The Five Archetypes
of Classic Mixology
I have distilled (pun intended) over two centuries – give or take a decade or two – of mixology into five classic archetypal mixtures. Someone else may find others or quibble over the splitting of hairs of one formula over another, but I have been able to look at every mixed drink recipe and identify it as a member of at least one of these archetypal families. However, the use of these archetypes is not intended as a mixological catalog system. Rather, it is a tool that almost anyone with some basic bartending skills can use to create classically crafted cocktails.
You will notice that each archetype is not really a formula; none of them have measurements attached to them. A well-crafted drink is one in which all the ingredients get along, play well together, and none bullies any of the others. They all contribute and make their presence felt – or tasted. If you’re playing around with these archetypes in the privacy of your own bar, I suggest you test any concoctions you might want to try by using measuring spoons instead of jiggers, free pours, or eyeballs.
Here’s what I do with measuring spoons: a teaspoon is equivalent to an ounce, a half teaspoon is equivalent to a half ounce, and so forth. How about a dash? Well … if you have a pipette from your old chemistry kit … otherwise, wing it. This mini-mix tells me if I’m in the palatable ballpark. Once I’ve nudged the mini, I go to the full-scale drink and see what further adjustments might have to be made. Finally, how do I know when a drink is where it ought to be? When I taste it and smile.
Okay, enough with the preliminaries … on to the Five Archetypes:
The Archetypal Pantry of Ingredients
Punch
Sling
Cocktail
Sour
Vermouth Cocktail
You will notice that each archetype is not really a formula; none of them have measurements attached to them. A well-crafted drink is one in which all the ingredients get along, play well together, and none bullies any of the others. They all contribute and make their presence felt – or tasted. If you’re playing around with these archetypes in the privacy of your own bar, I suggest you test any concoctions you might want to try by using measuring spoons instead of jiggers, free pours, or eyeballs.
Here’s what I do with measuring spoons: a teaspoon is equivalent to an ounce, a half teaspoon is equivalent to a half ounce, and so forth. How about a dash? Well … if you have a pipette from your old chemistry kit … otherwise, wing it. This mini-mix tells me if I’m in the palatable ballpark. Once I’ve nudged the mini, I go to the full-scale drink and see what further adjustments might have to be made. Finally, how do I know when a drink is where it ought to be? When I taste it and smile.
Okay, enough with the preliminaries … on to the Five Archetypes:
The Archetypal Pantry of Ingredients
Punch
Sling
Cocktail
Sour
Vermouth Cocktail
