Lesson 17: Coffee Based Cocktails

Hello everyone! Welcome back to Free Online Bartending School. A cool and cheap way to learn about bartending on the web.

Today's lesson is about coffee based cocktails. I felt it was a nice transition since my last lesson was about coffee drinks.

Coffee based cocktails are simply put cocktails with coffee in it. These cocktails are not extremely popular, and they do tend to be after dinner cocktails at a nice restaurant. I've also seen people get coffee cocktails a lot in Las Vegas where they want to stay up and enjoy the night.

To make a coffee based cocktail is pretty straight forward. You'll use the common "build method" where you put the base liquor in, then fill it up with coffee. It's very similar to making a highball drink, but you're using coffee instead. And it's also a good idea to serve it in a coffee mug - a clear one if possible.

There aren't really many recipes when it comes to coffee cocktails. The most popular one is the Irish Coffee, which you may get people ordering at your bar. Other coffee cocktails are a little less known, and you may not get an order for it much unless you work at a specialized bar.

In recent years, Starbucks came out with their own liqueur. Though it is more like Kahlua, I wanted to bring it up in this lesson since I have a lot of recipes using the Starbucks Coffee Liqueur.

So that being said, here is a little video on how to make an Irish Coffee. It'll help you get a good idea of how to make a coffee based cocktail.

Okay, so here are the recipes for coffee based cocktails.

Irish Coffee

1 oz. Irish Whiskey

1 Sugar Cube

Fill with Coffee

*You can also put in Bailey's Irish Cream in this cocktail.

Mexican Coffee

1/2 oz. Tequila

1/2 oz. Kahlua

Fill with Coffee

Spanish Coffee

1/2 oz. Brandy

1/2 oz. Kahlua

Fill with Coffee

Jamaican Coffee

1/2 oz. Light Rum

1/2 oz. Tia Maria/Kahlua

Fill with Coffee

You probably want to be familiar with these recipes above.

Also for kicks, here are bunch of recipe using the Starbucks Liqueur. You won't need to memorize them. Just know that there are a bunch of different ways of using the Starbucks Liqueur.

Starbucks Liqueur Recipes

Iced & Blended

Coffee Float

1 part Starbucks™ Cream Liqueur

3 parts Starbucks™ Coffee Liqueur

1 ½ parts ABSOLUT® VANILIA®

Cola

Vanilla Ice Cream

Beginning with ice cream, combine ingredients in a tall glass and fill with cola.

Hot drinks

Café Blanco

1part Starbucks™ Coffee Liqueur

¾ part Absolut® Vanilia Vodka

½ part Starbucks™ Cream Liqueur

Hot Starbucks® coffee

Serve in an Irish coffee mug and top with whipped cream.

CAFÉDECRÈME

1part Starbucks™ Coffee Liqueur

1part Starbucks™ Cream Liqueur

Hot Starbucks® Coffee

Serve mixed in an Irish coffee glass. Top with whipped cream.

CAFÉL’ORANGE

1part Starbucks™ Coffee Liqueur

1part DeKuyper® Dark Crème de Cacao

1part Grand Marnier®

Hot Coffee

Serve in an Irish coffee mug and top with whipped cream.

Nutty Chocolate

1part Starbucks™ Cream Liqueur

¾ part Hazelnut Liqueur

Hot Chocolate (or try it with coffee!)

Serve in an Irish coffee mug and top with whipped cream, crushed nuts and cocoa powder.

Martinis

Cinnamon Twist

1part Starbucks™ Coffee Liqueur

½ part Starbucks™ Cream Liqueur

¼ part DeKuyper® Buttershots® Schnapps

2 parts Cream

Splash of Dekuper® Hot Damn!® Cinnamon Schnapps

Shake and strain into a cinnamon-sugar rimmed martini glass.

Frostini

1part Starbucks™ Coffee Liqueur

1part Starbucks™ Cream Liqueur

¼ part DeKuyper® Peppermint Schnapps

Serve in a martini glass and garnish with fresh mint.

Mudslide Martini

1part Starbucks™ Cream Liqueur

1part Starbucks™ Coffee Liqueur

½ part ABSOLUT® Vanilia®

Shake ingredients over ice. Serve in a Martini Glass.

Candy Cane Martini

1part Starbucks™ Cream Liqueur

½ part DeKuyper® Peppermint Schnapps

½ part DeKuyper® White Crème de Cacao

Splash of Grenadine

Shake with ice, strain and serve in a martini glass rimmed with crushed peppermint.

Mixed Drinks

Starbucks™ Creamliqueur on the Rocks

1part Starbucks™ Cream Liqueur

Serve over ice in a rocks glass.

Ultimate B-52

1part Starbucks™ Coffee Liqueur

1part Starbucks™ Cream Liqueur

1part Grand Marnier® Liqueur

Beginning with Starbucks™ Coffee Liqueur, layer ingredients in a cordial glass.

Iced & Blended

El Platano

1part Starbucks™ Coffee Liqueur

½ part DeKuyper® Crème de Banana (or 1/2 banana)

½ part DeKuyper® Dark Crème De Cacao

Cream

Mix and serve over ice or blend and serve frozen.

Coffee Freeze

2 parts Starbucks™ Coffee Liqueur

1part VOX® Vodka

1scoop Vanilla Ice Cream

Splash of Milk or Cream

Mix and serve over ice or blend and serve frozen.

Nutty Freeze

2 parts Starbucks™ Coffee Liqueur

1part VOX® Vodka

½ part Nocello® Liqueur

1scoop Vanilla Ice Cream

Splash of Milk or Cream

Mix and serve over ice or blend and serve frozen.

Café Colada

1½ parts Starbucks™ Coffee Liqueur

5 parts Pina Colada Mix

Pour ingredients into a blender with ice and whip until frozen. Serve in a specialty glass and garnish with a pineapple wedge.

Coffee Mojito

1part Starbucks™ Coffee Liqueur

Fresh Mint Sprigs

Sugar

½ Lime

Soda Water

Muddle mint and sugar in a tall glass. Squeeze lime, add Starbucks™ Coffee Liqueur and ice.

Coffee Cooler

1part Starbucks™ Coffee Liqueur

¾ part DeKuyper® Buttershots® Schnapps

4 parts Chilled Starbucks® Coffee

Shake ingredients with ice and pour over ice in a highball glass.

Blushin’ Russian

1part Starbucks™ Coffee Liqueur

¾ part VOX® Vodka

1scoop Vanilla Ice Cream

3 strawberries

Add to blender, blend and serve in parfait glass

Almond Coffee Freeze

1part Starbucks™ Coffee Liqueur

¾ part DeKuyper® Dark Crème de Cacao

¾ part Amaretto

1scoop Vanilla Ice Cream

Blend all ingredients with ice until smooth like a milkshake. Pour into a dacquiri glass and garnish glass with caramel sauce. Top with whipped cream and chocolate sprinkles.

Iced Coffee

1part Starbucks™ Coffee Liqueur

1part VOX® Vodka

Soda Water

Combine liqueur and vodka over ice in a tall glass, then fill to top with soda water.

CAFÉ À LA MODE

1part Starbucks™ Coffee Liqueur

1part ABSOLUT® VANILIA®

2 scoops Vanilla Ice Cream

Blend until smooth and pour into a champagne flute. Garnish with freshly ground nutmeg.

COCOMINTINI

1part Starbucks™ Coffee Liqueur

1part DeKuyper® White Crème de Cacao

½ part DeKuyper® Peppermint Schnapps

Shake with ice and strain into

CAFFE FIZZ

1part Starbucks™ Coffee Liqueur

1part Ronrico® Vanilla Rum

Ginger Ale

Build over ice and garnish with an orange wedge.

SEATTLE STOUT

1part Starbucks™ Coffee Liqueur

1pint of Guinness® beer

Mix and serve in a pint glass.

PANAMA SLING

½ part Starbucks™ Coffee Liqueur

1½ parts Plymouth® Gin

½ part Cherry Heering® Liqueur

2 parts Pineapple Juice

Juice from ½ Lime

2 splashes of Angostura® Bitters

Shake with ice and strain into a tall glass filled with ice. Garnish with a pineapple wheel and a sprig of mint.

Martinis

Chocolate Covered Cherry

1part Starbucks™ Coffee Liqueur

½ part DeKuyper® Razzmatazz Schnapps

½ part VOX® Raspberry Flavored Vodka

1part Cream

Shake with ice and strain into a martini glass rimmed with grated chocolate. Garnish with a maraschino cherry.

CAFÉCABANA

1part Starbucks™ Coffee Liqueur

1part DeKuyper® White Crème de Cacao

1½ parts Light Rum

½ part DeKuyper® Blue Curacao

Shake with ice and strain into a martini glass.

MOCHATINI

1part Starbucks™ Coffee Liqueur

½ part Chocolate Liqueur

1part Absolut® Vanilia Vodka

Shake with ice and strain into a martini glass.

ORANGE TWIST

1part Starbucks™ Coffee Liqueur

1part ABSOLUT® MANDARIN® Vodka

½ part DeKuyper® Dark Crème de Cacao

1½ parts Orange Juice

Shake with ice and strain into a martini glass. Garnish with an orange wedge.

ESPRESSOTINI

1part Starbucks™ Coffee Liqueur

1½ parts ABSOLUT® VANILIA®

Shake with ice and strain into a martini glass. Garnish with three coffee beans.

CAFÉ CON LECHE

¾ part Starbucks™ Coffee Liqueur

1part VOX® Vodka

½ part DeKuyper® ButterShots® Schnapps

½ part Cream

Shake first three ingredients with ice and strain into a turbinado sugar rimmed martini glass. Float cream on top.

TOFFEE COFFEE

1½ parts Starbucks™ Coffee Liqueur

1½ parts of Godiva® White Chocolate Liqueur

1part Dooley’s® Toffee Liqueur

Splash of Cream

Shake ingredients with ice and strain into a turbinado sugar rimmed martini glass.

BERRYTINI

1part Starbucks™ Coffee Liqueur

1part ABSOLUT® VANILIA®

½ part Raspberry Liqueur

Splash of Cream

Shake ingredients with ice and strain into a turbinado sugar rimmed martini glass.

COFFEE BLOSSOM

1part Starbucks™ Coffee Liqueur

1part ABSOLUT® VANILIA®

1part Cream

Splash of Amoretti® Orange Flower Syrup

Shake with ice and strain into a chilled champagne or martini glass. Garnish with an orange twist.

Hot Drinks

Café Nieve

1part Starbucks™ Coffee Liqueur

Hot Starbucks® Coffee

Mix and serve in a cinnamon-sugar rimmed Irish coffee glass.

COCOACAFÉ

1part Starbucks™ Coffee Liqueur

½ part DeKuyper® Peppermint Schnapps

Hot Cocoa

Serve mixed in an Irish coffee glass. Top with whipped cream.

SPICED COFFEE CUP

1part Starbucks™ Coffee Liqueur

1part VOX® Raspberry Flavored Vodka

4 parts Hot Starbucks® Coffee

Splash of Ronrico® Rum

Pour first three ingredients into an Irish coffee glass. Float rum on top and garnish with a teaspoon of fresh whipped cream.

Mixed Drinks

MOCHA Cream

1part Starbucks™ Coffee Liqueur

1part DeKuyper® White Crème de Cacao

1part VOX® Vodka

1part Cream

Build over ice in a rocks glass.

ULTIMATE WHITE RUSSIAN

1part Starbucks™ Coffee Liqueur

2 parts VOX® Vodka

1part Milk

Shake vigorously and serve over ice in a rocks glass.

RASPBERRY COOLER

1part Starbucks™ Coffee Liqueur

1part VOX® Raspberry Flavored Vodka

Soda Water

Pour first two ingredients into a rocks glass filled with ice. Add soda and garnish with a lime slice.

The Ultimate Tiramisu

1part Starbucks™ Coffee Liqueur

2 parts Absolut® Vanilia Vodka

1part Almond-Flavored Liqueur

Serve in a rocks glass and top with whipped cream.

BOURBON COFFEE

1part Starbucks™ Coffee Liqueur

1part Jim Beam Black® Bourbon

Serve mixed over ice in a rocks glass.

Café Courvoisier®

1part Starbucks™ Coffee Liqueur

1part Courvoisier® VSOP

Build over ice in a rocks glass. Garnish with a lemon twist.

Black Russian

1part Starbucks™ Coffee Liqueur

1½ parts VOX® Vodka

Build over ice in a rocks glass.

CAFÉ GINGER

1part Starbucks™ Coffee Liqueur

Ginger Ale

Pour Starbucks™ Coffee Liqueur into a rocks glass filled with ice. Add ginger ale and garnish with a cherry.

BOURBON COFFEE A LA PISTACHIO

1part Starbucks™ Coffee Liqueur

1½ parts Jim Beam® Bourbon

1part Milk

Splash of Amoretti® Pistachio Cream

Shake with ice and strain into a chilled rocks glass rimmed with ground pistachios. Garnish with an orange twist.

FLAVORED RUSSIANS

1part Starbucks™ Coffee Liqueur

2 parts Flavored Vodka of Choice

1part Milk

Mix vigorously and serve over ice in a rocks glass.

All right, good luck studying and until next time, cheers!

Lesson 16: Espresso Based Coffee Drinks

Hello everyone! Welcome back to Free Online Bartending School. A nice little way to learn more about bartending on the web.

Today's lesson is going to be on how to make coffee. And not just any coffee, but the coffee you find at Starbucks - cappuccino, latte, mocha, and caramel macchiato.

As a bartender, you may have situations where you'll also be a barista. Barista is a coffee version of a bartender. When working at upscale hotel bars, or if you work during the day shift, some of your customers will ask you to make a coffee based drink. And as a professional bartender, you will have to make them a quality coffee drink.

So let's go over how to make espresso based coffee drinks. Coffee drinks are a little easier compared to a cocktail since you really only have two main ingredients. Coffee (espresso) and milk. Simple as that. The biggest issues when making an espresso based coffee drinks are two fold.

1. Pulling the espresso shot well
2. Frothing the milk well

If you're able to do those two well, then you're off to a great start making an awesome coffee drink.

Let's go over how to do those two agenda items then.

Pulling the espresso shot well

Thankfully or not, in recent days, pulling an espresso may only be a push of a button. A lot of the high end machines that you may find at your work will be fully automated making the process of pulling an espresso relatively easy. You push a button, and the machine does everything for you. If you're not pulling a good espresso, all it may take is calibrating the machine a bit.

If the bar you work at does not have an automated machine, you may need to pull your own espresso. There are some art and science when it comes to pulling an espresso. I think its best shown using a video, so here's a few that I found which shows you how to pull an espresso like a pro.

How to brew espresso - by Discovery Network

Espresso Science - Part 1

Espresso Science - Part 2

(I wasn't able to embed these videos, so please check out the YouTube video directly.)

Be sure to understand these methods, and practice it a few times at your work. You will want to be able to make a quality espresso as a bartender. A customer who will order an espresso from you will be impressed if you can make an espresso with a nice crema and perfect taste. It's never pleasant to serve a customer an espresso that lacks crema and is too bitter or too light.

Also, keep in mind that a good espresso will be the base of any coffee drink. Though it will get diluted with milk, it's always nice to be able to pull a good espresso to make an awesome coffee drink.

Frothing (Steam) the Milk

Being able to froth the milk properly is another skill you must possess as a bartender. When you froth milk, the two thing you look for are: proper temperature and the quality of the foam. The temperature should be between 140-155 Fahrenheit. The foam should be of quality so that it is smooth and velvety.

Just remember when you had that nice cup of cappuccino. It probably wasn't too hot, and the foam was silky and velvety. With the right amount of sugar to your liking, the experience should have been very pleasant. That is the kind of cappuccino you want to be able to serve to your customers.

Foaming the milk also has its art and science behind it. The temperature can't get too hot since that will scold the milk, and make it taste bad. Milk scolds at 180 degrees Fahrenheit. Foaming is easiest with no fat milk, and it gets harder as you go up in fat content. The reason behind it is that the fat in the milk will make it harder on you to get it foamed up. It's much easier to foam up water than fat. It does however taste better when the milk has more fat.

So again, since the frothing part is better explained as a video, I've found a video below showing you how to froth milk. Be sure to check it out and understand it so that you will be able to practice using these principals.

Practicing Making Coffee Drinks at Home

Trying to practice making coffee drinks at home maybe a bit difficult due to the high price of quality espresso machines. Some of the better ones that require you to pull your own espresso using coffee grind, and foam your own milk will cost you between $500-$1500. For some reason, espresso machines are expensive in the United States. Maybe its because not many people drink espresso, and that these machines use high pressure that need to use quality, durable parts.

Whatever the reason is, making your own espresso at home maybe difficult due to the high cost.

I do have one alternative suggestion. Using a Nespresso machine shown below maybe one way you can learn how to construct an espresso based coffee drinks. In my own experience, Nespresso machines produce one of the best espressos around. My Nespresso machine that I purchased back in 1999, still produce espresso better than any Starbucks or most other coffee places around town.

This machine below is particularily cool since it has both the espresso making machine and a milk foaming device. Together, you will be able to construct a quality espresso drink comparable to a Starbucks or any other place where you get coffee.

If you have $200-$300 to spare, or if you are an avid coffee drinker that spends that much at a Starbucks each month, you may want to check it out since this is really a quality machine that is worth the money. You can check out Nespresso machines at your local Nespresso shop or at a William Sonoma/Sur La Table.

Recipes

Here comes the fun part. The recipes. As a bartender working as a barista, I would think you really need to know how to make the classic coffee drinks. All others you find at a Starbucks - e.g. a Gingerbread latte - is usually just a variation of these coffee drinks below anyway. So that being said, here are the recipes that you'll need to remember.

Generally speaking these recipes below are intended for an American consumer where we tend to have bigger cups. Our smallest cups are usually 12 oz. so the recipes are with that in mind. You will need to adjust your recipes for a 16 oz or larger servings, generally by adding an extra shot of espresso. Also, a customer on occasion may ask you for a double, which means two shots even when serving them in a small 12 oz. cup.

Cappuccino

1 shot of espresso

Steamed milk - about half way of the cup

Foam - remaining half of the cup

Cafe Latte

1 shot of espresso

Steamed milk - about 3/4 way of the cup

Foam - remaining 1/4 of the cup

Flavored Cafe Latte

1 shot of espresso

1 shot of Monin or other flavored syrup (Vanilla, hazelnut are popular)

Steamed milk - about 3/4 way of the cup

Foam - remaining 1/4 of the cup

Carmel Macchiato

1 shot of espresso

1 shot of Vanilla Syrup

Steamed milk - about 3/4 way of the cup

Foam - remaining 1/4 of the cup

Top with whipped cream and caramel syrup

Cafe Mocha

1 shot of espresso

1 shot (about 1/2 - 1 oz.) of chocolate syrup

Steamed milk - about 3/4 way of the cup

Foam - remaining 1/4 of the cup

Whipped cream upon request

White Chocolate Mocha

1 shot of espresso

1 shot (about 1/2 - 1 oz.) of white chocolate syrup

Steamed milk - about 3/4 way of the cup

Foam - remaining 1/4 of the cup

Whipped cream upon request

Cafe Au Lait

Regular brewed coffee - half way to the cup

Steamed milk - remaining half of the cup

Top with some foam

Americano

1 shot of espresso

Hot water - fill to top

Mastering these recipes should get you by 95% of time when a customer orders a coffee drink. By the way, it got trendy a few years back when a customer orders a "triple non-fat soy mocha no whip", but I think that trend has died down a bit. Just do listen to what a customer wants since some do specify the milk type and how many shots that they want in their drinks.

All right, that's it for this lesson. Good luck studying, and until next time, Cheers!

P.S.

This is a pretty awesome deal I found lately. Amazon Prime is free for one year for students. All you need is a .edu email address. There's no catch. The only catch is that Amazon whats you to get hooked on being their customer as a student, and beyond it. Be sure to check it out. Nothing to lose everything to gain!

Amazon Prime for Free for Students

Lesson 15: Ice

Hello everyone! Welcome back to Free Online Bartending School. A nice little way to learn about bartending on the web. Today's lesson is about "ice."

As a bartender, you always want to entertain your guests. One easy way to do so is by the ice that you serve them. The water is free, and all you need to do is take care of the rest to make it a pleasant experience to your guests.

Ice Crusher

For many of us, we tend to make ice in the freezer that looks like this at our home.

It's a normal, standard ice tray that makes normal pieces of ice cubes that we are used to seeing at home. But as I mentioned in my lessons, this ice is not the best type of ice for bartending. They really do not blend and crush well for frozen cocktails due to its shape and size. And when you put it into a highball cocktail straight, the ice looks so normal that you take away from the overall experience of a cocktail. The cocktail just doesn't seem to taste as good.

Anyway to remedy this situation, there are a variety of ice crushers available on the market to make you some crushed ice. Crushed ice tends to go well with cocktails for a few reasons.

1. They tend to melt a little faster thereby diluting your drink to a good strength and consistency.

2. They feel good on the mouth when you sip it. (I personally love to drink whiskey on the rocks, or a margarita with crushed ice since it dilutes the drink well, and it just for some reason feels and tastes better.)

3. They have a better look and feel compared to the normal ice cube made from an ice tray.

So to go back to my point, you may want to consider buying some of these items to make some crushed ice at home.

(I am using Amazon links again to show you the picture, price, rating, and description of the items. I hope you don't mind. By the way, currently students and Moms get free membership into Amazon Prime, which is their program where you get 2 Day Shipping for free. It normally costs $79 a year, but free now to students and Moms. Awesome deal!)

I have been using this ice crusher for about 10 years, but in all honesty, as the rating mentions, it's probably not the best product to use. It works, but it's a lot of work. It doesn't allow you to crush a lot of ice, so you'll have to crush it several times to get enough crushed ice for you and your guest.

Looking through Amazon, I found that there is an automatic one these days. They'll probably work much better if you have a lot of ice to crush.

Seems like a nice tool to have. As you go on your journey to become a professional level bartender, you may need tools such as these to do your job right.

Big Pieces of Ice

In some cases, you may want to have a really big piece of ice instead. Big pieces of ice are usually used when you drink a nice scotch on the rocks. The bigger piece of ice will melt slower than a smaller piece of ice, thereby allowing you to enjoy the aged scotch without it being diluted too much. It also looks really cool.

This method creates nice pieces of ice that you can use with your scotch on the rocks. However, the only draw back to this method at home is that you'll need to go buy the ice block (thereby it's not free), and since the ice block is rather large it takes up a lot of space in your freezer. The ice will also not break cleanly all the time, and you'll end up with a lot of ice pieces you'll just waste.

To remedy that situation, I've been using an ice tray like this that is able to make big circular piece of ice. They have been working very well for me.

Unfortunately, I wasn't able to find this product in the United States. This particular one above is from Amazon Japan. You'll still be able to order it, but shipping may cost you a bunch. If you're ambitious enough, you may want to check it out. The product itself is about $4, but shipping may cost a little more.

There are also big square ice trays in the U.S., but I haven't had great luck with these. I have a hard time taking out the ice from the mold, and a square ice just doesn't feel right in a glass with scotch in it.

Maybe you'll have better luck than me. The one that I bought was a relatively cheap one that wasn't very well made. This one above has great reviews.

I found a pretty cool video on how to make this square piece of ice into a round one. I'm not sure if I recommend this method, but you can enjoy a work of a professional.

Scary... but impressive.

Cool Ice Molds

The remainder will be a list of cool ice molds that I found. They look really cool, and it will be a nice little piece of flair to entertain your guests with. Most of the ice molds below are made by Fred & Friends.

The ice cube shot glasses. I introduced this in the shooters lesson, but here it is again. They look really cool for a Jagger shot.

Moai ice cubes. How cool.

They call this one the Gin & Titonic.

If you or your buddy is a guitar player, this is a must. Great reviews too.

Maybe for your next Kahlua and milk?

Looks like a nice one for a refreshing citrus cocktail.

Anyway, so here's a few of them. There are whole lot more cool ice molds, so be sure to check it on Fred & Friends website or on Amazon.

All right, this lesson was about ice. Ice can enhance a cocktail's overall experience, so as you start to become a good bartender, keep an eye out for details like this.

Okay, until next time, good luck studying, and Cheers!

Lesson 14: Frozen Blended Cocktails and Recipes

Hello everyone! Welcome back to Free Online Bartending School. An awesome way to learn about bartending for free on the web.

Today, we would like to go over Frozen Blended Cocktails.

Frozen drinks are usually a party favorite. There's something about a frozen cocktail that makes things fun. They are easy to drink. Often times frozen drinks are blended with frozen fruits with a lot of sugar, so they taste great too. You would think you're drinking a great smoothie but it has alcohol to get you wasted.

As a bartender, frozen drinks are popular during hot weather. You will be making a lot of them on a hot summer night, or if you're working by the pool. Or if you're fortunate enough to live in places where people call "paradise" like the Florida Keys or Hawaii, you will also be making them a lot throughout the year.

Some of the most popular frozen drinks are:

• Frozen Margarita
• Strawberry or Mango Daiquiri
• Piña Colada

The ability to make a frozen cocktail takes a little practice. You don't want the frozen cocktails to be too watery or too icy. It has to have that smooth texture that we've gotten used to from drink too much Jamba Juice during the summer. The Jamba Juice smoothie consistency is what you are looking for when making a frozen cocktail. Nice, smooth, and tasty.

Practicing how to make frozen cocktails at home maybe a bit difficult for two reasons. One, the ice cubes that your freezer makes is not the best type to make a frozen cocktail with. The ice cubes we are used to seeing at our homes tend to be very "hard" and difficult to blend to a smooth consistency. Which leads to the next reason, which is that the blender at home is usually not strong enough to blend the ice cubes properly. Bartenders at a bar usually use a blender which costs at least $300, and they are powerful blenders which produce quality cocktails. Without having the right type of ice, and the right blender, practicing at home will yield somewhat of a sub-par experience.

Crushed ice helps to make your job easy too.

Of course, you can go out and buy an ice bag at your local grocery store, and a powerful blender from Bed, Bath, and Beyond. That may help you remedy the situation.

Another alternative you have is to buy a device that has become popular in recent years to make a frozen margarita. The Margaritaville Cargo frozen margarita makers are pretty nice devices that will make you a quality frozen margarita at home. Though I've never owned one or used one in person, it looks like a good alternative to using a regular blender to make a good frozen cocktail at home.

http://www.margaritavillecargo.com/default.aspx

In a real life situation, more and more bars have started to adopt the Island Oasis frozen drink makers to make quality, consistent frozen drinks. These machines are amazingly easy to use. All you do is add the premixed frozen drink mixes with some juices and alcohol. There is a blend button that you push to get it started. The machine will blend the ice and the mixes at the right consistency to create an awesome drink.

http://www.islandoasis.com

This machine is for commercial use, and difficult for any home owner to purchase one for themselves. Basically, they're like the Margaritaville machines, just bigger and even more powerful. You are however able to purchase the mixes online, so you can mix and play around with frozen cocktails at your home with it.

Here is a cool video on how to make a frozen cocktail properly.

I personally like to add the ice in first and adjust it with the liquid to make it to the right consistency. As you can see his cocktail seems a bit runny. I may have added a little more ice in order to make it a little thicker in consistency.

All right, and the rest of the section will be dedicated to recipes. Be sure to memorize all of the recipes below in order for you to become a good bartender.

Frozen Blended Cocktails

Banana Daiquiri

1 1/2 oz light rum

1 Tbsp triple sec

1 banana

1 1/2 oz lime juice

1 tsp sugar

1 cup crushed ice

maraschino cherry for garnish

Blue Bayou

1 cup of ice

1 1/2 oz vodka

1/2 oz blue curaçao

1/2 cup fresh or canned pineapple

2 oz grapefruit juice

chunk of pineapple for garnish

Blue Hawaii

2 oz pineapple juice

3/4 oz rum

3/4 oz blue curaçao

3/4 oz creme de coconut

maraschino cherry for garnish

pineapple wedge for garnish

Chi Chi

1/2 cup ice

2 oz vodka

1/2 oz triple sec

1/2 oz cream of coconut

1/2 cup fresh or canned pineapple

scoop of vanilla ice cream

chunk of pineapple for garnish

Frozen Daiquiri

2 oz light rum

1 1/2 oz fresh lime juice

3/4 oz sugar syrup

lime wedge for garnish

Golden Dream

3/4 oz cream

3/4 oz orange juice

3/4 oz Cointreau

3/4 oz Galliano

Frozen Margarita

1 cup of ice

1 1/2 oz tequila

1/2 oz Triple Sec

1/2 oz lime juice

3 oz sour mix

lime wedge for garnish

salt for rimming glass (optional)

Peach Margarita

1 cup ice

1 1/2 oz tequila

1/4 oz Triple Sec

1/4 oz Peach Schnapps

1/4 oz Lime Juice

1 skinned, pitted, fresh medium peach or equivalent canned peaches

Frozen Pina Colada

2 oz white rum

6 oz pineapple juice

1 1/2 oz Coco Lopez Coconut Cream

1 oz heavy cream

maraschino cherry for garnish

pineapple wedge for garnish

Mudslide

1 oz vodka

1 oz Bailey's Irish Cream

1 oz Kahlua

1 oz cream

8 ice cubes

1 scoop of vanilla ice cream

2 scoops of chocolate ice cream

Strawberry Daiquiri

2 oz light rum

1/2 oz triple sec

1 oz Strawberry Daiquiri Mix

1/2 tsp sugar

1 cup ice

5 strawberries

Strawberry Margarita

1 1/2 oz tequila

1 oz triple sec

1 oz Strawberry Daiquiri Mix

1/2 cup strawberries

1 cup ice

fresh strawberry for garnish

Okay, hope you enjoyed this lesson.

So until next time, good luck studying and cheers!

Lesson 11: Martinis and Manhattans

Hello everyone! Welcome back to Free Online Bartending School, a great place to get bartending lessons online for free.

Today, we would like to go over Martini and Manhattan cocktails. So let's get right to it.

To start things off, here is a nice video on how to make a martini.

In the video above, the bartender goes over how to mix a martini, how to chill the martini glass, and what kind of garnish to use. The method that he uses to prepare the martini is very good, and will create a quality martini. Be sure to learn his methods. They will be your fundamentals in preparing a martini drink.

Martini cocktails can be divided into a few categories.

• Martini
• Manhattan
• Modified Martini - Ex: Apple Martini, Lychee Martini, Chocolate Martini
• Cosmopolitan

When you make a martini, be sure to use a martini glass. This is half of the fun. And without it, a customer will feel ripped off, and probably not tip you well. You have to keep in mind that a martini cocktail usually sell for about $7-15 a glass. Careful attention is needed so that the customer will feel as if the money was well spent.

Remember to chill the martini glasses by keeping them in a freezer, or use the chill method described in the video above.

When preparing a martini cocktail, it is also critical that you garnish the cocktails correctly. A customer will usually expect an olive, or at times a lemon peel in their martini. Without it, it really won't be a martini. So be sure to memorize the garnish of each of the martini cocktails that will be discussed below.

Another point to note is that when a customer orders a martini cocktail, they will likely tell you what brand of liquor to use for their cocktail. They'll say things like, Grey Goose Martini, Martini with Sapphire, Ketel One Cosmo, or Crown Royal Manhattan. You'll be expected to use that liquor to make the cocktail with.

One last thing to point out is that a thoughtful bartender may serve a "water back" with a martini cocktail. In other words, they'll give the customer a glass of water along with the cocktail since these drinks are pretty stiff. Depending on the customer they may or may not appreciate the extra mile, but it is a nice courtesy gesture that will earn you points to possibly get tipped more.

All that being said, here are the martini recipes you are expected to memorize. There are a few ways of making a martini. You may want to do a YouTube search on the keyword "How to Make a Martini." It's good practice to try it all, and see which method you like the most.

Also, martini glass usually look the same, but the actual sizes of it tends to differ pretty significantly. Be sure to adjust the recipe below to the martini glass that you will be using at your bar.

Martini Cocktail Recipes

Martini

2 oz. Gin

Dash (1/8 oz.) Dry Vermouth

Garnish with an Olive

Vodka Martini

2 oz. Vodka

Dash (1/8 oz.) Dry Vermouth

Garnish with an Olive

Dirty Martini

2 oz. Vodka

Dash (1/8 oz.) Dry Vermouth

1/8 oz. Olive Juice

Garnish with an Olive

Gibson

2 oz. Gin

Dash (1/8 oz.) Dry Vermouth

Garnish with a Pearl Onion

Manhattan

2 oz. Whiskey

1/4 oz. Sweet Vermouth

Garnish with a Cherry

Perfect Manhattan

2 oz. Whiskey

1/8 oz. Sweet Vermouth

1/8 oz. Dry Vermouth

Garnish with a Lemon Twist

Rob Roy (Scotch Manhattan)

2 oz. Scotch

1/4 oz. Sweet Vermouth

Garnish with a Cherry

Perfect Rob Roy

2 oz. Scotch

1/8 oz. Sweet Vermouth

1/8 oz. Dry Vermouth

Garnish with a Lemon Twist

Southern Comfort Manhattan

2 oz. Southern Comfort

1/4 oz. Sweet Vermouth

Garnish with a Cherry

Apple Martini

1 1/2 oz. Vodka

1 1/2 oz. Apple Pucker

Garnish with a Cherry

Lychee Martini

1 1/2 oz Soho® lychee liqueur

1 oz Vodka

Garnish with a Cherry

Chocolate Martini

2 oz. Vanilla Vodka

1/2 oz Creme de Cacao

Garnish with a Hershey's Kiss

Cosmopolitan

1 oz Vodka

1/2 oz Triple Sec

1/2 oz Rose's® Lime Juice

1/2 oz Cranberry Juice

Garnish with a Lime or Cherry

Lemon Drop

Rim Martini Glass with Sugar

1 1/2 oz Vodka

1/2 oz. Triple Sec

1/2 oz Lemon Juice

Garnish with Lemon

The above are either the classic recipes or popular recipes that should be part of your repertoire as a bartender. Practice making these drinks at a party so that you can perfect it.

With the advent of infused vodka in recent years, drinks that are considered modified martinis will continue to be invented for our drinking pleasure.

Okay, so until next time, good luck studying and cheers!

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Lesson 10: Liqueur - Part 3

Lesson 12: Sweet and Sour Based Drinks

Lesson 10: Liqueur - Part 3

Hello everyone! Thank you again for coming back to Free Online Bartending School!

We appreciate your time to come back and visit our site. We're hoping that we can provide you with the most comprehensive information about bartending for free on our site. Please give us feedbacks, comments, and questions so that we can continue to improve this site.

In this lesson, we will go over the final part of the Liqueurs series. This lesson will focus on the liqueurs that are usually at a bar, but used less frequently. However, they are important to know since 10-15% of your customers will order these liqueurs on any given night.

With regards to liqueurs, if you haven't read the first two parts, I would recommend you go through them before reading this post:

Very common liqueurs

Popular liqueurs

That being said, let's finish off this lesson on liqueurs.

Unique and Less Used Liqueurs

Galliano - An Italian liqueur that tastes like a bit like licorice. It is yellow in color, and has a relatively expensive price tag. The bottle is said to be indestructible, so it can be a deadly weapon in a bar fight. The most representative cocktail using Galliano is the Harvey Wallbanger, a cocktail that we covered in our highball lesson.

Dom's B&B - A liqueur that's good for sipping. It is a mix of brandy and Benedictine, hence the name B&B. The liqueur is easy to sip since it's a bit sweet, and it doesn't have the harshness of a whiskey or brandy. If you're just starting out to drink whiskey, this might be a nice way to ease into things. The sweeter flavor will help to acquire a taste for whiskey, cognac, brandy, and scotch.

Drambuie - Drambuie is also similar to B&B in its taste. I will go as far as to say that I have a hard time telling the two apart. I do like to drink it though in a brandy glass like the picture below, or "on the rocks" in a rocks glass. It goes well with a cigar, so if you're smoking one, you might want to try Drambuie. The sweet taste of Drambuie tends to go well with the strong cigar flavors. Drambuie is considered a bit of an old man's drink (like the Dom B&B), but it's actually pretty good to drink.

Frangelico - A hazelnut flavored liqueur. It is usually used to make a cocktail with. You don't usually drink Frangelico on its own. It has a pleasant, sweet hazelnut taste, so when mixed properly, Frangelico makes a killer cocktail. Frangelico usually mixes well with creamy liqueurs, coffee liqueurs, and chocolate liqueurs.

Campari - Campari is one of those liqueurs that's an acquired taste. When you first try it, it'll taste like crap. It basically has a off-licorice taste. However, upon getting used to it, Campari will for some reason, start to taste pretty good. A representative cocktail using Campari are, Campari & Soda, and Campari Orange. They become a bit addicting after getting used to the taste of Campari.

Hpnotiq - Hpnotiq is a pretty new liqueur in the United States, and to be honest, I've never personally tried it. I'll need to go out and grab myself a bottle this weekend. According to Wikipedia, it is a liqueur with a blend of natural exotic fruit juices, premium vodka, and a touch of cognac. It was created in 2001, but has gained popularity in recent years. Created by a college dropout in 2001, it was sold for $50 million in 2003. Pretty interesting story.

Limoncello - An Italian liqueur that's lemon flavored. Usually served chilled as a shot or as a sipping drink after dinner. Lately, you see Danny DeVito with his own brand of it selling in restaurants.

99 Bananas - Obviously a banana liqueur. The only catch, it is 99 proof, or almost 50% alcohol content. It's a pretty strong liqueur. 99 Banana has gained some popularity in recent years as well.

Ouzo - Another licorice flavored liqueur. Greek people drink this a lot. I personally thought the flavor of Ouzo was a little too powerful for me. However, this is also an acquired taste, so once you get used to it, you can probably go party on down in Greece. Ouzo is intended to be served straight. There are a few cocktail recipes using Ouzo, but they are generally not very popular in the United States.

Zen - Green tea flavored liqueur found at some bars these days. It is made by Santory, the same company as the Midori. You may see this liqueur at an Asian restaurant, or Asian themed bars. There are several cocktails using Zen found on its website, but they are not well known in the United States. Only bars that have specific menus will likely make Zen cocktails.

All right, so that about wraps up the lessons on liqueurs. I hope you enjoyed learning about all the different liqueurs out there in the market today. And as a note, these are liqueurs that are known in the United States. There are many more varieties of wonderful liqueurs around the world that you will encounter as a bartender. Beverage companies also come up with a new liqueurs every year.

As always, I would recommend going out and trying out each of these liqueurs one at a time. It really helps to know what your ingredients tastes like when you bartend. You don't want to over mix something that's too sweet, or something that too strong in flavor.

As a bartender, you must become familiar with all of the liqueurs that I've mentioned, since that is what you will be working with when you become a bartender.

So good luck studying, and till next time, Cheers!

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Lesson 10: Liqueur - Part 2

Lesson 11: Martinis and Manhattans

Lesson 10: Liqueur - Part 2

Hello everyone! Thank you for coming back to Free Online Bartending School.

Right now, we are in the middle of our three part series on Liqueurs. We went over a few in the prior lesson, and I'm hoping to cover more in this one.

Part 2 of the Liqueurs lesson will focus on popular liqueurs that we use as a bartender.

So, without wasting any time, let's get into it right away.

Popular Liqueurs

Midori - A Japanese liqueur that tastes like Melon. It's a classic girl's drink in college. Midori Sour and Melon Balls are very popular cocktails that use Midori. If you're having a party, and want to start things off, this is a good one to use.

Bailey's Irish Cream - Bailey's is a very popular cream cocktail with an Irish Cream taste to it. You can drink it straight or on the rocks, or mix it with other liqueurs to make a B-52. It's one of my favorites to drink on the rocks. Lately, they have come out with other flavors like caramel, mint chocolate, and coffee. The caramel one was pretty excellent.

Apple Pucker - Apple Pucker is used to primarily make an Apple Martini with. It's got a strong green apple flavor. You can also mix it to make shooters with. DeKuyper is the brand that makes the popular Apple Pucker.

Amaretto - An almond flavored liqueur that is used for making Amaretto Sours with. It's not too heavy on alcohol, but full of flavor, so it's a good liqueur. Disaronno is the brand that makes the most popular Amaretto in the United States.

Grand Marnier - A strong orange flavored liqueur. It can be drank straight, and some cigar smokers drink this in a brandy glass. It has been popular these days due to the popularity of the Cadillac Margarita. You make a regular margarita, and pour a shot of this on top. It's really good.

Peach Schnapps - A peach flavored liqueur used to make cocktails like the Fuzzy Navel and Sex on the Beach with. This is also a classic girls cocktail since it's very easy to drink, and tastes great. Be sure to have a bottle if you're throwing a party.

Chambord - A raspberry flavored liqueur. This is used to make a variety of drinks, but a popular one is a champagne cocktail, Kir. There is also an alternate version of the Sex on the Beach that uses this liqueur - and it tastes great. It comes in a round bottle that's pretty easy to distinguish.

Jagermeister - A popular drink amongst the college crowd. It has a licorice like flavor, and usually drank as a shot. Commonly referred to as the "Jager." I personally love to put a Jager and some shot glasses in the freezer to enjoy an ice cold Jager shot. It doesn't freeze, but the ice cold shots will burn through your body, and it's an awesome sensation.

SOHO Lychee - SOHO hasn't really become that popular yet in the United States, but I've seen it more frequently lately at Asian restaurants and bars. A popular drink is a Lychee Martini or Lychee Grapefruit. Easy to drink, and feels a bit ethnic, so you'll definitely get some attention if you have this around.

All right, I think those are some of the most popular liqueurs that are out today. A lot of the liqueurs above, you will be using quite frequently at your bar. Be sure to familiarize yourself with them since it must become second nature to you in order for you to become a great bartender.

All right, we'll finish off this lesson on liqueurs by going over the other liqueurs that you may use a little less frequently.

So until next time, study hard, and Cheers!

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Lesson 10: Liqueur - Part 1

Lesson 10: Liqueur - Part 3