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Reader Opinion – Shaken or Stirred
We get a lot of email, we though t we should start sharing. This is from Shane “According to old school bartenders, and in fact good bartenders, Manhattans, and Gin or Vodka martinis should never be...
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Cocktail Question – Standard Shot
Q: Is a standard shot 1 oz or 1 1/2 oz. I have been bartending for a while and I can get the count but I am not quite sure the amount I am pouring. thanks, Shawn A: I use a six count which should come...
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Sweet & Sour Mix
What is it? There is quite a bit of confusion over what this stuff is, yet tons of drinks call for it. Basically, Sweet & Sour Mix is sugar syrup combined with lemon juice, lime juice or both. To...
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Men Can Drink More Alcohol than Women Can
According to 20/20, this is not just a sexist myth. Men are biologically better equipped to drink more than women. Take that ladies. 😉 Turns out us guys have more of an enzyme in the lining of our...
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10 Steps to Making Great Cocktails at Home
This is an essential list to follow if you want to make tasty cocktails. These may seem like nobrainers, but lots of us cut corners. Don’t! Unless you want your guests or even your SO to think you...
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How Much Is Enough?
This is a question I get asked quite a bit. What and how much do you buy when planning a cocktail party? You don’t want to run out of anything, but you don’t want to be stuck with 6 bottles of cinnamon...
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The Most Fattening Cocktails
Forbes, the magazine famous for lists, has put out a list for us all to remember as we dive into the holidays. As you know, I am a big fan of cocktails and mixology. That said, they do have some...
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What is a Standard Shot – Part 2
This is a great question as it causes a ton of confusion amongst bartenders and the home mixologist alike. According to most, a standard shot is 1 ½ fluid ounces. This is also commonly known as a...
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How Much Ice Do I Need?
Ice is the most important ingredient for any party. You’ll not only need lots of ice to cool down bottles of beer (or a keg) white wine and sodas, but you need it for mixed drinks as well. The good...
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Preparing Drinks in a Blender
Mixing Drinks in an electric blender can be tricky. Not enough time and the cocktail is not mixed well, too much and it turns to slush. Here’s how we do it. Of course, you may need to adjust depending...
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Teach Your Baby How to Mix Cocktails
This new book series by Lisa Brown is hillarious. In addition to bartending, the series lays out all sorts of chores you can have your 2-year-old perform. These include banking, making breakfast, and...
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Bar Tools – Jigger
An essential for every bartender, the jigger (or measure in Europe) will save the home bartender a ton of disproportioned cocktails. Counting pours is cool, but a good jigger is your key to making...
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How to Make Simple Syrup
This is an often asked question with a simple answer. Here’s what to do Combine: 1 Cup Sugar 1 ½ Cups Water In a heavy pan on low heat, stir to with wooden spoon until all the sugar is dissolved. Run...
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Bar Tools – Strainer
The Strainer is easily the funnest of bar tools. Many strainers even come wearing a great big smile, and why not they are making great cocktails. The traditional bar strainer is made of stainless steel...
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Two-Minute Beverage Chill
This is a handy tip for any aspiring bartender. Submerging the target beverage in a salted bath of cool water will hasten the cooling process and your drinking pleasure. Sprint (a site sponsor) has...
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Automatic Bartender
Technology is amazing, this automatic cocktail maker cranks out an amazing 200 drinks per hour. The company says that the auto bartender will increase quality and consistency, reduce costs and loss and...
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Holiday Party Tips from Kahlua
Just in time for this holiday season, Kahlúa has assembled a who’s who of the entertaining world and made them available to consumers via a toll-free “Entertain Like The Experts” hotline, 1-888 Kahlúa...
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Bartending Books
Bartending & entertaining guides make great gifts. Here’s a few we really like. Gary Regan — (writes for the SF Chronicle , very well regarded mixologist) The bartenders Bible Bartending for...
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An Interview with the King of Cocktails
For those who don’t know the Dale DeGroff, the legendary bartender who grew to fame at New York’s Rainbow Room, this is a great introduction to the man and his no nonsense cocktail philosophy. He is...
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Eggs – Cocktail Food
Eggs are one of the best drinking foods around. They were common fare at most bars a hundred years ago. They were served hardboiled with salt or picked in a vinegar brine. What makes the egg so...
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Fresh Juice – Bartending Tips
If you need a New Year’s resolution, we recommend vowing to use fresh juices in our cocktails whenever possible. This means buying fresh lemons, limes, and other citrus and hand squeezing the fruit...
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Stoli Blackberi Review
One of the many product we had the pleasure to try in Vegas is Stoli’s newest flavor, Blackberi. I don’t think it is available yet, but trust me it will be worth the wait. I tried it over ice with...
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Top Shelf Ice for Top Shelf Booze
Not happy with the old ice tray? Ice melts too quickly and dilutes your drink? Never fear, the Taisan Ice Mold makes 30 – 40 Spherical ice balls each hour. Why a sphere? A sphere minimizes surface area...
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Video: How to Make a Perfect Caipirinha
The Caipirinha, Brazil’s National Drink, is taking the States by storm. So how do make it? Join Victoria from Leblon Cachaca, as she shows us how to make the perfect Caipirinha. So watch close and mix...
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The Whiskeyburger Cocktail
I was reading Esquire and came across this most interesting of cocktails. In the ever fashionable trend of “Molecular Mixology” a few Esquire staffers created the Wiskeyburger Cocktail, described by...
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Tailgator – The Gas Powered Blender
It’s football season and that means tailgating and the Tailgator is Tailgating! This 25cc, 2 ¼ HP, gas-powered blender is like nothing else we have seen. This machine is for some serious drink...
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Dangerous Drinks
The folks at Asylum asked, “now that Absinthe is legal and no longer so dangerous, what drinks are most dangerous?†Well, they came up with a list. Included are favorites such as Moonshine,...
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How Many Shots Are in a Fifth?
Q: Marlene writes, “How many ounces are in a 1/5th bottle of vodka?” A: First, let’s use a 1 oz shot for this exercise. Next, what exactly is a fifth? It is an old measurement for a bottle of booze. It...
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Gifts for the Martini Lover: Stirred, Not Shaken?
James Bond, the epitome of style and sophistication, always insists his martinis should be “shaken, not stirred.” However, that preference may well be a sign of his rebellious nature more than his...
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How to Open a Bottle of Champagne
If champagne will be a part of your Valentine’s Day, be sure you know how to open it without putting an eye out. Though it’s very dramatic to “pop the cork” and send it flying across the room, the...
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How to Make Simple Syrup
Simple syrup is a vital part of many cocktail recipes — mojitos, mint juleps and more. It’s the easiest, most reliable way to add a little sweetness to balance your drink. It’s just sugar and water....
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Cocktail Party Tip: How to Batch Drinks
If you’re having a cocktail party, it is possible to make your drinks ahead of time for a large number of guests. The pros call it “batching,” which really just means making a larger number of drinks...
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How to Rim a Cocktail Glass
Many cocktails are enhanced with a rim of salt or sugar around the glass. Think of the salt coating a margarita glass. It looks great, and it’s also really easy! Here’s how you do it. Moisten the rim....
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How to Make an Ice Ring to Chill Punch
Keeping a big bowl of punch chilled can be tricky. You don’t want to use standard ice cubes, because they will melt fairly quickly and water down your punch. The best way to keep your punch cold is...
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How to Chill a Glass
Cold cocktails should be served in cold glasses. But there are different to chill a glass. Don’t worry; they all work well! It’s just a matter of choosing the method that works best for your...
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How to Make Great Cocktails at Home
There are a few basic rules to follow when tending bar. However, though basic these rules must not be compromised, Ever! Premium Liquor ALWAYS USE PREMIUM SPIRITS. It is impossible to stress the...
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What’s the Difference Between Coconut Milk and Coconut Water?
When trying to cook or mix drinks with coconut, there can be a bit of confusion. Cartons of coconut water are showing up at grocery stores everywhere … but how are they different from what’s in the...
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Hump Day Liquor Links
The New York Times talks about the flavor enhancing properties of water. Yep, H2O. YumSugar shows us how to top off your cocktails with a pretty heart pattern. Dos Equis is putting on the most...
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Hump Day Liquor Links
Sorry we’ve been silent for a bit. We just moved to a shiny new dedicated server. We’re still working out the kinks so let us know is you see anything wonky. Oh yeah, and the Giants won the World...
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How to Use a Boston Shaker
Imbibe’s Evan Zimmerman shows us how to use a Boston shaker like a pro. … Read more
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Essential Glassware – Beer
Beer glasses come in all shapes and sizes. Many styles of beer glasses are unique to style of beer and even to the brewery (this is common of Belgian beers). Each type of glass is crafted to help form...
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How To Pour A Perfect Guinness
First, you have to use the traditional tulip shaped British pint glass (about 20 oz). Hold the glass at a 45 degree angle to the tap and fill until the glass is about 2/3 full. Next, let the Guinness...
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DIY Sour Mix
[The Monthly Mixer is a new column by M. Quinn Sweeney who writes about crafting cocktails at LibationLab.com] Bottles of fluorescent fluids labeled “sour mix” can be purchased at any grocery or...
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Tips for Spicing Up Your Margarita
If you love the spice, as I do, why not add a little heat to your Cinco de Mayo margaritas? From easy-peasy to a wee bit involved, here are some ways to spice it up: Instead of a plain salt rim, use a...
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How to Muddle
Many cocktails have “muddled” ingredients, so recipes tell you to grab your muddler and muddle away. But what does that even mean? A muddler is a wooden pestle that looks like a miniature baseball...
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Manhattans: Stirred Not Shaken
The Manhattan is one of my favorite cocktails, yet some bars make me sad by shaking this drink instead of stirring it. Overall, a good rule of thumb to follow is that if a drink consists of all...
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How to Prepare and Drink Absinthe
So what is the “Green Fairy” and how can you drink it? It’s absinthe, an anise-flavored spirit. It’s usually light green, but can also be colorless, white, yellow … even red. On March 5th 2007,...
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How to measure in ‘parts’
Normal people measure things in ounces, cups, tablespoons and other recognizable increments. Cocktail people often use “parts” instead, which puts the recipe in the form of a ratio. A part can be any...
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The Perfect Drink For Every Occasion – Literary Monday
If you are always looking for the perfect drink for any occasion, then this little book is the one for you. In The Perfect Drink For Every Occasion, the author will help you find drinks to help with...
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The Well-Stocked Bar for Summer
The Washington Post laid out this simple and affordable collection of spirits that will have you making Martinis, Mojitos and Manhattans in no time. These dozen well picked bottles can be had for a...
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