How to Learn Cocktail Drinks
The word "cocktail" is a generic term used to describe virtually any kind of mixed alcoholic drink. There are hundreds of kinds of cocktail drinks, made with various combinations of gin, rum, whiskey, brandy or vodka. They may also include flavorings, fruit juice, carbonated mixers, sweeteners or other additives. With all of these possible combinations, it can be very tricky to learn to make or identify a variety of cocktail drinks. While some of these drinks are complicated, requiring five or six ingredients in varying amounts, others are quite simple, with only two components. Does this Spark an idea?
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Instructions
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Learn new drinks one or two at a time. It isn't necessary to learn them all in one night. If you are getting ready to act as the bartender for a party, allow plenty of time to learn a variety of popular drinks.
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Take notes on the ingredients for each drink. Use a spiral-bound notebook to capture the essentials for each drink you make. Refer to your notes each time you make the drink, until you are comfortable making it without using any notes. The act of writing things down will help you to remember.
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Watch a video on how to make each drink. There are plenty of books to teach you about different cocktail drinks, but watching a video brings it alive in a way that books can't. Websites such as "Epicurious" have detailed free videos covering many different drinks and how to make them.
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Read drink descriptions and instructions online. There are online bartending schools that charge you a fee to train you in how to make many different drinks, but there are plenty of free sites as well. Be sure any free site does not request personal information or credit card information for any reason. If it does, there is likely to be a catch and you will end up paying or having your name sold to an email marketing agency.
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Practice making the drinks as you learn about them. If your intent is to be able to make cocktail drinks for a party or other gathering, recruit some friends to help taste the different drinks and provide feedback on how they taste. Try making several drinks that have similar ingredients, and taste them yourself. See if you can tell them apart by taste. Use different kinds of glasses to help identify them. Instructions for making mixed drinks often include recommendations for the type of glasses each should be made in.
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Tips & Warnings
Start with the most common drinks, such as the highball and martini. You are more likely to encounter these than many of the more obscure types.
Use alcohol responsibly, and follow all laws for its consumption. Don't get too carried away with your testing, as drinking too much alcohol can be dangerous.
References
- Photo Credit couple of cocktails image by Daria Miroshnikova from Fotolia.com
