Save the Clarito

Save the Clarito
Ernest Hemingway said, "Man is not made for defeat; a man can be destroyed but never defeated." The same can be said about classic cocktails. They are always being reinvented.

A few months ago, I was chatting with a few colleagues about cocktails that have been lost in time, inspired by the "Save the Sazerac" campaign which took place in New Orleans to revive the mythical cocktail born there. Over e-mails and chats and drinks, we named a few cocktails like El Corazón de Indio (originally made with Bols Ginebra and Kirsch), The Pato or The Cogote, and all these gave birth to the Clarito. It is often considered a version of the Dry Martini, which in those days consisted in one measure of gin to one of vermouth. The original recipe from 1935 called for 90 gr. of London Dry Gin and 10 gr. dry vermouth. It is a very dry cocktail, accented by lemon peel and served in a glass rimmed in sugar. Over time, the sugar rim has been lost, but the lemon has lasted. So says Enzo Antonetti in his book Tucumán 535, published in 1965.

The "Save the Clarito" campaign arose from these circumstances, an open call to bartenders, bar goers, and drink enthusiasts. Started on September 1st and continuing throughout the entire month, we are inviting you all to put the Clarito on drink menus at bars, to make it at home, to drink it with your father and mother, buy one for a friend, enjoy it alone or with someone, and make it a part of your life. Help make it a part of everyone's lives once again.

There are already 50 bars in Argentina, Mexico, Spain, and Australia participating, with dozens of bartenders throughout the world celebrating the past, present, and future of the Clarito and Argentine cocktails offered worldwide.


How to make a Clarito:
- Paint the rim of a martini glass with lemon and chill it with crushed ice.
- In a glass shaker (or a pint glass or large, glass jug if you don't have a shaker), place plenty of whole ice cubes.
- Let the shaker chill and then discard excess water from the ice.
- Add one (1) part French vermouth (Dry Martini brand, for example).
- Add nine (9) parts London Dry gin (can substitute with other brands of gin).
- Add a strip of lemon peel, squeezing the juices into the shaker as well.
- Stir with a metal or silver spoon for approximately 1-minute, or until drink is chilled.
- Discard the crushed ice in the Martini glass.
- Serve immediately with a spiral of lemon rind as garnish.

Lastly, drink it and enjoy it. In this way, we will save the Clarito.

Cheers to bartenders old and new!
--Federico Cuco
Buenos Aires, Argentina

*If you would like to join the campaign, please write to Federico Cuco at the address below.
For questions, comments, or to share your experience with the Clarito, write to:
fedecuco@gmail.com
danielestremadoyro@hotmail.com
martinauzmendi@gmail.com
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In the photo: Pichin, "The Gallart Bartnder" and creador of the Clarito in 1935. Pichin was the first World Champion of Classic Cocktails. He is considered the grandfather of Latin American bartenders.

Send us a picture and we will put it up on Facebook! And ask your friends to "Save the Clarito"!
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The Bartender’s 10 Commandments:

I. The bartender is an artists and cocktailing is an art that is nurtured by spirit, flavor, aroma, color, genius, and imagination.

II. The mission of the bartenders is to offer happiness, not drunkenness.

III. Make friends out of your clients, not clients out of your friends.

IV. Never serve a drink without a smile.

V. Speak what needs to be said, never listen to that which you shouldn’t hear, and always forget the confidences of the client.

VI. Be the most elegant, cleanest, most cordial at all moments in all places.

VII. No play tricks with the drinks or play with the trust of the client; always serve the best. Don’t serve anything you wouldn’t yourself.

VIII. Never stop experimenting, but never do it at the cost of the client.

IX. Throw away the “mathematical formulas” of cocktailing; Imagination is the most essential ingredient.

X. Be proud to be a bartender, but deserve it.