Hotel Los Flamingos is perched on the highest cliffs of Acapulco, overlooking the Pacific Ocean. Fittingly, it glows a deep shade of hot pink from among the palm trees. We stopped by for some birthday drinks and to soak up the ocean views. Yes, even after Las Brisas I'd still not had my fill of pink hotels.
The hotel has some history, notably in the 1950s and 1960s when it was owned by a gang of Hollywood actors that included John Wayne, Errol Flynn and Johnny Weissmuller. The veranda around the reception area is a gallery of photos from those party-hard years. Today, Los Flamingos' cliff-top terrace remains the place to enjoy the Pacific sunset with drink in hand. Its pink walls glow spectaculary in the last sun rays of the day.
Los Flamingos is also known for its house cocktail, the Coco Loco - a ubiquitous concoction of spirits and juices served in a green coconut. Of more interest, is the hotel's lesser-known Tortuga, created there in 1963. Its a cocktail of rum blanco, apricot liqueur, orange juice, lemon juice and red wine. Deep red and served in large goblet with ice cubes, the Tortuga was potent, fruity and cooling. The friendly service only added to the relaxed atmosphere.
I found out recently that those saucer-shaped champagne glasses are known as a champagne coupe. Their shallow, open bowl is accessible and easy to sip from. It's an iconix, luxurious image, from classic Hollywood films to the cascading tower of stacked champagne glasses at weddings. Sadly, the Champagne coupe appears to have faded from the 1960s with the rise of the flute glass. I'm not keen on Champagne flutes, which feel awkward and tend to break easily. That may be why I don't drink much sparkling wine.
Apparently the coupe style of Champagne glass has been undergoing a revival - according to some websites. This may be true, as I've recently been served a classic cocktail in a coupe glass on a couple of occasions. It made a nice change from the traditional v-shaped cocktail glass. In either case, a relatively short stem and broad bowl makes for easy handling. I'd happily sip a martini from a coupe any day.
Cocktailtime was an influential column about classic cocktails on the now-defunct HotWired site. Written by Paul Harrington, a.k.a. The Alchemist, with Laura Moorhead, the column helped revive a wider interest in old school aperitif cocktails. It opened my eyes to rare-but-still-mighty classics such as the Aviation, the Pegu and the Ward Eight, while providing amusing descriptions of each drink's origins, cultural baggage, and receipe, along with suggested serving settings.
- The Gibson - "The not-so-evil twin of the dry Martini... the Gibson subtlely brings the salty brine of its garnish to the fore... one onion goes nearly unnoticed until the drink's end, two raises an eyebrow at the first sip."
- The Old Fashioned - "Old-fashioned, yes, but not weak. At some point the drink transforms from a bouquet of cherry and oranges into the brimstone and fire of whiskey... It's frilly but disciplined."
- The Pink Gin - "With all its bourgeoisie baggage, the Pink Gin is the English equivalent of the Yank's Martini. Bold and biting, it takes the banal - gin and bitters - and makes it distinctive."
Although the site has since disappeared from the web, I saved a screen shot of a couple of my favourites - the Sidecar is pasted below. Read this interview with Paul for more. http://www.frodelius.com/goodspiritsnews/paulharrington.html
Old school cocktails endure as great drinks. By old school, I mean pre-war. A memorable name helps, but the receipe is everything. Common features include a small number of simple ingredients, a balancing of the sweet by the sour or the bitter (or both), and a base spirit with character. There's no room for vodka here.
Preparation matters, such as first chilling the glass with ice. I prefer the older style of cocktail glass - smaller with a short stem is easier to handle, not too much to drink, and less time to lose its chill. Any lemon or lime juice should be freshly-squeezed.
Below is a list of my favourites - my 'house' cocktails. Four are gin-based, two use whiskey, and one each in rum and brandy. They're all pre-war in orgin, with the exception of the Jasmine - created by Paul Harrington in the classic style, balancing the sour and the sweet on a spirit base with a hint of something bitter.
- Aviation - gin, lemon juice, maraschino liqueur
- Daiquiri - rum, lime juice, simple syrup
- Jasmine - gin, lemon juice, Cointreau, Campari
- Manhattan - whiskey, sweet vermouth, bitters
- Martini - gin, dry vermouth
- Pegu - gin, lime juice, Cointreau, Angosturas bitters
- Sidecar - brandy, lemon juice, Cointreau
- Ward Eight - whiskey, lemon juice, orange, grenadine
I love my liquour cabinet. The front opens out to form a shelf on which to mix a drink. In the same movement, the lid slides up and back to reveal a treasure trove within a mirrored interior. The exterior is mahogany veneer. I'd guess it dates from the early 1960s. I pretend its modernist-inspired, although in reality it has cabriole legs and slightly ornate handles.
What forms the basis of a well-stocked liquor cabinet? Here are a few essentials for preparing classic cocktails and mixed drinks.
- Spirits - a decent gin (e.g. Tanqueray), a white rum, a brandy and a blended whisky.
- Liqueurs - Cointreau is the most useful. I also like maraschino, a clear cherry liqueur that is not too sweet.
- Fortified wines - dry/white vermouth and sweet/red vermouth are essential. I also stock a sherry for drinking neat.
- Bitters - Campari and Angostura bitters are essential. Peychaud's is also a classic. Orange bitters, popular pre-war, are now undergoing a resurgence.
With access to fresh lemon and lime juices, and plenty of ice on hand, preparing a range of classic drinks is possible. Items such as bitters can last a long time, as only small amounts are used. I like the bottles to appear full, so where possible, I top them up from refills kept in the little cupboard under the main compartment. I probably get as much enjoyment from stocking the cabinet as I do from preparing and consuming drinks.
Time to freshen up before dinner. Aperitif, anyone?
While in Auckland recently, I stopped for drink at the retro-styled Hotel DeBrett. The house bar, known as "Housebar", is an elegant den hidden away on the first floor. From the art deco ceiling, to the wood pannelling and 60s-style chairs, it felt like a place where Don Draper might order a whiskey Old Fashioned. It also opens onto an enclosed courtyard. The staff were friendly too.
I'll be back for that Old Fashioned.
