Cocktails, Getting Started
Why Cocktails?
This past year, 2020, has been tough in a lot of way for everyone. Not being able to head out to our favorite bars was the cherry on top of a couple of crap cocktails. Rather than go out to the bars, we got proactive and brought the bar to us.
We created our own home bar. Much like stocking up your kitchen, you need gear to crate drinks with. Where to start and what to buy?
The Basics of Cocktails
Fortunately, setting up a bar is far less complicated and requires much less than getting your kitchen ready for cooking. If you’re just starting out, be minimalist at first. Here are the basics things you should invest in.
- Glassware: Stay simple and get a tried and true pint glasses, tempered glass preferably. They work for a variety of drink types, from beer to cocktails. They are also great for everyday usage with soft drinks. It’s advisable to have proper wine glasses, unless you’re one of those few people that never drinks wine. Finally, it’s nice to have a rocks glass, as most cocktails are designed to fit in this type of glassware.
With these three types of glasses, you can serve almost any type of drink. A rocks glass is not a martini glass, but it will get the job done without significantly altering the dynamics of the drink.
- Measuring: Cocktails are all about precision. So, if you want to make a quality drink, you need to measure. Don’t try to measure by eye, no matter how good you think you are. You won’t get it right and will end up creating something that tastes terrible. Jiggers get the job done, are easy to use, and make you look and feel like the real McCoy. A standard jigger has 1.5oz side and a 1oz side, which are typical portions for cocktails. Any half decent jigger will also include some measuring lines, so you can pour things like 1/2oz and 3/4oz.
- Mixing: Having some way to mix your ingredients is also important. There is the option of stirring a drink, but most cocktails are actually shaken to achieve the proper blend and temperature. For most people, a Martini Shaker will do the trick. Sometimes called a three-piece shaker. They are easy to use and don’t require learning additional techniques, unlike the Boston Shaker. They get the job done, they do it well, and they are simple to use. End of story.
Simple Solution: For around $30, you can buy a fair quality starter set that has a shaker, jigger, bar spoon, muddier, and maybe a few other things. It’s actually what we invested in first to get started. A set like this will satisfy most beginners for at least the first year or two.
- Books: Lastly, if you want to make good cocktails, investing in a proper book is paramount. You can find cocktail recipes online for free. However, in our personal experience we’ve found that most recipes are lacking in the little extras that give cocktails their personality and distinct tastes. A well written book is going to teach home bartenders the proper way to create cocktails. As bonus, many books teach a number of techniques for mixing.
We personally like Dale GeGroff’s book The Essential cocktail The Art of Mixing Perfect Drinks. It’s easy to read, has some fun stories, gives great advice, and most importantly all the recipes we’ve tried out of the book have been spot on.
Where to go from there
Once you start finding your style, you can upgrade your equipment.
- Squeezer: Many cocktails require lemon and/or lime juice. There is absolutely no reason why you should being squeezing your own lemons/limes for fresh juice.
- Juicer: Many cocktails require orange or grapefruit juice. They are easy enough to buy in any supermarket. However, nothing beats freshly squeezed juice. Any bar worth their salt will be squeezing their own juice every day. Your cocktails are worth it. If you are investing the time to learn, the money for the tools and booze, than you can take a minute to squeeze an orange.
- Liquor Pourers: You’ve probably seen these at your local bar. They are spouts that fit on top of the bottle and help control the speed of the pour. They are not necessary, but they are helpful, especially after you’ve had a few drinks and your control isn’t as good.
- Better jigger: One of the first things we upgraded in our bar was a bigger jigger. We wanted something that had a 2oz side, as there are quite a number of drinks that require this quantity. We also wanted a jigger that was thinner.
- Lewis Bag: These bags are very important for crushing ice. If you’re going to make any drinks that require a lot of crushed ice, you should invest in a good bag and mallet.
- Better Glassware: Once you’ve found a particular type of cocktail you enjoy making/drinking, it’s probably a good idea to purchase a proper receptacle for it. It’s just something that helps with the immersion of having a proper home bar.
Alcohol
If you’re going to make drinks, you’re going to need booze. This is where things start to get expensive.
- You need base liquors. These are you vodkas, rums, etc.
- After that, most cocktails require some modifiers, or mixers. Fruit juices are the first thing to come to most people’s minds. Liqueurs and things like vermouth will also fit into this category.
- Lastly we need an accent. These add flavor and/or coloring. Syrups are typical, but just as important are bitters. Bitters help round out the flavor profile.
You can easily drop a grand buying booze. Instead, focus on making drinks that require similar ingredients. Choose a base alcohol and then work from there. Invest half dozen bottles of mixers and some bitters and slowly build from there.
If you do it this way, you will discover what types of drink please you, and you may be surprised. There are many opportunities to mix up a cocktail that you wouldn’t have ordered in a bar.
A final note: It’s tempting to opt for the cheapest bottles of alcohol, especially with liqueurs. Don’t try to cut costs here. The aim should be producing the best possible cocktail, not the cheapest cocktail. You will taste the difference.
This is where having a membership to a place like Costco really pays off.
Time To Start Making Your Own Cocktails
Now that you’ve learned the basics, let’s get serious. We have a whole list of drink recipes here ready for you to try. Some are classic standards, while others are own creations.