Prep & Ingredients
Batching Drinks for Guests
Batching is the technique of scaling a cocktail recipe to serve a crowd without making each drink individually. Done cor…
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Building in Glass
Building in glass is the technique of assembling a drink directly in the serving vessel — no shaking, no straining, no…
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Choosing the Right Glass
Glassware is not decoration. It shapes the experience of a drink before a single sip is taken — affecting aroma concen…
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Controlling Dilution
Dilution is not a flaw. It's a technique. A properly diluted cocktail is better than an undiluted one — it's more inte…
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Dry Shaking
A dry shake is simply a shake without ice. You shake the ingredients on their own first, then add ice and shake again. T…
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Expressing Citrus Peel
Expressing a citrus peel is the act of bending a strip of citrus skin firmly over a finished drink, releasing the essent…
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Garnishing with Intention
Every garnish should earn its place. It should add something — aroma, flavor, visual communication about what's in the…
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Making Simple Syrup
Simple syrup is sugar dissolved in water. That's it. But the ratio matters, the temperature matters, and the variations …
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Muddling
Muddling is the technique of gently pressing herbs and soft fruit to release their oils and juices. The operative word i…
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Rimming a Glass
A rimmed glass is often treated as decoration. It's not. A salt rim on a Margarita creates a mineral contrast that makes…
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Shaking
Shaking is the most energetic technique in cocktail making — and for good reason. Done correctly, it chills a drink by…
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Stirring
Stirring is the quieter technique — but it produces something shaking cannot. A properly stirred cocktail is cold, cle…
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Using Bitters
Bitters are the seasoning rack of the cocktail world. They're concentrated botanical extracts — bark, root, fruit, her…
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