Cocktail Secrets

Layering a drink is more art than science and yields the most dazzling cocktails a bartender can create. The best tool for layering a drink is to use a dime spoon. If you don’t have a dime spoon you can try using the back of table spoon or anything with a groove in it - check your plastic kitchen serving spoons. Whatever tool you use, the goal is to slow the pouring liquid as much as possible so that it doesn’t mix with the previous layer.

Begin by pouring your first layer in to the glass. Then measure the ingredient for the next layer and take your barspoon and put its handle into your glass just above the previous layer and angle the spoon to about a 45 degree angle. Be sure not to let the handle rest against the rim of the glass or you’ll be slurping spilled liquor off the counter top. Now slowly pour the liquor on to the spoon like you would when measuring a tablespoon of cough syrup. The liquid will flow out of the spoon, down the handle and pool into an attractive layer on top of your previous ingredient. Repeat for the remaining layers.

Tip: If the measuring glass you’re pouring out of has a thick rim, the liquor will want to drip down the side of the glass and not into the spoon when you pour slowly. This sucks since it often drips all over making a mess instead of a work of art. To avoid the mess, first visit your medicine cabinet and rob a cough syrup bottle or a Pepto bottle of its little plastic measuring cup on top. Pinch the rim of the cup to form a handy pour spout and use this to pour your liquors onto the dime spoon.

When creating a layered drink it’s important to put your heaviest ingredient in first, followed by the next heaviest all the way up to the lightest ingredient. This handy chart lists liquors by their specific gravity (weight) with the lightest on top and heaviest on the bottom:

Sloe Gin <—– Lightest
Peach Liqueur
Peppermint Schnapps
Apricot-flavored Brandy
Cherry-flavored Brandy
Peach-flavored Brandy
Triple Sec
Orange Curacao
Blackberry Liqueur
Blue Curacao
Cherry Liqueur
Coffee Liqueur
Creme de Banane
Creme de Menthe <—– Heaviest

Tip: If you’re having trouble with two ingredients that are close in weight mixing together try putting the heavier liquor in the freezer for a few minutes and gently warm the lighter ingredient by running hot water over the bottle before you layer them.

Jim Koch set out to discover which shape of glass would produce the best tasting beer CNNMoney.com reported in this article. The shape of the glass has a huge effect on the flavor of wines, so why not beer?

Koch resolutely sampled beer each day from different styles of glass - almost 100 different styles in all! His goal was to find the principles of glass design that led to the best flavor experience.

After much yummy tasting, Koch put his findings in a report that was given to glassmakers around the world. The result is the glass you see here. Notice the narrow bottom - that’s to minimize heat transfer from your hand. Also notice the unique angled lip - that’s to deliver the beer to the front of your tongue. And something you can’t see in the photo is a small laser etching on the bottom of the glass. This etching keeps the bubbles happily rising to the top!

I can think of a lot worse jobs than beer sampling! And the result of the all research looks like a very cool glass, but I’m sort of partial to our American-made Ultimate Beer Mug. It too has an incredible amount of American ingenuity designed into it. Check it out here.

This charcoal-colored liquor is presented in a rather ordinary bottle, though I like the design of the label. I get the feeling that this is one of those types of liquor that a person will either love or hate. If you’re familiar with the somewhat mildly spiced rum flavor of regular Captain Morgan you’ll be surprised at the potency of the spices in Tattoo.

They hit your pallet with a medley of strong spices, not all that different than allspice. It’s unmistakably the rough and tumble biker bar fist fight version of Captain Morgan. If you made Captain Morgan do five years of hard time, this is what he’d be like.

This will appeal to folks who like bold and spicy foods, who like to try something different and who like to project a tough guy (or tough gal!) image. As such a bold liquor, its uses are somewhat limited. It’s good on the rocks. It’s good in Coke - though I prefer a regular Captain Coke, which is a terrific drink - I can also see this spicing up holiday drinks, perhaps to add a spicy kick to a Thanksgiving punch, or maybe to give an extra spicy feel to eggnog or a spicy version of hot buttered rum!

Captain Morgan Tattoo by the numbers:

15 out of 30 - Overall Flavor (you’ll either love it or hate it)
6 out of 10 - Taste Cycle (like a punch in the face)
5 out of 10 - Aftertaste (why does my throat hurt?)
7 out of 10 - Aroma (mmmmm, spicy!)
9 out of 10 - Character (what’d you say, fool?)
3 out of 15 - Usability (speciality use only)
8 out of 15 - Presentation & Packaging (very fitting to the contents)
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53 out of 100 - Total Rating

Have you tried it? Post your thoughts!