Sweetness is an essential part to building any drink. A well-made drink is one that’s balanced, and that won’t change. But some drinks feature their sweetness as the star of the show.
Sweetness is an essential part to building any drink. And we’ve talked about this before, like with our A Home Bartender’s Guide to Sweetness. A well-made drink is one that’s balanced, and that won’t change. But some drinks feature their sweetness as the star of the show. If you’re anything like Alex and Jordan, these probably are not your go-to drinks; you hear a drink described as “sweet” and wonder who would drink it. But in the life of a home bartender, you will inevitably come across a sweet cocktail drinker; someone who wants sweetness to prevail in the flavor profile, and “doesn’t want to taste the alcohol.” This is the episode to prepare you for that drinker.
It happens to all of us. You host a cocktail party, maybe even just a few friends, and you’ve got your one guest who wants to bring a friend. You say fine, because being a better party host starts with being a welcoming host, and hell, maybe you’ll have a conversation with the “plus-one” that will make for good tippling.
Once the party gets rolling, you meet the mystery guest, and your mutual friend says “Oh, he’s got a cocktail podcast. He can make you a drink!” (Okay, this might be where the story deviates to a personal experience). So you, playing the role of the inclusive, attentive host, ask, “what’ll you have?”
And what you hear brings you much dismay:
“I’ll have a sweet vodka drink. I don’t really like the taste of alcohol.”
Lord have mercy…
We’ve all faced a version of the above story. And it’s a challenge. But armed with some ideas and a whole lot of charm, you, the home bartender, can make miracles happen.