Hi, Friends of Cocktails! Are you still using raw sugar or sugar cubes in your Old Fashioneds and Mojitos, and trying to stir it all in? Adding complicated garnishes that don’t enhance the flavor? Drinking your Martinis out of V-shaped glasses… ok, this last one is debatable, but we’ll get to it.
So come sit at the Cocktail Time speakeasy bar for Kevin’s Masterclass on how to make cocktails every bartender should know—but in a contemporary way to elevate these classic cocktails, like the Old Fashioned, Daiquiri, Mojito, Sidecar, and the Martini.
Let me start off with a disclaimer: I respect the tradition and history of classic cocktails—that’s why we’ve covered many of them in our Old vs New episodes. I also understand why some of the most iconic bars around the world continue to make drinks the old-fashioned way—they’re selling an experience, transporting you back in time.
With that said, we have to keep in mind that ingredients, technology, and our palates have evolved. That’s why I think our methods for making cocktails should evolve as well—and no matter your favorite era of cocktails, quality bar tools are a must!
That’s why we have partnered with A Bar Above, so all my US Friends of Cocktails can get a 10% discount on their website using the code COCKTAILTIME10 at checkout. Now, let’s dive into how you should be making the Old Fashioned—it’s Cocktail Time!
Old Fashioned
● 60mL · 2oz Bourbon
● 2 barspoons Demerara Rich Gum Syrup
● 2 dashes Aromatic Bitters
● 2 drops 20% Saline Solution
● Orange Peel Garnish
The Old Fashioned was originally made with sugar, sometimes a sugar cube soaked with bitters, muddled with a splash of soda, and topped with whiskey. Essentially, they were making simple syrup in the glass, but why not skip that step by using syrup instead?
So into a chilled mixing glass, add a slice of orange and a cherry and start muddling… I’m kidding. Add the demerara rich syrup, bitters, bourbon, and saline solution along with ice, then stir to chill and dilute the cocktail.
Using a syrup with gum arabic adds a silky mouthfeel, and rich syrups last longer than regular 1:1 simple syrups. Plus, they provide more flavor with less dilution! Strain the cocktail over a clear ice cube in a tumbler glass, and express the oils from an orange peel on top.
This Old Fashioned is perfect for me, but it’s normal to prefer your Old Fashioneds with more or less sweetness, bitters, or spirit, so adjust it to your taste or your guest’s preferences. With the grandfather of all cocktails covered, let’s move on to a summer favorite: the Mojito.
Unless you’re making it in Cuba I think using a syrup instead of granulated sugar is the way to go. That’s where the Mojito was born and I’ve had some great Mojitos at La Bodeguita del Medio, but they’re making multiple, sometimes up to 50 glasses at once, the sugar has time to dissolve by the time the cocktail is served.
We’ll also skip muddling limes, as I showed when we covered the full evolution of the Mojito. This time, I’ll use freshly squeezed lime juice, but for boosted flavor, Lime Super Juice is a great option.
Mojito
● 60mL · 2oz Lightly Aged Rum
● 22.5mL · 0.75oz Lime Juice
● 22.5mL · 0.75oz Simple Syrup
● 2 drops 20% Saline Solution
● Handful of Mint
● Soda to Top
● Mint Bouquet Garnish
Add the simple syrup, lime juice, rum, and mint to a chilled highball glass. This method controls proportions for balance and prevents shredded mint in your drink. Muddling with rum instead of soda extracts mint’s essential oils without losing carbonation.
Add saline solution, plenty of ice, and top with soda. Stir gently with a bar spoon, then garnish with fresh mint. Balanced, refreshing, and minty makes this one of my favorite classics, but honorable mention for the Daiquiri before we move on.
Next up we have the Sidecar–a daisy-style cognac cocktail where orange liqueur replaces syrup, balanced with a sugared rim to counter the sourness of the lemon. While this unique garnish sets it apart, I prefer to skip the sugar rim and use a barspoon of syrup instead. It’s less messy and just as balanced.
Sidecar
● 45mL · 1.5oz Cognac
● 22.5mL · 0.75oz Lemon Juice
● 22.5mL · 0.75oz Orange Liqueur
● 1 barspoon Demerara Rich Gum Syrup
● 2 drops 20% Saline Solution
This one is as simple as adding the ingredients to a chilled shaker with ice, shaking hard, and straining into a chilled coupe. You can honor tradition by sprinkling powdered sugar on the side of the glass, but the syrup should be enough. Santé!
Before moving onto our last classic, the Martini, let’s quickly touch up on garnishes. Instagram, TikTok and virality brought on a garnish overkill, among other things. But there’s an anti movement to that as well, so let’s join it.
I’m a strong believer in the fact that garnishes should enhance the flavor, not just the visuals, so unless we’re talking about Tiki Cocktails, the umbrella garnishes are out. You’ve also probably seen me use the small circle garnishes for a lot of my cocktails recently, as it serves its purpose, but the minimalistic nature also doesn’t take away the focus from the cocktail.
The minimalist approach can go too far as well - cocktails aren’t glasses of water, they need personality. So if you want something a bit more advanced go with a jello or isomalt candy, but always make sure it complements the flavor of the cocktail. Again, balance is key.
Now we can finish with the eternal Martini cocktail, with the glass you serve it being even more famous than the cocktail itself. The problem? It spills way too easy. It’s just not practical. Before we go on to fixing that issue, let’s focus on how you can serve it fast and efficiently by making a freezer door Martini!
Martini (Batched)
● 400mL · 13.33oz Gin
● 100mL · 3.33oz Dry Vermouth
● 13 dashes Bitters of Your Choice
● 13 drops 20% Saline Solution
Combine gin or vodka, with dry vermouth, in your preferred ratio. Mine is 4:1 so for a 500mL bottle that’s easy to calculate, then add bitters of choice. Orange works fine, but I like to use a house mix of Lemon, Orange, Grapefruit and Spruce Tip bitters, making a combination I like to call Martini Bitters.
Lastly, saline solution to boost the flavors and that’s it! If you have a different sized bottle, you can use my batched cocktail calculator here, but regardless of how much Martini you’re batching all you need to do now is to place it in the freezer.
This recipe doesn’t have dilution, so keep in mind you’ll need to add that later on. If you add it beforehand, the lower ABV might mean it will freeze after a while in the freezer. So when it’s time to serve it you have 3 options.
One is to serve it a glass that’s somewhere between a coupe glass and the classic v-shaped Martini glass, which means it won’t spill as soon as you pick it up. Second one is to find smaller glasses, for Mini Martini cocktails. The V-shaped glasses are often oversized, and smaller portions ensure quality to the last sip like we covered when making mini cocktails.
Lastly, you might need to sit down for this one, but serving it on ice might be the best way to go. It works for the Negroni and Old Fashioned, so why not for the Martini? The ice keeps it freezer-cold, but it can also take some of the rougher edges off at the same time. Maybe Sinatra was up to something, as this was his preferred way of drinking Martinis.
With that, we’ve reached the Bottom of The Glass. If you follow these tips I think you’ll always make classic cocktails that are balanced, approachable, and enjoyable for everyone. And yf you’re looking to dive deeper, check out Meehan’s Bartender Manual—an incredible resource for bartenders that wish to progress in their craft.
As a fun fact I have a copy that was gifted to me by our director Robi, way back in 2019, before I ever said “It’s Cocktail Time”. Until next time, cheers, friends of cocktails!
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