Sugar syrup can easily be made at home. Just put 1 part sugar and 1 part water in a pot, stir frequently and let it boil up until it has the desired consistency. Don't let the syrup become too viscous since you still want to mix it with other ingredients. Let it cool down and then start mixing! Isn't as nearly as difficult as you thought it was, right?

Liqueur (15% vol. and up) can be kept at room temperature if they have 15% vol. or more. That's why bartenders don't need enormous fridges in their bars. There might occur marginal changes regarding the color of the liqueur but don't worry too much about that.

In case you don't have an (electrical) ice crusher you can still have crushed ice for your cocktails. Put the regular ice cubes in a towel, and hit on it with a hammer or similar object until the cubes are broken into little pieces.

Syrups are good for half a year after being opened. Make sure to put syrups in a fridge - at least on warm days. An unopened bottle of syrup is good for around three years.

Always try to use freshly squeezed juice.
An orange has at least 1,5 oz. (= 4,5 cl = 1 shot)
a lemon at least 1 oz. (= 3 cl)
and a lime at least 0,5 oz. (= 1,5 cl) of fruit juice.

In order to mix all the cocktails on COCKTAIL LOUNGE . NET you will only need 4 different types of glasses: a longdrink glass, a tumbler, a cocktail glass and one for the hot winter cocktails.




A regular longdrink glass holds around 10 oz. (= 30 cl). Cocktails in a longdrink glass are served with straws and ice cubes or crushed ice. e.g. the Cuba Libre

For some cocktails you might prefer a hurricane glass instead of the longdrink glass. It also holds around 10 oz. (= 30 cl) and has a rolling form.




A tumbler holds 5 to 7 oz. (= 15 to 20 cl). Cocktails in a tumbler are generally served with straws, ice cubes or crushed ice. e.g. the Caipirinha




A cocktail glass only holds 2 to 3 oz. (= 6 to 10 cl) Cocktail in a cocktail glass are generally served without straws and without ice. e.g. the Martini Cocktail




A glass used for winter cocktails must be manufactured to stand high temperatures. If you don't have a glass for hot liquids use a mug instead.

Important note: We all know that there are so many different types of glasses around. Even if you own a longdrink glass that looks exactly like the one on the picture, it might hold 14 oz. or less than 10. That's one reason why I don't use specific measures but proportions ("1 part this, 2 parts that") instead. If you serve cocktails in tiny glasses or buckets - they will taste the same as long as you stick to the right proportions. Just always make sure to mix enough of the drink to fill the glass. Never serve a glass only half filled!

Don't confound fresh lime juice with lime juice syrup. Lime juice is pure fruit juice, while lime juice syrup is made of lime juice, water and sugar. A famous lime juice syrup is only called "Rose's Lime Juice" although it definately is a syrup!

The diction "whiskey" refers to the liquor from the United States and from Ireland. "Whisky" without the "e" corresponds to the liquor from Scottland, also known as "Scotch". Manufacturers in other countries also use the scottish diction, e.g. "Whisky DYC" from Spain. And what about Bourbon? That is American whiskey, made out of corn.

Only those brandies are allowed to be called cognac that are from a specific area in France. Therefore every cognac is a brandy, but not every brandy is a cognac. If it comes to mixing cocktails, it doesn't really matter if you use a brandy or a brandy from that specific region in France.

Don't confound cherry liqueur with cherry brandy (also known as cherry brandy liqueur). Cherry liqueur is a pure fruit juice liqueur. Cherry brandy is a mixture of fruit juice liqeur and kirsch.

Keep fresh mint in the fridge rolled-up in a plastic bag.

To tell you the truth right away: it doesn't matter how the water is called that you use for mixing drinks as long as it is plain water into which carbon dioxide gas has been dissolved (that process is referred to as carbonation). Such water can be called soda, sparkling water, carbonated water or seltzer water. The term mineral water or carbonated mineral water is also used frequently. Depending on what country the water is sold in, there might be legal regulations on what water is allowed to use what description (e.g. "mineral water" has to have a certain amount of minerals etc.). But as long as you don't want to become a nutrient expert you won't have to worry about such regulations.