3 Cocktail Sins Nearly Every Home Bartender Makes. Are You Guilty?
I’ve been tending bar for more than 30 years now, everywhere from corner dives with sticky floors to James Beard Award-nominated establishments with fresh flowers in the bathrooms. And there’s one question I get more than any other when I hand someone a drink they really love: Why don’t my cocktails taste this good when I make them at home?
You’ll swear you’re using the same ingredients. You’ve got the fancy ice mold. Maybe you even bought that Japanese jigger you saw on Instagram. But your cocktail still comes out kind of…meh. Believe me, I get invited to your backyard barbecues and am forced to drink every sub-par cocktail handed to me from a budding mixologist who’s watched endless YouTube videos on the subject, so, yeah, I’ve got some thoughts about what’s going on here.
Back in 2014, when I published my first book, The Bar Book: Elements of Cocktail Technique, I made the argument that there are three things, in equal proportion, that make a great cocktail: recipe, ingredients, and technique. And while I still recommend giving it a thorough read if you’re interested in taking your home cocktail game to a new plane, I’ve got a few tips for you if all you want to do is level up your drinks immediately.
1. The Cocktail Recipe Sucks
Let’s be honest, there are a million versions of every cocktail out there online these days, and most of them are fairly terrible. But sifting through all of them to know where to begin is nearly impossible without years of professional experience. So rather than sending you on a wild goose chase across the internet, I’m going to recommend just one book that will get you 99% of the way there: Regarding Cocktails by Sasha Petraske.
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Sasha was one of the most influential bartenders of the modern era, the great mind behind Milk and Honey, which was quietly the most influential bar of the past 20 years. His posthumous book is a masterclass in restraint and balance, with every drink contained therein a case study in how to build flavor in the glass. Because a good recipe isn’t merely a list of ingredients; it’s the proper ratio, the right dilution, and the correct serve. Pick it up and toss your other recipes aside.
2. Your Booze Isn’t Strong Enough
Listen, there’s much more to ABV (alcohol by volume) than just catching a buzz. Sure, there’s often more flavor in higher-proof liquor, but one thing that doesn’t get spoken of enough is texture. The way that drink feels when you sip it is a big reason why you like your bartender’s drinks so much better than your own.
I know you went to that whiskey tasting at your local boutique liquor store and thought the 80-proof bourbon was “smooth” and would make a nice Old-Fashioned. But an 80-proof (40% ABV) whiskey is the reason your drink tastes flat and lifeless. When I’m working behind the bar I like to make drinks with a whiskey that falls somewhere in the 90-100 proof range (45%-50% ABV). And while we’re on the subject, that 30-proof (15% ABV) triple sec you picked up for nine bucks isn’t doing you any favors (or flavors) either. Try Patron Citrónge at 70 proof to make that Margarita of yours really sing.
3. You’re Ingredients Aren't Cold Enough
I can’t tell you the number of times I’ve been forced to watch in agony as a dear friend adds a lousy three ice cubes to a cocktail shaker and then strains their lukewarm concoction over a couple of cubes in a room-temperature glass. I’ve said it before and I will continue saying it until I die: when you’re at the store, pick up three times as much ice as you think you’ll need. You might think it’s overkill but nothing ruins a great drink like warmth.
And speaking of which, did you really go through all that trouble of getting one of those ice molds, the kind that takes two days to make a single clear sphere, and then store it in your warm freezer? Ice can be colder than 32°F/0°C and it should be. Crank your freezer as low as it will go. And at least 15 minutes before happy hour begins, throw a few of your empty drink glasses in the freezer, which will cool them way down. Not only will they have an extra-cool frost on them, but the glass won’t immediately warm up your cocktails when you serve drinks. As a bonus, your frozen food will last longer, too.
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You also need to fill that shaker or mixing glass completely full of ice before you start shaking or stirring. And then serve your signature cocktail in a frozen glass that’s absolutely brimming with fresh ice. Your guests are going to thank you! And finally you’ll have a drink worthy of being served in a craft cocktail bar.
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