What’s The Secret To The Perfect Cocktail?

What Makes A
Great Cocktail? Presentation Read more

What’s the secret to the perfect Cocktail? Here at SPARK we do enjoy a good cocktail and with our offices being located in Newcastle City Centre we’re never too far away from a good cocktail bar for an after hours jaunt.

We thought we’d share some insight with you on our top tips for serving up the perfect cocktail!

Here goes….
Presentation is Nine Tenths of the Law Proper presentation may seem undeniably obvious but it can't be understated. Make sure you’re doing it right by taking the time to prepare and present your drinks in the smartest, cleanest fashion to elevate your cocktails! Your customer sees their cocktail before they taste it and if it looks the part they’ll probably put it on instagram before they taste it too! - who doesn't like free marketing from their customers. Have the right equipment Make sure your bartenders have all the essential equipment needed to make the drinks on your menu and more! Back to presentation, you can't present your cocktails to the highest standard without the right tools to do so.
For most cocktails for basic essentials will include a jigger for accurate measurements, a shaker and strainer to ensure the contents of your drinks are well mixed. Finally a long handled spoon is essential for your James Bond’s of this world who prefer their drinks stirred not shaken.
Pick the glass for the occasion Serving your cocktails in the correct glass is as important an aspect as any when it comes to great cocktails yet it is often overlooked.
Stronger mixed cocktail drinks, like gin and tonics, should go in a 10 to 12 ounce straight sided glass called a highball glass. Drinks of this sort require less mixer and therefore need less space. Weaker juice based cocktails like screwdrivers should go a 14 to 16 ounce highball glass called a Collins glass.
The next two tips are easy to remember. A sour glass should be used for drinks ending in sour. A sour glass is a shorter version of a champagne glass and allows customers to keep the drink colder for longer by holding it at the bottom of the glass.
An “on the rocks” drink should be served in a glass known as a rocks glass. A coupette glass should be used for Margarita’s and Daiquiri’s. The broad rim allows for it to be dipped into salt or attaching a piece of fruit. Finally you have your Martini glasses for of course, your Martini’s but also any other shaken or strained cocktails.

What’s the temperature? Another simple and easy step for great cocktails is uniform temperature across the board! Ensure that your drinks are good to the last drop by serving the drink with a glass as close to the same as the temperature of the drink. For cocktails served cold, put the glass in the freezer or pour cold water or ice in the glass. And vice-versa for warm cocktails, pour hot water into the glass while the drink is being prepared. Just remember to pour it out before serving!! Ice, Ice Baby
Serve the right type of ice with the right drink! Cubes are fairly standard and can be used for most cocktails, another benefit is due to their larger size they will melt much slower than other forms of ice and therefore less chance of the drink being watered down before the drink is finished. On the flip side, cracked ice is smaller and melts faster so it should be used for frozen drinks as it blends better and easier than cubes. Shaved ice is thinner and will be used much less than other forms but still can be used for some delicious cocktails. Jazz it up! Finally, nothing jazzes up a cocktail and enhances the presentation more than some garnishes. It’s the little things - a simple little finishing touch will elevate the good cocktail to an excellent cocktail. Use additions such as some salt on the rim, limes, olives, cherries, and lemons to spice it up or fancy straws and other utensils to jazz up your cocktails!