There are
a few basic rules to follow when tending bar. However, though basic
these rules must not be compromised, Ever!
- Premium Liquor
ALWAYS USE PREMIUM SPRITIS. It is impossible to stress the importance
of using premium liquor when mixing drinks.
- Ice
Your drink can only be as good as the ingredients that you use.
Make fresh ice or buy fresh ice. Don't use ice that has been
sitting in your freezer for the past month. Make sure that you
use the correct type of ice. When you blend drinks, start with
crushed ice as it blends better. For shaking or stirring a cocktail,
use firm ice cubes, as they do not dilute a drink as quickly as
crushed ice. For drinks that are on the rocks, you will want
to use firm, small ice cubes that will dilute the drink enough
to impart flavor. Tropical drinks require crushed ice.
- Fresh Juice
Use fresh squeezed juice. If you don't have time to squeeze
the juice yourself, use premium quality fresh juice (such as
orange juice) and use good mixers (such as Rose's Lime Juice).
- Bar Tools
Buy yourself a nice set of the tools. A bartender's tools are
as important as a mechanic's tools. You are going to need a nice
jigger, a good quality shaker and stirrer, a muddler, etc.
- Glassware
Buy the basics, even if you only buy a few in each style. Every
good bar needs cocktail glasses, Collins glasses, old-fashioned
glasses, etc... Buy glassware that can be easily chilled as cocktails
are often served in chilled glassware and sometimes warmed to
serve a flaming drink. What would a classic martini be if it
weren't served in a chilled cocktail glass?
- Selection
Buy a selection of liquors. Start small and build with the basics.
Once you have the basics, you can start buying specialty liquors.
Basics. Buy the basics. Every good bar needs vodka, whiskey,
gin, brandy, and tequila.
- Proportions
Use the right proportions when mixing your drinks. The key to
a good drink is the taste. No one wants a drink that tastes bad,
regardless of whether you are too generous with the alcohol.
- Don't Dilute
Don't shake
a cocktail too long or allow the drink to sit in its shaker
once it has been shaken because the ice will continue to dilute
the alcohol. The alcohol will become watery, affecting
the taste and appearance of your drink.
- Effervescence
When using ingredients that sparkle, such as champagne, sparkling
water or club soda water, add them last and stir gently. Never
shake an effervescent ingredient unless explicitly directed to
do so because the ingredient and the drink will lose its effervescence
altering the taste and appearance of the drink.
- Shaken or Stirred?
Or perhaps muddled or blended or not at all. Be sure to mix the
ingredients in your cocktail well. The ingredients in a cocktail
as well as your own preference dictate whether a cocktail should
be shaken or stirred or muddled or layered. When shaking a cocktail,
take a look at the ingredients. Mixing cream or heavy ingredients
requires extended and vigorous shaking, while mixing lighter ingredients
requires less vigor.
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