Home Bartender Series - Common Cocktail Mistakes To Avoid
Becoming a skilled home bartender is a journey filled with experimentation and eventually mastering the art of mixology. As you begin crafting delectable cocktails in your home bar, there are a number of pitfalls and common mistakes that one must be aware of.
Making a drink that is precisely balanced provides unparalleled joy. The path, however, calls for perseverance, practice, and the capacity to learn from errors, just like with any skill. Through this article, we aim to list a few common cocktail-making mistakes that every aspiring home bartender should try their best to avoid ensuring that their bar skills are up to date with constant practice and improving them by learning from experience.
Six Common Cocktail Mistakes To Avoid
1. Incorrect Measurements
Use a good cocktail jigger and make it a habit. By using specific tools for tasks such as measuring spirits or mixers, you can ensure maximum control over the flavour profile while you are crafting your cocktails. Imbalanced flavours may ruin the intended taste of your cocktail recipes.
2. Overcomplication
Being creative and innovative in the world of bartending is very much encouraged, but one must also recognize the beauty of simplicity. Mixing and muddling too many ingredients would not only result in an amateur-confused cocktail recipe but also not allow the ingredients to shine on their own.
3. Poor Quality Ingredients
As ingredients like spirits, mixers and herbs to name some determine the base of your cocktails, their quality would definitely affect the overall quality and taste of your drinks as well. Therefore invest in fresh and good quality ingredients to ensure the authenticity and taste of your cocktails.
4. Ignoring Glassware
The correct glass improves your cocktail's appearance and flavour. Inappropriate glassware might reduce the creation's visual appeal and overall enjoyment. Learn about the many glass types, then choose the best one for each cocktail.
5. Improper Shaking and Stirring
Learning the difference between the two is really crucial in your home bartending journey. Shaking while using a cocktail shaker introduces air into the mixture and is used to mix ingredients like egg, dairy or juices so that the ingredients don’t separate. Stirring with a bar spoon on the other hand is helpful for cocktails containing just alcohol or bitters for gently mixing them together.
6. Ignoring Garnishes
Garnishes would contribute more to your cocktails than just making them look pretty. They add the elements of hints of flavour and aroma to your drink which further enhances the experience.
