The 6 Most Common Cocktail Mistakes, According to a Professional Bartender

Anyone who has had a great cocktail at a bar and then tried to recreate it at home knows that there’s more to making a good drink than meets the eye. Maybe your Old Fashioned turned out too syrupy and sweet or the spicy margarita you shook up was watered down and ultimately tasted flat.

“It’s not rocket science to do this right. It’s all about the details,” says Leandro DiMonriva, longtime bartender, and host of mixology tutorial show The Educated Barfly. Mixing up a great drink just takes an understanding of some basic techniques. “It seems daunting when you first get into it, but once you figure it out, you know it forever. The rules don’t change,” DiMonriva says. Thankfully, expert mixologists like DiMonriva are more than willing to show up-and-comers the ropes.

Measure Every Ingredient

“One of the biggest mistakes that home bartenders make is that they don’t measure anything,” DiMonriva says. The fastest way to mess up a drink is to guess the proportions. Using a jigger to measure the volume of every ingredient ensures that the cocktail will be balanced and that it will taste the same every time you make it. Seasoned bartenders at the world's best bars carefully measure each ingredient, so why not do it at home?

Accurately measuring ingredients is the most important way any home bartender can improve their cocktails. The best way to get an accurate measurement of your spirits, syrups, and fruit juice is with a jigger. “This is my favorite jigger by far,” DiMonriva says. “It’s very accurate, which helps to mix several ingredients at once.” It also has measurements for ounces, milliliters, and tablespoons for added versatility.

Shaking Versus Stirring

Knowing when to either shake or stir a cocktail is something all bartenders need to know. Shaking and stirring both achieve three primary steps necessary to achieve the proper flavor profile. Both processes chill the drink, fully combine the ingredients, and slightly dilute the cocktail as well.

The general rule of thumb is that any drink that contains fruit juice, dairy, or egg whites needs to be shaken in a cocktail shaker to emulsify and aerate all of the ingredients. Booze-forward drinks like the martini or Old Fashioned should always be stirred, preferably in a mixing glass.

Any aspiring mixologist needs a cocktail shaker. Many of the most popular cocktails in the world need to be shaken. “I like the heavy weight of this shaking set and the ease of locking and unlocking the tins while shaking,” DiMonriva says. “They never get stuck, and the weight helps for a robust shake that helps aerate the contents nicely.”

Invest in Your Ice

“Ice is one of if not the most important elements in cocktails,” says DiMonriva. Your fridge’s built-in ice maker or standard ice cube trays aren’t going to do the trick. Ice not only keeps a cocktail cool but changes the flavor of a drink over time as it melts. Because of the effects of dilution, it’s important to choose the right shape and size of ice for your drink. The smaller the pieces of ice are, the more surface area they have and the more quickly the ice melts and dilutes the drink. 

Cocktails like the Old Fashioned or Negroni that are served in a rocks glass benefit from being served with a large sphere or cube of ice. It still cools the drink but melts more slowly, preventing the drink from becoming overly diluted over time. Bold, fruit-forward tropical drinks like the Zombie, Mai Tai, or Piña Colada are normally served with pebble ice. These drinks usually are very boozy, full of fruit juice and sweeteners, and their recipes are designed to stand up to a significant degree of dilution.

Using clear ice also makes a big difference. Nobody wants to look at a big, cloudy chunk of ice floating in their drink when a crystal-clear cube is an option. The cloudiness in ice is caused by tiny air bubbles, minerals, and other impurities that get frozen within the ice. Aside from appearances, clear ice tends to melt more slowly and is less likely to crack.

“All the systems I recommend utilize the directional freezing method popularized by Camper English,” DiMonriva says. “This is a method of freezing ice that gives clear dense ice, lacking any cloudiness or trapped gasses.” For an affordable way of making clear ice at home, DiMonriva recommends this system from Tinana. “It’s a bare-bones system that makes 8 large(ish) cubes,” DiMonriva says. “At under $40, it’s hard to beat.”

Master the Classics

Learning how to make classic cocktails is a great way for cocktail enthusiasts to improve their mixology skills. “Most cocktails only use 4 to 5 ingredients and they tend to be easy to make,” DiMonriva says. “You can make tons of classic cocktails with just a few basic bottles, simple syrup, and fruit juice.”

Beyond being easy and straightforward, learning how to mix up classics like the Old Fashioned, Daiquiri, Tom Collins, or Manhattan will teach home mixologists a variety of techniques and provide a strong basis.

Choose the Correct Glassware

Presentation is a big deal when it comes to cocktails and selecting the correct cocktail glass is a big part of a drink’s presentation. “You want to make sure the glassware properly fits the cocktail,” DiMonriva says. “It’s important for glass to be able to contain the volume of the drink, while not appearing half empty.”

Choice in glassware is also functional. For a drink that’s served without ice, like a classic martini or a Daiquiri, it’s helpful to use a stemmed glass like a Nick and Nora or coupe so that the cocktail isn’t warmed by the drinker’s hand. For a drink served on a big block of ice, use a rocks glass. For tall drinks served over ice and topped with soda, use a highball glass.

Use the Right Bar Tools

To properly mix a drink, certain bar tools are necessary.  “You don’t need a ton of fancy equipment, you just need a basic bartending set for both stirring and shaking cocktails,” DiMonriva says. With a jigger, Boston shaker tins, a Hawthorne strainer, a mixing glass, a bar spoon, and a fine mesh strainer, you have everything you need to whip up virtually any cocktail.

DiMonriva recommends taking the time and spending a little bit more to get professional-grade barware. Cocktail Kingdom and Barfly Mixology Gear are two companies trusted by DiMonriva and other industry professionals for their commitment to sturdy and functional barware. Here are some of the products that he recommends.

After shaking or stirring a cocktail, it needs to be strained. The Hawthorne strainer is a flat circular strainer with a spring that fits over the opening of a shaker. When pouring a drink into a glass, the strainer holds back the ice and any muddled fruit or herbs used in the cocktail.

“Many Hawthorne strainers fail to strain well with coils that aren't tight enough, letting rather large pieces of ice through,” Di Monriva says. “This strainer has a double coil which helps to block 90% of the shredded ice caused by shaking.”

“Mixing glasses are a must,” DiMonriva says. Any home bartender who aspires to stir up the perfect Martini, Negroni, or Old Fashioned needs a proper mixing glass. “This mixing glass from Barfly is a nice size and also can be machine washed,” Dimonriva says. On top of the easy cleanup, this mixing glass also has tall, straight walls that allow for easy, uniform stirring.

“Weighted bar spoons are also a standard piece of equipment,” DiMonriva says. Bar spoons are specifically designed to stir cocktails in a steady circular motion with a mixing glass. The long, thin handle and teardrop counterweight at the tip work together to make stirring a martini a breeze.

When shaking cocktails with fruit juice, herbs, or muddled fruit, sometimes a Hawthorne Strainer isn’t enough to strain all of the tiny particles in the cocktail. To produce a clear drink, bartenders often use a fine mesh strainer to remove any particles that may have passed the first strain.

“A strainer is arguably one of the most important pieces of equipment,” DiMonriva explains. “It’s useful for cocktails but also fine-straining juice pulp.” This fine strainer has a deep bowl which allows for an impressive volume of liquid. 

Our Expertise

Dylan Ettinger is a Los Angeles-based writer who specializes in spirits, cocktails, and coffee with hands-on experience visiting distilleries and bars all through the US, Europe, Mexico, and the Caribbean. He is also a long-time hospitality professional with over a decade of experience tending bar, and working in specialty coffee.