At some point in your life, probably in that confusing era around the early thirties, you will conclude that it’s high time you discovered the art of boozy alchemy. Sometimes it will start off slowly, based around that foul-tasting bottle in the grown-up cabinet that you can’t bring yourself to drink unadulterated. Other times, it will follow a sudden epiphany where you realise that you can both impress your friends and get them drunk at the same time. Whatever the logic behind the decision to kickstart that drink mixing hobby, everyone must begin somewhere. For those taking that almighty first step, let’s cover all the basics in A beginners Guide to Cocktail Making.
Stocking up the Drinks Cabinet
An easy mistake to make when putting together a good cocktail is to completely misjudge which alcohol to use. The lower end of the price spectrum will often leave unsatisfactory results and give a harsh undercurrent to any drink. While, on the flipside, any self-respecting top shelf bottle of the good stuff will find itself ruined by the addition of fruit, mixer, sugar and anything else required by the cocktail enthusiast. Therefore, the sweet spot in the bartender’s arsenal lays in mid-range branded booze made for, and distributed to, the masses.
In order to cover all of the basics, every commendable drinks cabinet should contain at least a bottle of gin, vodka, rum, tequila, whiskey, Bourbon, triple sec, and bitters. Generally speaking, I almost always have the following set of alcohol on standby to fulfill most of my boozy needs:
- Gordon’s Gin
- Bacardi Blanco Rum
- Captain Morgan Gold Rum
- Stolichnaya Vodka
- Jose Cuervo Silver Tequila
- Jameson Whiskey
- Wild Turkey Bourbon
- Cointreau Triple Sec
- Angostura Bitters
A Cocktail Makers Guide to Limes and Lemons
Regardless of what anyone else says or is doing, take a step away from that pre-bought bottled lime or lemon juice. Look for the juiciest fruit and squeeze them yourself, it’s not hard and its infinitely better. Having said that, you should remain on your guard when perusing the greengrocers wares, as during a particularly weird time here the supermarkets started trying to pass off small unripe oranges as limes. These were suspiciously larger than the standard lime, and gave off a distinct orangy smell when cut!
Sugar Syrups and Strange Liqueurs
Often, on a trip to a fancy drinking establishment, the wandering gaze will meet a well-stocked bar featuring an assortment of strange sugar syrups and even stranger liqueurs. The casual mixologist could easily be forgiven for thinking these are important. The truth, however, is that you’ll rarely, if ever, use these ridiculous accoutrements.
Few cocktails, and even fewer good tasting ones will require the sickly taste of synthetic fruit flavour. Moreover, that Melon Liqueur will likely remain in the drinks cabinet until the day you die! In all likelihood, you will only ever use one or two kinds of sugar syrup, and you can make both of those at home.
Tools and Paraphernalia to Guide the Cocktail Making Odyssey
You’re just starting out and you’re not sure if you will fall in love with this cocktail making lark, so why spend bank on a bunch of fancy tools. The good news, however, is that you can get started with stuff you likely already have lying around the kitchen. A set of digital scales can easily substitute a measuring cup, a jar with a good lid can work as a makeshift cocktail shaker, a chopstick is as reliable a stirrer that has ever existed, and a bog-standard sieve can separate the bits from the liquid!
Once up and running, the willful artificer can start acquiring the tools of the trade. These will come in all shapes and sizes, just remember, if you opt for a poor quality shaker, you will end up wrestling the thing open for half of your cocktail making life! If going for a kit, make sure it has the basics: a decent measuring cup, a sturdy cocktail shaker with cap, lid and strainer, a muddler, and a stirrer, everything else is just bloatware. Something like this reasonably priced cocktail making set on Amazon will serve you just fine.
Glasses and other Receptacles
It seems that for almost every cocktail invented, there’s a bespoke glass invented just for it. Whether the evil machinations of big glassware, or just bartenders looking to make their creations stand out, there’s no need for the journeyman alchemist to buy every single one. For every drinker, however, it is worth investing in one highball glass, one lowball glass, one fancy hurricane style glass, and a martini or margarita glass.
Cocktail Shaker Etiquette
When starting out, it’s tempting to go wild and throw everything into the cocktail mixer with careless abandon. But hold on there cowboy, it doesn’t work like that. Firstly, if you drop in anything carbonated, things will get messy very quickly, so don’t do that. Secondly, shaking (with ice) will cause dilution, which is great if it’s part of the recipe (like it isn’t with a long island iced tea). Thirdly, shaking will add air and change the texture of the drink. As a result, a budding mixer should take all of these thoughts into consideration before shaking up the cocktail. If making the classics, always check the recipe before shaking forth!
The Art of Measuring
No doubt, while conducting your “research” into the boozy world of bar culture, you’ve encountered the barman who pours without measuring. Effectively, giving customers the impression that they are so damn good at mixing that they instinctively know when to stop. Despite the air of confidence, the vast majority of these people are charlatans, and their cocktail making suffers for it. Very few humans in the industry have mastered this technique, however, many will seek to convince you otherwise. I always measure my pours, and I am not ashamed of it.
When developing a recipe for this here website, I will forgo the use of measuring cups entirely in favour of the accuracy of a set of digital scales. No doubt this advice will leave the purists crying bloody murder from the highest of horses, but then again, they’re probably too good for an article titled “A Beginners Guide to Cocktail Making” anyway.
A Little Guidance with Regards to Ice
An often overlooked but vital component of the cocktail industry a good bit of ice will not only cool the drink, but also add to the overall aesthetic. In general, Ice falls into three main categories:
Standard Ice for the Average Cocktail
This represents the general standard of ice that you will make in trays that you put in the freezer, or, if working with high volumes you can get from an ice machine. Mixers should use this normal ice when making standard level cocktails, or when a recipe requires dilution during the shaking process.
Fancy Ice for Showing Off
If you want to head down the road of the best possible cocktails that use the highest quality ingredients, then you will need the fanciest Ice in the land. To achieve this, you must first master the art of directional freezing in order to create crystalline blocks of unblemished Ice. If you search online, you can find clear ice molds of many shapes and sizes that will help you on your way, or if you’re the practical type, you can try building your own. For the full lowdown on this subject, head over to in depth guide to clear ice cubes here.
Crushed Ice for Tropical Flair
Many tropical style cocktails such as Mojitos, Mai Tais and frozen Margaritas will require crushed ice in order to accomplish a desired aesthetic. As we will pulverise it beyond recognition, you can happily use whatever reject ice you have lying around, including the excess you accumulate at the bottom of your clear ice mold. Some people will have special machines to achieve the crushed effect, and others will pop it in a blender, I on the other hand like to put it in a plastic bag and hit it with a hammer.
Recipes to Try in Association with our Guide to Cocktail Making
So, armed with the wealth of new knowledge provided in our Guide to Cocktail Making, the time has come to venture forward and put those new skills to the test! Check out the Tasty Morsels cocktails compendium for some ideas!
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