Drink up for the New Year!

Posted by Ian Galliguez in Tips and Tools | 0 comments

Traditionally, Christmas is for family while the new year is for friends and parties. This year, why don’t you host a New Year’s party at your place and impress your friends with your new found knowledge on drinks and alcoholic beverages! Here are some tips on how to be a great bartender for the New Year!

Tip #1: Measure! Don’t guess the measurements of your drink. Measuring all the ingredients makes for a perfect drink. Plus, you don’t have to waste anything. Guesswork can make a drink too strong or too mild.

Tip #2: Serve your drinks chilled or cold. The colder, the better. Use chilled glasses by putting them in the fridge or by letting them stand in shaved ice.

Tip #3: Sugar is hard to dissolve in alcohol so use a splash of water to dissolve it before you add the liquor. Or use simple syrup – it makes the drinks smoother.

Tip #4: Always put ice in the glass or shaker before pouring ingredients. That way, the liquids are chilled as they’re poured over the ice.

Tip #5: You’ll get more juice from lemons and oranges if you soak them in warm water first.

Tip #6: use only fresh fruit whenever possible. Peels should be without a trace of white underskin. Use a paring knife or a gadget. Fruit slices should be about 1/4 inch thick.

Tip #7: When the ingredients are clear liquids, STIRRING is essential! If the drink contains a carbonated mixture such as soda, STIR GENTLY to preserve the sparkle. SHAKE drinks with fruit juices, sugar, eggs, cream or other ingredients that are difficult to mix. Make sure to SHAKE VIGOROUSLY!

Tip #8: Strain all cocktails before serving with a wire strainer – never silver. Use with clips that permit the wire to rest within the rim of the mixing glass with shaker

Tip #9: Some measures to remember – Jiggers are either 1 and 1/2 oz. to 2 oz., a Pony is 1 oz., a Dash is 1/6 oz and a teaspoon is 1/8 oz.

BAR TOOLS

1. Bar Spoon – A long handled bar spoon is useful for stirring drinks with ice in a mixing glass, a technique used for any drink without juices. The bowl of the spoon can be used to measure smaller quantities of ingredients or to carefully layer them for fancy drinks

2. Jigger – Choose a Jigger that has both 1 1/2 oz and 1 oz. increments for better measurement. Jiggers are usually shaped like an hourglass but for the more discerning bartender, there are not aesthetically designed Jiggers. It’s all up to you though.

3. Strainers – Most modern shakers already have a built in strainer but when you’re using a Boston shaker, you’ll need a Hawthorne strainer, which consists of a perforated metal plate and a coiled spring to hold it into place in the shaker.

4. Citrus Press – Great for extracting fresh juices from lemon and oranges. We prefer a handheld one than the flat table top, just for control. There are metal citrus presses and plastic ones. Just make sure you get a very sturdy one because you’d want them to last. Also, find one that’s easy to clean.

5. Shaker – Choose a shaker not for the design or brand but rather how it feels in your hand. You don’t want to get a shaker that’s too big for you to hold and shake or something that’s too pretty but isn’t working (like it leaks)

6. Ice bucket, scoop and tongs – A well insulated ice bucket keeps ice cold and dry while the scoop and tongs keep your hands cold free!

STOCK UP YOUR BAR

It’s important to have drinks stocked up for making cocktails, for base drinks, make sure you have these:

• Vodka (flavored and unflavored)
• Rum
• Tequila
• Gin
• Whiskey
• Juices
• Fresh lemons and oranges
• Sodas (clear, cola and soda water)
• Triple Sec

RECIPES

1. Mojito – To make a mojito, you would need the following:

• 1 and 1/2 oz Rum
• 3/4 oz Fresh lime juice
• 1 oz. simple syrup
• 1 mint sprig and 4 mint leaves
• club soda

Gently muddle one mint sprig with the simple syrup and the lime juice in the bottom of a highball glass. Add the rum and the ice and top with 2 ounces of club soda. Garnish with mint sprigs and leaves.

2. Cosmopolitan – To make a cosmo, you’ll need the following:

• 1 and 1/2 oz Orange Vodka
• 3/4 oz. Cointreau
• 1/2 oz lime juice
• 1 oz. cranberry juice

Put all the ingredients in a shaker and shake vigorously. Serve in a chilled martini glass and garnish with either a cherry or an orange peel.

3. Paradise Cocktail – To make a paradise cocktail, you’ll need the following ingredients:

• 1 1/2 oz. Gin
• 3/4 oz brandy
• 3/4 oz fresh orange juice

Pour ingredients into a shaker with ice and shake vigorously. Strain into a chilled cocktail glass

4. Speed Bump – To make a speed bump (you can call it an MMDA stopper, hehehe) you’ll need the following ingredients:

• 3/4 oz cream liquor
• 1/4 oz energy drink
• 1/2 oz unflavored vodka

Build all ingredients over ice in a highball glass. Fill the glass with an energy drink.

5. Velvet Hammer – To make a velvet hammer, you’ll need the following:

• 3/4 oz triple sec
• 3/4 oz white creme de cocoa
• 2 oz heavy cream
• (optional) chocolate syrup
• nutmeg

Splash some chocolate syrup at the bottom of a martini glass. If you want the velvet hammer to be a pure white, you can opt out of the chocolate. Pour all ingredients in a shaker and shake well with ice and strain it into the martini glass. Dust the top with nutmeg.

6. White Spider – I personally like this drink because it’s very soothing (at least for me) and I find it perfect for the holidays. You’ll need the following:

• 1 1/2 oz of unflavored vodka
• 3/4 oz white creme de menthe

Shake ingredients well and strain into an ice filled rock glass.

So there you go! Have a Happy New Year and remember to drink responsibly!