Academy
Learn the tools, glassware and techniques that separate a homemade drink from a signature cocktail.
Essential tools
Jigger, shaker, strainer and everything you need behind your bar.
The jigger: measure like a pro
Measuring is not for beginners: it is what the best bars in the world do. Ten millilitres too much lime is not a ten per cent error, it is a different drink.
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The mixing glass and the bar spoon
For drinks made only of spirits, stirring is not a gentler alternative to shaking: it is the only correct technique. And it is done wrong almost every time.
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The shaker: Boston, cobbler and French
Three designs, three philosophies. Which one suits what you make, how to seal it so it does not burst mid-shake, and why the three-piece will betray you sooner or later.
Read guide →Strainer, fine mesh and double straining
Straining is not just removing ice. It is the last texture decision you make before serving, and what separates a silky drink from one with shards floating in it.
Read guide →Glasses & coupes
When to use each type of glassware and why it matters.
How to chill your glassware, and why it matters
A drink served up has nothing keeping it cold except the glass itself. A room-temperature glass undoes everything you did before it.
Read guide →The six glasses that cover any menu
You do not need a full cabinet. Six well-chosen pieces will serve almost any classic properly, and there is one you probably already own that you can skip.
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Why the shape of the glass changes the drink
It is not about looks. The mouth, the stem and the thickness of the glass change the aroma reaching your nose, the temperature five minutes in, and even how strong the drink tastes.
Read guide →Techniques
The perfect shake, smoking cocktails, homemade syrups and more.
How to smoke a cocktail
Smoke is aroma, not flavour. Applied well it transforms a spirit-forward drink; applied too freely it turns it into an ashtray nobody wants a second sip of.
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How to shake a cocktail properly
Chill, dilute, aerate and integrate, all in twelve seconds. What to shake and what to stir, why more ice means less watering down, and how to know when it is done.
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Ice: the ingredient nobody measures
It is the only ingredient that keeps working after you serve. Its size, its temperature and even its clarity decide whether the drink holds for twenty minutes or waters down in five.
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What a twist means in cocktails
The word means two different things: the citrus peel twisted over the drink, and the variation on a classic. Here are both, and how to do each one properly.
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Which vermouth to use in each cocktail
Red, dry or bianco, how much each classic takes, what to do without it, and why an open bottle ruins more cocktails than anything else.
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Homemade syrups: ratios, infusions and shelf life
Shop-bought syrup is sugar with preservatives and artificial flavouring. Making it at home takes five minutes, costs pennies and opens a range of flavours you cannot buy.
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