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160,855 Members

Basics

Cocktail basics
A B Cs of Cocktails

The good news is that with cocktails there really is no hard and fast rule to follow. It’s all about the palate. Even an accidental spill can lead to a new cocktail with a more than likely whacky name!
But most drinks do come with three basic components.
  • A liquor, the base, is most often some sort of spirit, like vodka, whisky, or tequila.
  • A mixer, to bring out the aroma of the base and modify its taste like Vermouth, various fruit juices, wine, even eggs or cream.
  • Special flavourings, added to enhance the taste of the base, and often also to add colour to the cocktail such as Grenadine, Blue Curacao, and others.

And just to make you feel like a pro, call anything without a mixer “a shot”, but of course a classier way to ask for this is either "on the rocks" (with ice) or "neat" (without ice).
What goes into your mix?
If you have plans to throw a home-party and are itching to play the bartender, then ensure that you are always well-stocked. Here’s a list of items that are certainly worth keeping – besides all the drinks you can store.
  • Salt, pepper and chilli
  • Angostura bitters: rum based bitters from Trinidad
  • Lemon, glace or maraschino cherries, orange, lime, olives and cocktail sticks for decoration
  • Sugar syrup
  • Grenadine
  • Commonly used mixers: soda water, ginger ale, tonic water, cola, lemonade, orange and cranberry juice
  • Last but definitely not the least – white wine, sparkling wine / champagne, vodka, rum, brandy, scotch whisky, bourbon, triple sec, vermouth, tequila and gin
The Making of the Cocktail – Behind the Scenes!
Want to get a glimpse of what goes on behind the bar, before it lands on your table? Shake it, Stir it, Blend it, Build it. Read on!
  • Shake It
    Shake your drinks – not with glasses, not with blenders, but with a shaker! It works much better, it's easier to clean, it looks much more professional and it's just the best tool for the job.
  • Stir It
    The cocktail is stirred with a glass or metal rod in a mixing glass, before the cocktail is strained into a glass. As with shaking, crushed ice should not be used, and water condensing on the outside shows that the cocktail is finished.
  • Blend It
    Blending is an excellent way of mixing ingredients which do not blend easily in any other way. Blend the cocktail till it has reached a smooth consistency. If the recipe requires ice, add crushed ice last, but be careful not to add too much, as the cocktail may be watered down.
  • Build It
    When building a cocktail, the ingredients are poured into the glass in which the cocktail will be served. Usually, the ingredients are floated on top of each other, but occasionally, a swizzle stick is put in the glass, allowing the ingredients to be mixed.
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