A good bar is often run just like a kitchen: planning and preparation are essential to ensuring you can consistently produce a great cocktail.

Just like a restaurant chef, a good bartender is always preparing for the next drink, making sure that all ingredients are fully stocked up and all essential equipment is rinsed and ready to be used once again. This often means cleaning and setting everything up immediately after making each cocktail.

Learning the right habits and techniques from the beginning can make a real difference to your ability to consistently produce great cocktails and enjoy yourself in the process.

If you watch an experienced bartender in action, you will also notice that regardless of the recipe, the cocktail mixing process follows certain steps in pretty much the same order every time:

1Pick the right cocktail glass. If necessary, chill or pre-heat it first;

2Prepare the garnish (if required);

3Measure and pour ingredients into a glass or shaker. Note some cocktails are mixed directly in the cocktail glass they are served in;

4To minimise melt, add the ice last (if required);

5Combine ingredients using the correct mixing techniques;

6Pour cocktail into glass and add garnish (if required).

If you follow these simple steps and apply the correct measures and techniques, you will already be well on your way to making your perfect cocktail.

Each recipe in Book of Cocktails is based on at least one of 5 basic mixing or construction techniques: shake, stir, blend, build and layer:

• The first 3 are familiar terms for most people, but we will describe each one in detail;
• Building a cocktail essentially entails combining the ingredients in the serving glass;
• Layering consists in floating different ingredients on top of each other without mixing them at all.