Whether In Celebration Or Devastation... You Could Use A Drink | The Odyssey Online
Start writing a post
Lifestyle

Whether In Celebration Or Devastation... You Could Use A Drink

A Collection Of Useful Tips To Help Ease The Woes Of Life.

25
Whether In Celebration Or Devastation... You Could Use A Drink

In regards to the current state of US political affairs or just from the wear of a normal day in the life, most of us could use a drink (or maybe three). Going out to the bars isn't always feasible though. Whether it's a matter of time constraints, fluctuating funds or energy depletion, sometimes it's just nice to have a drink at home. To help facilitate that, here's a collaboration of bartending tips that I’ve picked up over the past couple years that you may find enticing. If anything, you can get an inside look at what you’re getting when you go out. Narrowing it down to five need to know categories, they are:

Liquor and Liqueur

Making Sour Mix

Sangria Secrets

Drink Formulas

The Bombest Hot Cocoa Ever


Liquor... I hardly even know her!

Liquor is an alcoholic beverage most commonly distilled from grains or plants. Liqueur is an alcoholic beverage made from the fermentation of fruits, flowers, herbs, nuts or spices, usually in addition to sugar mixed with a spirit like grain alcohol. Liquors generally range from 35 to 60 percent alcohol by volume, or ABV. Liqueurs on the other hand are sweeter and not as potent, they range from 15 to 30 percent alcohol by volume.


First It's Sour, Then It's Sweet...

Sour mix is definitely a staple in any home bar to mix with. It is an easy way to make a drink more tangy. Sour mix is also pretty easy to make while being very versatile for concocting drinks. To preface, fresh squeezed citrus juice has a way tangier bite than concentrated juices.

Fresh Sour Mix

One Cup Lime Juice

One Cup Lemon Juice

One Cup of Your Finest H2O

One Cup Sweetener of Your Choice

To finish the mix you just have to choose your sweetener. Simple syrup is a pretty conventional choice, although agave nectar is rising in popularity because of its ‘sweeter than honey’ taste and less viscous consistency. In addition, Blue Agave is commonly used in tequila production and therefore it is becoming more frequently used in sour mixes to make high quality tasting margaritas.


Sangria Is For Me-Yah

Sangria is one of those drinks that is completely different depending on where you go. However, the two things that are consistently found in sangria are fruit and wine. To some degree, that’s all sangria is, but that is not all it has to be. Using my past couple years of making sangria and gauging the reactions of different palate types, I’ve come up with three simple recipes to appeal to sangria drinkers. The yield of these recipes are all going to be by the glass.


Strong Sangria

2 Slices of Orange

A Couple of Pomegrante Seeds

.5oz Simple Syrup

Muddle (or squish excessively with a fork)

Add Ice

.5oz Fireball

.5oz Cointreu (or Triple Sec)

Top With a Cabernet (or any wine)

-Garnish With Cinnamon Sticks If You’re Feeling Super Fancy


Sweet Sangria

One Slice Lemon

One Slice Lime

.5oz Simple Syrup

Muddle (the fork squishing thing really works)

Add Ice

.75oz Peachtree

Splash Pineapple Juice

Top With a Red Blend (or any wine)

-Garnish With A Pineapple Wedge For Ultra Fanciness


Savory Sangria

One Slice Lemon

A Couple Blueberries

Two to Three Mint Leaves

.5oz Simple Syrup

Muddle (You can buy a muddler on Amazon)

Add Ice

.5oz St. Germain (elderflower liqueur)

Top With Pinot Grigio (or any wine)

-Garnish With A Couple More Blueberries And A Mint Sprig


Drink Formulating

Making up new drinks is my favorite part of bar tending. I enjoy trying new things and experimenting with unconventional flavor combinations. The meticulous nature of mixology makes personalization easy if you understand the drink's formula. If you break it down into respective types, there are mainly five types of drinks.

Shots are two to three ounce drinks consisting of only liquor(s) and/or liqueur(s).

Shooters are one to four ounce drinks consisting of liquor(s) and/or liqueur(s) plus some type of juice or mix.

‘Tinis or Martinis, are two to four ounce drinks consisting of predominantly liquor plus a splash of liqueur, juice, bitters or some type of concentrate or syrup. In addition, bruising is a necessary step in most martinis.

High Balls are four to six ounce drinks consisting of liquor(s) and/or liqueur(s) plus two to three ounces of soda, tonic, mix or juice(s).

Specialties are more than five ounce drinks consisting of liquor(s) and/or liqueur(s) plus three to five ounces of soda, tonic, mix or juice(s).

High balls and Specialties can both be made into doubles by adding additional liquor. If a standard shot is 1.5 fluid ounces, than a double shot would be 2.5 - 3 fluid ounces.


I'm In Love With The Cocoa

Hot Cocoa is in the eye of the beholder. If you like milk, milk is the way to go. If you don't care, you'll take water all day. I, being the picky person I am, like almond milk in my cocoa. However you make it, this recipe will help make it just little bit better. By a little bit, I mean, the best spiked hot cocoa I've ever had...

One Cup Hot Cocoa

.5oz Frangelico

.5oz Bailey's Irish Creme

.5oz Absolut Vanilia

-Ganish With Whipped Cream And As Many Marshmallows As Possible

When You Do Go Out

I have one request, please just be polite. Not just to the bartender, but the people standing around you, other people working there or just everyone. A simple act of kindness can start a chain reaction. And as awesome as having a drink is, making new friends to share it with is even better.

Report this Content
This article has not been reviewed by Odyssey HQ and solely reflects the ideas and opinions of the creator.
smiling girl in pink and white stripe shirt

I'll never forget the day that someone told me these words: "Madison, I think you're a good friend to everyone but yourself." I stood there completely in awe of that statement. Before that day, I never really thought about being a friend to myself, and at the time, I didn't really know what it meant. Now, I realize that you can't fully be there for other people unless you're there for yourself, too. You can't show up for others until you're willing to show up for yourself.

Here are five things everyone should learn in order to be a better friend to themselves. These steps are hard, but they're so worth it.

Keep Reading...Show less
Christmas decorations
YouTube

Finals, exams and papers - oh my! The only thing keeping you sane at the moment is the thought that Christmas break is near. Need a mid-week pick-me-up? Here are some simple things you can do to stay motivated and get into the Christmas spirit.

1. Play Christmas Music

Keep Reading...Show less
Lifestyle

21 Things We All Love About Winter

Despite the cold, you might find that there is a lot to love about winter.

121
pine cone winter
Photo by Aaron Burden on Unsplash

We all have a love hate relationship with winter, lets be real here. The snow makes people forget how to drive, its cold, the roads are bad, and chances are, you will be spending a lot more money than you do during the other months of the year. If you’re from the Midwest, it seems to be that winter lasts for what feels like forever. But despite the struggles that winter brings, there are so many things to love about it.

Keep Reading...Show less
christmas shopping bags

Shopping for your family and friends can be expensive. So why not make something small and cute while not emptying your bank account?

Keep Reading...Show less
Student Life

The Post Thanksgiving Panic And Anxiety

It happens to all of us, the weeks between Thanksgiving and Christmas the catch up with you.

1418
studying

Thanksgiving Break is most likely everyone’s favorite break during the fall semester. You get to go home and reminisce with all your high school friends. That diet you’ve been on for the past month goes out the window, and you get to eat until you put yourself into a food coma. There’s no rush on homework and you can just lie in bed and Netflix to your heart’s content. To me that sounds like an ideally wonderful break, and totally stress-free.

Keep Reading...Show less

Subscribe to Our Newsletter

Facebook Comments