mixology

Home mixology is having a moment right now, and rightfully so: why pay $10 or more for a cocktail at a local bar, when you can mix up something equally delicious for much less? But being your own bartender does come with its limitations, and you may still need to rely on the liquor store or your favorite bar for more complicated or obscure ingredients. So which cocktail elements should you DIY, and which should you leave to the pros? Find out!

1. Simple syrup: Got sugar? How about water? Then you’ve got yourself a batch of simple syrup! If you need syrup fast and don’t have time to wait for it to cool, try this trick: combine equal parts sugar and cool water in a container with a lid (like a mason jar), and shake vigorously until it starts to combine. Leave it be for a minute or two, then give it another shake; repeat until the sugar is dissolved.
2. Grenadine: Homemade grenadine is a cinch to make, and the resulting syrup is tart and flavorful. It’ll add more depth to your drinks than a splash of supersweet Rose’s will.
3. Flavored liquors: If you're wary of investing in an entire bottled of flavored liquor, this one's for you. Skip the bottle of citron vodka, and make your own instead. You can use any flavors you want, and make it as strong as you want. Try making your own gin or mixing up a batch of limoncello this way, too!
4. Ice: This one may seem like a no-brainer, but be honest: how many times have you had to put your mixology on hold to make an ice run? Do yourself a favor and keep a few full ice cube trays in your freezer, or even a shallow pan filled with water. Dump the frozen block into a Ziploc bag and whack it a couple times with your muddler, and you've got instant (and free) crushed ice.
5. Sweet and sour mix: Don’t be fooled by the plastic bottles of sweet and sour mix in every liquor aisle; the mix is really just simple syrup with citrus juice added. Make your own sweet and sour for a fresher, less cloyingly sweet result.

Keep reading to find out which cocktail ingredients may be best left to the pros!

The cocktail scene in San Francisco is thriving and earlier this week I judged a competition hosted by the United States Bartender's Guild. There were eight bartenders from the Bay Area making drinks with DonQ rum in two distinct categories: a homemade ingredient-driven, spirit-based drink and a fruity, long drink served over ice in a tall glass.

The tasting was blind, fellow judges Martin Cate, owner of tiki bar Smuggler's Cove, and Borys Saciuk, brand ambassador for 42 Below Vodka, and I were behind a mirror, so we couldn't tell which bartender mixed which drink. Besides enjoying eight mighty delicious libations, I also learned some interesting things. To find out what they are, keep reading.

Cocktail aficionados may be familiar with the term dry-shake. It's a verb that's often used in drink recipes for classic and contemporary applications. But what exactly does it mean? Well, when I was a guest-bartender at Jardiniere, I got to know the phrase very intimately. Let me explain: to dry-shake a cocktail means to shake the liquid ingredients in a cocktail shaker with no ice.

All recipes that involve egg whites (which is used to make many concoctions foamy), start with a vigorous dry-shake, one that lasts at least 15 seconds. Dry-shaking ensures that the egg white incorporates with the other ingredients and that it gets a nice frothy texture.

After a dry-shake, ice is added to the shaker and the mixture is shook again. Then, it's strained and enjoyed according to the recipe. Have you ever made a cocktail that called for dry-shaking?

Since I'm something of a home mixologist, one of the seminars I looked forward to attending at the Food & Wine Classic was Tony Abou-Ganim's Create Your Own Specialty Cocktails. While I make tons of drinks at home, I always follow a recipe, so I was curious to see what Ganim had to say.

According to him, the key to a good cocktail is balance. Also, making drinks is like cooking; once you know the basic ratio, you can build upon it. Most libations consist of a base spirit, modifier spirit, citrus, and sweetener. To demonstrate his method, Ganim made his signature cocktail, the Cable Car.

He created this drink back in 1996 at the Starlight Room in San Francisco. It's a mixture of Captain Morgan, orange curacao, and fresh lemon sour. The Cable Car is a modern classic that's perfectly balanced; it's refreshing, smooth, and not too sweet or too potent. If you're new to making cocktails at home, I suggest you start with this recipe. Get it now.

Simple syrup plays a key role in sweetening cocktails. The classic syrup is equal parts sugar and water. When a drink calls for simple syrup, I normally bring the sugar and water to a boil, let it cool, and use according to the libation's recipe.

However, what happens when you don't have time to heat and cool the syrup? Recently I found myself in this predicament, and I remembered a tip that I learned from Tony Abou-Ganim at the Food & Wine Classic.

He says that when you need simply syrup in a hurry, fill a jar with the sugar and water. Shake vigorously until it's combined and use. Voila, quick simple syrup! No boiling necessary, how easy is that?

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If you're a fan of Beefeater, you should definitely get your hands on the brand's latest release, Beefeater 24. The artisan gin, that's made in London, features 12 specially selected botanicals, including a rare Japanese tea and Chinese green tea. The spirit is brewed for 24 hours, hence the name. Unlike classic Beefeater, the 24 is distinctly smoother and more complex with a slightly floral aroma. It makes an excellently drinkable gin and tonic and an elegant rickey.

I recently enjoyed Beefeater 24 in a cocktail named for its creator, master distiller Desmond Payne, at Clock Bar in San Francisco. Crafted by one of my favorite bartenders, Steven Liles, this drink is full of tart citrus flavor. The combination of elderflower liqueur, lemon juice, bitter lemon soda, and Pimm's does not overshadow the Beefeater 24. Instead, it enhances and balances out the gin, resulting in a drink that is intricate and refreshing.

To look at Steven's recipe, read more