Tony Abou Ganim

If you ever have the opportunity to watch legendary bar chef Tony Abou-Ganim in action, don't turn it down. There are several reasons for this: first, he's the definitive expert in mixology and bartending today. Second, his jokes ("what lasts longer: your marriage or a bottle of Angostura bitters?") will have you clutching your gut. And third, he'll make you aware of little details that you might have never otherwise noticed.

At his seminar in South Beach, Tony, who's referred to as the Modern Mixologist, left me — someone who regularly makes cocktails at home — aghast with regards to how many things I do wrong behind the bar. Not only did he set the record straight, but he made sure to explain in detail exactly why cocktails should be made in a certain way.

• What you're doing wrong: Not chilling your glassware. "A cold drink should always be served in a cold glass," he declared. At any given time, Abou-Ganim stores two to three different glasses in his freezer.
• What you're doing wrong: Buying that economy-sized club soda. Always buy small bottles. Tony buys the eight-ounce bottles and keeps them in the refrigerator for use any time.
• What you're doing wrong: Squeezing that lime juice ahead. "Limes are very fragile," Tony explained, "so you should always squeeze them à la minute." They should be used right away, because after 20 to 30 minutes, they become oxidized. Look for fruits with smooth, dark green skin and a soft, pliable touch.

Want to know what else you're doing wrong? Find out after the jump.

Since I'm something of a home mixologist, one of the seminars I looked forward to attending at the Food & Wine Classic was Tony Abou-Ganim's Create Your Own Specialty Cocktails. While I make tons of drinks at home, I always follow a recipe, so I was curious to see what Ganim had to say.

According to him, the key to a good cocktail is balance. Also, making drinks is like cooking; once you know the basic ratio, you can build upon it. Most libations consist of a base spirit, modifier spirit, citrus, and sweetener. To demonstrate his method, Ganim made his signature cocktail, the Cable Car.

He created this drink back in 1996 at the Starlight Room in San Francisco. It's a mixture of Captain Morgan, orange curacao, and fresh lemon sour. The Cable Car is a modern classic that's perfectly balanced; it's refreshing, smooth, and not too sweet or too potent. If you're new to making cocktails at home, I suggest you start with this recipe. Get it now.

On a recent Monday night I found myself at Harry Denton's Starlight Room at the top of San Francisco's Sir Francis Drake Hotel. I was at a party that celebrated one of my favorite mixologists Tony Abou-Ganim's new cocktail recipe book, The Modern Mixologist.

The book is beautiful. It's packed with helpful information on glassware and bar basics, and it also provides a guide to mixing drinks with seasonal produce as well as a brief history of cocktails. The first recipe I decided to try was Abou-Ganim's first original libation, and it's named after the bar where he created it in 1996.

It's a complex combination of Campari, Cointreau, and orange juice; a brandy float provides a potent finish. I thoroughly enjoyed this beverage; to do the same, get Ganim's recipe now.

Simple syrup plays a key role in sweetening cocktails. The classic syrup is equal parts sugar and water. When a drink calls for simple syrup, I normally bring the sugar and water to a boil, let it cool, and use according to the libation's recipe.

However, what happens when you don't have time to heat and cool the syrup? Recently I found myself in this predicament, and I remembered a tip that I learned from Tony Abou-Ganim at the Food & Wine Classic.

He says that when you need simply syrup in a hurry, fill a jar with the sugar and water. Shake vigorously until it's combined and use. Voila, quick simple syrup! No boiling necessary, how easy is that?