The 411 on Crafting the Perfect Cocktail

Cocktail and Entertaining Expert Mark Addison explains how to show off your bartending skills and craft the perfect cocktail—from the size of the ice cube to the style of glass to the garnish selection and more!

Tell us a bit about your background in the industry.

For the last two decades, I’ve produced award-wining celebrations all over the world and appeared on national television as an authority on design and entertaining. Along the way, I created hundreds of signature cocktails to toast special occasions, product launches, celebrities, Hollywood films and more. Armed with this vast library of cocktail recipes, I wrote my first book on entertaining titled, Cocktail Chameleon: 12 Classic Cocktails, 12 Unique Variations, 144 Signature Cocktails (Assouline 2017).

Cocktails are what get the party started so it was a given that my first book should be focused around cocktails. Early on, I earned the nickname “Marktini” because I would go to friends’ houses and mix up cocktails with whatever they had on-hand. One of my first signature cocktails in the book is called “The Marktini” and has become an anticipated part of entertaining with me. Making cocktails can seem daunting to the uninitiated, especially when it’s referred to as “the art of mixology” and that’s the main reason I decided to write a cocktail book. I want to demystify cocktails by providing an understanding of the classics and show how, with that foundation, everyone can join in the fun and excitement of creating their own signature drinks.

I also created a Cocktail Chameleon section on my website as an extension of the book, which includes glossaries on the glassware, spirits, bar tools, ingredients, garnishes and techniques as well as a comprehensive list of resources with direct links where to buy each item.

Talk to us about what makes the perfect cocktail.

The three things that make the perfect cocktail are fresh and all-natural ingredients, infusing your own spirits and using simple syrups vs. artificially flavored spirits, and don’t forget the garnish!

Fresh Ingredients: There is no substitute for using fresh, all-natural ingredients in cocktail making to make your cocktails the best they can be. Readymade mixers and bottled juices are acceptable only when they are all-natural mixers like the brand Fever-Tree and if fresh ingredients are out of season.

Infuse your own spirits and mixers: homemade infused spirits and simple syrups impart the truest flavors with levels of complexity that cannot be matched in artificially flavored spirits.

Don’t forget to garnish: Garnishes are key to defining a cocktail’s personality and are a great place to have fun. From a single twist of lemon to a skewer loaded with meats, cheeses and/or vegetables, these adornments look festive but aren’t just for show. They signal what the drink is all about and add complementary flavors. Cocktail etiquette dictates that an even number of garnishes is unlucky, so remember to stick to odd numbers when dressing up your glass.

What are some skills/ingredients that every bartender should not be without?

Three bar tools that every home bartender must have are: a good quality shaker; a bar spoon; and proper measuring tools.

The good quality cocktail shaker should include a strainer and be used for shaken cocktails and (the base) as a mixing vessel for drinks that require stirring.

The cocktail spoon should be for cocktails that require stirring as well as fetching garnishes such as olives, cocktail onions and cherries out of their narrow-mouthed glass jars to avoid a mess.

You can’t wing a good cocktail so measuring tools are a must! You should measure ingredients to ensure a proper balance of flavor so an accurate jigger in 1/2 oz. increments, measuring spoons, and a glass measuring cup are all key to a good at-home bar.

As for must-have ingredients, I recommend always stocking your fridge with those perfect cocktail items—fresh, all-natural ingredients. Making sure to keep a lemon, lime, and orange, some olives and a few staple spices in the fridge and cabinet will ensure that you’ll never not have a fresh ingredient to top your cocktail with.

I always keep Fever-Tree Indian Tonic and Ginger Beer in my fridge as well as a flavorful, all-natural cocktail mixer. Their principle is ‘that if 3/4 of your drink is the mixer, mix with the best,’ which is something that not everyone thinks about. It really is so important to not just think about the spirits you’re using in your cocktail recipe but every ingredient and element of the drink to make it taste perfect.

What types of trends in cocktailing do you predict for the rest of the year and into the new year?

I predict the rest of the year and the new year will have a focus on “healthy” (or rather, “healthier”) cocktails and that vintage cocktails and spirits will be trending. All-natural cocktail ingredients that have health benefits such as antioxidants, herbal extracts, botanicals and fresh juices loaded with vitamins and minerals will be in-demand as the craft cocktail wave makes an even greater landfall at at-home bars and local watering holes.

I always say, looking back is essential to looking forward and—in that vein—think we’ll see modern takes on vintage cocktails and spirits in the coming year. That is the guiding premise of Cocktail Chameleon in which each of the 12 classic cocktail chapters serves as a point of departure to create unlimited variations to reflect your individual tastes and personality.

Any tips/tricks for creating memorable cocktails?

The three tips for creating memorable cocktails are: first—a good recipe which is all about balanced proportions and using fresh, all-natural ingredients; second—the perfect glassware or as I say, “the cocktail attire for your cocktail;” and third—the name, which says it all and will catapult your drink to the greatest heights of popularity.

The Marktini

Ingredients:

• 2 oz. Orange Vodka
• 1 oz. Orange Liqueur
• 1/2 oz. Fresh Lime Juice
• 1 oz. Pomegranate
• 1 Orange Curl (for Garnish)

Preparation: Fill a shaker with ice and add all the ingredients, shaking until well chilled. Strain into a chilled martini glass and garnish with an orange curl.

Visit CocktailChameleon.com

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Source: Mixology News