1. Whenever possible, choose fresh instead of premixed packaged ingredients for your cocktails. This primarily refers to fruit juices (check out www.chasersjuice.com) but can also be applied to other mixers such as using a soda siphon or Sodastream instead of buying cans or using postmix.
    
2. Make your own simple syrup, sour mix and grenadine. Here are three easy and cost-effective recipes to get you going:
   
   A: Simple syrup is simple.  One part sugar, one part water. Mix until diluted.
   B: Simple syrup mixed 1:1 with lime juice makes fresh sour mix.
   C: Two parts simple syrup, one part pomegranate juice makes your own grenadine.
   
   With fruits, the answer can be as simple as squeezing lemons, limes and oranges with a hand held juicer or getting an electric juicer to make more exotic juices in higher volumes.
    
3. Chill your glassware. It’s impossibly simple, but it makes a world of difference. When you are serving cold drinks, put ice and water in the glass to chill it while you’re mixing the drink. It keeps the drink colder longer and the cocktail will taste better from beginning to end. The same theory applies to warm drinks. After-dinner coffees or Cognac should be served in preheated glassware. Nothing ruins a drink like a cold drink that is at room temperature by the time you’re done, or a warm drink that is cold.
    
4. Garnish for function, not fashion. Not every drink needs a garnish, and unceremoniously adding a lime wedge to every drink that crosses your bar is not doing you any favours. Consider zesting citrus fruit over a cocktail, by picking up a potato peeler and garnishing with a thinly sliced slip of citrus skin, instead of a whole wedge of fruit. Zesting citrus peel over a cocktail expels wonderful fresh citrus oils into the drink, adding slight bitterness, and a ton of aromatics.
    
5. Measure each ingredient and taste each cocktail before it crosses the bar. I can’t stress the importance of measuring cocktail ingredients enough if your cocktail program is going to be consistent from one bartender to the next. Measuring ensures that you are creating the cocktail in the way it was meant to be and an over- or under-pour of a single ingredient can throw off the delicate balance of a drink.

Tasting each cocktail doesn’t mean bringing the glass to your lips and taking a sip. Use a bar spoon to place a few drops of the cocktail on the back of your hand. Tasting ensures that your lime juice hasn’t gone bad or that you haven’t picked up a bottle of vodka inadvertently when a customer orders a gin cocktail.

The bottom line is that classic cocktails are back. A modern interpretation of classic methodology is inspiring bartenders to buy their own bar tools so they can be prepared to make any cocktail for any situation. These cocktails are served in smaller vessels that showcase the quality of the spirit. They take a little longer to make because it’s worth it to serve a great cocktail. The good news is that making great drinks isn’t all that difficult and it adds a touch of class to the bar.

See also:

• Organic ingredients find their way into spirits, liqueurs
• House-made syrups: An easy way to stock your menu with one-of-a-kind cocktails

About the author:



Master mixologist Gavin MacMillan owns BartenderOne Corp., Canada’s leading group of bartender training schools. An award-winning bartender, bestselling author and blogger, he is considered one of Canada’s leading authorities on cocktails and mixology.