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| TECHNIQUES |
| Chilling |
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warm. Although there are no secrets to making the perfectly chilled cocktail, there are a few tricks. Skimp on one and you'll sacrifice the chilled edge that cocktails rely on so heavily.
Many people claim that shaking a drink with ice is the best way to chill a cocktail without over diluting it. Although it's true that shaking will make a cocktail colder faster, the physical means by which it works remains the same as for a stirred cocktail. In other words, you're still adding water to the drink through the melting of ice. If you want a properly chilled cocktail - one that is as cold as possible - it will take the same amount of melted ice, regardless of whether you shake or stir it.
If you're wary of a bartender's ability to chill a drink such as a Sidecar, ask to have it shaken. You'll probably get it colder, but not stronger. Whether you're shaking or stirring, a drink's ice should clink against the mixing container. If you're shaking a drink, your goal should be to chip the ice against the mixer. When stirring drinks, make certain that each ice cube makes at least one trip from the top to the bottom of the glass. Stir a drink until the glass becomes cold.
Ice, of course, is a key element in chilling a cocktail. The preferred method of obtaining this ubiquitous ingredient is from the store. Opt for the cubes made in the irregular organic forms. This arrangement allows for the ice to be easily compacted in the shaker giving you more surface area to work with. Once at home make sure you store your ice in the coldest freezer possible until you are ready to use it.
Although water freezes at 0° Celsius, the temperature of ice can be below that. If you start with colder ice, it will take less of it to chill a cocktail properly. |
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