Ingredients
for the best cocktails

Cocktail classification

The word cocktail generally refers to a drink obtained from mixing three ingredients, one of which contains alcohol.

A first classification can be made based on quantity and serving glass: shots or shooters in a shot glass (3 - 6 cl), best known in Italy as cicchetti; short drinks in a small cocktail glass (9 - 30 cl) or Martini glass; medium drinks in short tumbler glasses (18 - 30 cl) like the Old Fashioned; long drinks in high tumbler glasses (25 - 40 cl).

Cocktails are also different in their composition. The first cocktails, today known as Ancestrals, appeared at the beginning of the XIX century. These drinks consisted of a base spirit sweetened with sugar, or with some sweet liqueurs such as maraschino and curaçao, bitter and water or ice. Examples from this category are the Old Fashioned and Sazerac.

Towards the end of the XIX century, vermouth and other fortified wines were added to the Ancestrals to soften the alcoholic component and give a more refined taste and flavour. These cocktails are currently known as Spirit-Forward or French-Italian Drinks. Ingredients are always mixed and never shaken. White and dry French vermouths are generally mixed with gin and vodka; whereas red and sweet Italian vermouths match well with aged spirits, such as whisky and rum. They can be served smooth or on the rocks. Fruit is only used as syrup or garnish: lemon slice, orange or spirited cherry. This category includes Martini, Negroni, the Americano and Manhattan.

A cocktail with only an alcoholic base and a filler is also called Highball. One of the most common fillers is soda, so much so that Whisky & Soda was probably one of the first Highballs, while Gin Tonic and Cuba Libre are among the most famous. Highballs including ginger ale, ginger beer and lemon juice or lime are called Bucks. The most famous is the Moscow Mule, previously known as Vodka Buck. Another Highball sub-category includes cocktails made with vodka and cranberry juice, which are named after Cape Codder, the US region that is best known for growing the fruit. Also Sea Breeze, Madras, Sex on the Beach and Cosmopolitan belong to this group. Even Exotic, Tropical or Tiki cocktails can be Highballs. They indeed evoke exotic atmospheres (Caribbean, Hawaiian, Polynesian etc.) and their main characteristic is the presence of syrup or fruit juice. Even the Bloodies, whose filler is tomato juice, fall into this category. Bloody Mary is the most famous one.

Sours are made with an alcoholic base, lime juice or lemon and a third sweetener, like sugar, grenadine, triple sec or pineapple juice, to balance acidity level. Daiquiri, Caipirinha, Sidecar and Margarita are classic examples of Sours. This category can include Fizzes and Collins, both with soda as a filler. The difference between the two is that Collins are served with ice in the homonymous glass and are mixed, whereas Fizzes are shaken. The John Collins and Gin Fizz are made using the same ingredients but the making is different.

According to Gary Reagan's (The Joy of Mixology) definition, when a cocktail contains a spirit and a liqueur, it is a Duo, while a Trio has one more ingredient like sugar, honey, milk, cream or aromatic herbs. Some of the most famous Duos are the Black Russian, Godfather and Rusty Nail, whereas Alexander is the most famous Trio. In this category, we can also find the so-called Dark Drinks, whose main ingredient is coffee, and the Gangsters, whose base can be whisky, amaretto or cognac.

Juleps and Crushed form another category, whose main ingredient is mint leaves, often crushed in the glass with sugar and lime. Mojito, with a white rum base, and Mint Julep, made with bourbon, are part of this group.

ByHard Drinks we mean those cocktails with a high alcohol content, such as the Long Island Iced Tea, which started a subcategory of Iced Teas, where the various ingredients are replaced with other spirits, liqueurs or fillers. Among Hard Drinks there are also the Pousse-cafés or Layered Drinks, in which the different consistency of various liqueurs is used to create a multi-layered drink with two to seven layers. B52 is the most classic example, with three layers of coffee liqueur, whisky cream and Grand Marnier.

Champagne Cocktails are made with Champagne or sparkling wine, such as French 75, Mimosa, Bellini, Kir Royale.

Flip and Nog are made with egg, which is shaken with other ingredients. While the egg white can be found in other Fizzes, in this case the egg yolk is used too. The only cocktail from this category recognized by IBA (International Bartenders Association) is Porto Flip, although the most popular is certainly Eggnog, with milk, egg, nutmeg, typical of the Christmas period in the UK.

And then there are Punches. This term refers to alcoholic and non-alcoholic drinks, served both hot and cold and with fruit or fruit juice. What also makes Punches special is that they are served in a big bowl (punch bowl), which makes them ideal for parties. Originally from India, it seems the name derives from the Sanskrit word pañca, which means five, like the number of ingredients used to make them: alcohol, sugar, lemon, tea and spices.

Mixing techniques

Every cocktail has a specific mixing technique for blending ingredients based on its composition.

Shaking is vigorously agitating ingredients for 10-20 seconds in an ice-filled shaker. This method is used when a cocktail is made with ingredients with different consistencies, which need to be blended thoroughly, as is the case with fruit juices, syrups, liqueurs, milk, egg. The mix can then be served straight up, which means in a glass with no ice, or on the rocks, in a short tumbler glass with some more ice. After shaking, straining may come, which consists of filtering the ice and other remains: in this case we have shake and strain; if the cocktail is served with shaken ice instead, we talk about shake and pour.

The process of pouring ingredients into the glass and mixing them with a stirrer or bar spoon is called stirring. Less vigorous than shaking, stirring is used when the cocktail is made with ingredients that need to be blended and diluted with ice.

If the ingredients are poured one over the other in the glass, we call it building. This technique is used for Layered Drinks, where ingredients need to be layered. This method allows for the making of flaming cocktails, in which the last layer, made out of strong alcoholic spirits, is set on fire.

Muddling is about crushing ingredients like mint leaves, lime and sugar in a mortar so they release their aroma. This method is used for Juleps and crushed cocktails.

The last mixing technique is blending, used for frozen cocktails, which is about blending ingredients in a blender until you get a soft granita.