Basic Bartending |
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| Ever been to a nightclub and watched the bartender do something
and thought,"How did they do that?" Well, hopefully
we can answer that question. |
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Frosting Glasses |
To frost
a glass, there are two methods: With ice,
dip in water, place in freezer for half an hour.
It will get a frosted white look. When removing,
hold by the handle or stem so as not to melt the
ice with your hand. With salt or sugar (for
the rim of glass only), moisten the rim of a chilled
glass with a lemon or lime wedge. Dip rim
into salt or sugar. |
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Chilling Glasses |
Refrigerate
at least one hour before pouring a drink into it,
or, fill glass with ice, and cold water and let
sit while you are preparing the drink. When
you are ready to pour the drink, dump out the ice
and water. |
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Making Twist and Flavor Rims |
When a
recipe calls for a fruit twist as a garnish, twist
the peel above the drink and then drop into the
drink. When using a fruit garnish, rub the
rim of the glass with the fruit to leave the flavor
on the glass. |
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Ice |
Although
many mixed-drink recipes instruct the bartender
to fill a shaker glass with ice, you may use just
1/4 cup, or 4 to 5 ice cubes if you prefer.
Fresh ice is the key to a great drink. It's
a good idea to use a fresh bag of ice when mixing
drinks, since freezer odors can ruin the flavor
of a drink. |
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Water |
Always use distilled water or spring water in drinks calling
for water. Tap water can make a drink look
clouded - and it doesn't taste as good. |
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Vodka |
A great
vodka will taste even better if it's exceptionally
cold. Keep a bottle of the good stuff in your
freezer. |
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Egg Whites |
For a
drink calling for half an egg white, you might be
better off doubling the recipe and making two drinks,
since an egg white is very difficult to divide. |
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Shaking Drinks |
Drinks
containing numerous or difficult-to-mix ingredients
are usually shaken. A shaker set is made up
of a mixing glass and a metal tumbler. The
mixing glass is sometimes referred to as a shaker
glass. When using a shaker set, put any ice
in the mixing glass, and the other ingredients,
fit the metal container snugly over the glass and
shake several times. Tip the set so the liquid
ends up in the metal tumbler. Use a metal
strainer, which fits into the top of the metal tumbler,
to strain the liquid into a drink glass. "Short
Shakers" can be used. This is a smaller metal
cup that fits directly over the glass from which
you will drink. If you don't have a shaker
set, a glass with a cover that fits on top or the
jug portion of an electric blender will do. |
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To Stir A Drink |
Mixed
drinks are usually stirred if they do not contain
cream or sour mix, or if only one or two different
ingredients are involved. Either half of the
shaker set can be used as a mixing cup for drinks
that require stirring rather than shaking.
Don't over stir drinks made with sparkling beverages
such as sodas or champagne. You don't want
to spoil the fizz. |
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To Pour A Drink |
If you're
making a full pitcher of a mixed drink, set up all
the glasses and pour a little into each glass, repeating
the process until all are filled the same amount.
To pour hot drinks into glasses, put a metal spoon
in the glass before pouring. This absorbs
the heat so the glass won't break. |
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Pousse-Cafe |
To Float
liqueurs or liquors, always put the heaviest one
on the bottom of the glass, and float them in order
of density and thickness. To do this, hold
a bar spoon face down in the glass and pour the
liqueur over the back of the spoon - very slowly.
If you have more time, pour the liqueurs into the
glass and refrigerate for about an hour. In
that time, the liqueurs will find their own place
according to their weight, forming the layers you
desire. |
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Flame Liqueurs |
If it
is possible to avoid this process, please do, because
it can be dangerous. But if you insist, pre-warm
the glass over a low flame, add most of the spirit
and warm a teaspoon. Preheat just one teaspoonful
of liquor over the flame and then set afire.
Pour the flaming liquid into the glass with the
remaining liquor - CAREFULLY! |
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Open Wine Bottles |
Using
a sharp knife, remove the seal around the neck of
the bottle. Peel the seal off so that the
cork is exposed. Insert the tip of the corkscrew
into the center of the cork and twist until it is
as far down into the cork as possible. Slowly
and steadily pull the cork out. It is common
etiquette for the server to taste the wine before
serving his or her guests. |
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Open Champagne or Sparkling Wine Bottles |
Wrap a
towel around a well-chilled bottle. With the
mouth of the bottle pointed away from anyone around
or breakable objects, carefully remove the foil
and undo the wire over the cork. Holding the
cork in one hand, and the rest of the bottle in
the other, slowly turn the bottle until you feel
the cork loosen. Slowly wiggle the cork out.
When opening a bottle of sparkling wine or champagne,
try for as little sound as possible. While
the sound of a cork popping is festive, it allows
precious bubbles to escape. |
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Sour Mix |
12oz 18 oz 1/4 cup 1 |
Lemon Juice (Juice of approx. 6 lemons) Distilled Water Refined Sugar Egg White |
| Blend in a blender or shake in a
large jar, refrigerate (it will keep for no more
than 7-10 days). Always blend or shake before
use. |
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Sugar Syrup |
2 cups 1 cup |
Sugar Water |
| Dissolve sugar in water in a saucepan.
Simmer for approximately 10 min, stirring.
Cover and refrigerate until needed. |
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