ILLUSTRATION BY STEPHEN COLLINS
Seasoned bartenders make it look easy. Of course, they know how to add just a splash of amaro or a drop of saline to turn an average drink into one you can’t forget. But remember, they also have first-hand experience at Mac-Gyvering a broken cork out, using everyday kitchen utensils in place of bar tools you really shouldn’t waste your money on, and simply turning lemons into garnishes that double as works of art.
We polled 20 professional bartenders on their tips and tricks to identify the best intel for home bartenders. The next time a missing wax tab, complex cocktail recipe, or big party throws you into a panic, one (or more) of these are sure to help. After all, whisky and cocktails are meant to help relieve stress, not cause it. “Don’t be afraid to make mistakes and have fun,” counsels Bob Peters, beverage director of Built on Hospitality in Charlotte, North Carolina.
Cocktail Chemistry
Double The Pleasure
Make a split-base cocktail by using two whiskies. Peated scotch with a spicy rye for a Manhattan-Rob Roy hybrid, or an agricole rum with a stiff but subtly sweet bourbon for a layered sour.—Tim Williams, mixologist, OLIO E PIÙ, Chicago
Amp Up The Proof
To create balance, use higher-proof whisky when making cocktails with citrus, egg white, spices, syrups, and liqueurs that dilute the cocktail more, such as Western Sours or any Tiki drink.—Morgan Marak, head bartender, Rezdôra, New York City
Kick It Up A Notch
Add an additional 1/4 oz. of a more-complex whisky to make a simple cocktail deliciously complex. Try a peaty aromatic Islay scotch or a sherry-finished barrel strength.—Marguerite Regan, bar supervisor, Wildhawk, San Francisco
Switch Up Your Citrus
Take every lemon juice-based whisky cocktail you know, and try it with lime instead. It’s merely a different citrus twist. —H. Joseph Ehrmann, proprietor, Elixir, San Francisco
Cobbled With Corn
For a unique Old Fashioned, combine the liquid from a can of corn with filtered water to measure 1 cup total, 3/4 cup demerara sugar, and a pinch of salt to make syrup.—Ross Kupitz, beverage manager, D’Amico & Partners, Minneapolis, Minn.
Next-Level Simple Syrup
DIY simple syrup is made by combining equal parts sugar and water in a saucepan and cooking until the sugar melts. But don’t stop there. Take your simple syrup to the next level by adding mashed fresh fruit like berries, pineapple, or mango and/or dried herbs or spices. Strain them out and keep refrigerated for up to a week.—Jennifer Seidman, owner, Acme Bar & Company, Berkeley, Calif.
Balancing Act
Make 2:1 simple syrup (two parts water, one part refined sugar). It makes it easier to find balance in a cocktail than a 1:1 ratio does.—Bob Peters, beverage director, Built on Hospitality, Charlotte
Add A Fruity Twist
Thaw pre-made frozen fruit puree to flavor cocktails. Start with 1/2 oz. puree to 2 oz. whisky, and add more puree as needed.—Seidman
Bitters Exchange
Different bitters add a unique touch to classic cocktails. Try chocolate bitters in a Manhattan to highlight the darker sweet vermouth notes, or maple bitters in an Old Fashioned to lend subtle sweetness.— Nicholas Gatz, assistant food and beverage manager, Four Seasons Resort and Residences Jackson Hole, Teton Village, Wyo.
Come To Fruition
Use fruit butters, like pumpkin and apple, in cocktails. Try my Pumpkin King: Stir 2 oz. whisky, 2-3 barspoons fruit butter, and 1/2 oz. sweet vermouth, then strain over fresh ice.—Peters
The Missing Piece
If a cocktail seems to be lacking something, it’s probably salt or acid. A few drops of saline or a bit of citric acid in a syrup can make all the difference. — Rachel Ramirez, lead bartender, Nelson’s Green Brier Distillery, Nashville
Sweet Spot
Maple syrup is one of the best sweeteners to pair with whisky, and it’s at the perfect consistency to mix into cocktails.—Ramirez
Add Some Depth
Enhance any whisky cocktail with amaro. Add ½ to 1 oz. light amaro to bring more depth.—Marak
Wine Not?
Explore wine-based ingredients such as barolo chinato, byrrh, sherry, and madeira. Each brings a different flavor profile to a whisky cocktail. For example, replace the vermouth in a Manhattan, or add any of these to an Old Fashioned, Whiskey Sour, or Highball. You may want to use less sugar and substitute the balance with the wine-based ingredient.—Kupitz
Substitute, Please
Use maple syrup or brown sugar in place of simple syrup for a foolproof Old Fashioned.—Angel Teta, creator, Bar Ten/10 at Angel’s Envy, Louisville
Pump Up the Jam
Rather than simple syrup, add 1/4 oz. strawberry jam to an Old Fashioned. With the warm vanilla and caramel vibes of the whiskey, this creates the flavors of a “PB&J.”—Emily Lawson, founder, Pink House Alchemy, Fayetteville, Ark.
Mixing Magic
Spring Into Action
Remove the spring from a Hawthorne strainer and place it in the tin when dry-shaking a cocktail with egg white. The result is a well-aerated and more-incorporated drink. And don’t stop there. Take it to the next level by creating a nice frothy head: After a rigorous shake, promptly pour the drink through a fine strainer into the glass. The mesh makes a uniform micro-foam. —Seth Charles, bartender, Fort Hamilton Distillery, Brooklyn
Sazeracs on Standby
Keep a batched Sazerac in the freezer for entertaining Combine 21 oz. high-proof rye, 3 oz. demerara simple syrup, 3 oz. Peychaud’s bitters, 1 oz. absinthe, and 5 oz. purified water. Stir until homogeneous. Pour into a 1-liter bottle and freeze for a minimum of 2 hours before serving. Store in the freezer for up to 3 months.—Alexandria Bowler, bar manager, The Wine Bar at Emeril’s, New Orleans
Don’t Burst the Bubbles
Pre-chill carbonated mixers you plan to add to cocktails. Bubbles like to be very cold, and it keeps them from going flat, especially when adding to spirits.—Teta
Manhattans For the Masses
Batch a Manhattan for easy serving. Mix 2 parts whiskey, 1 part vermouth, 1/4 part water, and 1/4 tsp. bitters in a pitcher. Pour back into the whiskey bottle and store in the freezer.—Teta
Speedy Service
Use a half-gallon mason jar to shake up eight drinks at a time for a party. Be sure to hold one hand on top and the other on the bottom while shaking! —Summer-Jane Bell, partner, Hello Stranger Bar, Oakland, Calif.
Smoke Signals
Using bagged wood chips, burn a small stack on a flame-resistant surface and invert a glass over the top. The glass will extinguish the flame and the smoke will wash the glass.—Lawson
Shake Less
If you’re shaking a cocktail using ice from the freezer dispenser rather than hand-cut cubes, give it a few less shakes and serve it neat to avoid overdiluting the drink.—Williams
Better Than a Barspoon
Use a porcelain chopstick to stir cocktails. It avoids churning the drink and helps it dilute gently.—Thomas Thacker, CEO and founding partner, Southern Grace Distilleries, Mt. Pleasant, N.C.
I’ll Have Another
If you plan to have a second identical cocktail that’s made with ice, remove the ice from the mixing vessel and put it back in the freezer, then use it to chill your glass for your second round.—Thacker
Crack The [Ice] Code
Move Over Molds
Non-stick muffin trays are perfect for making large ice cubes, and meatloaf pans are great for punchbowl ice.—Ehrmann
Tumblin’ Clear Ice
Fill an insulated tumbler with water. Place it in the freezer, without the lid, for 24 hours and the water will directionally freeze, forcing all the impurities to the bottom. Remove it from the freezer and allow to sit for 20 minutes, then tap it on the counter to release the ice. Cut off the cloudy bottom and shape the clear ice on top.—Thacker
Chill Out
If you enjoy your whisky chilled but don’t want to risk diluting it, ice the glass, not your whisky.—Dawid Smitana, beverage director, Kilkea Castle, Castledermot, Ireland
Handy Hacks
Cork Rescue
To remove a broken cork, use a two-pronged wine opener: Slip the longer end between the bottle neck and the cork. Push the opener into the bottle until the shorter side also fits into the bottle. Then wiggle the prongs until the ends of both tips are below the bottom of the cork. Last, rotate the opener as you gently pull it to remove the cork.—Ehrmann
Troublesome Seals
When the tab is broken on wax seals, grab a wine key. Place the knife under where the tab would be, and edge the tab up. If the tab is missing, use the knife to remove the wax starting at the bottom, working your way up the bottle, to dislodge the top.—Seidman
Multi-Use Mister
Use olive oil misters to rinse glasses, or fill them with bitters to mist inside a glass or on top of a cocktail.—Seidman
Not Your Average Rinse
Use 1/4 oz. amaro or port wine to rinse your glass. This adds a nice aroma and flavor to any whisky cocktail.—Gatz
Rinse No More
A misto spray bottle saves money since it does the job of a rinse without the waste, and lets you create aromatics that can change a drink.—Ehrmann
A Key to Cork Removal
A double-hinged waiter’s wine key makes it easy to control the power you put into removing a cork and hence have less breakage. And if the cork breaks, go into it at an angle and gently caress it out.—Vincent Bolognini, head bartender, Due West, New York City
Don’t Feed the Angels
A brown spirit-filled decanter on a home bar is an elegant touch, but don’t fill it. Decant small amounts at one time and add more whisky as needed. Even with an airtight stopper, the alcohol can slowly evaporate.—Smitana
Recycled Enjoyment
Reuse clean empty whisky bottles to store batched cocktails in the fridge.—Ramirez
Glowing Garnishes
Flotation Device
When peeling citrus for a twist, capture a bit of pith on the underside. This provides the buoyancy for the peel to float.—Charles
Tip-Top Twists
Use a paring knife to clean up the edges of peeled citrus twists and make them uniform and pretty.—Peters
Twist Things Up
A solid alternative to a twist for garnish is to use a knife to cut a large, flat “coin” about the size of a half dollar (11/2 inches diameter) off the orange peel in one straight shot. Express the oils over the cocktail and/or rub the rim of the glass with it, then drop the coin into your drink, peel side up.—Lawson
This Ain’t No Shirley Temple
Garnishes should add something to the drink, not just its appearance—cherries should be delicious and citrus twists aromatic. Edible glitter is also very visually appealing.—Regan
Punch It Up
Use a punch (found in the pastry area of a kitchen store) or small cookie cutter to create eye-catching garnishes from citrus peels.—Kupitz
Swiss Secret
Swiss peelers are simple, efficient, and produce twists that are the perfect girth.—Bolognini
Time Sensitive
Wait to cut citrus twists until you’re ready to garnish. If exposed to oxygen over time, they lose the brightness from the oils.—Gatz
