How To Make Bar Drinks

Learning how to make bar drinks is a particularly pleasurable experience, especially if you get to drink your mistakes. Depending on your crowd requesting the bar drinks, you may be mixing up anything from a bourbon on the rocks to a more complicated sex on the beach. But, since there  are many different types of bar drinks, this article will prepare you to make two of the most popular: a martini and a cosmopolitan.

1. Dry Martini

To make a dry martini, you will need:

• A martini shaker
• A martini glass
• Fresh ice
• Good quality vodka
• Dry vermouth (the clear type; the sweet vermouth is dark in the bottle)
• Olives for garnish

1. Fill the martini shaker 1/2 full with ice.
2. Pour in four ounces of the vodka.
3. Add in just 1/2 capful of vermouth. If someone orders an extra dry martini, that's code name for no vermouth at all).
4. Replace the top on the martini shaker and shake at least ten or fifteen times. The goal is to have shards of ice float on the top of the drink when you pour it.
5. Remove the top of the martini shaker and strain your martini into the chilled martini glass. 
6. Add in two olives for a nice garnish. For an extra oomph, use blue cheese stuffed garnishes.

2. Cosmopolitan

To make a cosmopolitan, you will need:

• A good quality vodka
• Cranberry juice
• 1/8 lime
• Martini shaker
• Martini glass
• Fresh ice
• Maraschino cherries for garnish

1. Fill martini shaker 1/2 full with fresh ice.
2. Add in three ounces of vodka and one ounce of cranberry juice.
3. Squeeze in the juice from the lime.
4. Replace lid and shake the martini shaker ten or fifteen times.
5. Strain the drink into a martini glass and garnish with a few maraschino cherries.