Mixology: how to prepare great drinks at home!

Preparing your own drink at home in the company of friends and family is an excellent option to improve your cocktail concepts and make drinks of all types – from the most elaborate to the simplest – in the comfort of your home, exploring different possibilities. To help you develop this skill, mixologist Alê D'Agostino , from Guilhotina Bar – which is present at CASACOR São Paulo this year – gives tips and easy recipes for those who want to start preparing drinks at home and impress everyone. Check it out!

Invest in classic spirits

According to the mixologist, first of all you will need to invest in some basic and essential cocktail bottles . They may seem expensive, but you will be able to make a lot of cocktails in them, and on top of that you will only use a few milliliters of each drink – meaning they will last a long time. For example, to make a Whiskey Sour , which contains Bourbon, lemon juice and sugar syrup, you will need to invest in a bottle of Bourbon, but it will also be used to make another drink, the Old Fashioned , which in addition to Bourbon contains a bitter, which can be Angostura. With a bottle of Campari, you can make a Boulevardier – which is made with Campari, Bourbon and Red Vermouth. And of course, your home bar can't be without the classic gin: and from there, one step to the Negroni , which contains Campari, red vermouth and gin.

Mix all ingredients with ice . Transfer to a low glass, with a steamer (a type of cocktail strainer) that already has large ice. Serve with an orange peel.

Boulevardier

Ingredients:

• 30 ml Campari
• 30 ml of red vermouth
• 30 ml of Bourbon

Preparation method: Mix all ingredients with ice. Transfer to a low glass , with a steamer , which already has large ice. Serve with an orange peel.

Dry Vermouth

Ingredients:

• 150 ml gin
• 25 ml white dry vermouth
• 1 olive to decorate
• Sicilian lemon peel

Preparation method: In a mixing glass filled with ice, combine the gin and vermouth. Stir in circles with a cocktail spoon (without breaking up the ice too much) until the mixture is well chilled . Place a cocktail strainer on the rim of a martini glass and pour the mixture in. Using your hands, twist the lemon peel (this helps release its oils) around the rim of the glass. Garnish with the olive and serve immediately.

Old Fashioned

Ingredients:

• 45 ml of Bourbon
• 2 drops of bitters (Angostura)
• 1 slice of orange
• 10 ml simple sugar syrup

Preparation method: Place the sugar cube in a lowball glass and hydrate with the bitters and drops of water. Muddle. Fill the glass with ice and add the Bourbon. Stir gently. Finish with an orange slice and a twist of orange peel.

Whiskey Sour

Ingredients:

• 60 ml of Bourbon
• ½ egg white
• 30 ml Sicilian lemon juice
• 10ml simple sugar syrup
• ice

Preparation method: Rub lemon and sugar around the rim of the glass in which the drink will be served. In a cocktail shaker with ice, add the sugar, lemon juice, egg white and bourbon. Shake until the glass is chilled . Pour the drink (without ice) into the glass and serve.