SPVAQ32021 - 24

* Garnishes. Besides citrus
wedges, it's easy to stock
garnishes such as olives
and cherries. Choose
brands made specifically
for cocktails, not grocery
store olives and cherries
created for food use. If
you have a garden, herbs
such as thyme, mint and
rosemary can be useful as
garnishes and muddled to
make memorable cocktails.
Other perishable ingredients
are worth purchasing only when
you're hosting a party-or if
they'll help you enjoy your own
favorite drinks. For juices, this
includes orange, cranberry,
grapefruit, pineapple and tomato.
Other perishables include milk,
half and half or cream.
BEST BAR TOOLS AND
GADGETS
All bartenders have their own
favorite bar tools.
For Brenda Barnes, a juicer is
a must. " I prefer fresh squeezed
for any cocktail that calls for
juice, " she says. " It makes such
a difference! " Given her affinity
for tropical drinks, Brenda also
recommends having a blender on
hand.
Mark Calhoon appreciates his
shaker. " Toss it all in, add ice,
shake it up and woo-hoo! "
He also swears by his Bar
Master Deluxe. The batteryoperated,
flask-shaped talking
electronic gadget allows a user to
search by recipe name, category,
ingredient, etc., then provides the
information to create the drink.
(It can still be found for sale on
eBay. So can Mark's other
antiquated bar gadget-the
Executair three-bottle-andbar-tools
suitcase that he
and his buddies all tote when
24 SPIRITED VIRGINIA
they're traveling together!)
Kevin Barger's favorite tool
is the Perfect Drink, a scaleplus-app
that helps the home
bartender make-you guessed
it-the perfect drink, every
time. Users can look up recipes
or, says Kevin, " You can put in
what you have available (all those
annoying things that perhaps you
bought for one recipe) and it will
spit out options to use up those
ingredients! And then you make
the drink on the scale, so you get
it exactly right. "
THE BASIC TOOLS - IN BASIC
ORDER OF IMPORTANCE
You may have a few of these
tools in your kitchen already but
having an extra can ensure you're
ready for happy hour.
* Jigger, marked with
units of measurement.
Even professional
bartenders confirm the
importance of measuring
your ingredients!
* Shaker. Besides
thoroughly mixing
the drink, shaking
with ice chills and
lightly dilutes a drink.
Shaking adds fullness
and froth to drinks
made with egg whites.
And it's practically
essential for citrusy
cocktails such as Bee's
Knees and Daiquiri.
* Juicer. You don't need an
expensive electric juicer.
Instead, nab a manual
" beehive " juicer to get the
most out of your citrus
with an easy squeeze.
* Strainer. A standard
Hawthorne strainer works
with a shaker and a mixing
glass to easily strain
ice and other large
chunks out of your
drink. For recipes
SPVAQ32021

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