Make your cocktails irresistible

Making exquisite cocktails that tantalize the senses is an art. It requires keen attention to detail to ensure measurements are spot-on, garnishes and ice are well utilized, and the glassware used is both aesthetic and suitable. Getting all of this right isn’t always easy, but it can make a world of difference to the outcome of your cocktails. To help your future mixology exploits, here are five tips and tricks to elevate your cocktails.

Tip four

How to make and use a cocktail shrub

For anyone unfamiliar with what a cocktail shrub is, it's an acidic syrup made from a blend of syrup and vinegar that is mixed into cocktails to add depth and complexity. Making it at home takes some time, but it can be a gratifying way to elevate your homemade beverages. Here's what you need to do to make yours:

1. Select a vinegar that will add flavor and character to your shrub. Opt for styles like cider vinegar, wine vinegars, rice vinegar, and balsamic vinegar, rather than distilled vinegar. You can even make your own vinegar from spent wines or ciders if you wish! When deciding on the vinegar you'll use, consider what fruits and spices you'll include in your shrub and choose a vinegar to match this. For example, white wine vinegar pairs well with various berries, whereas apple cider vinegar goes well with spices like star anise and cinnamon.
2. Make your syrup. You can do this using cold or hot methods. The cold method, which suits fresh fruit, involves macerating chopped fruit in an equal weight of sugar. Leave at room temperature for 1-2 days in a covered bowl or jar, stirring occasionally, while the sugar draws out the juices from the fruit to create a syrup. The hot method, which can be beneficial in releasing the heat from spices, involves warming your spices, sugar, and fruit over a hob until the sugar has dissolved. While this method is quicker and useful for spices, it can cause some fruit to lose flavor and develop bitterness.
3. Combine your syrup and vinegar. Once your syrup is ready, strain it into a clean jar and add your vinegar. A 50/50 split is typically used, but you can alter this depending on your taste preferences. Allow the mixture to cool, add any herbs you wish to include, seal the jar, and refrigerate for 3-7 days, shaking the shrub daily. Once done, strain one last time to ensure you have as clean and pure a mixture as possible.

Your shrub should last for several weeks or even months if kept refrigerated. During this time, you can enjoy your shrub with your cocktail of choice! You only need 1-2 tablespoons of shrub per glass of mixer, so shrub-based drinks are best enjoyed from highball-style glasses, such as our RIEDEL Drink Specific Glassware Highball Glass or our RIEDEL Laudon Highball - red.

Tip five

How to choose the correct glassware for each cocktail

As a glassware manufacturer, this point couldn’t be left out. Using the correct glassware for your cocktails is a vital component of a good cocktail experience, delivering numerous benefits, including:

• Boosting its aesthetic. One of the functions of a cocktail glass is to accommodate the volume of its intended cocktails. A low-volume, spirit-forward cocktail looks lost in a highball glass, while a neat glass doesn't offer the capacity required for high-volume cocktails. By choosing a cocktail glass that suits the size of the cocktails you plan to make, you help make your creations look the part.
• Accommodating essential elements. Certain drinks include features that demand a specific size or shape from the glass they’re served in. For example, the glasses from our Grape@RIEDEL collection are designed to accommodate vibrant cocktails served with ice, while our RIEDEL Laudon Tumblers are designed to accommodate various classic cocktails served over ice.
• Helping to develop your drink's flavors. For some cocktails, the right cocktail glass can help to develop and capture its flavors or even improve the smoothness of each sip. For example, the RIEDEL Drink Specific Glassware Sour Glass Glass was designed with an outward-flared lip to deliver the silky smoothness of sour cocktails to the entire palate for a perfect balance of flavor. Meanwhile, the RIEDEL Drink Specific Glassware Fizz Glass is specially designed with high, vertical sides to create the ‘push-pop’ effect that cocktail lovers expect from their gin fizz.

To choose the right glassware for your cocktails, always pay attention to the name of the glass – certain examples, such as our RIEDEL Drink Specific Glassware Sour Glass, include the cocktails they’re made for in their name. If it’s not immediately obvious which glass you should use, consider the volume of the cocktails you’re making and opt for a glass that best matches those requirements.

For more details on the importance of using specific glassware for cocktails, see our spirit and cocktail glasses blog.

With those five tips, you can elevate the mixed drinks you serve up to your guests, whether it’s during a summer barbecue using your Grape@RIEDEL Collection or during a Friday evening get-together using your RIEDEL Laudon Tumblers, or a midweek afternoon mocktail. Try out our 5 tips and tricks and enjoy your cocktails.