Essential Cocktail Making Techniques

Fun & Essential Cocktail Making Techniques to Learn This Year

Looking to make better drinks and you’ve been wanting to learn something new? Get ready to wow your friends this Spring and Summer. We’ve put together a list of essential cocktail making techniques to learn this year. 

First things first, don’t be intimidated, these essential cocktail techniques are super simple, they just take a little time and care. Once completed though, most last for a long time if stored carefully and all add delicious new dimensions to your cocktails.

01. Syrups

First on our list, because if there is one technique to add to your repertoire, if you haven’t already done so, it has to be making your own syrups. 

Most syrups take only a few minutes to make, they only require very simple ingredients and equipment, and last virtually indefinitely if stored in a sealed glass container in the fridge.

Once you get comfortable with the essential techniques, you can get more and more creative with your flavours, which in term means you will be able to create ever more interesting cocktails. Very many cocktails need to be balanced with a little sugar, which means there are numerous opportunities for you to create new and bespoke recipes. 

From flavoured Old Fashioneds, to fruity Lemonades or herbaceous Collins recipes, the limits are only with what you can imagine.

02. Sherbet

A citrus syrup that has its roots in that age-old style of mixed drinks, Punch. Sherbet is a problematic name because frankly, unless you are a drinks nerd, you will be thinking of either a flavoured sugar powder or a flavoured shaved ice. As you may have guessed, we mean neither of those things.

The Sherbet we’re talking about, is a syrup made with citrus juice that is enhanced by using sugar crystals to extract essential oils from the peel of the fruit. 

Binding both the juice and essential oils from citrus fruit, delivers a rich and powerful flavoured syrup that’s a great ingredient to have in the fridge ready to add a citrus twist to your favourite cocktail. Orange Sherbet Old Fashioned anyone?

03. Tea

Tea is one of the best and often ignored ingredients for cocktails. Relatively cheap, fairly easy to use and a large range of varieties to choose from.  

We have three different ways for you to learn how to use tea in cocktails. From cold brew to lengthen your cocktails, to tea flavoured syrups, and tea infused spirits. Learning to use tea in your cocktails opens up so many opportunities to write new recipes, or even put a twist on your favourite classic.

04. Dehydrating Citrus

Simple to do, you just need a little patience. These elegant and very much on trend garnishes not only look good, but also deliver a delicate yet rich and deep citrus aroma. Perfect for drinks where a twist might overpower the aromatics. 

Stored in a dry and airtight container they last indefinitely and are a perfect way to use up any excess citrus you might have, helping you cut down on waste too.

05. Batched Cocktails

Although we might think of batching cocktails as a technique best suited for entertaining, there is something quite elegant about having a bottle of your favorite cocktail in your fridge ready to pour. 

Not only is a perfectly made and rested batched cocktail a treat to enjoy at home, now is a perfect time to fine-tune your batching skills, ahead of spring and summer entertaining.

06. Clear Ice

With a little more space in the freezer, now is a perfect time to try and make some clear ice. Allowing water to freeze from the top down by insulating the sides and bottom of a water container, will give you a layer of perfectly clear ice that you can cut away.

Carefully cut away the layer of clear ice from the cloudy ice at the bottom of the container, then chop into your preferred size pieces. Store your clear chunks of ice in a freezer bag or plastic container and repeat the process. Over the course of a few days of ‘harvesting’ you can build up a good supply of clear ice to use in your cocktails. 

So you don’t waste it on shaking or stirring, our top tip is to store your cocktail shakers and mixing tins in the freezer, ¾ filled with filtered water. This will give you perfectly good ice for mixing or shaking with, and allow you to save your clear ice for presentation. 

As always, don’t forget to show us how you are entertaining with ease by tagging us!
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