While going out to a bar may still be off the cards for some of us, that doesn’t mean you can’t enjoy a great cocktail at home. Cocktails don’t have to be difficult… in fact, some of the best are easy to assemble, simple to master (and even easier to drink). Ensure that you whip up the ultimate cocktail each and every time, with these awesome tips and tricks from cocktail aficionado and Never Never Distilling Co brand director, Sean Baxter.
Baxter says “the rules of a cocktail are like components in an engine: each part has a job to do. Overpour your spirit or skip a step in the process and the whole drink falls apart, and let’s be frank; no one likes an average thirst-quencher. As the mixologist, it’s your job – heck, your obligation, to help those ingredients work together and keep that engine humming.”
Quality is always the most important thing. More flavour makes better gin and better gin makes better drinks. Pick a gin that is packed with as much flavour as you can find.
“The ice is almost as important as the gin,” says Baxter. Make sure you have enough and buy decent ice cube trays that make large cubes. Fresh is always good as well, the longer your ice is in the freezer the more likely it is to taste like the frozen spag bol sitting next to it.
Quality ingredients for both garnishes and mixers are imperative, says Baxter. “Prep your garnishes before you mix your drinks, no one likes watery cocktails.” Use mixers in small bottles or cans rather than buying massive ones so they don’t go flat in the fridge.
More gin doesn’t necessarily mean a better drink, says Baxter. Measuring will always result in the closest representations of the cocktails you’re making. If you don’t measure you’re going to end up with something unbalanced.
Equipment is important: but remember any vessel can really work as a mixing glass and anything with a lid works as a cocktail shaker, says Baxter. Get creative. Use chopsticks as a stirrer, or mix your drinks in the base of a coffee plunger and use the plunger itself as your ice strainer.
Not all cocktail recipes were created equal, says Baxter. Buy a good cocktail book and use that as your bible. I would recommend ‘Regarding Cocktails’ by Sasha Petraske or ‘A Spot at the Bar’ by Michael Madrusan and Zara Young. Also Difford’s Guide online is a good resource I use regularly. In terms of apps, ‘Bartender’ is very easy to use and is worth the spend. And last but not least? Good company, great music and the right room temperature will turn any occasion into an awesome event.
