Now and then we look into the work of our fellow cookbook authors and are usually surprised to discover how little attention they pay to liquor. In the past editions we, too, have approached this subject rather apologetically -- after all, there was a time when selling or serving alcoholic refreshment was considered disreputable in America. But here and how we drop all subterfuge, frankly concede that "something to drink" is becoming with us an almost invariable concomitant of at least the company dinner, and have boldly enlarged this section of the book. Always in the back of our minds... is the memory of a cartoon which depicted a group of guests sitting around a living room, strickenly regarding their cocktail glasses, while the hostess, one of those inimitable Hokinson tpyes, all embonpoint, cheer, and fluttering organdy, announces, "A very dear friend gave me some wonderful old Scotch and I just happened to find a bottle of papaya juice in the refrigerator!"
Not only do they include various cocktail and punch recipes, but they provide descriptions of different spirits and instructions on how to server wine and beer. Additionally, they provide details on different cocktail and wine glasses a good host or hostess should have for serving drinks. And, since the book was written in 1931, the sizes they indicate would be what I consider the "correct" size, as opposed to today's much larger glasses. Generally speaking, cocktails glasses are 3-4 ounces, old-fashioneds are 6 ounces, and highballs and Collins glasses are 8-16 ounces. FWIW, I think buying cocktail glasses that are slightly larger than the sizes indicated is a good idea. It gives you some wiggle room if you mix a cocktail that has more liquid than expected due to melted ice, fudging the measurements, etc.
The authors also explain drink measurements:
1 dash = 6 drops
3 teaspoons = 1/2 ounce
1 pony = 1 ounce
1 jigger = 1 1/2 ounces
1 large jigger = 2 ounces
1 standard whisky glass = 2 ounces
1 pint = 16 ounces
1 fifth = 25.6 ounces
1 quart = 32 ounces
So if you are in need of a primer, and it's too cold to go outside to buy one, check if you have The Joy of Cooking.
1 comment:
Hi. I am also a fan of joy of cooking--we have the 1964 and 1975 editions in our kitchen. Content does vary from edition to edition. The one occasion I looked at a much older edition--1946 or 1951, perhaps--I did not find them at all appealing. I do not recall the coverage of alcoholic beverages in the those older editions, but the other recipes were quite different and less appealing than in 1964 and 1975 (two editions with little difference between them). A later, ill-fated revision completely eliminated any coverage of beer, wine or spirits in the name of health or neo-puritanism.
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