This document provides a recipe and instructions for making an Old Fashioned cocktail. It discusses the origins of the drink, noting it first appeared in Louisville in 1881 and later became popular in New York high society in the late 1800s. While it declined in popularity in the 1960s, the Old Fashioned has seen renewed interest lately. The author expresses a personal fondness for bourbon and how it affects their mood. Detailed instructions are given for mixing the cocktail, with optional additions mentioned.

1. Back to Basics
Georgios Andritsos

3. Back to Basics
Georgios Andritsos

4. Back to Basics
Georgios Andritsos
Copyright 2023 by Georgios Andritsos
ISBN: 978-82-693184-1-8
All rights reserved.
No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system,
or transmitted in any form or by any means—electronic, mechanical, photocopy, recording, or any
other—except for brief quotations in printed reviews, without the prior written permission of the
author.
Editing and proofreading: Richard Irvine
Design: Konstantinos Chritis
Copyright ©️ Georgios Andritsos
Levrettopen Vein 15
1346 Gjettum
Oslo, Norway
Published by
www.literary-works.com

5. To my funky brother Costas.

6. Back to Basics

7. Preface
Introduction
Contents
9
11-15
Part I
19-21
23
25-29
31-33
34-40
43-45
Part II
49-79
75-79
80-105
106-121
122-129
130-145
146-151
152-153
154-155
Rum
Cachaca
Gin
Vodka
Tequila
Whiskey
Champagne
Vermouth
Liquers
A short history of the cocktail
A few words about alcohol
Bar tools
Glasses
Home Party
Hangovers

9. Dark chocolate, Strauss waltzes, the sunflowers of Van
Gogh and drinks & cocktails are all things our world could
have easily done without. This is why it is such a pleasure
to welcome a book like this, which takes such pleasure in
life’s great inessentials. Cocktails are like Leica cameras,
Rolex watches and Rolls Royce motor cars – living sym-
bols of finesse and luxury from which we cut ourselves off
at our peril. For they represent not the foolish misuse of
money but the high points of our sensory perception – ex-
periences that fire off whole armies of sensory neurons, that
tell imaginary stories, paint virtual pictures and conjure up
intoxicating aromas. Experiences that connect us – however
fleetingly - to the enchantment of our human world.
”I used to visit all the very gay places
Those come-what-may places
Where one relaxes on the axis of the wheel of life
To get the feel of life
From jazz and cocktails.....”
Lush Life, Billy Strayhorn
Andy Evans
Preface

11. in my opinion nighttime is when life starts. it is the
time when the hustle and bustle of the day fades into
the splendor of sunset. the speed slows down, the
streets begin to breathe, and the artificial lights turn
reality into a kaleidoscope of pleasure – restaurants,
bars, nightclubs, cinemas, cabarets, and casinos wel-
come the creatures of the night. they have a certain
smile, a certain charm, somewhere mysterious to go
to, some tale to tell. bright-eyed, magical, and curious,
they come to life.
as I wanted to be part of the magic, I became a waiter
at a night club. my first entry into the world of bar-
tending was an accident. as luck would have it, a bar-
man did not turn up and my boss asked me to step into
his shoes. I tried to resist his mulish nature, but he did
not budge. “there isn’t anything a man can’t do,” he
said in his husky voice, “and this is your break.” he
winked at me. “you might even like it.”
Introduction
in that new spot, I felt like an animal on a leash. my
heart pounded in my chest, my mind froze and my
face felt hot. and it was not long before I started to
commit bartending blunders. when asked for vodka
orange, I would make a gin one, instead of whisky on
the rocks, I would pour out the bourbon, and when a
graceful lady sidled up to the bar and asked for a dry
martini, I served her dry vermouth on the rocks. by the
end of the night, I felt and smelled like an old sock,
but my boss, swirling the ice cubes in his Daniels,
was happier than ever. “you did good tonight, sport,”
he said. “when I teach you the ropes, you’ll be a top
gun.” he reached his fingers into the till. “hey … what
do you say?” he smiled handing me the money.
while the night had started out badly, I did okay. I
smiled and flirted with people, and I found my new
job charming, interesting and well paid. by the end of
that month I was hooked. did I have fun? you bet. I
11

12. had fun and good laughs too, but many times I was on
the verge of throwing in the towel. when you consider
the hard work that went with stocking, operating and
cleaning the bar, what you had was far from a walk in
the park. it was backbreaking work and a pain in the
ass. in any case I held my ground and looked forward
to the next job.
in1992, the traveling bug bit me. together with my
brother, Costas, I packed my bag, got on a airplane,
and flew out of Greece. Tenerife was our first stop.
over the years we worked our way through England,
Norway, Sweden, Denmark, Finland and Spain.
in all these years, bartending mopped up my mental,
physical and spiritual energies, but it gave me most
of the thrill that I had aimed for right from the start. I
have practiced bartending in many different forms and
levels – at times dressed in a bowtie and a waistcoat
serving with an attitude in posh bars and restaurants, at
other times dressed in jeans and a tee shirt, letting go
in hip night clubs and beach bars.
in my career, I was caught in long talks usually after
my night shifts about the ingredients of cocktails and
12

13. the affects they have on people. some people say that
drinks are an aphrodisiac. I say that when we drink
alcohol in small quantities it stimulates our senses.
it will nudge aside our taboos and inhibitions, calm
us down, loosen our tongues, and make us feel more
witty, philosophical and attractive. but one too many
can have the opposite effect—stupidity, loudness of
voice, dangerous impulses, and miserable sexual per-
formance.
the affect alcohol has on people varies from person to
person. we must think of our physical, psychological
and spiritual shape before deciding on when and how
much to drink, and which drink to have next. I say
stay with the same drink the whole night, and drink
plenty of water in between. some drinks are known
for their swift action (Jack Daniels, Tequila, or Bene-
dictine), and others for their calming effect (wine and
cognac). champagne can loosen tongues and sets us in
a light, funny mood. madame de pompadour, the sav-
vy mistress of king Louis XV, said that “champagne
is the only wine that leaves a woman beautiful after
drinking it.”
in picking out the cocktails in this book, I have spent
13

15. a good amount of time in research, balanced against
my own knowledge and experience. I chose them
on the basis of their looks, taste and character. when
you prepare your cocktails, use the premium spirits,
fruits that are in season, the right glasses, and follow
the recipes verbatim.
this book is for those of you who want to organize
a good party, make good cocktails - with the min-
imum of effort, tools and ingredients - and make
yourself and your guests happy. last but not least
keep in mind that bartending is an art. it depends
on mood, time, place and skill—and above all the
sophistication of our senses.
Georgios Andritsos
15

17. Part I

19. in 1862, the legendary bartender Jerry Thomas,
who worked the bar of the old occidental hotel in
san Francisco, published the first bartending guide
for mixing drinks. twenty years later, Harry John-
son’s bartender manual came out, and people be-
gan to drink cocktails to stimulate their appetite,
in sports events, at picnics, and of course in bars &
restaurants.
the greatest boost to long drinks and cocktails
came in 1920 with prohibition in the USA. it was
then that the national prohibition act became the
18th amendment to the United State’s constitution,
triggered off strings of events and put that period
of history on the map. as booze had become ille-
gal to produce, transport and sell, men decked out
in suits, trench coats and panama hats turned to
bootlegging and moonshine. Chicago became the
hub of booze, gambling and prostitution, and Al
Capone became the biggest bootlegger of all time.
when drinkers could not find their favorite spirits,
they began trying out with other types of alcohol,
by mixing them together to smooth over its sharp
edges and create something pleasant to drink. at
first they would not serve women at the bar count-
er, and to dodge the law, table service was put
into practice, but the young people wanted inde-
pendence and freedom and they were not going to
be put off. it was time for fun, a decade of wild
parties steeped in booze and uplifting grooves.
as time peeled the pages of our calendars and the
1930s came round, cocktails had managed to work
their way into the world of film, music, literature
and politics. In any case the wall street crash, the
great depression, and finally the second world war
ground cocktails to a halt and took the edge off
their glamour.
in 1948 the salty margaritas popped up and found
their way into the sweltering sand-swept beaches
of the jet-set and launched a laid-back beach cul-
ture. in 1962, Ian Fleming’s spy hero, James Bond
came on screen holding a martini glass and turned
19
a short history
of the cocktail

20. the drink into a symbol of promise and pleasure. but
the hippies, with their values of peace, love and har-
mony, and their medicine cases of pot and halluci-
nogens beat the living lights out of the cocktail for a
straight trip into outer space.
as the kaftans and beads were hung on the hanger
and the Bob Dylan records stuffed in the cupboard,
cocktails bounced back on the wings of the global
rise in air travel and the mix of cultures it brought.
cocktails represented the rich cultures and histories
of far off corners of the world, and managed to es-
tablish themselves with places and people save for
their gender, race, culture or beliefs. whether you
travel from new York to Tokyo, London to Singa-
pore, or Athens to Milan, vodka and martini, rum
and cola, blend well together. their cosmopolitan
aura unites people from all walks of life. they en-
hance happiness, ease sadness, and keep the blues at
bay. cocktails whisper to your mind and soul about
far-off lands in which they were born, and people
with their fears, virtues and vices, and the eternal
passion for life.
two hundred years have passed, and yet I think it
20

23. 43
hungovers
in Greece in 341-270 BC, a philosopher named Epi-
curus set up a philosophical trend called Epicurean-
ism. his aim was to concentrate his attention on sen-
sory enjoyment and the alleviation of fear through
self-control, temperance and serenity. but to the cock-
tail aficionado, the enjoyment of life calls for exotic
mixes, intemperance and good remedies for hang-
overs.
a drink or two daily, together with a good meal, has
become a tradition in several countries. a drink or
three or four…well, that is another story. those who
party the nights away know the horrible truth linked
with opening one’s eyes and feeling that all is not as it
should be in the stomach and head.
however you might hope, and despite what old wives
tales tell you, there are no real cures for hangovers.
what we have is “precautions and remedies.” the pre-
cautions will help get your body ready for the booze
blitz, and the remedies will take the edge off its after
effects.

24. 44
before drinking
- eat yoghurt before you start drinking. it will pro-
tect your stomach by soaking up some of the alcohol
and preventing irritation, but it does not mean you can
drink more.
- never drink on an empty stomach. you will get drunk
easily and need either a kebab or a taxi.
- continue drinking the same type of spirit as you
started out with. mixing different types of spirits is
not good for your system.
- drink slowly. savor the flavor, do not just gulp the
cocktails down one after the other. allow some time in
between drinks.
- irritated stomachs usually increase acid. make sure
you stock up on plenty of antacid. mineral water is
a good option. if you are on medication, check with
your doctor about using antacid tablets.
- alcohol is a vitamin-eater. to restore your balance,
get plenty of it for the day after.
-alcoholtakesupthewaterinyourbodylikeasponge,
so drink plenty of water in between. it will clear your
system from the toxins that the drinks contain and
keep the right balance of water.

25. 45
after drinking
- if you wake with your clothes on and with a hazy
memory, take shower and put on your favorite music.
- drink plenty of water. tomato juice with a little fresh
lemon or grapefruit juice is good too.
- if your head is spinning, take some headache pills
with plenty of water and have a nap.
- an old timer once told me that having one of the
same drinks you had the previous night helps balance
your system. it might be true, but it is difficult to fol-
low since most of us do not even want to think about
spirits the next day.
- never work out. it is a health hazard. alcohol thins
out the blood and your heartbeat gets higher. training
increases the blood pressure and you can damage your
automatic pressure adjustment system to the point that
you may need to be put on medication.
“Don’t drink to get drunk. Drink to enjoy life.”
Jack Kerouac

27. Part II

29. 51

30. 73

33. extra thought
when I started out working in cocktail bars, I
learned to make margaritas with lemon juice in-
stead of lime juice. I tried the original lime version
but I favor the lemon version and it never let me
down.
another story about the origins of the margarita tells
that it comes from the wind-swept Rosanita beach
in Mexico, and that Danny Hervana made it for a
showgirl, Majore King. she suffered from allergies
to most cocktails and could only drink tequila.
128

34. 136
mint julep
with 256 years on its shoulders, the mint julep, the
godfather of all cocktails, is ready to break you in
and teach you the ropes. every year on the fifth of
may a horse race, the derby, is held in Kentucky and
the signature drink of the race is the mint julep. on the
day of the derby 130,000 mint juleps are prepared,
served and sold.
the proper way to make and serve a mint julep is in a
silver mug however a collins or a jar glass will work
the job.
how to make a mint julep:
I. take seven peppermint leaves, rub them in your
fingers (do not crush them) and drop them in a glass
II. pour in 2cl of sugar syrup and with the muddler
coat the inside of the glass
III. then put in cracked ice all the way to the top and
pour the bourbon over it, slowly
IV. with the bar spoon stir gently and garnish with a
small slapped peppermint top
extra thought
the word julep originally comes from the Persian
word Julab, meaning rose water. mint julep was the
favorite drink of American writer William Faulkner.

36. old fashioned
as you already know, cocktails have been around for
over 200 years. during the prohibition era, bartend-
ers working in speakeasies bastardized the classic - by
mixing them with liqueurs, juices, sugar and bitters
- to camouflage the drinks from the eye of the law.
there are a couple of versions of this drink featuring
on bar menus with brandy and maraschino cherry in
the recipe.
the drink took its first breaths in the hands of a bar-
tender in Louisville in 1881 and couple of years down
the road the old fashioned popped up in the salons of
high society in New York city. the drink slugged be-
hind in the 60s but is catching up, lately.
no matter what kind of mood I am in, bourbon always
has a strong impact. each time I drink it straight up
or mixed with other ingredients, it gets the better of
me. one night I got sloshed on this old-timer at jimmy
Woo’s bar in Amsterdam – a popular spot that brought
to mind a 18th century opium den.
138

37. 139

38. how to make an old fashioned:
I. put a white sugar cube in an old fashioned
glass
II. pour angustura bitters on it and a 2cl of maple
syrup
III. with the muddler, dissolve the sugar in the
mix then put in a large ice cube, pour 2cl of
bourbon over it and with the bar spoon stir for a
couple of minutes
IV. add another ice cube and repeat the process
until you have poured 6cl of bourbon in the glass
V. then fill it up with ice cubes, stir again
garnish with thick orange and lime twists.
140

39. 141
extra thought
instead of the sugar cube, you can use 2cl of sugar
syrup. try both methods and see what you love best.
many use rye whiskey as a base.

40. “Always do sober
what you said you’d
do drunk. That will
teach you to keep
your mouth shut.”
Ernest Hemingway

41. 99

42. 158
Acknowledgments
I would like to express my gratitude to the fol-
lowing people and institutions that without their
understanding, support, patience and valuable
help Back to Basics would never have be created.
Many thanks goes to: photographers and friends
Luca Tronci, G. T Nygaard and Anne Ogundipe.
my graphic designer Konstantinos Chitis, my Irish
friend and editor Richard Irvine, my dear friend Es-
trella Mera and my brother Konstantinos Andritsos.
Last but not least, I want to thank my dear friend,
Stefanos Pitias.
Author’s profile
GEORGIOS ANDRITSOS was born in Thessaloni-
ki Greece. He has worked as a driver, bartender, DJ,
and manager in trendy bar and restaurants in Scan-
dinavia, England, Tenerife, and Spain. In 2007, his
book A Little More Than Just Drinks & Cocktails
won best book in the world at the London Book
Fair. He received his master’s degree in creative
writing from Bath Spa University in England in
2013. He has organized creative writing seminars in
Norway, England, Spain, and Greece, written two
volumes of free verse poetry, Stop and Listen, and
published a collection of short stories, This is not
America (or ...is it?), in Greece. He edited the liter-
ary treatise, And the Nobel Prize in Literature goes
to... Bob Dylan? by Dimitrios P. Naskos, published
in Greece by Diavlos, and is now translating it into
American English. He is currently finishing his first
novel, Dark Paths.

43. 159
Graphic designer’s profile
Kostas Chritis is a Greek graphic designer with a
background in psychology. He combines analog
and digital media to create captivating visuals. His
projects include the book Ophthalmology, show-
casing imaginary sacred mythology, and the Super
8mm film Atenas sponsored by the Goethe Insti-
tute. Kostas is a co-founder of Echovolt Records,
shaping its visual identity. Based in Thessaloniki,
he draws inspiration from his frequent travels. His
work reflects a unique blend of psychology, artist-
ry, and a passion for storytelling.

44. “The ultimate artistic guide to creating your own
cocktails. Impress everyone with your knowledge
and satisfy even the most demanding palate.”
Kiriaki Graniti, Dominica Amat, Vivliovamon