Get the flavour balance right with a jigger. Nobody wants the grainy texture of raspberry pips after a sip of raspberry mule, or to be picking mint out of their teeth after a taste of a vodka southside. Straining also gets rid of solid ingredients such as herbs and fruit, so you’re left with a light infusion. Shaking tends to break up the ice so even if you’re planning to serve over ice, straining over new cubes means less risk of a watery cocktail. If you’re serving your cocktail straight up, like a vodka martini, straining gets rid of the pieces of ice after shaking. A hawthorne strainer with a coiled spring is perhaps most versatile as it can fit into a range of glasses and shakers. Shake it all together and a rich, smooth cocktail comes out, topped off by the must-have crema.Ī strainer is essential for any cocktail maker, whether you’re serving straight up or over ice. Take the espresso martini, for example, with its espresso, coffee liqueur and vodka if it’s not properly blended, you’re left with a layer of liqueur lurking at the bottom of the glass. There’s nothing worse than taking a sip of your long-thought-about cocktail and discovering all the alcohol is sitting at the bottom.įresh fruits, sweet syrups and shots of vodka need to be married together to get the balance right before they hit the glass, especially when you’re dealing with a blend of heavy and light ingredients. The shaker is like the mixing bowl of the mixology world. And if you’re thinking “what on earth’s a jigger?”, let me tell you how each piece of kit can transform your cocktail …
The absolute essentials are a shaker, stirrer, strainer and jigger. And nothing will improve your cocktail game quite like proper mixology equipment. Nights in are still a part of our lives, but sub-par cocktails should, by now, be a thing of the past. I personally bumbled my way through a batch of pulpy French martini cocktails – vodka, Chambord and pineapple juice – mixed up in a measuring jug and strained through a broccoli steamer though passable, they were far from ideal. During lockdown, many of us became home mixologists to infuse our routines of jogging bottoms and streaming binges with some much-needed glamour, rustling up spritzes behind kitchen islands, breakfast bars and dining tables with whatever we had to hand.