If you enjoy making cocktails for yourself or when entertaining guests, you'll want to invest in a good bartending guide. Even if you already know the basics, the guide can help you determine what you need to stock your home bar to mix bar cocktails, frozen cocktails and, with a little creativity, create your own signature cocktails.
Set Up Your Home Bar
Above all, you want to have basic bar tools and accessories needed to make your favorite cocktails. It's worth investing in a good blender, especially if you'll be making a lot of frozen cocktails. You should also have a quality cocktail shaker and strainer, a corkscrew, bottle opener and a jigger for measuring. If you want to pull out all the stops, you can add optics to your bar. These bottle dispensers will measure out your spirits in tots-or units. Calibrate the tots so you can measure out ounces of spirits without using a jigger or shot glass.
Traditionalists and cocktail purists may also want to buy sets of specialty bar glasses: margarita, martini, double old-fashioned and high ball, to name a few.
Stock Up on Spirits and Cocktail Mixers
While you may need to buy additional bottles of liqueur or mixers to make specialty drinks, a basic bar should always be stocked with the following: gin, vodka, tequila, rum and triple sec or Cointreau. If you don't choose to make your own sour mix, be sure you have bottle of this standby cocktail mixer on hand.
Additionally, it's a good idea to keep other popular mixes on hand for times when you don't have to make them from scratch (margarita mix, daiquiri mix, bloody mary mix and pina colada mix). Finally, stock your bar refrigerator with bottles of your favorite olives, maraschino cherries and citrus fruits for twists and garnish.
Learn How to Make Classic Bar Cocktails
When you're learning any new skill, it's always a good idea to start with the basics. In the case of mixing cocktails, you can focus on the classics. With each cocktail you try your hand at, pay attention to what kind of glass it's typically served in, what garnishes are used to add flavor or accent the drink and any common variations on the theme (e.g., a vodka versus gin martini). You can, of course, experiment with any drink in a number of ways, but mastering the classics ensures you'll be able to impress guests with your bartending skills.
Classic Martini. Perhaps the most classic cocktail of all is the martini. Made with gin and a splash of vermouth, the classic martini is served straight up in a martini glass and accented with an olive. The vermouth tempers the strong flavor of gin and a perfect martini includes half sweet and half dry vermouth. A dry martini is made with dry vermouth only and in some cases, very little dry vermouth. If someone asks you to make their martini dirty, add in a bit of olive juice.
Vodka Martini. For those who can't handle the taste of gin, you can offer a vodka martini, which is essentially the same recipe as a gin martini, only the gin is replaced with the less flavorful vodka.
Mixed Drinks in Martini Glasses. Serving bar cocktails in martini glasses and calling them martinis is a trend that makes true martini fans cringe. These drinks are generally made with vodka (plain or flavored), fruit juices or liqueurs, which not only makes them more palatable, but prettier to look at than a classic martini.
Some of the more popular cocktail "martinis" on drink menus today include the cosmopolitan (crafted from vodka citron, cointreau, lime juice and a splash of cranberry juice), the chocolate martini (made from chocolate liqueur and vanilla vodka) and the lemon drop (a tart mixed drink composed of vodka citron, lemon sour and lemon juice).
Gin and Tonic. This classic drink is served in an old fashioned double glass with a splash of lime. Pour half gin, half tonic, squeeze a quarter of a lime into it and serve over plenty of ice. If someone asks for a twist instead, shave off a curl of the lime rind, and rub along the rim of the glass.
Margarita. Serve this sweet-tart concoction in a margarita glass. A classic margarita is made with tequila, triple sec or Cointreau and lime juice. It's generally garnished with a lime wedge and served on the rocks or blended with ice with a salted rim.
Daiquiri. This sweet frozen drink is a favorite in the summer months. Although several fruits can be used to make daiquiris, strawberries are a perennial favorite. Blend rum, lime juice, strawberries, strawberry schnapps and lemon juice with ice and you'll have a yummy treat that can be served either in a margarita glass or a specialty daiquiri glass.
Pina Colada. This tropical wonder will leave your guests longing for a tropical vacation. Made from spiced rum, coconut milk, pineapple juice and ice, this blended frozen drink is fabulous alongside a platter of jerk chicken or fried plantains. Serve this frozen treat in a margarita glass or a daiquiri glass, garnished with a wedge of pineapple.
Long Island Iced Tea. This drink may taste like its non-alcoholic inspiration, but it packs a wallop. Combine sweet and sour mix, gin, rum, triple sec, tequila, vodka, ice cubes and a splash of coke for color, and you'll have one stiff drink. Serve in a high ball glass garnished with a wedge of lemon.
Mojito. This Cuban favorite is a descendant from the pirating days in the Caribbean. Made with fresh lime juice, fresh mint, light rum and seltzer water, it's a cool treat in the summer. Serve on the rocks in a high ball glass and garnish with lime and a sprig of fresh mint.
 | Making flavored vodka is an easy, inexpensive and creative way to spice up your at-home bar or create gifts for family and friends. Once you know what you want to flavor your vodka with, gather up a recipe to follow: plain vodka, your flavor ingredients, two gallon-sized glass jars, a dark closet and a strainer lined with cheesecloth. |
 | Pina colada mixes are available (just add ice and blend), but you'll want to find the best pina colada recipe and try blending one from fresh pina colada ingredients to find out how luscious this sweet treat can be. |
If you're wondering how to make a White Russian, start with vodka, kahlua and heavy cream. This drink goes well with desserts of all kinds and is the perfect end to a great meal-or a good night of bowling. |
Apple cider alcoholic drinks are a wonderful way to warm up on a cold night, and cider works well with several types of alcohol. |
Making liqueurs is a fun and rewarding hobby. The process used to make most liqueurs is very simple, and experienced liqueur makers can easily create their own unique recipes. When making a liqueur, most people start with vodka because it very versatile and adds little flavor to the finished product. |
