Transcript
How to make your own cocktail. It’s actually surprisingly easy. All you have to do is consider what you have on hand in terms of ingredients and what do you want to make. Do you want make something that’s stronger, stirred, boozier? You know, it helps to have a mixing glass, some spoons, strainers. If you want to just make something grab and go, well, hey, I’ve got ginger ale. I’ve got whiskey. They go together brilliantly.
But if you really want to make your own drink and you have some of the tools, some of the knowledge on how to, you know, properly mix a drink, then what you want to think about is flavor profiles. What really blends well with what? I don’t want to say it’s a culinary concept but you definitely have to think with your tongue, and really think about optimal flavor pairings.
So if you have a whiskey that’s light, fresh, it might pair well with lemon juice. You can shake it, make a cocktail with citrus. If you want something that’s, you know, brooding, longer, smokier, you probably want to stir that. Put it together, add some bitters, add some modifiers, and really have a nice, heavy drink.
When you’re making a cocktail, really, you consider your options on hand, you think about what makes that whiskey, that base spirit, what it is, and what makes it so good. Play to the strengths of your whiskey and work with what you have.
Try a few things. Don’t be afraid to fail. Frankly, my best mistakes have been some of my best cocktails. What you want to do when you’re selecting a whiskey and making a cocktail with it, really try, fail, drink it anyway, and try again. A little bit of practice makes perfect. And that’s how you make a good whiskey cocktail.
