Three tips to improve your cocktail making skills

Nearly everyone enjoys a good cocktail like the margarita. Whether it’s at a sporting event, party, on vacation, or after a long day at work – sipping a drink can help top off a day or evening. Contrary to what many believe, you don’t have to be an established bartender to make good drinks. Just like any other skill, becoming a competent drink maker takes practice, teaching, and some tips along the way. Here are three of the latter to help you improve your skills when it’s time to make drinks for yourself, or those that you love.

Use Top Shelf Liquor

This is perhaps the easiest tip to think of and put into play. Top shelf liquor is the highest quality ingredient that can be used when crafting a cocktail. There’s a reason why rail drinks are cheap and take that same mentality into your own personal bar management. Keep top shelf liquors on deck to break out when making drinks for friends, use the less-expensive items for yourself.

Get A Quality Set Of Bar Tools

Quality tools are an important part of any task in the kitchen. Having expensive cookware may not make you an excellent chef, but it is a great first step to get there. The same can be said with creating cocktails. Having a good shaker, stirring tool, glasses, and even specialized ice cubes go far in both presentation and quality of your drink. There are many available from either your favorite liquor distributor or even stores like Target.

Chill. Chill. Chill.

Everyone loves a cold drink. Take that into account when making your cocktails. This means taking the tie to prechill your glasses. Don’t throw just any glass in the freezer, instead buy specialized cups that are meant to keep cool. Keep enough ice on hand to add to the glass while mixing, and plenty of ice to use in the shaker. If possible, keep your drink-making tools cool at the same time.

Taking advantage of these tips will help you make the best drinks possible, right in the comfort of your own home. And your home is always the best place to drink.