Bar Techniques

Consider the five essential elements of a cocktail: liquid, ice, garnish, glassware, and presentation. The liquid contains quality ingredients that have been thoughtfully sourced, measured, and mixed to create a sense of balance and intrigue on the palate. Ice is not an afterthought, as clarity, shape, and freshness are all crucial in achieving a perfect drink. The garnish elevates the multi-sensory experience of the cocktail, and acts both aesthetically and functionally — if, say, the guest enjoys acidity, they might express their lemon wedge garnish into their drink. Glassware takes into account temperature, ice, the way the guest holds the drink, and the release of drink’s aroma. Finally, presentation includes the delivery of drinks on our antique silver trays, and the overall effect and harmony of the preceding components.

Shaking versus stirring: As a general rule of thumb, if a cocktail contains fruit (citrus or otherwise), egg, or cream, it should be shaken vigorously. These ingredients are usually viscous and must therefore be integrated into the drink with a good deal of effort. However, if a cocktail is composed mostly of spirit, with vermouth, bitters, or small amounts of sugar or other modifiers, it should be stirred.

Put a different way, if a drink has an ingredient that is cloudy in appearance, it should probably be shaken. If all ingredients are transparent, they should be stirred.

With a shaken drink, you’re looking to liven up the ingredients, creating a slight froth when strained. This is what David Embury, author of The Fine Art of Mixing Drinks, calls the life of the cocktail – you don’t shake it to put it asleep, but rather to wake it up. A stirred cocktail, on the other hand, should have the mouth-feel of extremely cold velvet, smooth but also lush when the ingredients have been properly proportioned and chilled.