Before setting about mixing a drink, one should ask: What is the purpose? This isn't as straightforward a question as you might think.
There are tons of silly super-sweet drinks whose sole purpose is to convince girls who haven't got a taste for alcohol yet to drink them to the point of vomiting.
Then there are the mixes that are basically excuses to do shots. Let me save some time here: Alcohol distilled and consumed in different ways has different effects, sure. But only at the "buzz" stage. And crap like Jaegermeister and Goldschlaeger have no magic properties anyway, outside of tasting sickly. The only mystical journey the agave worm is gonna give you is a slightly out-of-body experience as you run to the toilet.
So, if you're gonna do shots, use what the pros use: Vodka. Do you know of anybody who drinks distilled spirit but avoids vodka because of a bad experience? I didn't think so.
In short: shots = vodka. If you want to look like a pro sports photographer, you show up with an SLR; a self-contained "point and shoot" camera, no matter how expensive, just won't cut it. Same thing with shots: use vodka or pay the price.
Then there are the "Beer substitutes": basically all your super-sweet soft drinks mixed with alcohol. I enjoy a gin and tonic from time to time, and heck, the Rum-and-Coke has its place, but as a foundation for a "Session", nothing beats a good beer.
But, for me, the place where a good mixed drink shines is for the extended pre-dinner cocktail. Pre-dinner cocktails number the taste buds and render the diners more pleasant with each other. I'm personally a fan of the Martini-class of cocktails -- no, not those newage Martinis with sugared glasses and silly mixtures served at bars where they give you the (filled) glass and a half-full shaker like it was a funkin' milkshake.
A proper cocktail is essentially distilled liquor made civilized by elaborate ritual that has at best a secondary effect on the taste: you need just enough of a difference from the raw spirit to suggest the elaborate, meticuluous preparation. It's like putting a bow tie on the bottle.
Preparation methods are elaborate, highly personal, and to an outsider, appear to add nothing to the drink but pretension and snobbery.
So, here's my preferred Martini:
Ingredients:
Tanqueray Gin: People disagree on the base spirit, and there's no "right answer". I'll not turn down a quality vodka martini, but gin is flavored, and it's that slight flavor that I like. Others are partial to Bombay, Beefeater, or Hendricks gin, to name a few. Avoid Gordons, as you need something above 80 proof for mixological reasons.
Dry Vermouth
pickled, Jalapeno-stuffed olives (A good pimento is nice. A Jalapeno is better)
Cocktail shaker
Martini glass
The Mix:
the goal is to keep things as cold as possible. Why? It's because around 30-35% alcohol is where a drink can deliver the most flavor. Gin or Vodka, you're not drinking something with much inherent flavor, and chilling it reduces its taste. So you have something that initially numbs the tongue, then fills the mouth and nose with its delicately-toned aroma (hence why the olive or the onion or the lemon makes so much difference)
Chilling also reduces the vapors coming off the glass, and makes the surface tension beguiling.
Put the vermouth in the fridge, along with the olives. Put everything else in the freezer for at least 4 hours. If you bought Gordons, your gin froze over. You need at least 80 proof here, folks.
I keep around these plastic net-jobs the duty free shops are putting on their bottles when they sell to you. Put one on the bottle of gin to prevent your hands from freezing to the bottle when you remove it from the freezer. The same goes for the shaker.
Anyway, put ice in the shaker, and a generous quantity of Gin. Contrary to popular belief, you do need a little vermouth. As long as everything is as cold as possible, a 1:4 ratio of vermouth to gin won't ruin the drink (some times I'll even go to 1:2). If you're running everything at room temperature, Vermouth will ruin the drink (as the ice cubes melt excessively to chill the beverage).
Shake vigorously for about 5-10 seconds, pour and garnish with olives. You need to fill the martini glass to the top: a martini, when served, should have clean lines.
Enjoy.
For bourbon fans, a Manhattan is fun too. Here, you've got more flavor to play with, and a good (but not great) bourbon works well with a little sweetening. My approach:
Wild Turkey 101 (the 50.5% alcohol helps offset the fact that you sure as hell ain't gonna put the whiskey in the freezer)
Sweet Vermouth
Maraschino Cherries.
I've got these "Diplomat"-sized martini glasses here at the chalet:they're not the full martini glasses, but as close as you can get in this part of the world. To fill one of them, I take a shaker with ice, and throw in a half cup of bourbon and a quarter cup of Martini Rosso. Shake vigorously, pour and garnish with a cherry.
