It’s no secret that when the holidays hit, the drinks flow. Beverage Daily estimates that most Americans double their booze intake between Thanksgiving and New Year’s.
Your go-to concoctions get stale quickly, even if you aren’t drinking more than usual.
Luckily, we pooled together some of the most mixology-minded individuals from throughout our neighborhood to give their tips and tricks of the trade, all to make you a better home bartender.
Whether you’re visiting family or hosting friends, everyone needs a party trick. And nothing is more impressive than whipping up a delicious and unexpected drink.
Unwrap Me By Iluggy Recinos
Time to Prepare
15 minutes for syurp
10 minutes for drink
Notes
The apple spice tea will infuse a holiday twist to the syrup while still letting the sweetness of the honey shine.
Tools & Utensils
Shaker
Jigger
Strainer
Best served in
Low ball
Ingredients
• 2 oz Bourbon
•.75 oz Lemon Juice
•.25 oz Honey Syrup
•.5 oz Ginger Syrup
Honey syrup Directions
• Steep two cups of apple spice tea
• Once brewed, stir in one cup honey
Directions
•Build drink in shaker, shake & strain
•Garnish with lemon wedge or peel
This is why we can have nice things
It’s as easy as Amazon, says Iluggy Recinos.
You’re likely familiar with Recinos’ work. The West Dallas resident and professional mixologist developed many of the iconic cocktails on the menus of Exxir restaurants and was one of the creative minds behind Tipsy Elf.
And, he says when it comes to starting a collection of bartending tools, Amazon or budget stores like Marshalls and Ross, have everything anyone might need.
While many cocktail equipment kits advertise having eight pieces, 14 pieces, or even 20 pieces, a beginner is fine starting with a shaker, a strainer and a measuring device.
“With friends you don’t need to get crazy, just find something pleasing to your eye with those tools,” he says.
And, if you’re looking to really get on Recinos’ good side, you’ll invest in a simple citrus juicer. He is “insane” about promoting fresh citrus juice in cocktails because of the flavor qualities fresh juice brings to a drink when compared to artificial juices.
With correct equipment in the beginning of the cocktail-making process, and fresh ingredients in the middle, Recinos recommends an aesthetic “wow” factor for drinks to round out the experience.
One trend he’s seeing take over bars is edible glitter, which gives drinks a whimsical, potion-like shimmer.
“I love glitter in a cocktail. I just love things that are pretty and loud,” he says.
As for where to locate edible glitter?
Amazon.
Measure Up
When you make the perfect cocktail, chances are you’re going to be asked to make another. And another. And another. And, well, you get how that goes.
But when dishing out batch after batch, keeping a drink consistent is key.
“You can recreate a lot of recipes that you find online if you have the proper measuring tools,” says Oddfellows bartender Madeline Russell. “It’s one of the most important things that I can think of to make delicious cocktails.”
Enter, a jigger.
The metallic measuring tool can be found in nearly every bar, and allows bartenders to pour accurate amounts of liquor or mixers time after time. While the traditional jigger is one ounce, double-sided jiggers allow for one and two-ounce pours, and sometimes even denote the .5 and 1.5-ounce lines.
“A mistake a lot of bartenders and at-home bartenders make is adding too much of an ingredient at the beginning of a recipe,” Russell says. “You can always add more.”
Ingredients
•Ginger ale
•Bitters of your choice
Directions
•Pour ginger ale in glass over ice.
•Add in bitters to taste.
•Start with two or three dashes, and add a dash at a time to avoid overpowering the drink.
Notes
Ginger Ale is a classic tummy ache remedy, and Angostura Bitters elevate the drink.
Best served in
Glass of your choice
Kiss Kiss
Most people don’t realize that 99% of cocktails are riffs on a three-ingredient base: simple syrup, citrus and a liquor of choice.
That’s according to Another Round bartender Taylor Bulla, who believes that by adding one or two twists on the “cocktail holy trinity,” you can create something delicious and impressive.
Simple syrup, for instance, can be made with a one-to-one ratio of water and sugar, and is an inexpensive ingredient to keep stocked in your bar. Infuse it with a flavor like strawberry or mint, and you’ve added a flavor layer to your drink with almost no effort.
If adding an ingredient to the simple, citrus, liquor base, Angostura Bitters are a “great place to start.” The bitters can be found in any liquor store, Amazon and some grocery stores.
“Bitters and soda water is a super popular drink in Australia. It’s delicious, good for your tummy and a good mocktail,” Bulla says. “Using bitters and stuff like that is actual bartending. It really is that simple.”
A cornerstone of a fancy cocktail is calling for egg white. It adds a richness and foam to the drink and is usually used in “sour” drinks.
But, egg whites can be more work than they’re worth.
“I love egg white cocktails, but I hate making them,” Bulla says.
Instead, a brand called the Fee Brothers makes an egg white substitute sold in a bitters-esque bottle, that delivers a similar foaminess without the eggshell.
If you decide to go ahead and try your hand at an actual egg white, Bulla reminds that an egg white cocktail requires a dry shake to emulsify before ice is added.
Notes
Placing a silver spoon in the neck of a champagne bottle and storing in the fridge ensures the wine stays bubbly between drinks.
Tools & Utensils
Stirring spoon
Jigger
Best served in
Flute
Ingredients
•champagne
•1 oz orange juice
•.5 oz blue curacao
Directions
•Fill flute 2/3 of the way full with champagne
•Pour in orange juice and blue curacao
•Lightly stir drink until curacao is incorporated to make green color.
Time to Prepare
10 minutes
Notes
Red or green sugar can be used to add a festive twist to the glass.
Tools & Utensils
Shaker
Jigger
Strainer
Rimming plate
Best served in
Margarita glass
Ingredients
• 1.5 oz tequila
• .5 oz pomegranate liqueur
• .5 oz cranberry juice
• .5 oz lime juice
• .5 oz agave
Directions
•Pour sugar onto a plate
•Coat rim of glass in lime juice before dipping in sugar
•Add ice to glass
•Measure tequila, liqueur, juices and agave into shaker
•Shake drink and strain into glass.
