How to make your cocktails more fun?

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agp

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Hi all, home cook here, no professional gear - how do I make my cocktails more entertaining to guests? Aside from using dry ice or interesting shaped glassware, what can I do? Clear ice is a stable in the household. One thing I am doing now is making a caramel cage, which I first saw at the Machinist in Chicago. I also do some flavored/colored ice cubes. I know the Aviary does some edible bubbles too. Any other ideas?
 
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I personally think the flavors/ ingredients make a cocktail must more interesting than the embellishments. Herb combinations, fresh-squeezed juices, unusual ingredients, etc. all coming together with the liquors, etc. in a well-balanced drink.
 
Fresh herbs. Though you probably already do this.
Good ingredients are key.
Try making your own shrubs and bitters? Frothy drinks using a little bit of Egg white always is fun. Think of non-common fresh ingredients like arugula (peppery) and celery (salty when juiced) and carrot (super sweet when juiced). Casia bark (cinnamon) torched with a glass over it to capture that smoky flavor, then use that glass to serve your drink in.
Spicy peppers to add heat and color. And think of spices (not spicy, but spices like clove, peppercorn - tellicherry Peppercorns carry a wonderful cigar shoppe aroma). There’s an amazing Indian restaurant nearby that uses these types of spices in their cocktails. We were blown away. And think of classic Caribbean spices as well. Cinnamon etc. Dried fruits and fresh fruits.

But what really gets a positive reaction is a subtle surprise. Like a sparkling Manhattan. Secret twists that are discovered when consuming. Glassware and groovy garnishes are one thing, but a well made drink with a fun approach/twist is the real name of the game.

For the past 6 years we’ve been doing a jalapeño foam on our house margarita. It’s still the top seller. I’m not saying foams are the end all be all, but there’s still something to be had there. I’ve been wanting to get one of those thingys that makes any drink effervescent. I freaking love bubbles. And EVERY moment is a perfect moment for bubbles. That’s my secret to a better life.
 
The amount of work to get clear ice just doesn't seem worth it for the occasional home cocktail. Have you discovered an easy way, if so please share.
 
Fresh herbs. Though you probably already do this.
Good ingredients are key.
Try making your own shrubs and bitters? Frothy drinks using a little bit of Egg white always is fun. Think of non-common fresh ingredients like arugula (peppery) and celery (salty when juiced) and carrot (super sweet when juiced). Casia bark (cinnamon) torched with a glass over it to capture that smoky flavor, then use that glass to serve your drink in.
Spicy peppers to add heat and color. And think of spices (not spicy, but spices like clove, peppercorn - tellicherry Peppercorns carry a wonderful cigar shoppe aroma). There’s an amazing Indian restaurant nearby that uses these types of spices in their cocktails. We were blown away. And think of classic Caribbean spices as well. Cinnamon etc. Dried fruits and fresh fruits.

But what really gets a positive reaction is a subtle surprise. Like a sparkling Manhattan. Secret twists that are discovered when consuming. Glassware and groovy garnishes are one thing, but a well made drink with a fun approach/twist is the real name of the game.

For the past 6 years we’ve been doing a jalapeño foam on our house margarita. It’s still the top seller. I’m not saying foams are the end all be all, but there’s still something to be had there. I’ve been wanting to get one of those thingys that makes any drink effervescent. I freaking love bubbles. And EVERY moment is a perfect moment for bubbles. That’s my secret to a better life.

Ooh foams! Yes, I used to do a lot of that and infusing flavors into liquids, but isi cartridges are so expensive...
 
The amount of work to get clear ice just doesn't seem worth it for the occasional home cocktail. Have you discovered an easy way, if so please share.

Nope, I just freeze a cooler of water, and then carve it up. I don't use clear ice to mix the cocktail, only for serving. And even then I use it mainly for clear/light-colored cocktails.
 
The amount of work to get clear ice just doesn't seem worth it for the occasional home cocktail. Have you discovered an easy way, if so please share.

If you search for "clear ice" on Amazon, you'll find a number of inexpensive tools to create clear spheres and cubes. They're basically mini-coolers with silicone molds in whatever shape that freeze overnight.
 
ISI cartridges are fairly affordable on amazon, but unless you’re making a bunch of drinks I can see how it might be a bit of a waste.
 
For the past 6 years we’ve been doing a jalapeño foam on our house margarita. It’s still the top seller. I’m not saying foams are the end all be all, but there’s still something to be had there. I’ve been wanting to get one of those thingys that makes any drink effervescent. I freaking love bubbles. And EVERY moment is a perfect moment for bubbles. That’s my secret to a better life.

I had a few of these at one of Marc's places & can speak highly of the foam ... peppery/hot/yummy ... maybe more than a few now that I think about it ...
 
Vintage glassware. Different styles together. There is this guy on insta who does this a lot and I always like the looks.
 
Progression of interesting cocktails:
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Where do yall get your nice or fun cocktail glasses?
 
I personally think the flavors/ ingredients make a cocktail must more interesting than the embellishments. Herb combinations, fresh-squeezed juices, unusual ingredients, etc. all coming together with the liquors, etc. in a well-balanced drink.
Focus on flavour
Fresh herbs. Though you probably already do this.
Good ingredients are key.
Try making your own shrubs and bitters? Frothy drinks using a little bit of Egg white always is fun. Think of non-common fresh ingredients like arugula (peppery) and celery (salty when juiced) and carrot (super sweet when juiced). Casia bark (cinnamon) torched with a glass over it to capture that smoky flavor, then use that glass to serve your drink in.
Spicy peppers to add heat and color. And think of spices (not spicy, but spices like clove, peppercorn - tellicherry Peppercorns carry a wonderful cigar shoppe aroma). There’s an amazing Indian restaurant nearby that uses these types of spices in their cocktails. We were blown away. And think of classic Caribbean spices as well. Cinnamon etc. Dried fruits and fresh fruits.

But what really gets a positive reaction is a subtle surprise. Like a sparkling Manhattan. Secret twists that are discovered when consuming. Glassware and groovy garnishes are one thing, but a well made drink with a fun approach/twist is the real name of the game.

For the past 6 years we’ve been doing a jalapeño foam on our house margarita. It’s still the top seller. I’m not saying foams are the end all be all, but there’s still something to be had there. I’ve been wanting to get one of those thingys that makes any drink effervescent. I freaking love bubbles. And EVERY moment is a perfect moment for bubbles. That’s my secret to a better life.

I would like to second all of this advice given above. A fancy looking drink in a nice glass with a nice or unique garnish is great, but it doesn't matter too much if the drink itself does not wow your senses.

I don't know what your cocktail experience is, or your age, interest/expense level; forgive me if I am covering your existing knowledge base. But, I recommend to anyone interested in getting into cocktails to start with the basics by learning a myriad of classic cocktails. I always suggest that they try and learn at least 1-2 classic cocktails for each base liquor variety. This allows you to get to know how to properly build and balance a cocktail between both the nose and pallet. I also often find that the vast majority of people have never heard of most classic cocktails despite being around for decades. The classics far more often than not gain much appraise from most people, and are often the core inspiration for many of todays newer creations and staples.

Ultimately you can learn a lot about flavor manipulation, combination and balance by gaining a really solid understanding of the classics. Other input I like to start out with includes:

1. When to stir and when to shake?
- If your cocktail is entirely or almost entirely made of spirits - say a dry/perfect martini, a Manhattan, a Negroni, etc then it should be stirred as the sugar content is relatively low and thus the drink only needs chilling and not much agitation to get a proper mixing of ingredients.
- If you're working with syrups and fruit juices then you want the agitation to make sure everything properly mixes while you chill it. In this case you should be shaking it.
- If you can, always use larger ice cubes for either prep. The greater the mass of the ice cubes, the more chilling you will achieve with less ice melt, and less watering down of your drink.
- Shaking ice causes the ice to chip into smaller pieces which also creates more water melt into the drink compared to stirring.

2. The 5 basic parts of a typical cocktail. This applies greatly when you're trying to come up with your own cocktail from scratch.
- 1. A Base liquor - gin, whiskey, tequila, rum, etc.
- 2. A sweet - this could be as straight forward/basic as a syrup (simple syrup, honey, agave or maple syrup) or using a sweet liqueur like sweet vermouth or an Amaro or Grand Marnier/Cointreau. It can even be a fruit juice like pineapple, orange, mango or papaya, etc.
- 3. A sour - generally a lemon or a lime juice, something with some acid. You can even get into shrubs or a 'drinking vinegar' which you can have fun making at home out of various fruit vinegars. You can also take a store bought vinegar - say maybe a rice vinegar reduced down with fresh pears or pear juice and maybe some spices to accompany a sake cocktail, for instance.
- 4. A bitter - generally an actual bitters like angostura or peychauds, walnut, orange, cherry, etc. But this could also come from a spirit like Campari or certain Amaro's or a Fernet, etc. Herb Tinctures often also fall into this category, though some can be less bitter and more singly herbaceous than others.
- 5. A modifier - This is something to make the drink unique and make it pop. The modifier can be something on its own, or a modification done to one of the other 4 ingredients to play on or against a flavor profile that it is already providing. It could be an infusion in the base liquor itself, like a jalapeno/habanero infused tequila in a margarita or maybe a rosemary infused simple syrup for a gin drink. It could be adding a pinch of cayenne to fruity sweet cocktail like something made with mango juice which might be too sweet on its own. It could be a foam like previously mentioned, or adding bubbles - sparkling water or some champagne like in a French 75, or smoking a glass before you serve a scotch based cocktail. It could also be a muddled herb or fruit or spice, or adding egg white for texture - a must add in a whiskey sour IMO. Basically, whatever your imagination can come up with!

3. Fresh squeezed juices can not be more underrated, they are a must. The difference in flavor you get from using fresh lemon or lime juice versus a bottled juice will make a night and day difference in your drinks. This is also true of orange, grapefruit and other fresh juices used in Tiki cocktails.

4. A cocktail should always come with some type of garnish that adds multiple layers to the drink, not just a visual aesthetic. I.E. It should make it pretty but also help the experience of the drink by adding a scent, a flavor or even a texture. The easiest and one of the best ways to achieve this is to use a citrus fruit peel that compliments what is in the drink - lemon, lime, orange, grapefruit can all work well in various situations. A simple squeeze/fold of the peel over the glass to release the oils with a quick rub around the rim of the glass really does wonders to open up the nose with a fresh note before the drink itself hits the pallet. Then take the peel and give it a twist or a cut to sit beautifully on or in the glass to add the pretty. I lean on citrus peels the most because they're the easiest to keep in supply at home. Creating your own rim garnishes is another easy one to play with and batch for long periods - infused/mixed salts with spices/peppers/herbs etc, the same can be done with sugars.

Ultimately there are exceptions to every rule, and many classic cocktails are all spirit cocktails and thus do not follow the 5 basic ingredient 'rule' in a straight forward way. However, learning the classics first is a great way to understand ratios and balance in a lot of great core spirits - both liquors and liqueurs. Once you have this understanding it makes it easier to conceptualize how flavors might combine together to make a cocktail that will really wow the senses and impress your friends/guests/clientele.

A little anecdotal background:
I bartended for many years through and after college and worked in and around DC at a few craft cocktail bars. One 'game' or challenge I always enjoyed giving to my guests at the bar was making them cocktails based around liquors that they would tell me they did not like, or couldn't drink because of too many bad experiences in the past. The majority of the time I would start them off with a classic cocktail that I would pick after asking them a few questions about what they like in a flavor profile - liquor forward versus not, sweet or bitter, spicy, do they like herbaceous flavors or not, fruity or sour? Etc.

The last place that I worked at I gave this challenge quite frequently and developed a lot of trust in my guests/regulars which in turn allowed them to be much more open with trying new things. It was a lot of fun on both sides of the bar and it broadened a lot of people's appreciation and range in cocktails. In the five-six months that I was there I quite honestly do not think I ever had someone send back one of these initial challenge drinks; despite offering prior to take it back and make them something they knew they already liked, free of charge, if they did not enjoy the challenge drink. And the majority of the time they ended up asking for an additional cocktail using that same spirit that they previously did not like.

I worked a lot of different types of bars over the years - fine wine, craft beer, and eventually craft cocktail. The same info I laid out above is what was taught to me when I first started in the craft cocktail scene, and it has served me and many friends that I have taught quite well in the years since. I still keep a home bar today and regularly play with new recipes and variations to the classics today. It is a great compliment to my passion for cooking and provides an added dimension to hosting people and being able to create pairings with the food I make.

Anyway, this got lengthy. I hope that you find it helpful. If you do not currently have much of a repertoire of classic cocktails I would be happy to make some recommendations from my favorites.

Cheers!
 
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Where do yall get your nice or fun cocktail glasses?

There may be other options out there now adays, but I like the glassware that Cocktail Kingdom has. A good few sets of some Rocks glasses, Coupes, Collins, and maybe some Nick & Nora glasses is great to have around if you like to entertain a lot. If you only want to get one type of glass as an all-around glass I would say go for a Coupe style, they look elegant and give any cocktail an elevated look/experience.

https://www.cocktailkingdom.com/all-glassware/glassware
I would also highly recommend their cocktail gear. It is well made and the basic stainless variants are relatively innexpensive like the Koriko weighted shake tins. I have purchased many sets as gifts for friends, and the stainless steel set is only like $8.
 
how to make them more fun? for starters, dont drink them alone :)

but seriously, cool glass and maybe cool ice cubes.
 
@MikeO I'll 2nd what David just said. I also see that you're in Silver Spring,. So you'll definitely need to join the next ECG roundup for sure.
 
frozen grapes or watermelon as ice cubes. good club soda, fizz is always good. different flavored salts.
fresh herbs for garnish (the smell really helps make it interesting)
 
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