Techniques

Ready to hone your craft? Brush up on your bartending skills as we get advice from the experts on both everyday and advanced techniques

Most recent content

How to Make the Famous Café Brûlot from Arnaud's

Showmanship is a fundamental tenant of tending bar at Arnaud's in New Orleans. So, it's no surprise that their classic after dinner drink, featuring brandy and Curaçao, involves a formal presentation and open flames.

Better Speed and Efficiency for Craft Bartenders

Join Bobby Heugel as he discusses how to make craft cocktails as efficiently as possible.

7 Tips for Safely Serving Incredible Flaming Drinks

San Francisco's Pagan Idol serves a fiery cocktail that puts other flaming tiki drinks to shame. Find out how they prioritize both entertainment value and safety precautions.

Advanced Techniques for Mad Scientists Behind the Bar

Cocktail science extraordinaire Dave Arnold and fellow mad drinks scientist Don Lee demonstrate some of the most complex and useful bar science techniques.

5 Things to Know About Serving Cocktails on Draft

Serving cocktails on draft can speed up service and provide novelty, but there are a few things worth taking into consideration before you begin to pour Daiquiris from a spout.

A Bartender Shares His Housemade Coconut Cream Recipe

Thinking about stepping away from the canned stuff and making your own coconut cream? Oron Lerner of Tel Aviv's French 75 shows us how it's done.

Throwing Cocktails, Part Two: Playing with Fire

Once you've perfected the art of throwing cocktails, step up your game to the ultimate extreme — throwing fire. Arnd Henning Heißen of Curtains Club bar in Berlin's Ritz Carlton shows us how it's done.

How to Throw a Cocktail with Confidence and Ease

Berlin's Arnd Henning Heißen shows us how you can incorporate cocktail throwing for more aerated drinks and a bit of flair.

Bartender blowtorching the top of a barrel

16 Tips for Barrel-Aging Your Cocktails

A barrel-aging pro shares the advice, techniques and wisdom he's picked up along the way.

A cocktail in a punch bowl behind a sign that says "Making Christmas."

A Busy Bar’s Guide to Complicated Holiday Drinks

Holiday cocktails are often work-intensive and filled with complex ingredients. Find out how to make a holiday cocktail in bulk that works for your bar's size, equipment and staff constraints.

How to Choose the Right Vermouth: A Flowchart

Are you working on a vermouth cocktail and wondering which bottle to reach for? We created a simple flowchart that just might guide you in the right direction.

5 Clever Tricks for Making Use of Oxidized Vermouth

What to do with a bottle of vermouth that's no longer in its prime? We talked to two barmen about innovative, sustainable and edible uses of oxidized vermouth.

A cocktail in a rocks glass with one cube and an orange twist.

How to Use Vermouth in Seasonal Cocktails

From light and floral to bitter and bold, there's a vermouth for every time of the year. Here's how to work four vermouths into seasonal drinks.

How to Pick the Perfect Vermouth for Your Cocktail

Vermouth aficionado Adam Ford doesn't add any vermouth to a cocktail that he wouldn't drink on its own. Learn what else he evaluates when choosing the right vermouth for a cocktail.