Built Drinks: A Drink That Changes Slowly in the Glass

What a built drink is

A built drink is poured over ice in its serving glass and given a quick stir. It is the least diluted kind of cocktail, and the old-fashioned of whiskey, bitters and sugar with a twist is the prototype. Dave Arnold says the best way to make one is the way you like it best, but one rule holds: a sipping drink with little dilution, not too sweet, that tastes heavily of its base spirit. He uses simple syrup instead of granulated sugar, which many purists dislike, and he has one firm opinion: do not put smashed fruit in the bottom of the glass and call it an old-fashioned.

The Cliff Old-Fashioned

The drink is named for his friend Clifford Guilibert. While they were making coriander soda for an event, a spicy, warming syrup in the style of ginger ale, Cliff suggested using the syrup in an old-fashioned.

• One clear 2-inch ice cube
• 2 dashes Angostura bitters
• 2 ounces Elijah Craig 12-year bourbon (47 percent); any bourbon with backbone that is not too expensive will do
• 3/8 ounce coriander syrup (a plain 1:1 syrup gives a more usual version)
• An orange twist

It makes a 3-ounce drink at about 32 percent alcohol, served in a double old-fashioned glass at room temperature. Arnold does not chill the glass: a warm glass melts a good amount of ice at the start, which adds initial dilution he likes, and chilled glasses attract condensation and look poor on a drink meant to be sipped. Whether to chill is a matter of preference, he says, but understand the consequences.

Building it

Some bartenders build the drink in the glass before adding the ice, so they can stir without diluting; they add ingredients from cheapest to most expensive, so a measuring mistake wastes the cheap stuff. Arnold prefers to put the cube in first, so he knows it looks good in the glass. The cube must reach the bottom of the glass, and he calls a rock that does not touch the bottom an abomination. If the cube does not fit, spin it with a spoon so the corners melt, or knock the corners off with a knife.

Then add, without splashing the cube, two dashes of bitters, the whiskey and the syrup, the lightest first so the denser ones mix as they pass through. Stir about five seconds, express the orange peel over the drink (a quick wring), wipe the rim with it and drop the twist in if you want to keep adding aroma. Whether the peel goes in the drink or is thrown away makes a surprising difference, which is worth testing side by side. Try to cut and express every peel the same way so drinks stay consistent. He also mentions the stir rod: it lets guests add dilution, glass or metal is better than a straw, which moves around and threatens eyes, and a napkin should be given to rest it on.

Coriander syrup

Blend 125 grams of coriander seeds, preferably fresh and citrusy (100 grams for soda syrup), with 550 grams of filtered water until the seeds are broken. Move to a saucepan, add 500 grams of sugar and 5 grams of salt and heat to a simmer. Stir in 10 grams of crushed red pepper, turn off the heat and keep tasting until the spice shows at the back of the throat; this cannot be measured because crushed pepper varies so much. Strain quickly through a coarse strainer to stop the infusion, then through muslin or a fine chinois. The syrup should be 50 Brix, the same as regular simple syrup; the extra 50 grams of water is absorbed by the seeds, and the bar corrects the sugar with a refractometer. For soda use 1 part syrup to 4 parts water or soda water.

Watching the drink change

Made this way, the drink is 3 ounces, of which 5/8 ounce, or about 20 percent, is meltwater, and it is roughly 31 percent alcohol, stiff. It should be cool but not frigid; a frigid old-fashioned loses its character. Leave it and a layer of watery liquid forms around the cube with very little mixing. A slight swirl mixes the meltwater in: the drink is cooler and less intense but still balanced. Constant swirling melts the ice much faster, so do not overswirl; you want slow change, which is why you need a large cube and time. A good old-fashioned made with one big cube stays pleasurable for at least 20 minutes as it waters down.

Rules for built drinks

Built drinks start boozy and become more refreshing as they dilute, so they must stay balanced across a wide range of dilutions. Arnold’s rules:

• Choose spirits that taste good over a wide range of dilutions. Some are too rough undiluted, and others fall apart when diluted.
• Avoid acids. Lemon and lime lose their balance as they are diluted, while a mix of ethanol and sugar can stay in harmony as water is added or taken away. Acid works only in drinks with a fixed dilution.
• Brighten the drink with citrus oils, from a lemon, orange or grapefruit twist.
• Use bitters, which are made to taste good over a huge range of dilutions and to tie the flavours together.
• Take the time to make big ice cubes.