Josh, who works behind the scenes at the Mast Store Home Office as a data analyst, has worked on the other side of the bar for many years. He shared, “Mixing drinks doesn’t have to be hard, and you don’t need a lot of fancy equipment to do it.  You just  need the basics to set up your home bar and to not be afraid to experiment.”

Tools of the Trade

1. A Jigger or some other way to measure your alcohol. This is particularly important if you are new to mixing drinks. The Japanese-style Double Cocktail Jigger provides easy measures for ½ ounce, ¾ ounce, and 1 ounce on one side and 1.5 ounce and 2 ounces on the other. 

2. A Shaker to mix your drinks. A shaker will have a large container for ice and your drink ingredients, a top to enable you to shake the concoction, and a cover that can be removed to allow the drink to be poured/strained into the serving glass. Either a stainless steel shaker or a glass cocktail shaker are good options.

3. Small Bar Boards and a paring knife are needed to prepare some ingredients and garnishes. You’ll need to keep these handy for lemon or lime wheels or to cut citrus fruit for squeezing into drinks. 

4. A Cocktail Bar Mat comes in handy for maintaining a tidy workspace. You can have glasses draining on the rubber side and salt/sugar for garnishing glass rims available in the round tray on the other side. It also provides a cutting surface. 

5. Ice Molds add a professional touch to your bar, and they serve a purpose. These molds are specifically designed to create ice that will melt at a slow, even rate, so your drinks are not diluted. The molds are available in cubes and spheres. 

6. A Zester/Reamer comes in handy for drinks requiring freshly squeezed juice and for zesting the peels of lemons and limes. 

7. Recipe references are very important until you develop your own repertoire of mixology. The Cocktail Deck of Cards is a good starter reference for fizzy concoctions to share with friends. 

8. Of course, there will be spills, drips, and melts, so you’ll want to have a bar towel of some sort handy. Swedish Dishcloths make a great option for your bar towel because they are super absorbent, have fun designs to match your attitude, and can be composted at the end of their usefulness. 

9. A Bottle Opener and Corkscrew is a must to get things started… so to speak. 

10. A muddling tool is important in the mixing of some drinks, like Moscow Mules, Mint Juleps, etc. 

11. While most any spoon will get the job done, a Bar Spoon is a tool that can be used for mixing, muddling, and measuring. It can lead to moments of amazement for your friends when you use its specially constructed handle to layer different mixers in a drink.  

12. Proper glassware is important to help be aware of consumption and for presentation.  

Tips and Tricks

“After you’ve spent some time behind the bar, you’ll become more adept at eyeballing the right amount of each ingredient for your cocktail or mocktail,” Josh said. “It takes lots of practice to get to that point. And you’re always learning.”

To get started with your mixology degree, Josh shared a few tips.

• If you’re new to mixing cocktails, always measure your alcohol with a jigger or something similar.
   
• Stir drinks that are made with all distilled spirits or very light mixers like Old-Fashioneds and Manhattans. Martinis – if you’re a Bond fan, you’ll know – are mostly stirred, unless you’re 007 and prefer to have it “shaken, not stirred.”
   
• Shake drinks made with different types of ingredients like mixes, juices (citrus), and anything that could separate. Use a shaker to ensure every ingredient is combined into the drink – like a Cosmopolitan, Whiskey Sour, Margarita, etc.
   Josh shared that Tips 2. And 3. are his personal preferences when mixing drinks. 
   
• Fancy isn’t always better. A simple vodka soda with lemon and lime is a great and refreshing summer drink. 
   
• Stronger isn’t always better. Mixology is a science and an art, and pouring heavy may upset the delicate balance of flavors.
   
• Ice cube molds are great for drinks you want slightly chilled. They can be used in drinks you stir or when you are sipping a nice spirit straight and want it chilled but not watered down.
   
• This is possibly the most important tip – always drink responsibly and serve responsibly. 
   

Recipes for Summer Cocktails & Mocktails

Breezy Sangria Mocktail

4 ounces Mast Store White Muscadine Juice
4 ounces Sprite
1 teaspoon Vanilla Syrup (not vanilla extract)
Raspberries
White Grapes

In a shaker, add a few ice cubes, muscadine juice, Sprite, and vanilla syrup. Cover and shake for about 15 seconds. Strain into a glass filled with crushed ice and garnished with raspberries and white grapes (you could even freeze the grapes if you’d like). 

4th of July Patriot

1 ounce Grenadine
1 ounce Vodka of your choice (lemon, vanilla, citron)
3 ounces Lemonade, soda water, or Sprite
1 ounce Blue Curacao

Pour Grenadine into the bottom of a high ball glass, then fill the glass with crushed ice. In a shaker, add some cubed ice, vodka, and lemonade/soda water/Sprite and shake for about 15 seconds. Using a bar spoon or an upside down spoon, slowly and evenly pour strain in the mixture. Top it by using an upside down spoon to layer in the Blue Curacao.

Spicy Watermelon Lime Margarita Mocktail

1 4-ounce package of Divine Watermelon Tamalitoz Candy, crushed
Water
Fresh Watermelon
Fresh Lime Juice

Crush the candy using a rolling pin. Reserve just enough to coat the rims of the serving glasses (use a lime wedge to moisten the rim before coating with crushed candy). In a saucepan, dissolve equal parts candy and water, heat to melt into a simple syrup and set aside to cool. In a mixing bowl, add pieces of watermelon, lime juice, and pour in syrup. Cut together, or puree, then pour over ice in serving glasses.

Classic Bloody Mary

¾ cup Tomato Juice (we used home canned!)
1.5 ounces Vodka
2 dashes Worcestershire Sauce
2 dashes Mast Store Fire on the Mountain Hot Sauce
Salt and Pepper to taste
Fresh lime juice
Garnish with Mast Store Dilly Beans, Hot Pickled Okra, or Pickled Asparagus

In your serving glass, add ice then tomato juice, vodka, Worcestershire Sauce, Fire on the Mountain Hot Sauce, salt and pepper, and lime juice (to taste). Give the mixture a good stir with a bar spoon or, if you prefer, you can “roll” the mix by pouring it into your shaker and then back into your serving glass. Garnish with pickled beans, okra, and/or asparagus. This mixture is also great served as a mocktail.

Give a toast to summer and enjoy these concoctions with friends and family at your newly stocked bar.