How to Elevate Ready-Made Cocktails
Ready to transform ordinary ready-made cocktails into extraordinary? Learn how to harness specialised ingredients and bring theatre to your batched cocktails.
Estimated reading time: 3 minutes
Welcome to the world of creative batching! Learn how to turn ready-made, batched cocktails into world class serves.
INNOVATE WITH FLAVOURS & INGREDIENTS
With the right mix of specialised ingredients, your cocktails will captivate and provide guests with tantalising flavours. Here are 3 ways to innovate:
1. Introduce Acids
Whether it’s the sharp zest from citric acid or lactic acid for a subtle creaminess, acids can be an exciting addition to your batched cocktail ingredients. Follow our Pro’s Guide to Acidity in Cocktails for tips on how to introduce acids.
Quick Tip: Add any acid to your batched cocktail gradually. Taste and test to ensure you have the right balance.
2. Infusion
Add depth and complexity to your cocktails with this powerful technique. As you might already know, infusion involves soaking ingredients in spirits or mixers to extract flavours. Like acids, we have a helpful guide to infusions that can be replicated as part of batched cocktail preparation.
Quick Tip: the infused base can directly replace a spirit or mixer in your cocktail recipe.
Use this delicious Johnnie Walker Peach & Tarragon infusion base to level up a batched cocktail.
3. Syrups & Cordials
Adding a syrup or cordial to ingredients will elevate any batched cocktail, bringing depth and flavour. Follow our guide on How to Make your Own Syrups and Cordials for tips on how to create a custom syrup that will enhance any ready-made cocktail.
Quick tip: make sure to taste as you go so either the cordial or syrup aren’t overpowering. However, do take into account the dilution stage of batching as this will lessen the flavour.
Sweeten a tiki based batched cocktail with orgeat syrup for a unique and elevated experience.
BRING THEATRE TO READY-MADE COCKTAILS
The visual and sensory elements of your batched cocktails will transform them into an unforgettable experience for guests. Follow our key tips and techniques to wow guests with your take on batched cocktails.
1. Visual Appeal
- Colourful Cocktails: using ingredients like butterfly pea flower tea (with acids) or blue spirulina (with syrups) will transform a batched cocktail straightaway.
- Layered Cocktails – a layered ready-made cocktail will make it very striking and appealing to guests. Whether it’s building on a red wine base for a sangria or coconut cream base for a Pina colada, this technique will ensure your guests are blown away.
Key Tip: As you would for a single serve, pour the heaviest liquid first, allowing it to settle at the bottom of the vessel before adding other layers. Discover more tips for layering with our Art of Layering article.
Smoking and garnishing ready-made cocktails are other ways to make a visual impact.
2. Presentation
- Glassware: The great thing about batching is that you can pour your ready-made cocktails from all types of weird and wonderful vessels, whether it’s adding a sophisticated touch with a decanter or using a crystal pitcher to show off any colour or layers. When pouring into single serve glasses, make sure the glassware is just as impressive and makes the most out of the serve.
- Dehydrated Garnish: dehydrated garnish is a great way to elevate your batched cocktail, whether it’s an edible garnish like dehydrated raspberries on top of a fruity punch or a dried citrus wheel added to a Pimm’s No.1 Jug.
3. Temperature and Texture
- Dry Ice: For a dramatic, smoky effect, add dry ice to the serve vessel before pouring. This will create a fog as it melts, however, make sure ice is fully melted before serving.
Key Tip: Chill the batched cocktail thoroughly before adding dry ice.
- Foams: similarly to making a single serve, foaming agents such as egg white, lecithin or aquafaba can be added to cocktail ingredients to give a unique and attractive look, not to mention the wonderful mouthfeel that comes with foam’s airy texture.
For more expert tips on bringing flair to your cocktails do check out our guide to Theatrical Flair for Cocktails.
KEY TAKEAWAYS
- Using specialised ingredients like acids, infusion and syrups can upgrade the flavour and improve guest experience of ready-made cocktails.
- Consider the visual appeal of your ready-made cocktail by adding colour, layers, smoke or garnish.
- When bringing theatre to your batched cocktail, it’s worth thinking about presentation details such as glassware and/or garnish.
- Temperature and texture are other ways to make your batched cocktail stand out, whether it’s the dramatic effect of dry ice or foam.