How to make cocktails
Draught cocktails (Draft cocktails)
Cocktails served on draught using beer dispense technology allow consistent drinks to be served incredibly quickly. Draught cocktails can be batched with
Egg dos and don'ts & using eggs in cocktails
Eggs are essentially reproductive cells from everything from chickens to ducks and quails but here I'm specifically looking at chicken eggs, their characteristics
Cocktail glassware
Cocktails are something of a luxury. You don't just ping a cap and pour – they take a degree of time and skill to mix, so deserve a decent and appropriate
Shaking Cocktails - advanced tips, myths & lessons
I'm guessing you're reading this page because you're already an accomplished cocktail mixer and are interested in the fineries of the art or you've just
How to use a three-piece cocktail shaker
Three-piece shakers are also called ‘Standard' or 'Cobbler' shakers, they comprise of three sections: 1) Flat-bottomed, conical base or 'can' 2) Built-in
Barrel aged cocktails
Since cocktails left their disco-era style to the 1990s and grew up into the sophisticated drinks we know and love, a trend developed towards ageing cocktails
How to use a two-piece cocktail shaker
Also known as a Boston or French Shaker, two-piece shakers tend to be preferred by professional bartenders (Japanese and other East Asian bartenders excepted).
Swizzles & How to swizzle a cocktail
Swizzles are sour style drinks with a similar composition to a punch that, distinctively, must be churned with a swizzle stick. They are usually served
Vanilla infused vodka
Some commercially produced vanilla-flavoured vodkas have more of a cream-of-soda rather than genuine vanilla flavour. Many also have added sugar so can
Glass-aged cocktails
It was in 2004 after receiving a 1920s bottle of Dubonnet that I first decided to age a series of classic cocktails in small barrels with different proportions.
Measuring cocktail ingredients
Achieving balance between each ingredient is critical to the deliciousness of a finished cocktail. To achieve the perfect balance you need a good recipe
Smokes & smokers
Originally used a preservative, chefs commonly use smoke to flavour food and a chef's smoker can also be used to flavour cocktails.
Stirrers & How to stir a cocktail
Stirring is the most basic way of mixing a cocktail. You might not give much thought to a technique used to stir a cup of tea or even a pot of paint, but
Fat-washing
Made famous by the Benton’s Old Fashioned, created by Don Lee at PDT in New York City, which uses bourbon flavoured by smoky bacon fat, fat-washing is
Fine straining (double straining) cocktails
Most cocktails that are shaken and served ‘straight-up’ (without ice) benefit from an additional 'fine strain' over and above the standard strain to
Cocktail bartending etiquette
There are certain basics when it comes to making drinks, and this time we’re not talking ice, shakers or citrus. Keeping it clean has never been so important.
Foams
Foams can be applied to the surface of a cocktail, the aroma and flavour of which usually contrast with that of the drink beneath, so adding complexity.
Nitrous oxide
First synthesised by the philosopher and chemist Joseph Priestley in 1772, nitrous oxide (E942) is commonly known as laughing gas and is a colourless non-flammable
How to throw a cocktail
As the name suggests this method of mixing a cocktail is achieved by pouring the ingredients from one vessel to another, ideally pouring from one vessel
Salt
Out of the five basic tastes, sweet, sour, bitter, salt and umami, salt is perhaps the rarest to be found lurking in our drinks. Indeed salty liquid seems
The hard shake
Perversely the hard-shake is not hard, it’s gentle; although this choreographed shake is hard to master. Invented by Japanese bartender, Kazuo Uyeda,
Acid phosphate
Popping up as an ingredient on menus worldwide, acid phosphate has officially been reborn after disappearing from sight for nearly 70 years. But what is
Leather-aged cocktails
The team at the Artesian bar, at the Langham Hotel, are world renowned for their experiments in cocktail creation. From barrel, glass and clay pot ageing
Stirring vs. shaking a cocktail
Stirring and shaking obviously result in the various ingredients being mixed together, but both actions also cool and dilute the cocktail being mixed.
Cocktail shakers & how to shake a cocktail
Shaking not only mixes a drink, it also chills, dilutes and aerates it. Along with stirring shaking is the most common technique employed to mix cocktails.
Infusion and maceration
Alcohols ability to draw out flavoursome substances from herbs and spices by infusion and then preserve those flavours has been used since the Middle Ages
How to flame a cocktail
The terms ‘ignite’, ‘flame’ or ‘flambé’ mean that a drink should be set alight. Please exercise extreme care when setting fire to drinks.
Ice in cocktails
A plentiful supply of fresh ice is essential to making good cocktails. When buying bagged ice, avoid the hollow, tubular kind and thin wafers. Instead,
How to muddle a cocktail
Muddling means pummelling fruits, herbs and/or spices with a muddler (a blunt tool similar to a pestle) so as to crush them and release their flavour.
How to layer a cocktail
As the name suggests, layered drinks include layers of different ingredients, often with contrasting colours. This effect is achieved by carefully pouring
Blending cocktails
When a cocktail recipe calls for you to 'blend with ice', place all ingredients and ice into a blender and blend until a smooth, even consistency is achieved.
Rolling or tumbling
Not to be confused with the 'Cuban Roll' which refers to the rolling motion employed by perficient practitioners of the throwing mixing method, 'rolling'
How to strain a cocktail
When straining a shaken drink, a Hawthorn strainer tends to be used, but when straining a stirred drink it is traditional to use a Julep strainer. Both
Garnishes for cocktails
Garnishes are used to decorate cocktails and are often anchored to the rim of the glass. You’ll find more about garnishes and how to prepare them in
