The 50 Plus Male

On October 17th, in our News You Can Use post, I promised you a special upcoming treat–an introduction to the art of crafting the perfect cocktail–a practice held near and dear by many 50 plus males as a prerequisite for enjoying one of our favorite social activities, the cocktail hour. While imbibing our favorite beer still (happily) remains a cornerstone of the “happy hour” past-time, entry into the 50 plus age category is often accompanied by an inclination to quench our thirst with more cosmopolitan offerings.

We are privileged to have Josh H., the author of his own blog, Spirited Cocktails, and very good friend of The 50 Plus Male, serve as guest contributor for this post. Spirited Cocktails is ”dedicated to the craft of the perfect cocktail” through introducing you to some of the country’s most renowned  mixologists, along with Josh’s own expertise gained through completion of comprehensive course work in the field, such as BarSmarts Live and classes/seminars at the International Culinary Center.

As Josh states in his blog, “what reason is there to drink if not for your own enjoyment?” Beer, wine, and the basics (ex. gin & tonic) deservedly serve as the “standard bearers” of cocktail hour, but your palate may be missing out on a world of creative experimentation that can only heighten that enjoyment. Josh makes all of this accessible without the slightest hint of pretension, aptly underpinning his motto, “there are drinks, and then there are cocktails.” Resulting from my  discussions with Josh, we thought it best to begin with The 50 Plus Male readers learning how to perfectly concoct one of our more stalwart cocktails, the Martini; without further adieu, here’s Josh…

One of the best parts of writing about cocktails and spirits is that the audience is nearly universal. I actually come from a technology background where, with a few exceptions, there wasn’t much diversity in the crowd. But writing about spirits on Spirited Cocktails, I’ve met so many people from so many different backgrounds and walks of life, and it truly enriches my experience.

All of that being said, there are a few mainstay groups of the cocktail world, and one of them includes men of the baby-boomer generation. When I meet these guys at various bars and events around New York City, they’re generally the type that appreciate the classic cocktails – Manhattans, Old Fashioneds, Gimlets and so on. And of all the cocktails that the 50 plus male seem to appreciate, none comes up more frequently than the Martini.

There’s a folk lore surrounding martini. It’s probably something we should blame on James Bond, but it seems that everyone has their own recipe for the perfect martini. To be clear, though, in my mind, a martini is not any cocktail served in a martini glass (Appletinis are most certainly not martinis). Again, in my mind, a martini is a cocktail made with gin, not vodka. Many of you may prefer vodka, and that is certainly your choice, but if you’ve never prepared a classic gin martini with a quality gin, I strongly urge you to give it a try.

So for those of you who may not be used to preparing your own martini, I wanted to share two variations that might help you get started.

The first is the classic dry martini. This recipe dates back to around 1895, and is my preferred method when preparing martinis for my guests. The recipe is as follows:

1.5oz gin (I prefer a London Dry gin, such as Beefeater 24)
1.5oz French dry vermouth
1-2 dashes orange bitters

Combine all ingredients in a mixing glass with fresh ice, stir well to chill, and strain into a chilled cocktail glass. Garnish with a peel of orange or lemon.

Those that prefer the extra dry variety may prefer this more modern recipe:

3 oz gin
1/8oz French dry vermouth

To make this extra dry, add ice and the vermouth to your mixing glass. Swirl to coat the ice with vermouth, and strain off the excess. Add your gin, stir well to chill, and strain into a chilled cocktail glass. The traditional garnish for this variation is a pitted Spanish olive.

A few notes:

-Yes, I said stirred. The general rule of thumb is that any cocktail made with only spirits (no citrus juice, sugar, etc.) should be stirred. A shaken martini is a cloudy martini, and probably a bit too watered down as well.
-The orange bitters in the classic recipe may be unfamiliar to you, but trust me – it’s a worthy addition. A dash or two of bitters in any cocktail can go a long way towards providing the depth and character that makes a good cocktail great. If you can’t find orange bitters in your local grocery or liquor store, you can order them online from my friend Greg at Cocktail Kingdom. 
-As with any cocktail (just as in cooking), the quality of ingredients matters. Use a cheap gin, and you’ll get what you paid for. Gin has seen a wonderful resurgence in the past decade, and there are some wonderful, high quality gins for you to chose from. For a martini, a classic London Dry like Beefeater or Tanqueray probably works best. But some other brands worth trying for your home bar include Plymouth, Hendricks, and my favorite hometown gin, Blue Coat (distilled in Philadelphia!)

If you’ve got a favorite recipe for a classic martini, I’d love to hear it. You can reach me anytime via my blog (Neal has provided links above and in his Blogroll).

Cheers!

-Josh

I’d like to sincerely extend a “toast” to Josh for sharing his wisdom and enthusiasm with The 50 Plus Male. We eagerly look forward to future visits with Josh to gain expertise on a variety of basic and exotic cocktails!

-Neal

(Author’s note:  this post originally was meant to be a discussion of the social nature of “Cocktail Hour” and its particular importance as such to the 50 plus male.  As the author was composing this piece, it evolved into a remembrance of time and place for the most meaningful cocktail hours the author and his wife have ever enjoyed.  Hopefully, it evokes memories of similar special moments for you.)

Twenty-four years ago, shortly after my wife Nita and I first started dating, I met her best friend of many years, Robin, along with Robin’s parents June and “Flip” (real name William). Robin and I took an immediate liking to one another; she has an infectious personality that is a combination of warmth, humor, and tenacity. I soon learned where these traits sprang from when I had my first chance to speak at length with June and Flip.

Robin’s folks were intelligent, inquisitive and each had that sparkle in their eye for one another. Hard work and perseverance had paid off with a loving family, good health, a beautiful home, worldwide travel, and active pursuit of their shared love of golf…in short, “the well-earned good life.” Little did I know that I was about to learn one more aspect of this happy family picture, one that has had a profound effect not only on Robin’s family, but my wife and I as well..

Robin’s folks owned a second home in Southampton, NY which is part of the area universally known as The Hamptons. The Hamptons has a reputation as a playground for the rich and famous, but in truth the vast majority of the residents are people like June and Flip who worked incredibly hard and were enjoying the fruits of success stemming from their flourishing careers. The Hamptons are basically comprised of year-round citizens, those who live there for part of the year (like June and Flip, who resided there from May to October), and of course, summer vacationers. My wife and I, courtesy of Robin, June and Flip were part of the latter group.

We were fortunate enough to receive annual invitations to join Robin and her family at the Southampton house for the extended July 4th weekend.  I know what some of you are thinking:  overly-crowded beaches, overbooked restaurants, shopping that was anything but a bargain, not to mention the traffic.  Well, the truth is none of that mattered one bit.  Southampton had become, long before I entered the picture, a home-away-from-home for my wife.  It only took my first visit to understand why.

Have you been fortunate enough to vacation somewhere that eventually became THE spot for you and your spouse/family? The Southampton house was in a densely wooded setting in an enclave of roughly a half-dozen homes, but June and Flip’s home was the one that backed-up to the edge of a hill overlooking the Little Peconic Bay and the thin strip of beach leading into it. The family room was in the rear of the house and when you walked out the sliding doors onto the deck, there it was…sun, calm glistening water, the occasional boat, distant views of surrounding small islands and what you knew was going to be the perfect frame for incredible sunsets. We were never disappointed when the appointed hour came and the sun slowly dissolved into the bay. This generally happened during cocktail hour, which was, thankfully, fairly serious business at the house. I literally felt the weight of the world lift from my shoulders, instinctively drew Nita to my side, raised a glass and basked in the painting taking place before my eyes. At those moments, I was never more in love with time, place and the person by my side. Nita felt the same way…we could see it in each other’s eyes without speaking a word.

Sadly, June passed away a few years ago. Flip eventually re-married and sold the Southampton house.  Now, when July 4th weekend arrives, we typically spend it with our dear friends Deb & Ed at the yearly holiday bash held poolside at their home with numerous other good friends and family members; this has become our new annual rite and we love it.  But sometime during the festivities, Nita and I will glance at one another, raise a glass to June’s memory and just look off starry-eyed, remembering those sunsets.

-Neal