Michael Madrusan’s Guide to Misunderstood Cocktails (With Hacks To Make Them Like a Pro)

Photo: Pete Dillon

Can you spot an imposter Martini? What’s the difference between a “wet” and “dry” one? Have you actually had a real-deal Daiquiri? One of Australia’s most influential bar owners shares his wisdom.

A lot of cocktails are misunderstood.

Some people are pretty confident sitting in front of their trusty neighbourhood bartender and picking their brains before they order. Some do their research before they come in. But many steer clear of great drinks simply because they have the wrong impression of them.

As devoted advocates of classic cocktails, we’re here to defend some of the most iconic drinks and explain why and how you should reacquaint yourself.

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The Martini
The Martini is the most classic of all cocktails, stirred with two parts gin, one part dry vermouth. Served in a chilled glass and garnished with a lemon twist or, if you prefer, an olive or onion, the beauty is in the simplicity. So, why do Martinis often seem so complicated?

As my dear friend Paul Hammond likes to say, “The most personal and customisable drink in the world – there are no bad ratios when paired to the right customer”. And he couldn’t be more right.

The fight rests more on the origins than the drink itself. It is an American creation, but did it originally have sweet vermouth? Was it created in the Californian town of Martinez, or at San Francisco’s Occidental Hotel? Perhaps NYC’s Knickerbocker Hotel was the first to mix it? We may never know, but we can be grateful for such a drink.

Another common misconception around Martinis has to do with the “wet” versus “dry” debate. Essentially, wet doesn’t mean more booze and dry doesn’t mean less.

A wet Martini is slightly sweeter, made by increasing the amount of dry vermouth and reducing the amount of gin. Much to many a guest’s confusion, it is, in fact, the dry vermouth that sweetens the drink. Generally, “dry” describes a Martini made from a higher ratio of gin and a lower ratio of dry vermouth.

A range of other ’tini drinks that rose to fame in the early 2000s – Appletini, I’m looking at you – are not Martinis in the traditional sense at all. These shaken citrusy drinks simply took their names from the glass they were served in (the V-shaped chalice coined as “the Martini glass”), rather than the type of cocktail.

Sure, the Martini is an inherently simple cocktail. But simple drinks aren’t necessarily easier to make. For best results, follow these steps carefully:

Freeze your mixing and cocktail glasses for about 15 minutes to get them nice and cold (you can use that pint glass you once stole from the pub as a mixing glass).

Add:
2 dashes of orange bitters
1 oz. (30ml) dry vermouth (I like Dolin)
2 oz. (60ml) gin (I have a few favourites: Beefeater, Plymouth, Old Raj – if you can find it)

Add your ice straight from the freezer and fill to the top. Stir quickly and keep stirring until the ice has had a chance to slightly dilute the drink, the ingredients have married, and the taste has mellowed. Strain into your frozen glass and garnish with a lemon twist, olive or pickled onion (yes, I did say onion. Gibsons are cool. Give it a whirl).

Note: when using regular ice cubes, don’t shake or stir anything for too long. This size ice will dilute much quicker and no one wants a watery drink. If you can get your hands on it, go for clear block ice. These large, dense blocks offer a lot more control.

The Daiquiri
Picture this: you’re on a beach, toes in the sand, with a tiki glass in hand. You think to yourself while listening to the waves crash, “Could this be any more perfect?” And the answer is: yes. Yes, it could be. You could be drinking a classic Daiquiri, not the sickly, saccharine slush some people think a real-deal Daiquiri is.

The cocktail of choice for esteemed drinkers like Ernest Hemingway and my late mentor Sasha Petraske (founder of NYC cocktail bar Milk & Honey), the Daiquiri is made simply of white rum, fresh lime juice and sugar. Shaken hard and fast, it’s served in a frozen cocktail glass and garnished with a wedge of fresh lime. Simple and tart perfection in a glass, from fresh, quality ingredients. No umbrellas required – unless you’re sitting under one.

To start, place your cocktail glass in the freezer. Then, in order, start adding to your shaker:
1 oz. (30ml) fresh lime juice
3/4 oz. (22ml) sugar syrup
2 oz. (60ml) rum of your choice

Add your ice last, filling your shaker to the top, then seal your tins. Shake and strain into a frozen cocktail glass, and garnish with a wedge of lime.

Still thinking about the beach? For the next round, add a couple of fresh muddled strawberries before shaking. Aloha!

The Old Fashioned
This drink can start fights, and not through consumption.
“Is it American whiskey or Scotch?”
“Do we muddle the fruit?” (God, no!).
“How much is too much bitters?”
And please, don’t suggest the gradual method they used to love in the UK (add an ice cube, stir, add another ice cube, repeat). I want my drink tonight, please!

At our bars, we make the “old” Old Fashioned, which is American whiskey, bitters and sugar, garnished with the peels of both orange and lemon. No salad. No slices of lemon or orange. No fluorescent cherry.

We build this cocktail in the glass with a big block of ice, give the drink a few spins with the handle of a spoon or a chopstick, et voila! The Old Fashioned has seen a few reincarnations in its time, unsurprisingly, as this classic is more than 150 years old. We still like it strong and straightforward:

Start by placing a sugar cube into a rocks glass, then add:
3 dashes of Angostura bitters
A bar spoon of soda water (then crush the cube with the back of a spoon)
2 oz. (60ml) American whiskey

Stir it all together, then lastly add ice and spin once or twice more before serving. Garnish with a long, proud twist of lemon and orange.

Michael Madrusan is one of Australia’s most influential bar owners and the co-owner of Made in the Shade, the group that owns The Everleigh, Heartbreaker and Bar Margaux.

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