Cocktails and shooters are great fun, particularly for parties or events in your pub. If you are running a special event or occasion promote your signature cocktail or shooter to get your customers in the mood. Cocktail pitchers can also be handy for large groups and to keep service moving behind the bar.
TOP TIPS FOR MAKING COCKTAILS
You need: cocktail shaker with hawthorn strainer, pourers on spirits prevent wastage and helps accurate measuring, bar mat to keep things tidy, cocktail spoon for stirring, muddling & layering and and ice bucket which you will refill a lot.
Cocktail recipes are guildelines, you can play with recipes to get them just right but make sure someone else tastes with you so that the flavours suit other people not just you!
Many recipes rely on sweet and sour complementing the base spirit
Certain things should always be on hand like freshly cut fruit: lemons, limes, strawberries, cucumber, mint leaves etc…
Use fresh juice- it makes all the difference
Serve cocktails in pitchers as well for larger groups
If doing a cocktail evening, plan for 2-3 drinks per person so you don’t run out of key ingredients
Buy ice- you will need a lot and sometimes crushed not cubes- an 8lb bag should be enough for about 25 drinks. Drop ice bags a few times on a hard floor to break up ice cubes
Purely alcoholic cocktails are generally stirred not shaken, to stir pour ingredients into a glass stacked with fresh ice and stir for up to 20 seconds
Shaking is essentially a chilling technique for cocktails with fruit juice, syrup or cream; they should usually be strained. Best not to shake fizzy drinks!
Garnish- be creative- dip rims of glasses in coloured sugar. Straws, stirrers, cocktail sticks, ice, strips of zest, chocolate shavings can all be effective.
