Stocked the bar? Check. Polished the glasses? Check. Garnishes ready to go? Check.
Now, time for the bigger question – is your co*cktail-making game going strong? Before you start prepping the glasses, you’d want to ensure you’re making your drinks right. Balance is the key to keeping you afloat at your bartending job. Here are some tips to help you make the perfect co*cktail that hits all notes.
co*cktail making is an absolute art and a little bit of science. A bartender job can seem easy, but stuff gets incredibly intricate. You need to memorize recipes and keep refining the palate. Ultimately, the idea is to layer flavors and enhance core ingredients. How?
Balance Is everything
Any flavor you use can be lost if the drink is off-balance. So the golden ratio to making the perfect co*cktail is 2-parts spirit, 1-part sweet, and 1-part sour (2:1:1). Spirit refers to hard liquor, and the sweetened element is often water and sugar or any other syrup. The sour ingredient is always fresh lime juice but is used with caution.
Know your ingredients well
Creating a perfect co*cktail demands particular attention to detail and knowing your ingredients well. So, you must understand your spirits, syrups, fruits, juices, refreshes, liquors, and more.
Ice for some spice
Ice is the unsung hero when making the perfect co*cktail. It keeps the co*cktail chilled and eventually dilates to become a part of it, adding more flavor. But make sure you know whether to ice or not. Some co*cktails are best when iced down, while others need little to no ice.
To stir or shake?
If the drink contains bitters and liquor, you must stir it. If the drink includes mixers, shake it so that the ingredients mix well. Also, since shaking adds air to the co*cktail, sieve it well and add ice.
What about the glassware?
Knowing the glassware is as important as knowing your ingredients and the co*cktail ratio. Glasses enhance the presentation, enrich the overall experience, and impact the taste and aroma of the co*cktail. So remember, different co*cktail flavors can display individual characteristics in different glasses.
Garnishing
As part of your bartending job, you’ll learn that garnishing levels up the presentation and enhances the co*cktail’s flavors. For example, marinated olives with a dirty martini and a slice of orange peel with daiquiri distinguish a simple co*cktail from a perfect one.
In the end
Making the perfect co*cktail isn’t about mixing a few of your favorite things and calling it a masterpiece. It is a science of the right blends, glassware, use of ice, and what complements what.
Make sure you tailor pour ingredients and amounts to suit different tastes. The baseline proportions can differ based on unique combinations. But, the key, in the end, is maintaining balance – that’s what makes your bartending job smooth and satisfying.
And if you’re looking for beverage industry jobs near you, begin your search today.
