Now that we are moving into the summer months here in the UK, many people are beginning to move back into their gardens to entertain friends and family. This is a prime opportunity to dust off the BBQ and make some drinks in the sun. So, here are some top tips for you this summer which will hopefully make things a little less stressful, meaning you can enjoy the moment.
Is price point important when buying spirits?
As a company and a consumer, the ethos of a brand and where they are from are as equally as important as the price point. We love working with smaller brands who happen to be local (Spirit of the Downs, Brighton Gin, Slake Gin) yet the choice is pretty much always dictated by price. So, our advice to pay what you can afford on the spirits side of things and pay a little more for your fresh ingredients and ice.
How much fruit to buy?
This can be tricky to figure out but hopefully the following should make things very easy and, mean not too much wasted fruit at the end of the party.
1 lime = 1 drink
1 lemon = 2 drink
By drink we mean the 1 measure of juice that is required to make one drink. This is normally around 25 ml.
Easy recipes
Making drinks can be quite tricky due to the numerous variations of one cocktail recipe.
The availability of ingredients may make things difficult so having the ability to be flexible and adjust drinks accordingly is really important.
When making most drinks that contain a sour element (lemon/ lime) then the following ratio (2:1:1) will pretty much always work, meaning a good balanced drink.
This ratio is easy to remember as it is 2 Strong (alcohol): 1 Sweet (sugar or sugar syrup): 1 Sour (as mentioned above either lemon or lime).
What ice to buy and how much?
Ice is the deal breaker for making good cocktails. Without it drinks are warm and, more importantly undiluted. Generally we use two types of ice CRUSHED and CUBED. These can be bought from most supermarkets now in handy 2 KG bags. However, don’t forget that you may have to add ice to coolers to keep you beer and wine cool.
Simple advice is to make large ice blocks (old ice cream containers are great for this) several days in advance. These large blocks will be far more efficient that the smaller cubes you get from the shop and will keep everything colder for longer.
What equipment to buy
Generic cocktail equipment can be replaced by things like jam jars or, anything that has a lid can be used to shake. The most important bit of kit are the following;
A sharp Knife and Board.
We recommend the Tomato knife from Victoronix or the Spyderco Z-cut, and any decent chopping board.
Cool Box
The size of cool box is dependant on you. We tend to go for the large 100litre boxes. These are great for camping or garden parties allowing you to keep all manner of things cool. Keep an eye out for how long they last as some of them have an “ice guarantee” of 3 or more days.
Hand Juicer
These are the single greatest bits of kit to add to your home bar setup. They come in three different sizes (lime, lemon and orange) just go for the lemon sized juicer as this can comfortably take care of all size of fruit you may encounter. Look for an all metal setup as the plastic handle made ones can fail.
A piece of advice…
The main thing to remember is to enjoy being with your guest and have fun. Ensure lots of soft drinks are available and stay hydrated!
Comments