The Oxford English Dictionary defines a cocktail as an alcoholic beverage consisting of another mixture, such as fruit juice. While it's impossible to explain how to make all kinds of cocktails, this page will point you in the right direction for making simple alcohol mixes, so the next time you want to whip up something special, you can make one.
Step
Method 1 of 2: Making a Basic Cocktail
Step 1. Choose the type of liquor you want to use in your cocktail
It's not a cocktail if it doesn't contain alcohol, so make sure to add some alcohol to it. About the type of alcohol you will use in your cocktail. Here are some ideas on the types of liquor you can use:
- Colored or less colored liquor. These are some types of liquor that are more or less colorful in appearance and some have a softer taste than the other types. Less colorful liquors are:
- Vodka
- Gin
- (Unaged) Cachaça
- Wheat liquor
- Soju
- Whiskey. Whiskey is made from fermented wheat, with the grain changing over time. Whiskey is very popular around the world, but mostly produced in Scotland, Ireland, America and Japan, each country has a different taste. The types of whiskey are:
- Bourbon (made from corn)
- Scotch
- Rye (made from raw rye)
- Other colored alcoholic drinks. There are dozens of different types of alcohol that can give a different sensation to a cocktail. Some of the most popular alcoholic beverages may not be on the list:
- Tequila
- Mezcal
- absinthe
- Brandy
Step 2. Choose another type of alcohol to add flavor to your alcoholic drink (optional)
Sometimes, a drink with a low alcohol content is chosen to enhance the taste of the alcoholic beverage. If you're going to use a combination of two types of alcohol, be sure to try it first to see if the flavors will blend. Gin and lager might be successful as a refreshing drink with lemon and honey, or beer and tequila might be successful and be dubbed "beer-garita," but ouzo and red wine might not be mixing anytime soon.
Beer and wine cocktails have been very popular in recent years. Experiment with beer, for example, by making Shandy, or lemonade and beer. Experiment with wine in the manufacture of Kalimotxo, or red wine and coke(coca cola). Or try the French 75, which is a combination of gin, sparkling wine, lemon and sugar
Step 3. Get a good cocktail shaker
In order to mix the ingredients of your drink together, you may need a cocktail shaker. While some cocktails contain a distilled or easy-to-stir type of alcohol, most cocktails are shaken.
Cocktails containing fruit juices, dairy or egg products, syrups, sour mixes, or other ingredients that are quite thick will need to be shaken
Step 4. Take a small glass or measuring cup
Small glasses are useful when you want to make cocktails with just the right amount. Think about it: A cocktail where the alcohol or other ingredients don't mix properly can result in a cocktail that's either too strong or too weak.
Many small glasses or measuring cups have two sides, like an hourglass. A small cup can usually hold an ounce of liquid, whereas a larger cup can hold two ounces. This will make mixing cocktails that require "two" shots (a 1-2 oz glass) much easier
Step 5. Mix the fruit or herbs in the bottom of the cocktail shaker first (optional)
Some recipes won't go well with this mixture, but most will. The mojito, for example, blends well and tastes great with a lime and mint mixture as a starting point. Simply put recommended doses of fruit and herbs at the bottom of a cocktail shaker and mix with a muddler or the tip of a wooden spoon. Be sure to get juice from fruit that has been used.
Step 6. Add juice, alcohol and liquor to the cocktail shaker
As directed by your recipe, add enough liquid to your cocktail shaker.
Step 7. Add ice after adding liquid
Add ice once you're ready to whisk so you don't run the cocktail over. This is a mistake that many people make. They put ice at the beginning and not at the end, because that would make their drink runny.
Step 8. Close the lid of the cocktail shaker and beat vigorously, between 10 to 20 seconds, or until the whisk is too cold to grip
When you shake it vigorously, you will combine all the ingredients, blending the ingredients evenly so you won't feel the dominant taste of juice, alcohol, or vice versa.
Step 9. Strain the drink into a suitable container
Different drinks require different glasses. Martinis, for example, are always served in a martini glass, whereas a mojito is usually served in a whiskey glass.
- Take the time to figure out which container will work best for your cocktail. You might think this is bullshit, but a lot of people think that choosing the right glass determines the best from the best.
- If your cocktail requires ice to be added after you've shaken it, add fresh ice instead of adding the ice you used when shaking it. Fresh ice cubes are bigger, so they won't melt quickly, and thin your drink.
Step 10. Add a bitter taste to your drink (optional)
Bitterness is a delicious flavor to add to many after-mixed drinks (usually whiskey). Perhaps the most popular blend of bitters is Angostura bitters.
Step 11. Add garnish to your drink (optional)
The garnish you choose should match your cocktail. Olives on a skewer, for example, are commonly added to martinis.
Method 2 of 2: Five Classic Cocktails
Step 1. Make a martini
Refined and modern - and heady - this cocktail is the epitome of its class. A classic martini is made of either gin or vodka, and another option is to make it "different," by adding olive cider.
- Chocolate martini
- Strawberry martini
- Martini eggnog (drink from egg yolk)
- Lime martini
Step 2. Make the mojito
Popularized by the Americans by Ernest Hemingway, this drink is the epitome of summer drink. Lime, mint, rum, sugar and sparkling water - how can you go wrong for a drink this precise?
- Strawberry Mojito
- Mango mojito
- Blueberry Mojito
- Pineapple mojito
Step 3. Make the mint julep
A classic South American tradition, mint julep something simple but still classy. Drink this during a weekend derby and you'll feel like you're in Kentucky no matter where you are.
Step 4. Make the margaritas
Margaritas are a classic Mexican drink. Made from lime juice, tequila, orange liqueur, and a little sugar, it is generally served straight, although it can be blended first.
- Orange margaritas
- Strawberry margarita
- Frozen margaritas
- Banana margaritas
Step 5. Make something old fashioned
Heady cocktails are a thing of the past - just whiskey and syrup and your stomach. While something old-fashioned feels out of date after its heyday in the '1920s and '1930s, it's still loved by many cocktail connoisseurs.
Tips
- Add lemon wedges or wedges, lime wedges, oranges, olives, cherries to any cocktail.
- Always use a refrigerated glass.
- If you enjoy mixing your cocktails, you may want to learn how to become a bartender.
- Make a Shirley Temple cocktail with any cocktail, removing the alcohol content and replacing it with a fruit juice mix.
- Adding ice to the shaker, mixing it in the glass is always the last step.
- The bigger the ice cubes, the colder the drink with a smaller risk of diluting the drink.
- Start with simple cocktails and work your way up to more complex mixes.
