Mixology genealogy

Tag : Kinds Of Spices

When it comes to drinking, it all starts with the sling.
Take a few things away, and you have a punch. Add a littlesomething, and you have a cocktail.
And with these "Three Amigos," you have the DNA of all thingsdrink, according to experts participating in a panel discussionFriday from 2:30 to 4 p.m. at the Hotel Monteleone. Any drink youcan think of, the theory goes, can trace its roots directly back tothe sling, the punch or the cocktail.
The program is part of Tales of the Cocktail, the annual festivalof all things mixology that started Wednesday. Thousands of peoplefrom around the world are in town for the event.
The Three Amigos concept comes from panelist Wayne Collins, aninternationally recognized mixologist. As head of the bartendertraining program for Maxxium Worldwide, he came up with the drinksDNA idea because he "didn't want to be showing somebody 25different drinks in a class," he said last week. Based in London,Collins has taught the theory in the United Kingdom, Japan, Italy,Spain and Australia.
The Three Amigos theory "looks at it historically," Collins said."It's how one got jumped into another and morphed. From thosethree, you can make the family tree."
In Collins' mixology genealogy, it's actually the punch that comesfirst, because the punch predates the sling by about 200 years. Itwas discovered in India around 1630 by the British East IndiaCompany. The word comes from the Hindustani "panch," which means"five flavorings," or spirits plus lemon, sugar, water or tea, andspice.
The sling is made by taking out the tea and the spices, leaving thespirits, sugar and water. And the cocktail is a sling with bittersadded.
Collins said he has had long conversations about the origins ofdrinks with another panelist, Simon Ford, a U.K. native now basedin New York City as the international ambassador for Plymouth Gin,developing drinks and training bartenders. Other panelists areJason Crawley of Sydney, Australia, and Phil Ward, head bartenderat Death and Company in New York City.
The Three Amigos concept is not set in stone, but it gives people atemplate and teaches how drinks relate to one another, Collinsexplained.
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