Your training is almost complete. Today we’re cocktail tasting, cocktail balancing and cocktail perfecting. In this finale of our "Getting Started" series, we’re breaking down the steps to deconstructing a cocktail, balancing it and then improving it. et us introduce you to a sweet little friend of ours—the Cocktail of the Week. Who will also be our model this week. So get in here!

Too Long, Didn't Listen

(00:00) How to Balance a Cocktail

(01:54) Cocktail of the Week: The Plain & Simple (Daiquiri)

(03:59) Why fresh lime juice matters

(05:21) A brief sojourn into rum

(08:31) How to taste cocktails like an expert (no, you're doing it wrong)

(15:32) The secret to balancing cocktails (hint: it involves homework)

(24:02) Simple tips to improve your cocktail

(30:00) Closing

Recipes

The Plain & Simple (Daiquiri)

2 parts white rum
1 part fresh lime juice
1 part simple syrup (1:1 white cane sugar to water)
Combine all ingredients in a shaker with ice. Shake until fully chilled. Double strain into a chilled, stemmed cocktail glass. Serve without garnish.

Ben's Preferred Plain & Simple

2 parts Plantation Three Stars rum
3/4 part fresh lime juice
3/4 part simple syrup (1:1)
1 lime wheel for garnish
Combine rum, lime juice, and simple syrup in a shaker with ice. Shake until fully chilled. Double strain into a chilled, stemmed cocktail glass. Float lime wheel on top of cocktail.

Sour Plain & Simple

2 parts white rum
1 part fresh lime juice
3/4 part simple syrup
Combine all ingredients in a shaker with ice. Shake until fully chilled. Double strain into a chilled, stemmed cocktail glass.

Sweet Plain & Simple

2 parts white rum
3/4 part fresh lime juice
1 part simple syrup
Combine all ingredients in a shaker with ice. Shake until fully chilled. Double strain into a chilled, stemmed cocktail glass.

Spirit Forward Plain & Simple

2 parts white rum
3/4 part fresh lime juice
3/4 part simple syrup
Combine all ingredients in a shaker with ice. Shake until fully chilled. Double strain into a chilled, stemmed cocktail glass.

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Books & Equipment Links

The links below that point to Amazon are affiliate links. If you click on them and make a purchase we may receive a small compensation at no extra cost to you. Links to any other destination are not affiliate links.

Books

We own and recommend these books:

The 12 Bottle Bar: Make Hundreds of Cocktails with Just Twelve Bottles by David Solmonson, Lesley Jacobs Solmonson

Liquid Intelligence: The Art and Science of the Perfect Cocktail by Dave Arnold

Imbibe! by David Wondrich

Cocktail Codex by Alex Day, Nick Fauchald, David Kaplan

Equipment

Products we own, like and use:

Measuring tools
OXO Good Grips Mini Angled Measuring Cup, 2 Oz capacity
OXO Metal Angled Measuring Cup
OXO SteeL Double Jigger
Shakers
This shaking set is sold as two separate items on Amazon, you will need both
Cocktail Kingdom Koriko Small Weighted Shaking Tin
Cocktail Kingdom Koriko Large Weighted Shaking Tin
Mixing Glasses/Tins
Viski Crystal Mixing Glass, 17 oz
Pint glass: you don’t need a link for this do you?
Peelers
OXO Good Grips Y-Peeler
Bar Spoons
Crate & Barrel: Bar Spoon with Muddler
Cork Screw / Bottle Opener
True Truetap Double Hinged Waiters Corkscrew
Bar Towels
White Flour Sack Towels
Glassware
Highball
Strauss 13-Oz. Cooler Glass
Lowball
Crescent 10-Oz. Double Old-Fashioned Glass
Strauss 11-Oz. Double Old-Fashioned Glass
Stemmed
Mercer 10-Oz. Coupe Glass

Products we don’t own but would consider buying:

Measuring Tools
Cocktail Farmer Standard Jigger
Piña Barware Bell/Leopold Style Stainless Steel Jigger 2oz. / 1oz.
Piña Barware Slim/Japanese Style Stainless Steel Jigger 2oz. / 1oz.
Shakers
A Bar Above Weighted Craft Boston Shaker Set (Single set slightly less expensive than the Koriko)
Houdini Boston Cocktail Shaker (a well rated pint glass set)
Barfly Double Wall Diamond Lattice Mixing Tin
Knives
Cocktail Kingdom Buswell Paring Knife
Victorinox 3.25 Inch Swiss Classic Paring Knife (Green - Black seems to be in high demand)
Cutting Board
Jelli Reversible Black Marble 14.5"x11" Cutting Board
Bar Spoons
Cocktail Kingdom Skull (We wouldn’t really buy this but it looks cool)
A metal finger, not a spoon (I could resist linking to this one)
Homestia Gothic Skull Bar Spoon (A cheaper skull)
Viski Stainless Steel Weighted Barspoon
Hawthorne Strainers
Barfly Bar Strainer, Stainless Steel
A Bar Above Hawthorne Strainer
Julep Strainers
Cocktail Kingdom Premium Julep Strainer

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