Make Martinis Like A Professional

Check out this list of tools that are used to be a masterful mixer. These tools will be your best friends in cocktail craftsmanship. They are what you will need to perform the techniques described below.

Muddling - is simply mashing up non-liquid cocktail ingredients that will be mixed with the liquid ingredients. This is done with a tool called a muddler, no suprise there. It is usually about 6 inches long with one flat end. The flat end is the one that should be used to do the mashing. For instance, when making a mojito, you would muddle fresh mint and lime to release mint oil and lime juice before adding the other ingredients.The muddler should be made of wood, with no paint or varnish as a finish. Be aware that the paint or varnish will eventually wear off, right into each cocktail that you are mixing.

Muddling is done in a mixing glass; typically a pint glass with a thick lip and base works great. Another reason a pint glass works great is because you can see what you are doing. When I make martinis such as a Lemon Drop, I like to muddle because it releases some of the fruit pulp into my cocktail. This give the drink a less watery consistancy. Muddling can really make the difference between a good cocktail and great cocktail.

Shaking - is the fun part, and you should really get into it when you make martinis for the following reasons.

• I repeat it's fun.
• It makes you feel like a pro.
• It sounds cool.
• Showing off to your friends your skills.
• It chills the cocktail.
• Most important, it integrates all the ingredients you just mixed into a whole greater that the sum of the parts.

So when you make martinis, don't simply mix the ingredients together and stain them into a cocktail glass. Shaking is the important middle step that helps make martinis taste like they have been made by a pro.

Here's what you do: Take your shaker tin and place it snugly over the top of your mixing glass or pint. Give a slight tap at the very top of the shaker tin. This creates an air tight seal, so that none of the liquid can escape. You should be able to pick this unit up as one with out it separating.

For the most control, hold the shaker tin towards the end with your index finger across the base or bottom. Hold the mixing glass with your left hand at the end with your pinky finger across the bottom. This creates an extremely firm grip and prevents spillage. Now simply shake back and forth. I am sure you have seen your local bartender do this many a time. After a while you with come up with your own style of shaking. Shake until your heart is content. Once your have finished, lower your shaker with the mixing glass on the bottom and the shaker tin on top. Tap the shaker tin on the side. Once or twice should do it. This breaks the air tight seal and allows you to strain your cocktail into the martini glass you have chilled and waiting to be filled.

Straining - Straining is not a strain. Thanks for laughing at my poor attempt at humor. Straining is simply the act of pouring the liquid contents of your shaker into the proper glassware.

I think it is a lot easier to have your glassware all prepped up first before you make martinis. For instance, if you are making a Lemon Drop; sugar the rim and garnish it with a lemon wedge before you get into mixing the cocktail. That way when you are finished muddling the fruit, pouring the booze, and shaking shaking it cold, your glass is there, ready to recieve your well crafted concoction.

Chilled martini glasses - This isn't mandatory, but it is a nice touch. There a couple of ways to do this:

1. If you have the refridgerator space, simply place your martini glasses there until they need to be used.
2. Fill the martini glass with ice and water. While you make martinis for your friends, your martini glass should be plenty chilled enough.

Rimming - Certain cocktails call for sugar or some other ingredient on the rim of the martini glass; a lemon drop is one such example. This is easily done. Keep a medium sized bowl filled with about a 1/2 inch of extra fine sugar as part of your home bar set up.Simply take a lemon or lime wedge with a slit part way through the center. Place the rim of the martini glass into this slit and rotate around the entire lip of the glass. Next place the lip of the glass into the sugar and rotate until the lip of the glass is coated with sugar. Done already?

Layering - This is a technique you can use once in a while to make martinis look cool. Some liquors are heavier or denser than others. This causes natural seperation, i.e. the denser liquors sink to the bottom of the glass, while the lighter liquors rest on top.

A common drink where this is used is a B-52 shooter. In a shot glass you will notice the darker, heavier Kahlua resting on the bottom. The coffee and creme colored Bailey's resting in the middle. And the amber colored Grand Marnier floating on top. To accomplish this technique isn't too hard with a little practice. What you need is pour spouts with a flow stop. This a small hole in the side of the pour spout that allows you to control the air flow. If you place the side of you index finger over the flow stop, it blocks the air from entering the pour spout, stopping the flow of the liquor through the pour spout. So continuing with the example above:

1. Pour the Kahlua into the bottom 1/3 of the shot glass.
2. Next, block the flow stop on the pour spout of the Bailey's bottle. Place the end of the pour spout against the inside of the shot glass just about the Kahlua. Then partially let a little air pass through the flow spot, causing the Bailey's to pour at a slower rate. Fill the middle third of the shot glass with Bailey's. It helps if you tilt the shot glass at a slight angle while you pour.
3. Finally, do the same as step 2, except with the Grand Marnier.

Garnish - Is an addition to your martini that adds to the flavor. But perhaps more important, it also makes martini presentation more appealing to the eye; making it more enticing to drink. Basic examples include a lemon wedge on a lemon drop or a lime wedge on a cosmopolitan.

Know Your ABC's - That's bar speak for Always Be Cleaning. It's important to make sure you wash out your shaker tin and mixer glass in-between making cocktails. If you don't take this important step then ingredients from your last mix will blend with your next mix possibly distorting it's flavor and color.

Cocktail mixing can get messy. After you make martinis for a while, it is important to wipe your mixing area with a hand towel. Also make sure you re-cap all of your liquor bottles to prevent fruit flies from infiltrating your booze. Fruit flies can become a pesky problems, so take precautions from the start. No one wants to see a fruit fly doing the back stroke in their cosmo(thumbs down, bad joke).

Keep in mind that the martini recipes on this site are just guidelines. As with food and wine, tastes differ from person to person. Take a margarita for instance. Some will like it to have a more straight lime citrus quality to it. While for others, that will make the margarita too tart, and prefer it to be sweeter. So feel free to play around and make it a fun and pleasurable experience. Fun is the point after all.

One more comparison with food. Just as with food, cocktails benefit from using the freshest ingredients you can get your hands on. Whether it be lemons, limes, oranges, mint, juices, etc. I promise you will absolutely taste the difference in the drinks you make. With a little practise you will be able to make martinis like a pro in no time.

Next time you are out on the town watch the bartenders make martinis for a while and you will have a better idea of how to use the techniques described above.