Mix & Mingle: The Art of Crafting Cocktails
Are you looking for a practical, fun drink that is easy to make? A cocktail is a delightful and tasty beverage made with two or more ingredients. It can be either a liquid or a food-based treat, with liquid cocktails typically having one kind of alcohol.
Do you want to learn how to make a cocktail? If you are looking for the best cocktail mixers, you will be pleased to know that you can make many different cocktails in only a few minutes. Nevertheless, there is great variety in the cocktail-making process for cocktails and places to drink said alcoholic beverages.
Events To Drink Cocktails At
Alcohol is a versatile substance available in many tastes and colours to enjoy on your flavour palate. Those of legal age who love social outings with friends and family may already be familiar with the cocktail hour. If not, a cocktail hour is a time between diverse settings. Typically this time is set between lunch and dinner. If we're talking about a wedding celebration, it is between the ceremony and reception. The cocktail hour usually takes place in the early to late afternoon.
The Cocktail Hour Vs The Happy Hour
Is there a difference between cocktail hour and happy hour? While the cocktail hour originated first, happy hour is typically used at high-energy establishments like bars or nightclubs to attract consumers with their lower price points and entertainment. The cocktail hour tends to occur in more refined circumstances, such as a corporate event, wedding, or gathering before a dinner party.
The Power of An Aperitif
A cocktail should destress the consumer and allow them to prepare for their evening plans with a delicious drink on the side. Also known as an aperitif, you should have a cocktail before dinner as it helps your stomach prepare to eat your meal while enhancing the food's flavours. These mixed beverages assist you in transitioning from your earlier day and coordinate the mood for your night with a palate accompaniment.
How To Make a Cocktail
Due to the versatility of alcohol used to create the condition known as a cocktail, you can mix and match different liqueurs to make a delicious drink unique to anything you would find at any establishment. The best cocktail mixers typically consist of a base liquor, such as gin or vodka, paired with flavourful ingredients like fruit juice. However, the mixer you use is up to your personal taste buds. Whether you prefer non-alcoholic cocktails, gin, or sweet cocktails, there is a drink to mix and concoct.
What Tools Do You Need To Make a Cocktail?
As previously stated, a cocktail has very few ingredients to make a delicious drink. If you want to make a cocktail from home, you will need a few tools. Any future mixologist will need the following equipment:
- Jigger
- Shaker
- Strainer
- Bar Spoon
- Muddler
- Citrus Juicer
- Channel Knife
- Glasses
Once you have gathered your eight essential tools, mix your base liquor with the best cocktail mixers to create your ideal drink.
Spirits
While not necessary to make a cocktail, alcoholic beverages like gin, rum, tequila, and vodka make cocktail drinks that complement themselves well with added flavours. Exploring your favourite spirit flavours will increase your chances of making a cocktail you enjoy within your personal space.
Typically a cocktail is created with a specific ratio between alcohol and additional ingredients. It is two parts alcohol plus a sweet element and a sour component.
Liqueurs
Liqueurs are a crucial ingredient in making the best cocktail mixers. What is the difference between liqueurs and liquor? A liqueur is a distilled liquor mixed with sweetened additives like sugar. These tasteful additives come in a large selection of flavours for you to choose from, creating a list of versatile cocktails for you to craft at home. You can balance out the potent flavours of liqueurs with your other spirits to make for a delicious drink.
Additional Items
Outside of spirits and liqueurs, you will want to incorporate citrus tastes to balance the sweetness of other ingredients, like lime or lemon juice. Fresh fruit or rich, sugary items like cinnamon or syrups can enhance your cocktail's taste. Ice is a crucial component to add to your drink as the substance dilutes and cools your beverage. Lastly, ensure you have various juice options at home, like orange, pineapple, and cranberry juice.
Gin Cocktails
Gin cocktails are a neutral-based alcohol flavour made from rye, wheat, barley, and corn. Its herbal and dry flavours make it a suitable base spirit to bring out your mixer of choice. Before adding any cocktail mixer, you want to taste your gin with no additives to determine its flavour profiles best.
Do you love gin tonics? Gin's palate makes it a suitable choice for lighter fruits and herbs. Gin tonics consist of one part gin and two parts tonic water. Add your ice, juice, gin, tonic water, and one part of a herbal liqueur like raspberry to your drink to make delightful gin cocktails for you and your friends.
Sweet Cocktails
Are you a fan of the sweeter things in life? If so, consider sweet cocktails. For your base alcohol, you will likely choose a spirit that is more sugary ingredient-wise. Rum and vodka are both sugar-based spirits.
The grasshopper is a classic sweet alcoholic beverage to sip when craving sugary drinks. The best cocktail mixers for sweet cocktails like the grasshopper include chocolate mint liqueur, heavy cream and optional chocolate syrup, and whipped cream to bring out the flavours.
Baileys Original Irish Cream Cocktail
Baileys Original Irish Cream is a classic blend of Irish whiskey and spirits with dairy cream and rich sweet flavours, making it one of the best cocktail mixers available. This liqueur is an excellent additive for those looking to enjoy creamy notes of chocolate and vanilla in cocktail form.
The mudslide is a well-loved cocktail made with this liqueur. You will want to add vodka, coffee, Baileys original Irish cream liqueur, and heavy cream into a shaker before training into a glass when cold. Add shaved chocolate on top to deepen its rich flavours.
How To Make a Non-Alcoholic Cocktail
While most cocktails have alcohol in them, those wishing to enjoy the flavours cocktails provide without the side effects of alcohol have the option to make non-alcoholic versions. Non-alcoholic cocktails offer a sophisticated and delicious taste similar to their booze-filled counterparts.
A refreshing cocktail that contains no alcoholic ingredients is the coconut, cucumber, lime and mint cooler. Combine coconut water with small amounts of lime juice, sugar, mint leaves, and two thinly sliced cucumbers in a shaker before serving cold.
Are you ready to explore the best cocktail mixers and add new liqueurs to your selection when mixing drinks at home? Flaschengeist offers high-quality alcoholic beverages in fun glass bottles, unique liqueurs, and gift boxes for you to enjoy.
