Photo by Marta Bartolomei Edmonds.
Talented ceramicist, friend and home mixologist Sunetra Banerjee shared this New York Times Mark Bittman article with me earlier this week. It's a good introduction to making your own drinks and understanding the basic elements of many mixed drinks:
Sour Element + Sweet Element + Alcohol + Ice/Water
Sunetra has introduced me to many delicious drink recipes and I have great respect for her sensibility. One of my favorite Sunetra drinks is one with gin, muddled raspberries, simple syrup and soda - makes me thirsty just thinking about it.
If you are wanting to experiment with mixed drinks at home, you're going to need simple syrup. It's super easy to make and can store in the refrigerator for up to a month.
Simple Syrup
1 cup sugar
1 cup water
1. In a small saucepan, bring sugar and water to a boil. Stir and simmer until the sugar is dissolved about 3 minutes. Remove from the heat and cool completely. Transfer to a glass jar and refrigerate until ready for use.
Makes 1 1/2 cups.