What Makes a Cocktail Great?

by Kevin Smith Author

A splash of the most accessible liquor in your cabinet and the most accessible sweet beverage in your fridge does not a cocktail make. It takes more than that to craft a delicious and enjoyable cocktail, one that you can enjoy in the presence of long-time friends, coworkers, and your loved one.

Here are the 4 things that go into a great cocktail, qualities that you'll find in the best-handcrafted cocktails in Winter Park, FL.

Great Ingredients

Many people assume that bottled flavorings and artificial ingredients are a bartender's go-to ingredients? Sure, this may be true of a local dive bar that doesn't take pride in its drink offerings, but any great cocktail should have fresh ingredients, including herbs, citrus juices, and other fresh produce. Freshness has a flavor, even when you're drinking it.

Balance

If you're only interested in the effects of alcohol, not its flavor, then you'll likely make home cocktails or seek out bar cocktails that don't go easy on the pours. Of course, great liquor tastes great, even in large quantities, but a good cocktail is about balance. Many cocktails include a mixture of different liquors and flavored liqueurs, from the Long Island to a Manhattan. A good bartender or mixologist should blend these beverages with balance, not just pour until the patrons are dizzy. Certain proportions allow for balance and a broad, enjoyable flavor profile.

Unique Twists

A unique twist on classic cocktails, like margaritas and martinis, make a bar a great place to grab a drink. For instance, what about unique juice flavors in a margarita, like seasonal berries? What about a fresh cherry instead of a maraschino cherry in a Manhattan cocktail? A mixologist should take risks and develop unique takes on classics so that every patron finds exactly what they're looking for, and maybe finds themselves surprised. Surprising cocktail flavors may become your new favorites.

Technique

Not everyone who loves to drink and knows what they like can necessarily pull off a great cocktail. It requires good technique and skill. For instance, you should stir some liquors, and shake others. Which liquors taste better with lemon, and which are excellent with lime? Experience and smarts make for the execution of deliciously smooth and flavorful cocktails. Professional bartenders can do more than just splash some drinks together. If you want the best-handcrafted cocktails in Winter Park, FL, visit a local restaurant and bar that has unique offerings and a wide variety of cocktails to try.