Bartender's Prep List
BARTENDER'S PREP LIST
Hi - we are Equal Parts Cocktail Company We are excited to share our passion for craft cocktails and hospitality with you! We’re going to use some fresh ingredients and whatever you have lying around in your liquor cabinet to make (and, of course, drink!) some delicious cocktails!
First things first A great cocktail can (and usually, should) be made with as few as three or four ingredients. The most common household items that will yield a wide array of choices are: citrus juice (from lemons or limes) and sugar (white, raw, maple syrup, agave nectar, honey, etc). With even just one from each of these categories, you’ll be sitting pretty. ...more on sugar in a bit.
The booze For spirits, we’ll be drinking something fabulous whether we’re reaching for gin, rum, tequila, vodka, aquavit, whiskey…the list goes on.
The tools All you’ll need to start mixing is a cocktail shaker (or mason jar with lid, or protein shake bottle), a mixing glass (or pint glass), a barspoon (or a sturdy straw, or a chopstick), a cocktail strainer (or any sort of small sieve or slotted spoon), a jigger (or a tablespoon and a 1/4 cup measure) and a small knife & cutting board.
What should you do ahead of time?
Have a few lemons or limes, and an orange on hand.
As for that sugar…make some simple syrup a day or two ahead of the event. It really is simple, too! Equal parts sugar and water. Take a cup of sugar and a cup of water (this will be enough for a handful of cocktails) and heat gently on the stove just enough to dissolve the sugar, and then jar it up and toss it in the fridge. Do not let it simmer for several minutes, as you will lose too much water due to evaporation.
If you don’t have cocktail bitters, and don’t want to buy some…you could make some!
Mix pinches of cinnamon, allspice, anise, and/or clove with grated orange peel and diced prunes in 2oz vodka. Let steep as along as possible. Strain through a coffee filter and you’ve got ‘pantry bitters’!
Lastly, ice. In order to properly chill & dilute a cocktail, we’ll need plenty of ice.
pro tips Are you a tea lover? Try making a strong cup of your favorite tea and mix it 1 to 1 with sugar and you’ve got yourself a unique new syrup to substitute into your cocktail! Same goes for items such as coffee or apple cider…make some fun syrups!
If you have honey on hand, mix it 1 to 1 with hot water. This will yield a syrup that is the proper sweetness for cocktails, and it will also mix nicely into the cocktail - rather than thickening upon contact with ice. Honey alone is too viscous for cocktail making.
Handy conversions for home bartending 2 oz = 1/4 cup 1.5 oz = 3 tablespoons 1 oz = 2 tablespoons 3/4 oz = 1.5 tablespoons 1/2 oz = 1 tablespoon 1/4 oz = 1/2 tablespoon