Last week I dropped by my favorite Santa Monica cocktail lounge, Copa d'Oro, where master mixologist Vincenzo Marianella offered me and a few other booze scribes a refresher course on the basics of making drinks. The gist of his presentation -- for those of you new to the mixology world (or juts too drunk to remember anything) -- was that there essentially two types of cocktails you can make: Sours and Aromatics.

The former is far and away the most popular cocktail variety, with margaritas, sidecars and daiquiris among the most popular. Sours consist of a combination of base spirit, citrus juice (lemon or lime or both), and a sweetener (sugar or some other sweetener,  liqueur, or a combination of these). For the citrus, Vincenzo suggests using lemon for whiskey and cognac-based libations, and lime for rum and tequila. Either fruit works well with gin and vodka. Most sours are shaken and strained, served in old-fashioned or Riesling glasses, and garnished with a cherry or orange slice. Of course, there are many excpetions to these general guidelines. A Cypriot Brandy Sour, for instance, is stirred instead of shaken, and topped with lemonade.

To make Aromatic cocktails you eschew citrus or juices, and instead use bitters or aromatic wine and spirits as main modifying agents. Aromatics are usually stirred instead of shaken, served in a cocktail or old-fashioned glass, and garnished with a twist or cherry. Vincenzo breaks his Aromatic cocktails down into three categories:

Old-fashioned Style: 2 oz. base spirit; 2-3 bar spoons simple syrup; 2-3 dashes bitter

Aromatic 2-to-1: 2 oz. base spirit; 1 oz. modifier; 2-3 dashes bitter

Aromatic equal: 1 oz. base spirit; 1 oz. modifier; 1 oz dry-aromatic bitter style.