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Mixology 101: How To Never Drink A Shitty Cocktail Again

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“Mix·ol·o·gy: noun, The art or skill of preparing mixed drinks.”

But seriously. That’s not how you make a cocktail.

Much like the world of cooking, the world of mixology is downright gargantuan. Thousands, upon thousands, upon thousands of different cocktails exist. Tools, and glasses, and garnishes, and liquors, and mixers, and sours, and bitters, and methods, and MAKE IT STOP.

Not to worry! Using the “DOBRA” method, the massive world and craft of Mixology can be broken down and simplified quite easily.

So let’s break this down, shall we?:

Disassembling The Cocktail

DEFINE: We want to learn the ingredients of our favorite drinks, what mixing method is used, and how to balance the ingredients for the perfect taste.

OBSERVE: There are many ways we could do this. Go to your local pub, bar, club, restaurant, etc, and order your favorite drink. Watch the bartender make it. Watch what ingredients they put in the drink. How long do they pour the ingredients for? What kind of glass is it in? How do they mix it? Is there ice? Are there garnishes?. Make note of these things. Youtube is also a great place to watch this process. Check out The Tipsy Bartender. The guy is a riot, and knows his drinks.

BREAKDOWN: Here comes the fun part; breaking down the process of creating a cocktail. After observing your favorite drink being made, you should have a pretty good idea of what the moving parts are.

We know that making the cocktail consists of:
1. Glassware
2. The Ingredients.
       A. Alcohol (liquors/liqueurs)
       B. Mixers (Non-Alcoholic ingredients)
3. Balancing (How much of each ingredient, usually a 2:1:1 ratio of liquor/sweet/sour works)
4. Tools (Shaker, stirrer, strainer, muddler, jigger, etc)
5. Mixing Method (Shaken, muddled, stirred, etc)
6. Garnishes (Lemon twist, orange wheel, salt, olives, cherry, etc. that add flavor) / Garbage (Similar to garnishes, but are only used for aesthetic purposes, like a cute little umbrella)

RESOURCES: Now that we’ve broken down the process for creating a cocktail, we’ll explore what resources are available. In addition to learning our skill, doing this allows us to return to the Breakdown method and fill in the blanks for creating our favorite drink. One of my favorite resources is “The Bar Guide” ; a 300+ page book that explains everything you need to know to make drinks at home. If you have an iPhone, there is a great app called “Mixologist” which is similar to “The Bar Guide” in content, but contains over 7,900 recipes. And best of all; it’s free. As I mentioned before, The Tipsy Bartender is a great resource. Amazon, Barnes N Noble, or any other book seller are packed full of resources as well.

ACT: We’ve got our resources, lets get down to business and make a cocktail!

Building The Drinks 

What we’re going to do is make three very distinct cocktails that illustrate a variety of tools and techniques. The skills you’ll learn by making the following drinks can be translated to make thousands of other cocktails. Don’t start building the drink until the “Mixing Method” step.

Cuba Libre:

Glassware:
You’re going to want to use a glass that can hold between 8oz-10oz. Something like a highball glass will work well.
Ingredients:
Rum, Cola, Lime Juice, Ice. You can pretty much use whatever rum and cola brands that you prefer. The most popular variations would probably be Captain Morgan and Coca-Cola,or Bacardi and Coca-Cola. I prefer fresh squeezed lime juice, but something like Rose’s Lime Juice works too.
Balancing:
Fill the glass with ice, add 2oz of rum, squeeze half a lime (or 1/2oz lime juice), and fill with cola.
Tools:
A spoon, or stirrer.
Mixing Method:
Because the cola adds carbonation to the drink, you’ll want to avoid any kind of mixing method that would bleed the carbonation out. Basically; don’t shake it. Simply take your spoon or stirrer, and give the drink a couple of gentle stirs.
Garnish:
You can add a slice (about an 1/8th) of lime on the rim if you prefer, but a garnish isn’t needed.

Frozen Margarita:

Glassware:
A margarita glass preferably, between 12oz-14.5oz.
Ingredients:
Tequila, Triple Sec, Lime, and Ice. Any kind of tequila will do, whatever is your preference. A quick note; a white tequila will have a softer flavor than a full bodied anejo.
Balancing:
2oz of tequila, 1oz triple sec, 1oz lime juice, glass 1/2 full of ice.
Tools:
Going heavy duty with this one. You’ll need a blender. Preferably one that isn’t 20 years old and rusty. Gross.
Mixing Method:
Pour all ingredients into the blender. Blend for 10 seconds. Pour tasty slush back into margarita glass.
Garnish:
You can add a slice (about an 1/8th) of lime on the rim if you prefer, but a garnish isn’t needed. Thought it does looks pretty.

Old Fashioned:

Glassware:
Rocks glass, or a glass that’s between 6-10oz.
Ingredients:
Whisky (or Whiskey, of your choice), Orange wheel, Maraschino Cherry, Sugar, Angostura bitters, Club soda, Ice. Take a deep breath.
Balancing:
2oz whisk(e)y, 1 orange wheel, 1 maraschino cherry, 1 teaspoon of sugar, 2 dashes of angostura bitters, a splash of club soda, glass full of ice.
Tools:
Spoon, or muddler.
Mixing Method:
Add orange wheel, maraschino cherry, sugar, bitters, and club soda to glass. Use the back of the spoon (or muddler) to mash ingredients down, blending them together. Press lightly about 15 times; enough to release the orange’s oils and cherry’s juices. Fill glass with ice, and add the whisk(e)y. Top with club soda if needed.
Garnish:
NOPE

Summary

These 3 drinks have shown you different ingredients, tools, and mixing methods to use. There are literally hundreds of drinks you can make using these basic principles. The key is to use your taste preferences to find a good balance between the ingredients. Nobody likes a vodka and cranberry that’s all vodka, or all cranberry. Balance is key!

Assignment

Using these recipes, the resource links provided, or any resources you find, create your own cocktail and share your results!

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