Creative Cocktails: How to Shake Up the Classics
There are several benefits to making cocktails at home. It is of course more affordable, or the portion sizes can be larger, and the fact is that they can be a lot of fun to make. But one benefit that is often overlooked by budding mixologists is that they are not restricted to serving only certain recipes. They can experiment.
Of course, there are classic recipes that are classics for a reason, and one strays too far from them at their own peril. But there are plenty of little ways to shake up traditional drinks. Here are some simple ideas to help you get started.
Get to know your taste
When it comes to experimenting with drinks, the problem is that you sometimes end up with something you don’t like, which means that the ingredients you put into it are wasted. This is obviously more likely to happen if you are inexperienced and are just trying things out without much of an idea of what you do like.
So, it is best to start by choosing a classic recipe like an old-fashioned or a margarita but try them with different brands of whiskey or tequila. You will naturally like some more than others, but try to pin down what it is exactly about the ones you prefer. Perhaps you prefer rye to other types of whiskey, for example.
Understanding your tastes can help give you new ideas to try, and at the very least you will probably end up discovering a better version of a drink you already liked.
Add new flavours
In any cocktail, a few of the ingredients will have a large impact on the overall product, while other ingredients have a more subtle effect. Therefore, it makes sense to experiment with the latter first. These tend to be things such as herbs, spices, and bitters which are perhaps not central to the drink but add flavour.
What you can do here is largely up to you, but it will be somewhat limited by the type of drink. This is because certain things will mix better when shaken into a drink, as in a margarita, while others are better stirred. As a rule of thumb, bitters tend to be better when stirred, while ground herbs like turmeric or cumin tend to mix better when shaken.
Add bubbles
You would be surprised how many drinks can be improved by swapping out an ordinary ingredient for a fizzy one. Basically, any cocktail containing a white wine can have it swapped for a chilled sparkling wine. Put it in the glass first, however, otherwise it might just float on top.
Swap similar ingredients
This next low-risk way to mix up a classic cocktail is similar to the above. It is essentially swapping ingredients by their category. Switch one spirit for another, like whiskey for tequila, or replace a sour flavour like lemon with a different one, like lime.
But there is an even easier way to get creative than this. Something else you can try is turning recipes on their heads. So, if the recipe asks for three parts of one spirit and one part of another, add one part of the former and three of the latter instead.
More Lifestyle Articles
