How To Make Wine At Home

Absinthe Essence

Ponytail... No its Cocktail... Already In The Air

Cocktail is one of the most preferred drinks and being aa blend of different drinks, it seems so exhilarating and enlivening. The splendid aroma of a perfect blend... Nothing can be so mind blowing than this. How many of you have tried going off the track and trying out something new... well then this is your chance. You will simply love it.

Whenever we speak about Cocktails, the first name which comes to our mind is Harry Craddock, the 'Father of Cocktail'- at least  for me. The varieties of combinations that he gave after mixing different drinks is just amazing. Harry invented the most loved cocktails – Dry Martini Cocktail and White Lady Cocktail.

Cocktail, as we know is used figuratively for a mixture of liquids or other substances or in more simpler terms, it is a stimulating liquor composed of spirits of any kind, sugar, water and bitters (A bitter is an alcoholic beverage that is flavored with herbal essence and has a bitter or bittersweet flavor), fruit juice, fruit, soda, ice, honey, milk, cream or herbs. The first guidelines for the bartenders in cocktail recipes was published in the year 1862 which listed several types of mixed drinks recipes such as Punches, Sours, Slings, Cobblers, Shrubs, Toddies, Flips along with ten different recipes for cocktails.

There are different types of cocktails both alcoholic and non-alcoholic. In alcoholic cocktail it is again subdivided into different categories:
Cocktails with absinthe
Cocktails with beer
Cocktails with brandy or cognac
Cocktails with cachaça
Cocktails with gin
Cocktails with rum
Cocktails with sake
Cocktails with tequila
Cocktails with vodka
Cocktails with whiskey/whisky or bourbon
Cocktails with wine, sparkling wine, or port
Cocktails with a liqueur (A liqueur is an alcoholic beverage that has been flavored with fruit, herbs, nuts, spices, flowers, or cream and bottled with added sugar) as the primary ingredient
Fruit liqueurs

After the varieties of drinks in different flavors and tastes the most important thing is how it is served. Cocktail is a very sophisticated drink and it has its own elegance in presentation. Hence utmost care is taken while serving the drink. Every combination has a specific way of presentation and glasses to serve.

The original cocktail glasses are stemmed glasses with cone shape often mistaken with martini glass. The stem has a flat base at the bottom.  The role of the base is that it does not only hold the glass and does not let the temperature affect the drink. The standard size of cocktail glasses is 4.5 fl oz. Over sized glasses range from 6 fl oz to funny shaped  large glasses of 12 fl oz and over .
After the different sized glasses we come to the cocktail shaker. Cocktail Shaker is basically a device to mix the beverages, especially alcoholic, by shaking. There are three varieties of shakers:
The Boston Shaker: It is a two piece shaker with a stainless metal bottom and a glass. The stirring and muddling are done separately.

The Cobbler Shaker: It has three pieces with a taper at the top and the strainer which includes a cap.

The French Shaker : This is a two piece shaker with a metal bottom and a metal top. A strainer is required for barring the separation.

So what are you waiting for now... become a perfect cocktail maker at home... with a bit of perfection. As I said before, Cocktail is a drink of perfection and elegance. There should be a passion in making the drink and style in presentation.

Get to know more about the making of different cocktail drinks from 'The Savoy Cocktail Book' by Craddock, Harry. Visit our site www.coralhub.com for books on this topic.

About the Author

Bunty Purkayastha is a passionate writer and loves to try new ways of expressing nature and other realities through words. In all her articles she has made an attempt to present something which is new and worth admiring.

Absinthe $110 Absinthe