Ritz Cocktail of New York - A Modern Classic - The Cocktail Spirit with Robert Hess

The Ritz Cocktail of New York was one of the first cocktails that Dale DeGroff ever created. He created it when he was working for Joe Baum at the Aurora in New York around 1985, and his first Head Bartending job. He had been browsing through Ted Saucier’s “Bottom’s Up”, and noticed cocktails attributed to both the London and Paris Ritz, and he decided that there needed to be a Ritz Cocktail for New York. Back in the '80s, Maraschino liqueur was fairly obscure, but Dale was enamored with the flavor profile it brought to the table. He also wanted to make sure he featured fresh lemon juice in the drink, instead of the typical (in those days) sour mix. The result was a drink which was fresh and festive, and became the most popular drink at Aurora. There is nothing in this drink that would be hard to find these days, which makes it a perfect candidate for being a modern classic! Small Screen delivers beautifully crafted videos about cocktails, bartending, mixology, food and cooking, each and every week. SUBSCRIBE to Small Screen: http://bit.ly/MF8FOT Sign up for the Small Screen email newsletter & be the first to know when new episodes air on our site!: http://bit.ly/13B6uVE The Cocktail Spirit on Facebook: http://on.fb.me/1ajfvq5 Small Screen on Facebook: http://on.fb.me/15F6PwT Small Screen on Twitter: http://bit.ly/16Drsuj Small Screen on Pinterest: http://bit.ly/18lxkp9 Watch this episode on Small Screen: Recipe: Instructions: