Bespoke Cocktail Recipe Book: Design A Personalised Gift For Home Bartenders
Gifting is a thoroughly interesting exercise and when it comes to presenting something to a home bartender, one of the more intelligent alternatives is a cocktail recipe book. Go the extra mile while preparing this gift and craft a bespoke recipe book with recipes which will suit the taste preferences of one’s close friend or relative. Add colourful doodles, detailed recipes and useful tips into this personalised cocktail recipe book for bringing more depth into the gift.
Crafting such a cocktail book is gifting made easy, and can turn out to be a thoroughly creative activity. Yet, designing such a recipe book can prove to be an overwhelming task as there are a lot of elements involved in the process, from categorising recipes to jotting down tips for each one, to pairing the blends with food.
Read on below for some handy tips that would be useful while designing a personalised recipe book for gifting home bartenders, keen to master the art of mixing cocktails:
Categorise Recipes
One of the first steps involved in preparing a bespoke cocktail recipe book is to divide the different cocktail recipes into categories. Choose only those cocktails that are preferred by the home bartender for whom the book is being made. Then, make different sections divided either according to seasons such as spring, summer or autumn cocktails or according to recipes like classic, signature or modern cocktails. Once the recipes are categorised, it will be easier for the mixologist to glance through them while preparing drinks.
Create An Ingredient Appendix
Detailing is one of the most effective ways of adding a personal touch to such a recipe book. Along with step-by-step instructions for preparing cocktails, also jot down an appendix with appropriate page numbers and in alphabetical order, so the home bartender can quickly locate recipes specific to a particular ingredient. For instance, under lemon, one would find all the cocktail recipes which contain this citrus fruit in the recipe.
Use different coloured stationery for the appendix so the ingredients under each alphabet stand out properly. The appendix can also suggest substitutes for times when the prescribed ingredient is unavailable.
Colourful Notes And Tips
Bring a little brightness and colour into the recipe book by tucking little notes and tips onto the pages. This will add a DIY touch to the project and give it a rustic charm. For each cocktail recipe, the notes can either contain snippets from history about the origin of the drink or interesting stories around it found in literature or popular culture. At other times, the little notes can contain tips or variations to be introduced into the cocktail blend.
Artistic Illustrations
Once the recipes and other content is brought together, finish the book off with some illustrations or doodles that bring an aesthetic quality into the gift. Cocktail recipes can be accompanied either by a corresponding high quality picture of the drink or little illustrations done up in bright colours which give the book an artsy touch. Add bits of text or notes around the doodles or illustrations with personalised notes for a customised touch.
Offer Food Pairings
While preparing this book for a close friend or relative, also add a section at the end of each recipe which highlights the food pairings suitable for a particular cocktail. As the cocktail recipes are customised, so too the dishes paired with the drinks can be decided keeping in mind the preferences of the person for whom the book is being crafted. Food pairings will act as useful tips for a home bartender interested in hosting dinners or cocktail evenings at home.
Drink Responsibly. This communication is for audiences above the age of 25.
