How to make the perfect cocktail

It’s hard to believe there was ever a time when cocktails fell out of fashion, yet they did in the late 60s and 70s. Apparently, people found other distractions. Apart from that, cocktails have been shaken, stirred and slurped since the 1830s and have come to symbolize sophistication and luxury.

It’s all too easy to make a bad cocktail. It’s not simply a case of mixing something colorful with something alcoholic and finishing with a cocktail umbrella. As a successful bar tender will tell you, there are some tools necessary to this trade and a well-stocked bar is essential.

First things first, a well-stocked bar doesn’t just imply a variety of consumable liquids; it refers also to a range of necessary bar equipment. Salt for glasses, garnishes, syrups, ice buckets and tongs, measures and pourers, straws and stirrers, shakers, blenders, chopping boards, utensils and glasses, all important in creating that perfect concoction. Don’t forget serving trays and payment dishes and the all-important drip trays and bar cloths.

There are five main ways to make a cocktail: layering, building, blending, stirring and shaking. Layering takes some practice but the results look impressive. Pour the spirit over the back of a spoon so that it rests on top of the liquid underneath.

Building involves pouring all of the ingredients straight into the glass. Blending is pretty self-explanatory, as is stirring. Shaking involves use of a cocktail shaker to mix and chill the drink, though pour the liquid carefully, retaining the ice in the shaker.
With thousands of recipes out there, industry experts recommend that at the very least, your cocktail bar should include all your usual spirits: gin, vodka, rum, whisky, brandy, tequila, vermouth and bourbon. They suggest also having wine on hand, liqueurs and triple sec.

As for mixers, soda water, cola, ginger ale, fruit juices, grenadine and angostura bitters should suffice. Don’t forget your cherries, olives, onions, lemon, Tabasco and sugar for garnishing.

Good decorating technique is the mark of a talented bar tender. Avoid garish swizzle sticks, glittery fountains and plastic animals and opt for fruit, whether sliced or cleverly knotted and twisted rinds.

Next you’ll need adequate glassware, if you are really going to impress. Cocktail glasses typically have a thicker stem, to avoid the drinker’s hand warming it up. Champagne cocktails should be served in a flute to prevent the bubbles from dissipating too quickly. Martinis should be served in, what else? A martini glass and shooters should be poured into consumption-restricting shot glasses.

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