ARTICLE • CLASSIC COCKTAILS: JUST BETTER // DRINKS, CULTURE
What was the last cocktail you drank?
Where were you?
What was the environment like?
If you’re a lover of spirits and you’ve been gallivanting about Ottawa’s local bar and restaurant scene, odds are it was a classic cocktail. Something old-school, or at least old-school-inspired. Whether you’re sipping on one of Tracy Turnbull’s succulent Sidecars at The Moonroom, enjoying a delicious Dark ‘n Stormy at Union Local 613 (or down below in the Speakeasy savouring Jamie Martinyuk’s deftly-created Old Fashioneds), or Steve Benson’s Bourbon Berry Tea at Brother’s Beer Bistro, your drink order alone confirms that the days of VodkaCrans and Cosmopolitans are a thing of the past. The classic cocktail is back my friends, and Ottawa has pulled up a seat at the bar. These tried-and-true recipes have traveled from major cities like New York, San Francisco, and Seattle, emerging onto Ottawa’s scene in the past few years. This is not breaking news—even still, I thought I’d try to discover why we’re favouring Old Fashioneds and Negronis over the once-beloved Vodka-Redbulls.
Let’s not pretend that Don Draper didn’t have anything to do with this.
Let’s not pretend that Don Draper didn’t have anything to do with this. There is no telling that pop culture stimuli often dictate what we pour into our glass after a long day at work. From Sex & the City and their Cosmopolitans to The Dude and his White Russians—and more recently Boardwalk Empire and Mad Men with their whisky and bourbon-based libations—the point is these popular culture icons and their drinking habits have found their way into our own drinking trends. “People order what Don Draper orders”, says Bethann McLaren, former Ottawa, now Toronto-based bartender, mixologist, and cocktail expert whose creative palate has contributed to the cocktail lists at Murray Street Kitchen, Union Local 613, Absinthe, and The Urban Pear. Author of America Walks Into A Bar, Christine Sismondo, also admits Mad Men is a partial reason for the resurgence of the classic cocktail, although she notes that “…the revival pre-dates Mad Men—at least in the major cocktail hubs [New York, San Francisco, and London].”
We want everything local, handmade, small-batch, reclaimed, antique, and made-in-house.
It is not only Mad Men’s handsome anti-hero who is influencing our choices, however. Reflected even in our cocktail order there seems to be an overall yearning for something handcrafted, authentic, and classic; something that brings us back to what we feel were simpler times when consumers sought quality goods that would last, rather than many of the offerings that our current ‘disposable’ market provides. Ivy Knight, freelance writer, publisher of Swallow Daily and host of the 86’d events at The Drake Hotel in Toronto, agrees that this return to the classic cocktail is more about quality than simply the influence of a character on T.V. “I think the hipster obsession with the good old days of bathtub gin and Zelda Fitzgerald is partly what’s driving the keen interest in vintage cocktails. I remember the early 90’s when everyone went crazy for martinis and Sinatra. I think that’s what we’re seeing but in a more pervasive way, this goes deep, deeper than Don Draper, and is definitely fuelled by a D.I.Y., locavore, misty-eyed nostalgia.”
This yearning for something handcrafted and genuine is reflected in Ottawa—not only in our choice of spirits, but also in our barbershops, our vintage clothing stores, our microbreweries, and our farm-to-table-inspired restaurants. We want something real, and we are willing to pay the extra pennies for it. There’s a reason why certain Portlandia sketches hit close to home—we have become obsessed with authenticity. We want everything local, handmade, small-batch, reclaimed, antique, and made-in-house. We are reacting to a mass-produced consumer culture where everything is discounted, lifeless and soulless. We want the good stuff, we want to know where it came from and we want to meet the person who made it.
Classic cocktails are also a reflection of what has been happening in our kitchens. Farm-to-table, nose-to-tail, raw bars, plant-based menus, foraging, organics, and sustainable seafood, are all inspirations evident in Ottawa’s restaurant scene. Having a thoughtful cocktail menu that pairs well with what we’re eating is something that only adds to our culinary experiences, and we seem to be asking for it, says Steve Benson, owner of Ottawa Cocktails and bartender at Brother’s Beer Bistro. “People deserve a better product and are finally demanding it. Premixed anything is pretty gross and it’s really not that hard or expensive to use fresh ingredients.” The jury is out on whether or not you should mess with these classic recipes, however, as some believe the recipes are classic and should not be tinkered with, while others see them as an inspirational base from which to create their own infusions.
Current West Coaster Ben Anderson, formerly of Union Local 613’s speakeasy, is inspired by these classic recipes: “By adding local fruits and vegetables and exotics like dates and coconuts you can expand and alter traditional cocktails in so many different ways and make them unique to the month, the menu, or the establishment.” Tracy Turnbull, owner of The Moonroom, wants her classic cocktails to stay just that: “Who doesn’t like a Sidecar made perfectly, with frothed egg white and good quality Cognac. It is the drink I always recommend for those who want a very complex yet mellow cocktail with a bit of sweetness that should never overstep the spirits. Serve it in a true vintage 1920s etched crystal coupe glass with a house-made macerated cherry—this is gold”, says Tracy.
In our quest for tasty, classic cocktails, we also seek a connection and a dialogue with our bartender…
Is this classic cocktail craze here to stay, or is it a fad? “I hope it’s here to stay,” says Anderson. Sismondo believes it’s both a fad and a cultural mainstay: “When I saw a national American chain…with a ‘Classic Cocktails’ section on the menu, I realized we had jumped the shark. But, at the same time, if you look back at the move towards better wine, it seemed to represent a permanent shift—nobody’s going back to plonk. I think cocktails will follow the same trajectory since, once you’ve tasted a cocktail made with fresh lime juice, it’s really hard to go back to day-glo bar mix. It’s just better.”
In our quest for tasty, classic cocktails, we also seek a connection and a dialogue with our bartender—we want to watch them make the cocktail, ask them about the ingredients and find out where it got its catchy name. And, as it turns out, this is what most of Ottawa’s most passionate bartenders also want: “I like to talk to people and be creative,” says Anderson. “It’s nice to chat with someone about the cocktail you’re making them, and then have the immediate gratification of seeing the person enjoy it. I’m proud of the work I’m doing.” Today’s bartenders are not just glorified bottle openers or slaves to the pop gun—they’re craftsmen and craftswomen, artists, and (some might even say) chefs who simply use liquid ingredients. “I think that the return of the classic cocktail is the result of bartenders wanting to do more than sling drinks,” says Benson. “In Ottawa, I think bar owners and bartenders are the ones leading this [classic cocktail] trend…having some great classics on your menu or in your repertoire is so important.”
So, what of the theory that we are swilling bourbon, cognac, and absinthe to distract ourselves from our flailing economy? There’s some truth to that, although our current situation doesn’t exactly mirror Prohibition or Depression-era times. Says Sismondo, “Beer was made legal again 3.5 years after the crash and full booze was legal 4 years and a few days after the crash. Many argue that the legalization of alcohol was about re-booting the economy by generating new revenue streams to fund the New Deal and, in fact, alcohol taxation and revenue was one factor that helped America out of the Depression. So, while alcohol is relatively inelastic in demand, people don’t typically splurge on really high-end top-shelf brands in times of hardship.” However, there is something to be said for a good stiff drink handcrafted by a passionate bartender in a candlelit speakeasy during a stressful workweek.
A classic cocktail can definitely serve as a distraction during troubled times—it can transport us back to another era, another place, a memory, a mood, a feeling. Whatever our motivation for drinking classic cocktails, we seem to be ready and willing to fork over the dough for high-quality spirits. So, as you take that last sip and bite into that boozy cherry, are you transported to a sliver of time in the past, are you enjoying the decadent spoils of your choosing, or are you simply appreciating quality, handcrafted ingredients? Whatever your motivation, I think we can all agree that the classic cocktail is a treasure to be appreciated and that there are some gems in which to enjoy these elixirs in our fair city.
Herd Magazine, 2013.