This months MxMo is hosted by the finger achingly long titled ‘Ladies United for the Preservation of Endangered Cocktails‘, who from henceforth (following advice from my hand doctor) will be reffered to simply as LUPEC. The theme is First Time, surprisingly enough this is not a call for cocktail recipes responsible for intimate teenage fumblings, but rather an invitation to devise or advise a drink for a potential customer who has never tried a cocktail before.

The drink that I recommend is set to cement the opinion of an entirely blank and easily influenced canvas. They say that first impressions count for a lot, well in this situation a bad choice could forever damage the fragile mind of this new-biber (an amalgamation of the words newbie and imbibe). If I was behind a bar I would probably ask the person exactly what spirits they like, if they want something fruity, dry, long, short, strong, light, sweet, sour, vodka, whisky etc. etc.

But if I had the opportunity to set the cocktail ball rolling for one individual, and to give them the best possible start on their journey, what cocktail would it be? My instinct is to go with one of the cocktails that got be excited about mixing drinks. I’m thinking about the Mojito, Singapore Sling, Mai Tai, Margarita and Moscow Mule. This Mixology Monday is not about homemade bitters, foams, gels, jellys and uphill rivers. But that doesn’t make it any easier, coming up with one drink that has the challenge of provoking further curiosity, excitement and interest into the world of cocktails.

I remember I once took part in a cocktail competition, which had a round that involved making up a drink for a particular customer. The customer I was given was a recently defected nun who had never had alcohol before in her life. In the short space of time that I had, I managed to devise a drink based around the seven deadly sins. Each ingredient represented one of the sins including sugar for gluttony, strawberries for lust, basil for envy (it’s green) and so on…

Assuming that this person is not a nun however, my mind turns to a simple drink that is both impressive and approachable. Something that gives its drinker a great foundation for future cocktails, and a very tasty experience to boot.

Tom Collins

I’m not going to get into the politics around the name Tom Collins, though I will say that the name ‘Tom Collins’ actually refers to a style of drink that can be made with any liquor. If i’m being pedantic, the drink I recommend is a ‘Gin Tom Collins’.

Glass: Collins(!)/Highball
Garnish: Lemon wedge

• 50ml Tanqueray 43.1
• 25ml Lemon Juice
• 12.5ml Gomme
• Soda

Shake or stir? Do whatever you like! Some would say that a Fizz (same ingredients, different method) by its very nature requires shaking and that a Collins should be stirred, others (who have done their research) will tell you that the Collins is the one which should be shaken and that in fact a Gin Fizz should be stirred.

I would personally stir it together in this situation, demonstrating to the drinker how simple and wonderful cocktails can really be.

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