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Mixology Tools - Muddler
Wednesday, May 16, 2007
Recently I created a post about how to make a mojito. I took the easy way out and used Rose's Mojito Mixer and just added rum. Well if you want to make a real mojito you're going to need a muddler.
A muddler is sort of a mixologist's mortar and pestle. When a cocktail recipe directs you to muddle the ingredients, you'll need a muddler. Really you're just squashing ingredients in the bottom of the glass. In the case of the mojito, it's the mint leaves that are being muddled.
If you don't have a muddler, then a good way to mash your mojito leaves is with the back of a spoon. And obviously be careful not to muddle too hard because you may break the glass.
Posted by Anthony 4:15 AM 0 comments
Labels: mixology tools, tip
Vacu Vin Wine Saver
Tuesday, May 01, 2007
The Vacu Vin Wine Saver
I'm sure most of you have seen the recent studies about how drinking a glass of red wine everyday is good for your heart. You'd think that if drinking one glass a day is good for you then drinking a whole bottle would be GREAT for you but sadly it isn't the case.
So what do you do with the rest of the bottle? Just putting the cork back in the bottle is fine for a day or so but if you want to make it last longer you'll need the Wine Saver. The Vacu Vin Wine Saver comes with 2 rubber cork-like stoppers that have valves in them. To keep your wine fresh you first stick the rubber stopper into the bottle. Then you place the small plunger device on top of the rubber stopper and pump the air out of the bottle. 
Air is your enemy when it comes to keeping wine fresh. By pumping the air out of the bottle you can delay the oxidation process and keep an open bottle of wine for up to two weeks. Vacu Vin says up to two weeks but I've keep a bottle a lot longer than that with no noticeable effect on taste.
If you're tired of pouring stale wine down the drain or need a break from trying to finish the bottle whenever you're in the mood for a single glass of wine, you should give this Wine Saver a try.
Posted by Anthony 4:37 PM 3 comments
Scary Looking Ice Cube
Sunday, March 11, 2007
As a Home Mixologist, I’m always looking for interesting things to try when it comes to making cocktails. The key to home mixology is to practice on yourself and/or your spouse so that you when you have a party, you’re all set.
One thing I read about recently was making fancy ice cubes with fruit in them. You could serve something like that absolute berry drink and what would look better than an ice cube with a berry in it?
I set out to make some of these berry ice cubes. Since I have an automatic ice maker built into my freezer, I don’t have any ice trays. So I used a very small paper cup. I thought it would actually be cooler than a square cube because it would be disc shaped like the bottom of the cup.
As you can see in the picture, the paper cup didn’t make a nice looking ice cube. And this is why I practice things before trying them out on guests. I think I had better purchase some ice cube trays before I try again.
Posted by Anthony 1:18 PM 1 comments
Measures
Sunday, January 28, 2007
Measure twice, cut once. That’s an old carpentry saying that illustrates how the most important part of cutting wood is how you measure it. It’s the same thing when making drinks. Maybe for mixologists it should be measure twice, serve once.
The standard measure for making cocktails is 1.5 ounces. You’ve probably seen stainless steel jiggers at your local bar or for sale in kitchen stores. They’re great for making a drink that calls for exact proportions.
Short cocktails usually require an exact proportion. You can increase the standard measure that you’re using but remember not to change the proportions.
When making longer drinks that mostly consist of mixers, measurements aren’t as important.
Posted by Anthony 11:26 AM 0 comments
Mixology Tip
Thursday, January 11, 2007
When making a cocktail, always pour the alcohol over the ice instead of dropping ice cubes into the alcohol. This way your drink will be more evenly chilled and it won't splash on you.
Posted by Anthony 9:04 PM 0 comments
