The general rule for making cocktails is that the drink will consist of either 25 or 50ml (a single or double shot) of the base spirit, which - depending on what cocktail you’re making - could be anything from rum or vodka to whisky or brandy. The other ingredients get added to this base to make the drink feel less like a burn down your throat and more like a beach lounger in a tropical paradise.
If you want to make cocktails, buying the ingredients, paraphernalia and little umbrellas is the second step. The first step is setting up a home bar that’s equipped to do the job. The owners of this jaw-dropping home in Glengariff, East London, have done an exceptional job of setting up a sophisticated home bar. With its granite countertop, liquor cabinets and ample space, this bar is ready to host a cocktail party. The drawers under the counter are home to a mixologist’s arsenal of shaker sets, strainers, juicers and everything else needed to make just about any cocktail.
Make cocktail-making a feature of your home bar
Before you can be sipping the perfect pina colada, mojito or whisky sours, you’ll need to know a thing or two about mixology. After all, any cocktail connoisseur will tell you that after the first sip, they will be able to tell you whether the drink has been made correctly or not.
How to make the perfect cocktail
Making the perfect cocktail has a lot in common with making a great meal: unless you’re an expert, you need to follow the recipe and make your measurements specific. Leave your artistic flair out of the cocktail bar until you are a widely experienced mixologist. With that said, those who are looking to try something different would do well to try flavour combinations like watermelon and basil, lime and mint or citrus and lavender.
A top insider’s secret is to use 100% fruit juices when called for, rather than imitations or substitutions. The key to perfect cocktails is fresh flavours and it’s important to look for the real product - especially if the cocktail recipe calls for cranberry juice. On a similar note, if the cocktail recipe you’re making calls for herbs, you need the real deal - a substitute out of a bottle will alter the taste profile of the drink. On the topic of substitutions, if the recipe calls for crushed ice, don’t attempt to replace this with blocks of ice.
Basic methods of preparing cocktails
There are various methods for preparing cocktails, but only one desired end result: a chilled, perfectly blended and well-balanced drink. The “shaking”, famously referred to in 007’s signature phrase “shaken, not stirred”, can refer to either wet shaking or dry shaking. Wet shaking - the more common option - refers to pouring your ingredients into a small tin and adding as much ice as possible to a large tin before fitting the uniquely designed tins together to cool down the drink. Dry shaking is a term specific to cocktails containing egg whites.
Cocktails that appear to have different colours in them are created with a technique known as layering. This involves the densest liquid (the one with the most sugar) being poured in first and then a bar spoon held upside down at a shallow angle being used to gradually add the next layer.
Your home bar should be a place where you gather with friends and family to enjoy yourselves. Having the bar kitted out with the necessary ingredients and tools for cocktail-making provides a great way to have fun and make memories. If you’re on the hunt for a new home in which you can spend the best years of your life making memories, contact the team from Lew Geffen Sotheby’s International Realty today.
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