Having a few drinks with friends at home can be a helluva lot cheaper than hitting the bars. It’s also a great way to get creative with your cocktail making skills without paying bar prices.
Here are some pro tips and tricks to making better cocktails at home.
- You don’t need too many items
You don’t need to build a full-on home bar or even have any fancy tools to start making cocktails at home. You just need the basics: glassware, ice, spirits, syrups, juices and bitters. If you stock up on these basic items, you’ll be ready for almost any recipe you can find.
- Use Fresh Ingredients
This might seem like a no-brainer, but it can’t be overstated: try your best to use fresh ingredients when mixing up cocktails. It makes a huge difference in taste.
A lemon that has been sitting around for days will taste more bitter than one you just picked up from the market. And there are some ingredients you should never skimp on — things like fresh lime juice, pomegranate juice and egg whites tend to be much better if they are fresh.
- Use Ice Wisely
Using the right ice is important for creating a well-balanced cocktail. When you shake or stir an ingredient, the ice melts so that it dilutes the drink and brings out its flavors. If you’re using traditional cubes, they’ll melt too fast and dilute your drink too much.
Instead, use larger ice cubes or crushed ice so that they melt slower and don’t make your drink watery too soon.
- Measure all of your ingredients very carefully.
If you want to make drinks that taste the same every time and replicate what you can get in a bar, measuring your ingredients is key. You can either measure out each ingredient before adding it, or invest in an inexpensive jigger if you’re making a lot of drinks.
