Making and Serving Mixed Drinks

I'm a big fan of alcohol.  It's ubiquitous in our single culture, and tends to lead to a pretty good time.

Beer's a whole bunch of posts, but I'll leave them for another time.  Right now I want to share with you some of the finer points of making mixed drinks.

First off, when most any 22-year-old speaks of a mixed drink, they're probably not speaking of Old Fashioneds or Dry Martinis.  "Mixed Drink" is almost synonymous with "Pink and Fruity" the first few years you're drinking.

When you're making a mixed drink, the golden rule is to know your customer.  Don't try to force a new drink you heard of on anyone, at least for their first drink of the night.  And don't assume the way you make it is the way their expecting it.  You may make the best Cosmo in the world, but if they're expecting peach schnapps in it, it's going to taste funny to them.  Special care must be made with margaritas on the rocks-- no one wants a real one, at least until you're 25.  Stick with the sickeningly sweet premade mixer for now.

When having a party where you serve mixed drinks, you may pick one of two options-- you may have nice alcohol, or you may have an open bar.  With an open bar, people will attempt to make drinks, dislike their concoction, and leave the cup somewhere in your home to get another.  If you've got spendy liquor, this can cost a couple hundred dollars pretty easily.  As a side note, plan to have three times as many cups as guests.  And always buy extra ice.

With frozen drinks, the biggest secret is not a huge secret at all-- simple syrup.  Boil a few cups of water, pour as much sugar as will dissolve, then stick it in a closed container and put it in the refrigerator.  Any fruit daquiri or frozen version of a favorite (not margaritas-- I'll get to those later) needs some of this.  Not to generalize too much, but the younger your group and the more females, the more syrup you should use.  If you've got a bunch of light drinkers, throw 3/4 cup in the blender.  Make sure it's cold, though-- warm syrup will melt the ice more quickly and make for slushy, watery drinks.

When practicing ratios, there's a very simple way to figure out how much alcohol to add.  Add as much as you can without it tasting like the alcohol.  And do warn your guests if you use really good rum or vodka or any grain alcohol (please try to outgrow the last one as soon as possible)-- you can put amazing amounts of it in some drinks before you can taste it.

One final trick when making pitchers for a party.  This works particularly well with frozen drinks, but does well any time you're making batches rather than letting people make their own.  When you make the first batch or two of the night, put about half the alcohol you'd normally put in.  As the night wears on, raise it with each batch.  People can generally tolerate more of an alcohol taste as they get drunk, so if you time it right, it's always a good drink.

 

Recipe ideas:

Here are a couple of my old standbys.  Please add your favorite ones in the comments:

 

Frozen Margarita:

Frozen limeade concentrate, ice, tequila.  Very easy, and surprisingly good.  Actually doesn't taste much like a real margarita, but it matches what you get at mexican restaurants here in the states.

 

Watermelon Daquiri:

Cube a watermelon, and stick it in the freezer overnight.  Fill a blender with watermelon, rum, and simple syrup to taste.  If it's too slushy, add some ice.

 

Sidecar:

Cognac, Grand Marnier, lime juice.  Good beginner's martini.  I particularly like it without the lime juice in a snifter heated over a candle (a good excuse to use a snifter warmer or to fashion yourself one)  Can replace brandy/cointreau or whisky/triple sec, or probably any permutation thereof