Bartender himself: what you need to know to prepare cocktails at home

Training and Tools

If we approach the issue of mixing cocktails at home in more detail, to begin with, I would suggest to look through the literature devoted to Barney case. For example, a novice enough to read "bartender Bible"And"IMBIBE"David Wondrich. Firstly, it will help to better understand, from what you mix your drink and what should happen in the end. Secondly, it is very interesting.

Ninety-five percent of what is and what is already invented. A unique cocktails that fall within the remaining 5% - is a small miracle, and usually accidental. But those who do nothing, even there are no coincidences.

A major role in the preparation of cocktails playing instruments. They are a continuation of the hands of the bartender.

All that you need for a good result: convenient and reliable shaker, mixing glass, bar spoon, strainer, Fine-strainer and, of course, a good ice (ice of a large square ice maker).

When choosing the right equipment "is expensive - high quality" does not always work.

Shaker

Choosing a shaker, try to squeeze his hand open part. If the metal is strongly bends, Shaker begin soon occur. Glasses should fit snugly into each other and can be opened with the right impact.

mixing bowl

Mixing bowl should be of durable thick glass. You can select and iron, but it is not very easy to use and aesthetically pleasing.

All grace preparation of a beverage in a glass is that you see the drink, you see that there has not got anything extra.

bar spoon

Choosing a spoon, it is sufficient that it is all right with the gravity center and it fits comfortably in the hand. The rest - a matter of taste.

strainer

Strainer (Eng. strainer - «filter" "sieve") - a tool that filters out large particles of ice or fruit pieces, when the bartender cocktail shaker pours into a glass.

There are two types of strainers:

• Julep-strainer (without springs at the edges). It was invented before the invention of tubes, straws to sip of wine glasses that are filled with crushed ice.
• Ordinary strainer with a spring.

All of them are good. How to choose - a matter of taste.

Fine-strainer

In fact this is a common strainer, may even come from a hardware store. However, the smaller the hole, the better.

mixing equipment

Drinks without acidic side (it usually lemon or lime juice) - "Negroni" or "American", "Arno" and "Bijou" - easy to mix in a glass. Suffice it to pour the ingredients into a glass, add ice and stir. Then simply pour the ice in a chilled glass or drink with ice - here a matter of taste.

But, anyway, without the shaker and ice do not mix a good drink. There are two basic techniques of mixing - shake it and washing. Everything else - blend (whip in a blender), build (to pour on the ice), leyery (put layers) - the echoes of a club or a beach party.

Sheik

The bartender pours primarily cheaper ingredients. If you make a mistake, an error will cost less.

When the ingredients in a shaker, add ice. The shaker should be full of ice - so dilute the drink less water.

The more ice in the glass, the slower it will melt and the less there will be water.

After vigorously whipping the beverage within 3-6 seconds it must be filtered from the used ice cooled glass via strainer. Maybe in a shaker were fruit, mint, basil and so on. The glass must be beautiful clean drink.

Steer

The same story: ingredients, ice, mixing filter.

ELEPHANT

If you make yourself a simple mix, there are a ridiculous club rule ELEPHANT: glass, ice, base filler.

Strong part (base) is poured first onto the ice to smooth roughness and alcohol content. Since the mix-alcohol drink using inexpensive, it is generally odorous, sharp, alcoholicity. Two or three ingredients are not mixed properly, so alcohol is needed to smooth, cool.

The proportions and structure

The word "cocktail" (eng. cocktail - «rooster tail"), if we dig deep - it is only a small category of mixed drinks.

Cocktail - is a strong part of the sweet, the bitter part and water or soda.

Each drink has a definite structure or category. These structures, there is no more than 15-17 in the world.

• daisy: A strong part of the sweet as a liqueur, sour part. EXAMPLE cocktail with the structure - "Margarita» (Margarita).
• Fizz: A strong part of the sour, the sweet part of the protein and soda. EXAMPLE cocktail with the structure - "Gene Fizz» (Gin Fizz).
• Collins. From Fizza distinguishes only the absence of protein. EXAMPLE cocktail with the structure - "John Collins» (John Collins).
• Sauer (Usually with ovalbumin drink): strong part, sour and sweet part portion. EXAMPLE cocktail with the structure - "whiskey sour» (Whiskey Sour).
• Martini: Strong part, decorated with a few drops of vermouth.

Any professional bartender can simply substitute the ingredients. This is how to substitute words into sentences, adding beautiful turns of phrase. The rest - a matter of technique and tactics. Under the tactic here it is meant the choice of how quality strong alcohol you cook and to whom.

combinations

When mixing cocktails at home, pay attention to the excellent combination of proven:

• wine, mint and cranberries;
• vodka and basil;
• whiskey and passion fruit;
• Amaro (herbal liqueur) and cherry;
• tequila, tomato and celery;
• tequila and orange.

Use the cocktail is not only the purchase but also homemade syrups. This whole field for experimentation.

For example, 800 g of sugar, 1 liter of water and 20 g cinnamon sticks can be made home cinnamon syrup. It is ideal cocktail "Red Neck" (40 ml bourbon "House", 20 ml cinnamon syrup, Sauer 20 ml, 100 ml of dry apple cider, 10 g of bacon for decoration).

If 500 g of barberry candy pour 500 ml of water and boil to a liquid state, will turn bright taste barberry syrup. With it suggested to try "candy tree" (vodka 50 ml, 30 ml home Berberidaceae syrup, 30 ml of lemon juice, 15 ml chornosmorodinovogo liquor, 5 ml of pomegranate syrup).

Of the most unusual combinations can call our extravagant, but refined drink "Crusher number 14". For him, we mixed in a shaker sambuca banana, passion fruit puree, cream, lemon juice and got a new hit.

To repeat this cocktail at home, you will need:

• 50 ml banana Sambuca;
• 20 ml of passion fruit puree;
• 20 ml of the cream;
• 20 ml lemon juice;
• 10 ml of sugar syrup;
• whipped cream;
• cherries for decoration.

Experiments and cocktail names

To prepare delicious drinks, we need a well-tested recipes. As a basis we can take the classic cocktail recipes and add something of their own.

It is important to experiment and try even the notoriously bad product. So in my head sometimes come very unusual combination, which in the end can surprise.

There are no precise rules for inventing names. Simply create a mental map - everything will fall into place.

For example, we want to celebrate a birthday crocodile Genes in Anapa and present him a cocktail. We are looking for associations with the crocodile, from Anapa, on the sea, with a blue helicopter and ice cream. We collect from each circle identical associations and form a beverage. Determine the combined ingredients and vayaem name.

Most often, the name attracted by the ears to the ingredients. It's not even funny. For example, acute drink with ginger "Ostrovsky" wine or a cocktail "innocent".

Everything else - just a game of images and words.

For example, I want a drink called "low-kick". Cool and fashionable today, a name that has come mainly from the Thai Boxing. Low-kick - it is usually invisible strike, hitting the target twice, three times, cuts down the opponent to the ground. How to tie him to a drink? It's simple. The drink must be slow-acting, but strong. And then the game of flavors and combinations is doing its work.