such as fruit, vegetables, or grain. ... Caribbean rum, circa 1941 Rum is a distilled beverage made from sugarcane by-products such as molasses and sugarcane juice by a process of fermentation and distillation. ... This article concerns the beverage. ... Whisky (or whiskey) is an alcoholic beverage distilled from grain, often including malt, which has then been aged in wooden barrels. ... The volume of a solid object is the three-dimensional concept of how much space it occupies, often quantified numerically. ... A cocktail. ... Snowflakes by Wilson Bentley, 1902 Ice is the name given to any one of the 14 known solid phases of water. ...

The Modifying Agent is the ingredient that gives the cocktail its character. Its function is to soften the raw alcohol taste of the base, while at the same time to enhance its natural flavor. Typical modifying agents are aromatic wines (such as vermouth) and spirits (such as Fernet Branca or Amer Picon), bitters, fruit juices and "smoothing agents" such as sugar, eggs and cream. A cocktail. ... A fortified wine is a wine to which additional alcohol has been added, most commonly in the form of brandy (a spirit distilled from wine). ... Vermouth is a fortified wine flavored with aromatic herbs and spices (aromatized in the trade) in recipes that are closely-guarded trade secrets. ... Various distilled beverages in a Spanish bar A distilled beverage is a liquid preparation meant for consumption containing ethyl alcohol (ethanol) purified by distillation from a fermented substance such as fruit, vegetables, or grain. ... Fernet Branca with Cola Fernet Branca is a bitter, aromatic spirit made from 27 herbs and spices, including myrrh, rhubarb, chamomile, cardamom, aloe, and saffron, with a base of grape alcohol. ... A Bitters is a preparation of herbs and citrus dissolved in alcohol or glycerine with a bitter or bittersweet flavor. ... A Bitters is a preparation of herbs and citrus dissolved in alcohol or glycerine with a bitter or bittersweet flavor. ... Juice is the liquid naturally contained in plants. ... Magnification of typical sugar showing monoclinic hemihedral crystalline structure. ... An egg is an ovum produced by a female animal for reproduction, often prepared as food. ... Cream is a dairy product that is composed of the higher-butterfat layer skimmed from the top of milk before homogenization. ...

Special Flavoring and Coloring Agents include cordials (such as Grand Marnier or Chartreuse) and non-alcoholic flavored syrups (such as Grenadine or Orgeat syrup). These are typically used in place of simple syrup, and are to be used sparingly. Bottles of strawberry liqueur A liqueur is a sweet alcoholic beverage, often flavoured with fruits, herbs, spices, flowers, seeds, roots, plants, barks, and sometimes cream. ... Grand Marnier is a liqueur created in 1880 by Alexandre Marnier-Lapostolle. ... Bottle of Green Chartreuse Chartreuse is a French liqueur composed of distilled wine alcohol flavored with 130 herbal extracts. ... In cooking, a syrup (from Arabic شراب sharab, beverage, via Latin siropus) is a thick, viscous liquid, containing a large amount of dissolved sugars, but showing little tendency to deposit crystals. ... Grenadine is traditionally a non-alcoholic red syrup. ... Orgeat syrup is a sweet syrup made from almonds, sugar and rose water/orange-flower water. ... In cooking, a syrup (from Arabic شراب sharab, beverage, via Latin siropus) is a thick, viscous liquid, containing a large amount of dissolved sugars, but showing little tendency to deposit crystals. ...

Categories of Cocktails

Embury breaks all cocktails down into two categories: A cocktail. ...

Cocktails of the Aromatic Type use as modifying agents bitters or aromatic wines or spirits. A Bitters is a preparation of herbs and citrus dissolved in alcohol or glycerine with a bitter or bittersweet flavor. ... A fortified wine is a wine to which additional alcohol has been added, most commonly in the form of brandy (a spirit distilled from wine). ... Various distilled beverages in a Spanish bar A distilled beverage is a liquid preparation meant for consumption containing ethyl alcohol (ethanol) purified by distillation from a fermented substance such as fruit, vegetables, or grain. ...

Cocktails of the Sour Type use as modifying agents a fruit juice (typically, lemon or lime) and sugar. For these a ratio of 1 part sweet to 2 parts sour to 8 parts base in generally recommended. However, Embury makes it very clear that he thinks the idea that a drink must be made according to one exact recipe preposterous, and that the final arbiter is always your taste. He suggests trying different ratios, finding the one that is most pleasing to you, and sticking with it. Juice is the liquid naturally contained in plants. ... Binomial name Citrus × limon (L.) Burm. ... Percentages are relative to US RDI values for adults. ... Magnification of typical sugar showing monoclinic hemihedral crystalline structure. ...

Once one understands the basic components of each type of drink, new cocktails can be created by substituting a different base or modifying agent or by adding a special flavoring or coloring agent. A daiquiri, for example, is nothing more than a whiskey sour with rum substituted for whiskey as the base and lime juice substituted for lemon juice as a modifying agent.   Wikibooks Bartending has more about this subject: Daiquiri Daiquiri, or Daiquirí (which is the Cuban spelling of the word), is a family of cocktails whose main ingredients are rum and lime juice. ... Caribbean rum, circa 1941 Rum is a distilled beverage made from sugarcane by-products such as molasses and sugarcane juice by a process of fermentation and distillation. ... Whisky (or whiskey) is an alcoholic beverage distilled from grain, often including malt, which has then been aged in wooden barrels. ...

The Six Basic Drinks

Embury's six basic drinks, along with his preferred recipes:

The Martini
1 part French (dry) vermouth
7 parts English gin A classic martini of 5 parts gin to 1 part dry vermouth with an olive The martini is a cocktail traditionally made with gin and dry white vermouth, though in recent years substituting vodka for gin has become more popular than the original recipe. ... Vermouth is a fortified wine flavored with aromatic herbs and spices (aromatized in the trade) in recipes that are closely-guarded trade secrets. ... This article concerns the beverage. ...

Stir with ice, strain into a cocktail glass, twist lemon peel over the top and serve garnished with an olive, preferably one stuffed with any kind of nut. An amber tinted cocktail glass A cocktail glass is a narrow drinking glass having a stem and a wide, shallow, inverted cone fixed above it to hold liquid. ... A garnish is a substance used primarily as an embellishment or decoration to a prepared food or drink item. ... This article or section may be confusing for some readers, and should be edited to be clearer or more simplified. ... Hazelnuts from the Common Hazel Chestnut Walnuts A nut can be both a seed and a fruit. ...

The Manhattan
1 part Italian (sweet) vermouth
5 parts American whiskey
dash of Angostura bitters to each drink A Manhattan is a cocktail made with whiskey, sweet vermouth, and bitters. ... Vermouth is a fortified wine flavored with aromatic herbs and spices (aromatized in the trade) in recipes that are closely-guarded trade secrets. ... Whisky (or whiskey) is an alcoholic beverage distilled from grain, often including malt, which has then been aged in wooden barrels. ... A bottle of Angostura Aromatic Bitters For other uses, see Angostura. ...

Stir with ice, strain into a cocktail glass and serve garnished with a maraschino cherry. An amber tinted cocktail glass A cocktail glass is a narrow drinking glass having a stem and a wide, shallow, inverted cone fixed above it to hold liquid. ... A garnish is a substance used primarily as an embellishment or decoration to a prepared food or drink item. ... A close up of a Maraschino cherry A maraschino cherry is a preserved, sweetened cherry, typically made from light-colored sweet cherries, such as the Royal Ann, Rainier, or Gold varieties. ...

The Old-Fashioned
1 part simple syrup
12 parts American whiskey
1-3 dashes Angostura bitters to each drink This article is being considered for deletion in accordance with Wikipedias deletion policy. ... In cooking, a syrup (from Arabic شراب sharab, beverage, via Latin siropus) is a thick, viscous liquid, containing a large amount of dissolved sugars, but showing little tendency to deposit crystals. ... Whisky (or whiskey) is an alcoholic beverage distilled from grain, often including malt, which has then been aged in wooden barrels. ... A bottle of Angostura Aromatic Bitters For other uses, see Angostura. ...

In an old-fashioned glass, add bitters to simple syrup and stir. Add about 1 ounce of whiskey and stir again. Add two cubes of cracked, but not crushed, ice and top off with the rest of the whiskey. Twist lemon peel over the top and serve garnished with the lemon peel and a maraschino cherry. An old fashioned glass The old fashioned glass is commonly found in bars and pubs, it is not very tall but is a little wider than the Hi-Ball, making it suitable for cocktails that have fewer ingredients. ... A garnish is a substance used primarily as an embellishment or decoration to a prepared food or drink item. ... A close up of a Maraschino cherry A maraschino cherry is a preserved, sweetened cherry, typically made from light-colored sweet cherries, such as the Royal Ann, Rainier, or Gold varieties. ...

The Daiquiri
1 part simple syrup
2 parts lime juice
8 parts white Cuban rum   Wikibooks Bartending has more about this subject: Daiquiri Daiquiri, or Daiquirí (which is the Cuban spelling of the word), is a family of cocktails whose main ingredients are rum and lime juice. ... In cooking, a syrup (from Arabic شراب sharab, beverage, via Latin siropus) is a thick, viscous liquid, containing a large amount of dissolved sugars, but showing little tendency to deposit crystals. ... Percentages are relative to US RDI values for adults. ... Orange Juice. ... Caribbean rum, circa 1941 Rum is a distilled beverage made from sugarcane by-products such as molasses and sugarcane juice by a process of fermentation and distillation. ...

Shake with lots of finely crushed ice and strain well into a chilled cocktail glass. Other excellent variations include the Daiquiri Grenadine, with a few drops of grenadine per drink substituted for some of the simple syrup and the Daiquiri De Luxe, with Orgeat or Crème d'Ananas in place of simple syrup and a mixture of lime and lemon juices. An amber tinted cocktail glass A cocktail glass is a narrow drinking glass having a stem and a wide, shallow, inverted cone fixed above it to hold liquid. ... Grenadine is traditionally a non-alcoholic red syrup. ... Orgeat syrup is a sweet syrup made from almonds, sugar and rose water/orange-flower water. ...

The Sidecar
1 part Cointreau or triple sec
2 parts lemon juice
8 parts Cognac or Armagnac The Sidecar was originally invented at a bar in Paris for one of the patrons who was fond of arriving driven in a motorcycle sidecar. ... Cointreau is an orange-flavored liqueur similar to triple sec and to Grand Marnier. ... Triple sec is a colourless, orange-flavoured liqueur used in thousands of mixed drinks and recipes as a sweetening and flavouring agent. ... Binomial name Citrus × limon (L.) Burm. ... Orange Juice. ... A brandy snifter Cognac, named after the town of Cognac in France, is a brandy, which is produced in the region surrounding the town. ... 1956 Armagnac Armagnac (IPA [aRmaɲak]), the region of France, has given its name to its distinctive kind of brandy or eau de vie, made of the same grapes as Cognac and undergoing the same aging in oak barrels, but with column still distillation. ...

Shake vigorously with ice and strain into a cocktail glass. Garnish with a twist of lemon if desired. An amber tinted cocktail glass A cocktail glass is a narrow drinking glass having a stem and a wide, shallow, inverted cone fixed above it to hold liquid. ... A garnish is a substance used primarily as an embellishment or decoration to a prepared food or drink item. ...

The Jack Rose
1 part Grenadine
2 parts lemon juice
8 parts apple brandy Grenadine is traditionally a non-alcoholic red syrup. ... Binomial name Citrus × limon (L.) Burm. ... Orange Juice. ... Applejack is a strong alcoholic beverage produced from apples, originating from the American colonial period. ...

Shake vigorously with ice and strain into a cocktail glass. Garnish with a twist of lemon if desired. An amber tinted cocktail glass A cocktail glass is a narrow drinking glass having a stem and a wide, shallow, inverted cone fixed above it to hold liquid. ... A garnish is a substance used primarily as an embellishment or decoration to a prepared food or drink item. ...

Chapters

From the 1958 edition

1. Basic Principles
2. Glassware, Gimmicks, and Gadgets
3. Lemons, Limes and Liquors
4. Pertinent Pointers
5. Six Basic Cocktails
6. Roll Your Own
7. Liqueurs
8. The Use and Abuse of Liquor
9. Bureaucratic and Other Idiosyncrasies
10. Vodka Drinks
11. Short Drinks, Including More Cocktails
12. Tall Drinks
13. Party Drinks
14. Hot Drinks
15. Picker-Uppers
16. Food and Drink
17. Conclusion

Editions

Embury, David [1948] (1948). The Fine Art of Mixing Drinks, 1st ed., Garden City, N.Y: Doubleday. LCC TX951 .E55.  An editor has expressed a concern that the subject of the article does not satisfy the notability guideline or one of the following guidelines for inclusion on Wikipedia: Biographies, Books, Companies, Fiction, Music, Neologisms, Numbers, Web content, or several proposals for new guidelines. ... The Library of Congress Classification (LCC) is a system of library classification developed by the Library of Congress. ...

Embury, David [1948] (1952). The Fine Art of Mixing Drinks, 2nd ed., Garden City, N.Y: Doubleday. LCC TX951 .E55 1952.  An editor has expressed a concern that the subject of the article does not satisfy the notability guideline or one of the following guidelines for inclusion on Wikipedia: Biographies, Books, Companies, Fiction, Music, Neologisms, Numbers, Web content, or several proposals for new guidelines. ... The Library of Congress Classification (LCC) is a system of library classification developed by the Library of Congress. ...

Embury, David [1948] (1958). The Fine Art of Mixing Drinks, illustrated by Nathan Gluck, New rev. ed., Garden City, N.Y: Doubleday. LCC TX951 .E55 1958.  An editor has expressed a concern that the subject of the article does not satisfy the notability guideline or one of the following guidelines for inclusion on Wikipedia: Biographies, Books, Companies, Fiction, Music, Neologisms, Numbers, Web content, or several proposals for new guidelines. ... The Library of Congress Classification (LCC) is a system of library classification developed by the Library of Congress. ...

External links

• Review from DrinkBoy's Cocktail Book Library
• Extended review from Ron Schuler's Parlour Tricks Blog
• Mixilator: The David Embury Random Cocktail Generator