Espirítu de Caracas

A refreshing tasting watery vegetable used in some cocktails like the Gin and Tonic. Some people say cucumbers taste better pickled.

The second most common juice used in cocktails. This citrus juice is about 6% acid; 4% from citric and 2% from malic, with small amounts of succinic acid (this is what gives it a little bloody taste). Lime juice should be used the day it is squeezed, some like it freshly squeezed and others like it a few hours old.

The most common fruit juice used in cocktails. This citrus juice is about 6% acid; pure citric acid. Lemon juice should be used the day it is squeezed, some like it freshly squeezed and others like it a few hours old.

A concentrated syrup made from sugar water and cinnamon bark. You can make this yourself by adding a few cinnamon sticks to your simple syrup making process. We always use 1:1 syrup unless otherwise noted in the recipe itself.

A French liqueur made by the Carthusian Monks since 1737 according to the instructions given to them by François Annibal d'Estrées in 1605. It is a distilled alcohol aged with 130 herbs, plants and flowers. The name derived from the monks' Grande Chartreuse monastery in the Chartreuse Mountains. Chartreuse is known to age and improve in the bottle. Green Chartreuse is the original high proof version; 55% ABV.

The general term for the Carribean-based nonalcoholic syrup. Falernum is a sweet syrup commonly used in tropical drinks and usually flavored with almond, ginger, cloves, vanilla, allspice and lime. You can make it yourself, it takes a few days. Combine 1/3 cup toasted almonds with 1/2 cup for light rum. Seal and let sit for 2 days. Add the zest of 8 limes (no pith) and 30 whole cloves, stir and let sit for another day. Juice 4 limes and strain the juice into a sauce pot. Add 2/3 cups water and 1/2 cup sugar and cook until the sugar is dissolved. Let the syrup cool then combine it with the almond/rum infusion. Stir to combine then strain all through a cheesecloth or coffee filter. Add alcohol as a preservative and turn it into Velvet Falernum.

Often referred to as silver or white, these rums are actually lightly aged (1-3 years), but have had their color removed by charcoal filtering. They are molasses based (as opposed to the cane juice-based rhum agricole, clairin, or cachaça). Flavors range from light (Bacardi, Caña Brava, Plantation 3 Star, El Dorado 3) to more flavorful (Probitas, Ten-To-One).

Aromatic plants used in cocktails as a garnish or muddled into the liquor to add a light fresh taste. Common in the Mint Julep.

A refreshing tasting watery vegetable used in some cocktails like the Gin and Tonic. Some people say cucumbers taste better pickled.

A tree bark spice, commonly used as a grated garnish in cocktails, an ingredient in the cocktail, or floating as a whole piece as a garnish.

Granulated sugar is a sucrose formed with glucose and fructose join by covalent bonding. Sugar is soluble in water, increasing the surface area (smaller grain size) or heating the water, dissolves sugar faster. Some cocktails use sugar directly but more use it indirectly in syrups/liqueurs.