Juicer

The shaker opens the way to using juice, but it’s not the only tool we need for that. That is, assuming we want to use fresh juice. And yes, we will want to use fresh juice. It makes a huge difference. Stock up on lemon and lime if you want to make cocktails which call for lemon or lime juice. If you’re out of citrus, then stick to cocktails that do without.

A lot of cocktails turn to lemon or lime. Mainly because they build on a combination of sweet and sour for a drink with a nice contrast.

We’re being practical here, so we don’t need anything really nifty here. But doing without any juicing equipment is not advisable. Sure, you can squeeze a fruit part with your hand. But it gets messy and it’s not the best way to get the most out of your available fruit.

I have worked with a simple citrus reamer for ages, and it works just fine. There are certainly other options: hand presses, lime squeezers, lever-pull juice extractors, electric juicers… just go with what you prefer.

If your tool of choice manages to hold back all of the seeds and most of the pulp, and you don’t mind that some of it slips through, you can use the juice straight away. If you’re aiming for an unblemished drink, you’ll need to fine-strain the juice between squeezing and using it. Another option is to double strain the drink when pouring: this is done by holding a fine strainer between the glass and the shaker.

One thing of note is that some recipes will call for ‘the juice of half a lime’ or similar. That’s not very convenient. Fruit doesn’t come in one size. The way you extract the juice will also influence the amount you can gather. On this I wholeheartedly agree with Robert Hess (of DrinkBoy.com and the video series The Cocktail Spirit).

Try to translate any recipe into clear-cut amounts and measure.