Joe Rocco
Craft cocktails are no passing fad. Defined as mixed drinks made with fresh, high-quality ingredients and proper technique, they represent the liquid half of the food revolution of the past couple of decades. Just as we’re not making meals out of cans anymore, pre-made sour mixes are out.
But whereas the food revolution aims to have us all in the kitchen cooking — even using eggs from our own chicken coops — craft cocktails have been slow to catch on at home.
There’s a perception that craft cocktails are hard and take a lot of setup and equipment, or that there’s some mysterious alchemy required that only mustachioed bartenders comprehend. The truth is that with a little preparation, you’re never more than a few minutes away from a truly great cocktail at home. To that end, here are 10 practical, essential tips to crafting the drinks of your dreams from your own bar.
Use quality ingredients
Your drinks will only be as good as their parts. If you buy the cheapest gin, you’ll taste it. Speaking of taste, it’s important to know your ingredients. Have you tasted your liquors on their own and noted their flavors? Is the whiskey you like sweeter than other brands? This will help you adjust drinks to get them right.
Joe Rocco
Mise en place, aka, prepare in advance
Just like chefs, when you set out to make drinks you’ll want to do a little prep beforehand. This is doubly true when entertaining. Make sure you have ice, chill your glasses in the freezer, cut your citrus, pluck your garnish. You’ve seen cooking shows where every ingredient is in little bowls ready to go? Set out your ingredients along with your tools — shaker, paring knife, cutting board, juicer, peeler — or whatever you may need for the drinks you are making.
Make reasonably sized drinks
Your old glasses are too big. Remember those huge martini glasses you got at a big-box store? We all have a few. Well, most craft cocktails come in at 3 to 4 ounces, which means you need smaller glasses or it’ll look like you’re stingy. Big isn’t better; it just means your drink gets lukewarm. That said, you don’t need to purchase anything new and fancy. If you have smaller rocks glasses, use those.
While you’re ditching your huge glasses, ditch your cobbler shaker
That three-piece contraption you got for a Christmas present 10 years ago? The one that won’t open once you’ve shaken a drink in it, with the cap that gets lost down the garbage disposal? Set it aside in favor of a two-piece Boston shaker. These are available in stores and online, and are a simple metal tin with a glass pint glass. It makes shaking (and stirring) a snap.
Joe Rocco
Ice is also important
You don’t need a home ice program to make great cocktails. In fact, home ice freezes slowly and is great for craft cocktails — but not if the ice is four months old and has taken on freezer odors. Always use fresh ice.
Shaking versus stirring
As a general rule, shake cocktails that contain citrus, eggs or cream. Stir drinks that are spirits-only. The point of both is to chill the drink to 40 degrees without overdiluting it. You want about 1/4 of the drink to be water, but no more. If you want, you can nerd out and use a thermometer to check your drink’s progress. In general, a good rule of thumb is to shake for 10 seconds or stir with a chopstick for about 30 seconds. You don’t need a fancy bar spoon.
Joe Rocco
Muddle, don’t annihilate
There’s nothing worse than an overmuddled mojito, full of tiny green specks that get in your teeth. The point of muddling is to release the essential oils in the leaf, not to shred it into the drink. You don’t need a muddler, just use the end of a wooden spoon.
Remember the garnish
The finishing touch is often what separates an okay drink from a truly remarkable one. Have your garnish prepped and in front of you as you make the drink so you remember to slap that mint leaf, twist that lemon peel or spike that cherry.
Joe Rocco
Always taste!
You taste while you’re cooking, right? You wouldn’t serve a soup without tasting it first. Same with cocktails. Get a pack of straws and sample what you’re making to ensure it’s balanced. This is a crucial step to understanding flavors, your own palate and
becoming a better cocktailer.
Remember this no-fail ratio
Joe Rocco
Finally, an insider trick of the trade to impress your friends (and yourself). When making up your own drinks, a very simple, easy-to-remember cocktail ratio is 2:1:1. That’s two ounces of liquor, one ounce of “sour” (think citrus) and one ounce of sweet (think liqueur). Want a Margarita? 2:1:1. Want a Daiquiri? 2:1:1. You get the idea. You can play with this ratio — perhaps you like 2 ounces to 3/4 and 3/4 better — but the idea is the same. You want a balanced drink made well with quality ingredients, and with a few recipes and a bit of technique it’s a snap to make them at home.
André Darlington is the co-author of the forthcoming The Modern Cocktailer (Running Press). He blogs about healthy cocktails at Sprig & Spirit.
