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When adding fresh herbs to cocktails, like basil or mint, many reach for the muddler and proceed to crush the herbs into pieces in the base of the cocktail shaker. There’s really no reason to do this and you probably shouldn’t because overly crushing the herbs may introduce unwanted bitterness in the cocktail.

The Old Fashioned meets… well… Pineapple! The star ingredient in this cocktail is Pineapple Demerara syrup- and it’s definitely worth making! The syrup itself can be a bit inconsistent, so you may need to adjust the amount you add to the cocktail to properly balance it.

Here’s a colorful twist on a Sidecar using Cointreau that I cold-infused with Hibiscus tea for 24 hours. The color turned out AMAZING and the added flavors of black current and lemon verbena from the tea paired exceptionally well with the cognac.

There, I said it! I still love whiskey too, but an agave-based Hot Toddy just hits different. Here’s an especially delicious Hot Toddy variation, made with one of my favorites: Punta Diamante Reposado from Casa Don Ramon.

I typically refer to this cocktail as a “Flip”– which was originally made back in the 1600’s with spirit, sugar, eggs and spices, and was served hot by thrusting a burning hot rod of metal into it, causing it to froth or “flip.”

It sounds a bit dramatic, but stocking your home bar is very personal. It really depends on the drinks you enjoy making. When I was starting out, I ended up buying several fairly expensive bottles because a book or a bartender told me I needed to have them. Several of those bottles are still kicking around in the back of my liquor cabinet collecting dust. However, if you just really want to have a “well-rounded” home bar, where you can make a long list of diverse cocktails, here are my suggestions on home bar essentials!

The Margarita is without a doubt my favorite cocktail and I don’t think I’m alone in that. However, like so many other great classic recipes, the Margarita went through the dark ages of mixology in the 80’s and 90’s and barely made it out alive. However, making a quality margarita is not hard, and only requires a few simple ingredients. When done right, it’s a truly incredible drink.

It’s a simple process and recipe, but it really is the little details that make or break a quality Old Fashioned. Because there are so few ingredients, it’s even more important to be attentive to the details; like the type of sugar, the proof of the spirit or expressing the orange oil over the top. Poor quality ingredients will obviously make for a sub-par cocktail, but even too much (or too little) of the right ingredients can diminish the overall experience. Making cocktails is all about adding different elements together to create unique and balanced flavors, and a well-made Old Fashioned is likely the best example of the craft.

Consisting of just whiskey, lemon juice, sugar and often (not always) egg white, a classic Whiskey Sour is always a crowd pleaser. It’s simple, delicious and easy enough to make a good one at home. However, if you’re feeling a little creative, it’s also an easy drink to upgrade.

Rum is hands-down the most diverse spirit in the world– and I’d fight anyone who says otherwise. A big part of why it’s so incredibly diverse is because there aren’t many rules around how to make it. Basically each country (and in some cases, different regions within the same country) will have their own methods and traditions for producing rum.