 Are you sick of shot-gunning warm beer from the can? Are you looking to booze it up with some style and bust out some great old drinks? Perhaps there`s some drink you`ve heard of many times but you`ve never tried, and you want to satisfy your curiosity.
Know These Terms
Here are a few terms which might be unfamiliar or used in a particular sense in the mixing context:
Blend: When we say "blend" in a drink recipe, we mean with a blender.
Cocktail Shaker: This is a device which allows you to shake drink ingredients without them getting all over the place. It is composed of a stainless steel vessel with either a glass which fits into it or a lid. You simply place the ingredients and ice (usually) into the shaker, connect the glass or lid to the shaker, and shake.
Dash: A small amount of an ingredient. This is somewhat vague, to allow room for individual tastes, but if you don`t know the tastes of the individual for whom you`re making the drink, a dash should be about 1/4 of a teaspoon.
Glassful: When we say to add a glassful of ice, we intend for you to measure the glassful in the glass in which the drink will be served.
Shake: This refers to the placing of the ingredients into a cocktail shaker, usually with ice, and shaking five to ten times so that the ingredients are thoroughly mixed and chilled by the ice.
Stir: Take a long, thin thing, place it into a container which holds drink ingredients, and move it around in a vigorous, circular motion.
Strain: This requires the use of a strainer, a device which is usually made of thin metal formed into a circle, with stainless steel coils around one half of the circle and a handle projecting from the other side of the circle. The strainer is used to keep ice in a container in which ingredients have been shaken or stirred while the drink is being poured into a glass.
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Drink ingredients
We suggest the following list of ingredients because they occur in many drinks.
Basic Ingredients:
1.Gin
2.Vodka
3.Tequila (white, dark, or both)
4.Rum (light and dark)
5.Vermouth (extra dry for martinis, sweet or dry for other drinks)
6.Whiskey
7.Scotch
8.Brandy or Cognac
9.Triple Sec
10.Grenadine
11.Angostura Bitters
12.Cream
13.Sugar
14.Lemon Juice
15.Orange Juice
16.Club Soda
17.Lots and lots of ice
Equipment
There are a few pieces of equipment which will make your mixing easier and classier. You should obtain the following items:
1.Tumblers (short, fat glasses, also known as "rocks" glasses)
2.Tall glasses (tall, thin glasses, also known as "highball" or "collins" glasses)
3.Shot glasses (for measuring and/or serving)
4.Measuring glass
5.Cocktail or Martini glasses
6.Margarita Glasses (optional -- they look like rounded martini glasses)
7.Stirrers (fancy glass wands, long-handled bar spoons, plastic forks, etc.)
8.Corkscrew (none of these drinks include wine, but you really should have one of these)
9.Cocktail Shaker
10.Strainer (it`s a round thing with coils all around one side)
11.Blender (only used for a few drinks)
12.Ice bucket and ice tongs
Drink and Enjoy
 Once you`ve selected a drink, mixed it, and got it into your hands or someone else`s, there`s not much else to say. We might possibly be legally obligated to say (and, therefore, we shall say) that you should drink responsibly, meaning that you must not drink and drive, otherwise violate liquor laws, provide alcohol to minors, or be a minor who drinks. Set yourself down somewhere far from car keys and other unwholesome temptations, and mix some drinks for you and your friends. Enjoy your drinks, and rest assured that you are just as witty and charming as you think you are.
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