Top tips for making cocktails at home this weekend

Whether you like it shaken or stirred, sweet or sour or even smoking, cocktails are a lovely tipple to get stuck into. Typically, we’ll head out into the city to get our cocktail fix, but seeing as we’re spending more time at home we’ve put together some basics to help you to start your very own cocktail party at home. From garnishes to mixers, we’ve got you covered!

Image: Cocktail basics

First up, grab your liquor of choice. Whether that’s gin, vodka, rum or whiskey, there are plenty of spirits that work well in cocktails. Once you’ve picked your base liquor, next comes the mixer. Here is where the fun begins. You’ll need to decide between flavoured tonics, sparkling water, fruit juices, and even syrups. The mixer you choose will make up the main flavor of your cocktail, so it’s also a good tip to have some bitters to hand to help cut through the sweetness.

Image: Cocktail basics

Now we have our spirit and mixer, what’s next? To make you feel like a real mixologist, you might want to check online for some cocktail making kits. A shaker, jigger (spirit measure) and long-handled metal spoon are the basic tools to give you that extra edge and also help create that perfect foam layer on an espresso martini. Cocktails can also be an experiment, so play around and see what wonderful, or disastrous, creations you might stumble upon!

Image: Cocktail basics

 Now it’s time to get mixing! First, you’re going to need a lot of ice. No one likes a warm cocktail and for extra points, put the ice in your glass and chill it. This will make the cocktail feel even more professional!

Speaking of glasses, each cocktail has a perfect glass partner. A cosmopolitan works best in a martini glass, and a Pina colada should be in a tall tumbler. Once you’ve mixed your cocktail, finish it off with some garnishing and voila, it’s ready for its Instagram debut!

Some great garnish options include half a passion fruit, a sprig of mint or even a few coffee beans, as all will add that extra element to your homemade cocktails.

Here are a couple of cocktails to get you started this weekend! One is all about the zest for life and the other is always on the horizon:

Lemon Drop ingredients

• 50ml of vodka
• 50ml of lemon juice
• 1 tbs of sugar
•  Lemonade to top up

Instructions

• Wet the rim of a glass and dip it in the sugar
• Mix the lemon juice and vodka together
• Top it up with lemonade and serve

Tequila Sunrise ingredients

• 50ml of tequila
•  25ml of grenadine
• 175ml of orange juice.

Instructions

• Mix the tequila and orange juice together
• Pop some ice into a glass and pour in the orange mixture
• Slowly pour in the grenadine, allowing it to settle at the bottom of the glass.

Which cocktails will you be making at home this weekend? Let us know in the comments below! If you like our posts, you’ll love our Instagram.

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Source: londonliving.at