Tips & tricks for mixing drinks, part 2

In the first part of our “Tips & Tricks for Mixing Cocktails” guide, we talked about the utensils needed for mixing simple drinks. We also explained what’s meant by a filler. We also explained why ice is such an important component in drinks.

Today we’re introducing you to a variety of vodka drinks. We’ve put together simple cocktail recipes for you and offer tips on how to decorate cocktail glasses. You’ll also learn how best to prepare yourself for mixing drinks the easy way.

• Aperitif: an aperitif stimulates the appetite and is therefore consumed before a meal – such as the Flamingo Spritz, based on Trojka Flamingo.
• Colada: a Colada is a rum-based drink. Essential parts of a colada include tropical juices and coconut cream.
• Collins: a Collins is an alcoholic drink consisting of a spirit, lemon juice and sugar syrup.
• Digestif: the digestif is consumed after a meal and is the counterpart to an aperitif.
• Fizz: a Fizz is a refreshing, carbonated alcoholic drink. The Fizz is an absolute classic among mixed drinks. The best-known representative of this type of cocktail is Gin Fizz.
• Flip: the Flip is a “versatile” drink made from a variety of liqueurs and spirits. It includes a mixture of egg yolk and sugar.
• Highball: this long drink is mixed with ice cubes, lemon and any spirit and then usually topped up with soda water or ginger ale.
• Long drink: a simple long drink consists only of a spirit with a filler on ice. Classics in this category include vodka lemon, whisky cola and gin and tonic. Many Trojka Easy Mixer drinks also fall into this category.
• Old Fashioned: the classic Old Fashioned is a whiskey cocktail containing rye whiskey or American bourbon.
• Punch: punch refers to hot, alcoholic mixed drinks. The punch originally comes from India and is made from arrack, sugar, lemons and tea. Trojka’s hot drinks include the Fröschli.
• Shot: shots or shooters are served in a small glass and “downed in one”.
• Smash: a smash is a mixed drink that’s shaken containing fruit and fresh, crushed herbs.
• Sour: the sour is a drink made with lemon juice, a spirit and sugar. Some sours also contain orange juice.
• Tropicals: tropicals are tropical mixed drinks that are usually very colourful and richly garnished. These drinks are often referred to as tiki cocktails.
• Versatile: Versatiles are drinks that contain many different alcoholic ingredients.

Which simple cocktails are easy to make?

Many cocktails are easy to make. Serve your guests a refreshing drink in no time with our two recipes. Easy Mixers from Trojka serve as the basis for the two simple drinks we’re presenting here. If you fancy a new version of fizz, you can mix your drink with Trojka Black wild berry liqueur. Give it a try! This gives you simple drinks that you can use to delight your guests at your next cocktail party.

To avoid masking the taste of the drink, it’s advisable to avoid extremely strong spice aromas as a decoration. Apart from that, practically everything can be placed on the rim of the glass or on a cocktail skewer, so long as it matches the colour and taste of the drink in question.

Straws, flowers and other ornaments complete your cocktail decoration. But make sure you don’t overload the glass – less is sometimes more when it comes to cocktail decoration. Over-decorated drinks quickly lose the desired elegance. Another important point: when decorating, make sure you use sustainable items and as little plastic as possible.

Tip: napkins and coasters are not strictly part of the decoration of the glass. However, they are often used to prevent unsightly puddles on the table. These puddles are caused by condensation that forms due to the temperature difference between the drink and the environment.