Tips, techniques, and stories from the world of cocktails
Every other Tiki recipe calls for orgeat. You've never bought it, you're not sure how to pronounce it, and you're wondering if you can skip it. You can't. Orgeat is what makes a Mai Tai taste like a Mai Tai. The pronunciation: "or-ZHAH" (French) or "OR-jat" (English). Both are acceptable.
Most people think mezcal is just tequila with a worm—it's not. They're related but made from different agave varieties using different methods. Understanding the distinction opens up a whole category of cocktails you might not otherwise make.
The jump from following recipes to making consistently good cocktails means fixing a few small errors that compound. Most beginners make the same mistakes. Here are the five that matter most and how to fix them.
Cocktail terms like 'dry shake,' 'express oils,' and 'float' aren't casual descriptions—they're instructions that change how your drink turns out. Not knowing them is the fastest way to a bad cocktail. Here's what every instruction actually does.
Vermouth is misunderstood and mistreated—left open for months, bought in the wrong type, and dismissed as unimportant. The fix is simple: use the right type for your drink and store it properly once opened. Get both right and your cocktails transform.
Not all open bottles degrade the same—some last indefinitely, others spoil in weeks. It comes down to alcohol content, sugar, and oxidation. Get it wrong and your Manhattans taste dull. Get it right and everything stays fresher, longer.
Rum comes from sugar cane, but white, dark, and aged rum have distinct flavors and different uses in cocktails. Picking the wrong one changes how a drink tastes—and whether it freezes properly in a batch machine.
Making party cocktails isn't about shaking faster—it's about changing your strategy. The difference between a host stuck behind the bar and one enjoying their own party comes down to advance prep and smart drink choices. Here's how to stay sane.
Gin is the most botanically diverse spirit in the world. Two bottles labeled "gin" can taste completely different — one like pine and juniper, the other like flowers and citrus. That range makes gin interesting but picking the right bottle harder. The divide comes down to one botanical: juniper.
Tequila is the most polarizing spirit in mixology — dismissed as party fuel or revered as complex and age-worthy. The truth depends on which type you're using. Blanco, reposado, and añejo all come from the same agave, but aging determines their flavor and what drinks they suit.
Bourbon and rye are both American whiskeys — both brown, both 80–100 proof, both in the same cocktails. Many recipes just say "whiskey" and leave you guessing. But they taste meaningfully different, and that difference changes how a cocktail lands.
Most home bars start the same way: a nice whiskey, a gifted shaker, and a shelf of bottles used once a year. The problem isn't commitment — it's buying things in the wrong order. Build around what you'll actually make, not what looks impressive. Here's how to do it in stages.