Behind Bars

  Take your party up a notch by setting up an open bar and then getting behind it to shake up some delicious cocktails for your guests. Or better yet, invite your guests to make their own cocktails; it’s a sure-fire way to get people mingling and talking, both during and after the party!

Daunting as it may seem, setting up a bar for your party is actually a pretty effortless task. All you need is a basic set of bar tools and equipment, juices, liqueurs, spirits and garnishes. Once everything is in place, cocktail alchemy becomes purely a matter of good taste and creativity… oh, and a dash of flair and showmanship, too.

Pop into a food and beverage supplies store and get yourself a Boston shaker (or the three-piece cocktail shaker – fool-proof but not as convenient, and less stylish), a jigger for measuring liquids, a bar spoon and a hawthorne strainer and you’re ready to shake things up. A good inventory of liquors should consist of gin, vodka, rum, whisky, tequila and brandy, while you’d also want to have handy freshly squeezed orange juice, lime juice, pineapple juice, soft drinks, simple syrup, grenadine syrup, angostura bitters and various liqueurs (common ones include crème de menthe, crème de cacao, Kahlua, Cointreau, Amaretto etc.). All these are readily available in supermarkets, and you can even make some of the ingredients at home a day ahead of the party (the juices, not the liqueurs!). Garnishes can be as simple as neatly sliced citrus fruit wheels.

Memorise a few simple recipes, or encourage your guests to have a hand at creating their own inspired drinks.

We’ve crept into some of Singapore’s hottest bars and glimpsed into their collections of cocktail recipes. Make these at home for a memorable cocktail reception, or take a leaf from them and create your own. And if all else fails, at least you know you can head out to these bars and have a drink!

 

To see the recipes from all the hottest bars, pick up the November issue of Appetite now!