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Shake Half fill the shaker with cubed ice and then pour in the required ingredients, following the guidelines provided by the recipe. Sodas are never put into the shaker since the action would cause them to lose their carbonation and go flat. Seal the shaker to ensure there are no spillages and shake. Shake with the weakest part of the seal facing upwards and towards you as this will be prevent your guests being covered in drink if the seal breaks (just yourself) and also keep some of the liquid still in the shaker. With a Boston shaker this means holding the glass part towards you with a cobbler of French shaker this means holding the lid towards you. Shake the contents quite vigorously, this will make the ice hit the side of the tin causing it to break and dilute the drink slightly as well as cooling the liquid considerably. Shaking will also introduce some ice crystals and air bubbles to the drink which will create a cloudier appearance, shaking is also said to bruise the spirit which gives the spirits a sharper flavour. You should stop shaking when a frosty condensation forms of the tin which will usually take about 10 – 15 seconds. Then open the shaker and strain with the built-in strainer if present of a hawthorn strainer into a prepared glass.

Stir Half fill a mixing glass with ice and pour in the required ingredients, following the guidelines provided by the recipe. Place a barspoon down the side of the glass and stir the drink around 15 times. Stirring provides similar effects to shaking, the drink will still be cooled considerably and some dilution will occur (although less than in the same period of shaking), the treatment however is less harsh on the contents and will not bruise the spirit. Stirring generally works well when working with all clear spirits as their appearance is damaged by the cloudiness, also when the ingredients are capable of mixing fairly easily and do not require a vigorous shake in order to form one consistent liquid. Then strain the mixture using a julep strainer into a prepared glass.

Muddle Put the key muddling ingredients into a mixing glass, these will usually include fruits, herbs and sugar. Citrus fruits will usually be squeezed before being put in the mixing glass and then muddled to release the essential oils in the zest, while many other fruits (such as raspberries and strawberries) are muddled to release the juice and create a puree. Herbs shouldn’t be muddled with too much vigour but rather lightly pressed to release the essential oils without ripping them into small pieces which could then cause slight discomfort to the consumer in getting them stuck in their teeth. Sugar is often added, not only to sweeten the drink but also to act as a grinding agent helping to release essential oils in herbs and citrus fruit by being pressed into them. After the muddle, the process will usually follow another preparation technique such as being shaken or stirred, the muddle is really a pre-preparation of some of the ingredients.

Layer Layering ingredients is pouring one liquid on top of another without them mixing. This is most used in shooters to produce a drink which looks fantastic and is then consumed in one mouthful ensuring that all the flavours mix together. The same method has a couple of other applications though, in Irish coffee for example to layer the cream over the coffee mixture and also to layer a high ABV spirit on top of a drink in order to light it. The secret to layering is to add the second and subsequent liquids very slowly so that the force of the pour does not cause them to mix, you can do this by pouring down a bar spoon which is designed for this purpose or if you do not have one of those to hand you can pour over the back of a teaspoon. It is also very important that you add ingredients in the correct order since some liquids will be heavier than others depending on the ingredients and methods used in their preparation. Below we have included a specific gravity chart to help you determine the order in which to layer your drinks, you will want to start with the heaviest spirit first (shown by the higher value), remember than the greater the difference in these numbers the easier the layer will be. Water is the benchmark for the chart and is set as 1.00.

Build Building a drink is the simplest way to create a cocktail. It is method used to create mixed drinks (drinks that require just a spirit and mixer) and is also used for cocktails with ingredients that mix easily. To build a drink you simply fill a glass with ice, pour in the ingredients (making sure to leave a ‘window’ at the top of the glass to prevent your guests from spilling their drink) and stir. Garnish, add a straw and serve.

Blend The most common drinks made with a blender are frozen drinks such as the frozen margarita or daiquiri. To make a blended drink, put all the ingredients in a blender, add crushed ice and blend until the desired consistency is achieved. Then pour into a prepared glass, most frozen drinks are served in a coupette (margarita) glass. Blending produces a very cold drink with a thick smooth, consistent texture and provides a large amount of water dilution, more than any other preparation technique. Drinks can also be blended without ice, most often this will be for drinks requiring a large amount of fresh fruit in order to create a puree which will make the basis of the drink.

How to a cool glass Being able to cool a glass effectively, especially at short notice, is a useful skill when creating cocktails ensuring that your guests enjoy drinks which remain cold for long periods. Serving drinks in a warm glass, especially those served without ice which cannot at least offset some of the warmth of the glass, will alter the taste and be far less satisfactory. If you are well prepared you can put the glasses you want to use in the freezer beforehand, this is a very effective method providing they are in the freezer for a sufficient amount of time (at least 30 minutes). Just get out of the freezer a couple of minutes before you are ready to use them, strain in the drink and serve. Another method which is often used in bars but is ideal for home use too, especially on short notice and for serving people their second and subsequent drinks, is to fill the glass with ice and then to fill this with water, ensuring the whole surface area of the glass is cooling at once. The glass will reach a reasonably low temperature in just a couple of minutes. When you are ready to serve the drinks, simply tip away the water and ice, strain in the drink and serve.

How to create crushed ice Most people find it very easy to get hold of cubed ice, you can either make it easily at home using an ice cube tray and a freezer or buy it from the supermarket for around £1 for a medium sized bag. Getting hold of crushed ice however is more challenging, some people are lucky enough to have an American style fridge/freezer with a crushed ice facility, but for those who are not so lucky there are several methods. The first method, which is probably the simplest is using a Boston shaker or mixing glass and a muddler (or another implement such as a rolling pin). Put cubed ice into the shaker tin and muddle vigorously to crush the ice, this should only take a few moments providing you use enough force, although it can be tiring. Once done simply pour the ice into your desired glass. A second method is to use a blender, just throw in the cubed ice and blend until the blades have broken the ice into small chunks. This method is quick once in progress but may cause more hassle in setting up/packing away and cleaning, it also requires little to no effort. This would be ideal when you want to produce quite a few drinks and require a large quantity of crushed ice. The final method is to wrap some cubed ice in a tea towel and gently bash it with a heavy implement such as a rolling pin. This method is far less elegant than the others and if you have guests you may wish to do it before hand, it is also potentially messy and tiring. A little tip you can use if you find the ice is sticking together is to pour a small amount of water over the top of the ice to prevent this.

Build over ice This is the simplest method of making a cocktail, it simply involves placing ice in the glass & pouring the ingredients over the top. It can also help create colourful effects.

Throwing This is the latest London bar trend. It is normally used with Martini’s to aerate the drink enhancing the flavour of the Gin. The technique simply involves long pouring the ingredients of a cocktail between two mixing glasses. The same technique used in India to make chai tea.