Have you ever bellied up to a bar and been entranced by the bartender mixing, shaking and stirring up incredible looking (and tasting) cocktails? Same. Mixology is a pretty cool art form, and at truk’t our bartenders know how to mix up a damn good drink. Now you can learn the art of mixology with cocktail classes led by the badass bartenders you’ve come to know and love at truk’t. In these hands-on classes, you will learn how to make classic and modern cocktails like our infamous margaritas. Grab your friends, or co-workers and come to The Barrel Room at truk’t where we’ll teach you everything you need to know to make delicious cocktails at home.
Before your first class, let’s cover some basics. We’re sharing some of the techniques and tools you’ll need to become a mixology master. You can thank us later, or just mix us a drink or two!
Muddling
This is used when you want to crush an ingredient to extract its juices and flavor. It's commonly used for things like citrus wedges or certain spices like ginger. Muddling is easy; just put all the ingredients you want to use in a mixing glass and take muddler and smash away until you’ve extracted the juices.
Shaking
Shaking a cocktail is a fast way to mix ingredients together while also cooling down and aerating the drink, it’s also pretty fun. When you have your ingredients in the cocktail shaker, add some ice, put the lid on it and shake, shake, shake! For the best results, you want to shake that thing for around 10 to 15 seconds, then strain it into your cocktail glass, garnish with fruit or herbs and you’re ready to cheers!
Stirring
Like shaking, stirring is another way to combine the ingredients of your drink. The biggest difference is that stirring is gentler and it doesn’t dilute the cocktail as much as shaking. To stir, put all your ingredients into a mixing glass, throw in some ice and stir everything together with a bar spoon.
So, should you shake or stir? Good question. While there’s no right or wrong, the general rule is you shake cocktails that contain fruit juice, dairy or eggs. You stir drinks when there’s nothing but alcohol in them, so you don’t dilute or over-chill them. Are you taking notes? Good. Now that you’ve got technique down, let’s teach you a thing or two about some tools you’ll be needing.
Jigger
A jigger is a handy little measurement tool used to help you pour the perfect amount of alcohol and other liquids into your mixture. Mixology is an art and precision can be key depending on the drink you’re making.
Shaker
The shaker may be the most essential tool in preparing a cocktail. There are many types but most commonly you’ll find the cobbler shaker or the Boston shaker. The cobbler is made with a built-in strainer and fitted top. The Boston has two sides, a pint glass and a metal jug to cover the top. This one allows you to cool your drink faster, and shaking takes less time.
Strainer
If you don’t want any fruit pulp or herbs in your drink, you’ll want to use a strainer before pouring your mixture from the shaker into your glass. Place the strainer on top of your shaker and pour right into the glass. If you want to get fancy, you can hold a fine strainer over the serving glass and pour the drink for a double strain.
Bar Spoon
This ain’t your average spoon. A bar spoon is made with a long, spiral handle. It's not only great for stirring drinks, but you can also pour a drink along the long handle to create layered cocktails.
Now you’ve got all the basics you need to mix up a good cocktail. Ready to try your hand at being a master mixologist? We thought so! Book your private cocktail class today and put that knowledge to the test.