Sun Sentinel Palm Beach Edition
Cocktail glossary for amateur mixologists
When entertaining, hosts are sometimes called on to make and serve mixed drinks for guests. Making drinks may seems as simple as throwing a few ingredients into a shaker and pouring the resulting mix into a fancy glass, but authentic cocktail creation requires a little more effort than that. A cursory knowledge of common words and phrases can help you become a master mixologist in no time.
• Bitters: Made from herbs and berries, bitters can add a diverse flavor profile to your cocktails and balance out sweeter drinks.
• Boston shaker: Device used to make shaken drinks and chill them thoroughly.
• Flute: A long, narrow glass used to serve champagne and sparkling wines. The shape of the flute ensures bubbles fizz for as long as possible.
• Collins glass: A tall glass with a heavy base, quite similar to and often interchangeable with a highball glass.
• Dirty: A word typically associated with martinis. Dirty refers to serving the drink with an olive and some vinegarbased brine.
• Dry: Like wine, cocktails can be sweet or dry. Cocktails that are dry tend to include dry vermouth.
• Frosted glasses: Glasses that are kept in the freezer so cocktails can be served very cold. This technique works well for martinis and drinks that include gin, vodka and/or vermouth.
• Highball: A highball is a spirit served on ice with carbonated soda as a mixer.
• Infusion: Spirits that have a special flavoring or ingredient added to them are known as infusions.
• Mixers: Mixers are liquids added to hard drinks. They include fruit juices, sodas and tonic water.
• Neat: In the world of cocktails, “neat” refers to a single spirit or liqueur served on its own without ice, water or any other ingredients.