Flaming

Decided to play with fire eh? Well here are a few tips on flaming your liqueurs. Most liqueurs with a high alcohol content are really easy to flame.

Simply warm your liqueur up in a sauce pan and have a pre-warmed cocktail glass ready. After heating the glass, pour the rest or other alcohols into the glass to warm. The glass can be heated over an element or a flame, but use caution to avoid contact with the glass and element or flame as the glass will break or char easy. When the alcohol has been heated, ignite it and add it to the alcohol in the glass. If done properly, the alcohol in the glass will be warm enough to flame also.

Caution:

When flaming liqueurs be sure to keep any objects away from the glass. Flames can often shoot high up and ignite things in their way. Like your hair! So if doing this, please use caution and enjoy the fireworks.

How to Make Grenadine

Grenadine is a classic pomegranate-based sweetener found in many drinks, and often an integral flavor agent in popular cocktails. So it's a shame that such an essential ingredient is sold commercially as a cheap, chemically sweet substance often lacking real pomegranate juice. Today's grenadine is rife with high-fructose corn syrup and food coloring, a far cry from the preservative-free original.

Fortunately for home bartenders, it's quite easy to make your own grenadine. There are two popular methods to making grenadine, one that involves cooking on the stove and one that doesn't. For the latter, grab a bottle of POM Wonderful pomegranate juice, a bag of sugar and a jar.

Add one cup of POM pomegranate juice and one cup of granulated sugar into a jar. Shake vigorously until the sugar is dissolved. Add another ounce of sugar and once again shake with gusto. The end result is a bright, fresh grenadine readily able to sweeten up your drink without the artificial cloying flavor of commercial grenadines. And depending on your personal tastes, you can add more or less sugar to achieve your desired sweetness.

The other method of making grenadine is to cook it on the stove. Simply add two cups of POM pomegranate juice to a saucepan and bring it to a boil. Once boiling, reduce the heat to medium-low, and simmer until the liquid has been reduced by half. Add one cup of sugar, and stir until the sugar is completely dissolved. The result is a rich, red grenadine with a slightly different flavor than grenadine created using the "cold process" detailed above. An optional step for either method is to add an ounce of high proof vodka or grain alcohol to act as a preservative.

Layering

Nothing makes a drink look more attractive and temptingly delicious than when you layer it. Layering drinks is combining combinations of liqueurs which blend together create fresh and vibrant colors or stay seperated to make colurful designs. Indeed, layering drinks is like a bartender's artwork on his beverage canvas and it all comes together with the use of creativity and science.

There are many ways that bartenders choose to layer drinks. But it really all boils down to science. When layering drinks, the mixer must keep the alcohol's density in mind to combine the right liquids. Each alcoholic beverage has its own specific gravity.

Higher density alcohols are said to sink below those that are of lighter densities. Of course there would be times when two ingredients are of the same density level. In this case, the drinks are to be mixed with great precision in order to result in successful layering.

Most of the times, bartenders and drink mixers would use a plastic syringe to be able to get the right amount in the glass and at a slower pace. Experts would tell you that the slower process you try to mix these drinks together, the better the outcome. Even if a syringe is not handy you can also slowly pour the liquor by using the back of your spoon to create a trickle effect instead of a direct pouring of the liquor.

Techniques

One of the more difficult techniques in bartending is layering or floating liqueurs. Although this seems like a challenge, there is a very simple method that you can use. Each liqueur weighs differently and either floats or sinks when added to another. Most recipes are written with the heaviest liqueurs printed first. If all else fails, experiment and get used to the liqueurs that you most often use.

To pour the liqueurs into the glass, simply use the rounded or back part of a spoon and rest it against the inside of the glass. Slowly pour down the spoon and into the glass. The liqueur should run down the inside of the glass and smoothly layer. This technique takes practise, but can be mastered by anyone. Make sure that the liqueurs are poured in order of their weight, starting with the heaviest first.

The Voodoo Priestess Cocktail drink Recipe.

Will you fall under her spell?
This is a slight variation of the original recipe, but just as good.
A little bit of prep goes into this exotic potion, but well worth the effort.
Voodoo Priestess Recipe:

Ingredients

• 1 1/2 ounces dark rum (Captain morgan, Cruzan black strap, Whalers, Myers, etc.)
• 1 1/2 ounces spiced rum (VooDoo Spiced Rum)
• 1/2 ounce brandy (your choice)
• 2 ounces orange juice
• 1 ounce lime juice
• 1 ounce lemon juice
• 2 ounces Voodoo Priestess Spice Syrup
• 1 dash orange bitters

Mixing Instructions:

Shake in cocktail shaker and shake.
Pour into a glass filled with ice.
Garnish with a exotic flower.

How to make Vodka Gummy Bears, a cocktail treat thats far from normal.

How to make Vodka Gummi Bears.

Here is a nice treat that is a bit different than the normal cocktail.

It's basically candy gummy bears infused with vodka. I gotta admit, i am a fan of gummy bears, so i decided to give this one a go. I was happy with the results. It was very easy to make and interesting as the little gummy bears puffed up as they absorbed the alcohol. We tried using gummy worms, and they got a lot bigger as the soaked up the vodka. It's just plan fun to make this unique cocktail creation.

I wonder if this is the new jello shot.

How to make Vodka Gummy Bears:

Ingredients

• 1 Bottle of Vodka (Any kind is fine, i do not recommend premium for this one)
• 1-2 Bags of Gummy Bears (Regular or sugar free)
Optional: Gummy Worms

Procedure: (How to make Gummy Bear Vodka)
Basically you just soak the gummy bears in the vodka.
Get a large glass container, do not use plastic, it will add a bad flavor to the vodka.
Pour the vodka over the worms and let sit for a few hours.

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