Jewels of the trade

When you order a cocktail, you think you're ordering something made from gin or vodka or bourbon or whatever. And that's true, of course. Except that it's not strictly true. To be precise, you're ordering something in which a base spirit is massaged and stroked into taking on a radically different identity.

Who does the massaging? The Cinderella ingredients of the cocktail world. The unsung bottles that sit on the back bar with the big boys but never get ordered on their own or by name. They're the make-up artists or hairstylists: even if you don't notice them, they're vitally important in making the limelight-hogging star look her best.

The bar of any self-respecting cocktail establishment is home to a couple of dozen Cinderellas. If the place doesn't sell an awful lot of cocktails, or mainly sticks to a small list of classics, many will see just intermittent service. Even in serious venues with long experimental lists and a good output, some Cinderellas will sit there unloved over a period of months while others will need to be replaced every week or two. Certain ingredients, while used to make one or two different concoctions, are so specialised that they occupy a marginal place in the cocktail repertoire. But when they are needed, you can't drink without them.

This picture shows some of the Cinderellas at Townhouse (31 Beauchamp Place, London SW3) an experiment-loving, top-notch cocktail palace. A couple are extremely specialised but highly regarded in the brother-and-sisterhood of bartenders. Several are up-and-coming. Some are indispensable. Track them down through specialist stores, such as Vintage House (tel: 020 7437 2592) and Joey's (tel: 020 7734 2053). Bartenders couldn't shake or stir without them, and neither can you.

Xanath crema de vanilla

Vanilla is used in a few cocktails (such as Vanilla Daquari) but when it's needed, you can't do without it. Xanath is a Mexican distillation of very high quality, first produced in the 1940s but now catching on at better bars. Compare the flavour with other vanilla liqueurs and you'll taste the difference. Townhouse is smart to be using it.

Crème de Mûre

If you've ever made a Kir, you know how the merest whiff of a fruit crème, a liqueur with around 25 per cent alcohol, transforms fizzy wine. The crème can produce even more dazzling results when something highly acidic is joining it - fruity sweetness, colour, viscosity, weight. Crème de Mûre (blackberry) is one of many berry crèmes and, for many bartenders, the best.

Cuarenta y Tres

"Cuarenta y tres" means "43", supposedly the number of botanical ingredients in this Spanish liqueur. It instantly lends complexity to any drink it's used in. It's especially good with orange but its finest hour could be in Townhouse's Tall & Dandy - Wyborowa orange vodka, loads of fruit, etc.

Bitters

Bitters are strong spirits, usually 40 per cent alcohol, with large quantities and numbers of herbs, fruits and spices. Shown here are classic Angostura and the equally wonderful (if slightly less versatile) orange bitters; there's a good peach version too. Many sours and punches would be nothing without a few drops.

Marie Brizard orange Curaçao

Once distilled from small oranges from the eponymous Caribbean island, the name Curaçao is now used generically for this type of orange liqueur. Its sharp flavour works with rum, bourbon or other brown spirits - perhaps in a Mai Tai, instead of Triple Sec. Also comes as clear (which seems to miss the point) or blue (naff).

Patron XO Cafe

A velvety-smooth coffee liqueur of extraordinary quality, based on Patron tequila, which is among Mexico's finest. With a rich coffee flavour, lightly touched with vanilla, it could be the product bartenders start using in new-fangled Martinis, or it could become a classic in its own right. Try it in a White Russian.

Midori

A melon liqueur first made in Japan in 1978, Midori is one of the youngest products here. Hugely successful, much imitated and the likely source of any melon cocktail flavours. The green hue has a lot to do with its success - if they'd made it clear, we might not even know about it. But it's good. Look for it in variations on rum- and tequila-based drinks.

Infused Absolut vodka

Cinderellas that bars dress up for themselves. This one contains a green chilli slightly smaller than a banana. Townhouse also makes versions with lemon grass and rhubarb. Likely uses: any vodka-based drink where the bar wants to add complexity. A miracle or a menace, depending on who's choosing the infusion.

Chambord

This French raspberry liqueur is said to date back to the 18th century - but it's only been a bar king for a decade or more. Colour and density make it perfect for layered shooters; intense sweetness attracts sugarholics; and just look at that bottle. Regard it as a dressed-up crème (see left).

Monin gomme

Gomme, aka simple syrup, is the bartender's shortcut to sweetness - and it doesn't bring with it the crunch of cubes or the molasses-notes of brown sugar. It's sugar dissolved in water, typically in equal proportions. Monin is one of the leading manufacturers, but in most cases, their bottle has been refilled with the bar's homemade syrup.