In the world of mixology, two cities dominate: New York and London. It is an intense competition, perhaps rivalry. There is no formal declaration of a cocktail war but the two cities dominate the ever spiraling lists of concoctions that we taste, savor, and relish. This is the Golden Age of cocktails. And GQ Drinks presents the Golden Age from the London viewpoint.
There are ten chapters here, each devoted to one style of spirit or cocktail:
- Gin
- Vodka
- Rum
- Tequila
- Whisky
- Brandy
- Champagne
- Modernist Cocktails
- Classic Cocktails & Specialist Spirits
- Alcohol-Free
Each chapter has a two page history and survey of the spirit followed by a dozen recipes or more from one contemporary London mixologist of note. Each of those recipes has headnotes providing the history and background of the cocktails, acknowledging now and then that the origins may not be known but the fame rightly persists.
As an example, you may not have heard of, say, Milos Popovic of the Old Bengal Bar in London, but Milos knows how to use his spirit, rum, to maximum potency. Here’s the list of some of the Milos’ rum recipes you will find in GQ Cocktails:
Dark and Stormy, a classic with rum and ginger beer
Plantation Daiquiri, the perpetual with lime and sugar syrup
The Painkiller, adding pineapple juice, orange juice and Coco Lopez
El Presidente, combining Antica Formula, orange curacao, and bitters
Vic’s Mai Tai, the original with curacao, lime and orgeat syrup
Scorpion, more orgeat plus lemon juice, cognac, orange juice and orange bitters
Planter’s Punch, from 1908 with lemon and orange juice and sugar syrup
Pineapple Head, using overproof rum, lemon juice, maple syrup, fresh ginger, fresh pineapple, and orange bitters
Hemingway Daiquiri, adding lime juice, sugar syrup, grapefruit juice, and grapefruit bitters
Daiquiry Multa, combining that rum with lime juice, sugar syrup and now white crème de cacao
Hurricane, a classic with fresh pineapple, pineapple syrup, and lime juice
There’s a solid spectrum of rum ideas here, so if you find yourself holding a bottle of rum and asking yourself, “What can I do with this?” I certainly hope that in your other hand you hold a copy of GQ Drinks.
GQ Drinks was edited by Paul Henerson using all the inputs from his mixologists and spirit history contributors. Equally powerful, each and every beverage his been smashingly photographed by Romas Foord. You can see one of his perfect shots at the bottom of this post; that's the Virgin Southside made with apple juice, mint leaves, elderflower cordial and ginger ale. GQ Drinks is a beautiful book, one meant to send you in search of citrus, ice cubes and a bottle or two.
Some of the recipes do call for a special spirit or ingredient, like that elderflower cordial. There are ideas here for substitutions and you can surely treat each recipe here as template for your own cocktail invention. You don’t need a Ph.D. to become a mixologist. Just a vivid imagination and an appreciation for the power of spirits. GQ Drinks celebrates that power with a spirit of its own.
