Cocktails are all about ratios, ingredients and substitutions. I know, it seems obvious, right? But let’s start with the basics and not over complicate things.
People always want to start with 15 different spirits combined in 0.000005 oz increments to get complexity. But that’s not the best approach. To me, you need to take a step back and start with the basics, then slowly add layers to get to your final product.
We can start simply, then ask ourselves a few questions. Do you have enough tartness? Would the drink be better balanced with more sweetness? Is there a savory component that would compliment the base spirit? How would bitters affect the flavor? What are you looking for and how can you get it?
My goal here is to go through the basic steps you need to start making delicious cocktails. The first thing you need to understand are ratios.
Ratios:
My classic cocktail ratio stands at 1.5 oz base spirit, 1 oz sweetener, 0.75 oz sour. Obviously, this is an over simplification of how things work. But it is a standard that can get you far in the world of cocktails. Want a classic daiquiri? Try 1.5 oz rum, 1 oz simple syrup, .75 oz lime juice. More interested in a margarita? Substitute some ingredients but don’t change your ratio. Try 1.5 oz tequila, 1 oz Cointreau, .75 oz lime juice. Like bourbon? Try 1.5 oz bourbon, 1 oz maple syrup and 0.75 oz lemon juice. You get the idea.
Obviously, there are exceptions to the rule. Some drinks are all spirits. Some are stocked with juices and finished with spirits. Some have what seems like hundreds of ingredients. But if you keep this basic ratio in mind, you’ll find it a good jumping off point to make a drinkable cocktail. Don’t feel chained to it. But use it as a base and you’ll be moving in the right direction.
Ingredients:
The first step to making great drinks is to think about what you’re putting in the glass. That may seem obvious. But often times, people are so stuck on a particular “formula” for their margarita that they never stop to think about the balance in the cocktail or how they might go about improving it. You need to think about the ingredients.
To do this, first taste all of the components that are going into your drink. Taste your tequila. Is it earthy? Smokey? Fruity? Understand your base spirit before moving on. Try your orange liqueur. Do you have oaky notes of a Grand Marnier? Or the cloying sweetness of triple sec? How will it interact with the notes in the tequila? Finally, taste your simple syrup. How would you rate the sweetness on a scale from 1-10? What other ingredients does it compare to?
Once you’ve tasted your ingredients individually, mixed your cocktail and tasted it again, you can start to understand how things work together and how to make a better drink. Think about your ingredients.
Substitutions:
This is where things can really start to get interesting for you. As you consider your basic ratio and think about your ingredients, you can start to create variations on classic drinks, making them unique to you.
The basics remain constant. Base spirit + sweetener + sour/savory/herbal/dry/ tart = cocktail. Looking for complexity? Change your sweetener from simple syrup to something more interesting like Domaine de Canton, Cointreau, St. Germain, maple syrup or Port. Take your sour component and make it dry, substituting aperol or campari, bitters or dry vermouth. Infuse your simple syrup with fresh herbs like tarragon or sage.
Not every combination will work. And some will fail miserably. But as you begin to understand the dominant flavors and textures in your spirits and mixers, you’ll begin to see substitutions based on similar profiles. And that will lead to interesting and complex drinks.
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Keep these three things in mind and you’ll start making delicious cocktails in no time.
