Activity: Cocktail making.

Overview:

Initially, the main cocktails I knew of were:

- Margarita

- White Russian

- Cosmopolitan

- Long Island Iced tea

I knew I liked cocktails and was interested in the process, however I also knew there was a lot to learn.

So, 

After extensive research my list has grown massively:

There are so many it would be easier to put them into groups that have the main spirit as:

Rum:

- Cuba Libre

- Dark and stormy 

- Daquari

- Long Island Iced tea

- Mojito

- Pina Colada

- Mai Tai

- Zombie

Vodka:

- Appletini

- Black russian

- Bloody Mary

- Caipiroska

- Cosmopolitan

- Flirtini

- Harvey Wallbanger

- Long island iced tea

- Moscow mule

- Screwdriver

- Sea Breeze

- Vodka martini

- White russian

Tequila:

- Margarita

- Long island iced tea

- Tequila sunrise

Whisky/ Bourbon:

- Godfather

- Mint Julep

- Missouri Mule

- Rusty Nail

- Seven and Seven

- Three wise men

Obviously it would be uneconomical for me to buy, let alone make every single cocktail.  So therefore I will attempt a select few, and buy others in bars to try.

Before my cocktail training I thought i'd have a go at one of my favourite cocktails 'pre-research'.
'Margarita'.
There are three basic ingredients to this cocktail: Tequila gold; Cointreau and many many limes.  For this margarita I mixed 2 measure tequila to one measure cointreau and three quarters of a lime, mixed them together, then blended lots of ice.  To serve I wet the rim of the glass and rolled it in sugar- for me it was more for taste, however, it looks good too.

I realised I needed to get clued up because I knew very little.  So I got myself some books.
The first 'All shook up', focuses more on ingredients than methods.  After reading for some time, trying out different cocktails I came to the conclusion that there are many different ways of making the same cocktail- if you know what you're doing it's more about personal preference than following a recipe.  You can add/subtract ingredients to taste.

Serving- The images above and below are good examples of the interesting visuals of cocktails.  I think that the whole idea behind a cocktail is to be entertained - watching someone do fancy tricks pouring drinks and shaking- it is a very visual act.  Then the presentation of the cocktail itself- it's obviously supposed to taste good- but they have to look amazing to make an impact.  The two examples show gradient and bright colours- things you wouldn't normally see with a normal alcoholic drink.

Another of the books I bought is 'The complete cocktail maker', which, against 'All shook up', focuses more on method and ingredients.  For me it was much more helpful without having any lessons in cocktail making.

Cocktail training:

Long Island Iced Tea

Shooters