Go to sponsr.is/zbiotics_educatedbarfly_1023 or scan the QR code and get 15% off your first order of ZBiotics Pre-Alcohol Probiotic by using my code EDUCATEDBARFLY at checkout. Thanks to ZBiotics for sponsoring today’s video!
it's a pretty well-known fact that most of the probiotic gets eaten up by stomach acid BEFORE it ever makes it to your intestines. That is why taking them in capsules that don't dissolve until they reach your intestine is vital. Not so sure this Z even gets to where it is supposed to.
I would argue that not garnishing is probably one of the biggest routine mistakes. When I started getting into making cocktails learning to properly garnish yielded a disproportionately large increase in quality of drink and experience. That and good quality ice.
I feel like there should be more warning about how dangerous peelers are lol. I've lost many parts of my nails/fingers and now just resort to using a knife.
Thanks for the #4 tip and the guidance around it. I was doing mostly right except for the St Germain. One additional thing I do is I mark the bottle with a sharpie when I open it. This way I know the age of the opened bottle! Thanks for the great work!
@@Felix-guysame. I do make a 2:1 so it’s shelf stable allegedly. Current batch has been out for a year or so and no issues. Wonder if a 1:1 would be similar
@chrisnormandeau6101 a 1:1 allegedly could ferment, it takes a looong time, and starting with a clean bottle and bottling when hot helps a ton, sort of like jarring. That makes it so bacteria and atmospheric yeast that gets in from opening it has an uphill battle.
Regarding refrigerating certain ingredients - if you’re anything like me - date your bottles when you open them. It helps me with culling out stuff that’s too old to serve.
To be fair there are relatively few cocktails where the color of St Germaine is going to make a critical difference. The flavor doesn't especially suffer, as he said (and my experience confirms as well).
Would you consider making a video all about refrigerating spirits? I’m still not entirely sure where to draw the line, and I’ve seen plenty of professional bartenders who clearly have no idea (leaving out open bottles of Lillet, Carpano Antica, etc.).
During a busy service, it's not really an issue to leave a fortified or aromatized wine out because you'll likely go through that bottle anyways, and it won't be out long enough to affect it. Also, something like Carpano Antica, which has a lot of sugar, will be slightly more stable and resistant to oxidation. It also depends on weather and climate. Oxidation can actually do some interesting things flavor-wise to some spirits and wine-based amaro and fortified wines, like softening sharp botanicals/spices, brightening some notes. Many sherries are already oxidized and are sitting out in the sun in Jerez as they're fermenting and being made. The refrigerate rule of thumb is a good one, but there's more nuance to this.
I've been using frozen super juice in 0.5 oz portions for years in cocktails. I would say that the time it takes to slightly adjust your spec or to just deal with a slightly (slightly) citrus forward cocktail. far far outweighs the cost can time savings you get from dealing with fresh citrus.
Yeah, and I also just wonder about adjusting the super juice recipes themselves. Maybe a bit less acid, or more dilution, or some other adjustment could create the "perfect" recipe. 🤔
Actually I just remembered that Darcy O'Neil/Art of Drink did an improved Super Juice video. Especially the idea of using a salt as a buffer seems like it might help with what Leandro is describing here: th-cam.com/video/pHQZG_lfv_I/w-d-xo.html
Another thing about using super Juice ist that, although you are a bit more acidic, you are constantly more acidic and can deal with that. Fresh citrus, and i think especially limes, is sometimes more and sometimes less acidic, depending on the growing conditions. On top of that, fresh citrus looses water over storage time and by this gets more acidic. That is not a problem for professionals and bars because of the high output and short storage time and better storage conditions. But at home it can matter.
@@markusrichert5441 yeah I think you're right. Where I buy my citrus in the Netherlands the acidity really differs from lime to lime or lemon to lemon. So atm in quite contempt with using super juice. Also great to have a 200ml max bottle in the fridge for cooking to!
I always refrigerate vermouth, didn’t realize St Germain was also target for oxidation. What other liquors require refrigeration? (Or oxidation would be slowed by refrigeration?) Chartreuse? Does opened vs closed make a difference? (I assume closed is good at room temp indefinitely?) I now understand why my 2 year old Empress Gin is clear now.
I use fresh. But I also squeeze the extra citrus and freeze half and 1 oz cubes. They pop right out of silicone trays, so I always have something on hand.
I'm newly obsessed with making cocktails, so of course I'm watching every video ever put on TH-cam about cocktails... Not to throw shade on other channels, but I think your vids are consistently the BEST on TH-cam. Also yeah, when I first started buying ingredients I thought "hey, maybe I can save money by buying pre-juiced citrus". Big mistake lmao. Fresh is 1000x better than anything processed/older than a day. I also owned a cobbler shaker for precisely 1 day lol. Boston shaker all da-way baybeee
I’ve heard a lot of bartending channels say that vermouth needs to be kept in the fridge. My personal experience with vermouth…. I had one bottle of Quinquina go off on me one time. But it was about three years old. Otherwise, I’ve never had an issue. We keep our vermouth on the bar, out of direct sunlight. We’ve got 8 bottles open at the moment. I don’t keep track of how often they are replaced (we drink a lot of vermouth), but I’m guessing it’s normal for some bottles to be on the shelf for a year. Your milage may vary. We live in Canada, where the summers are barely warm and the winters are cold AF. We also don’t have any dry vermouth in our collection - just reds and blancos.
Lots of truth to this - i live in the Southeastern US, and it's hot here for a good 6 months, and humid most of the year, so refrigeration is a must. I would imagine with the cooler climate where you are in Canada and where you put the bottles out of the sun, they probably keep okay. I'd be curious if the flavor does change over time though.
@@cyoungner1a2nI’m not a sommelier, so I don’t necessarily have a well refined palate. I’ll acknowledge that. But I’ve never had an experience of cracking open a new bottle of Vermouth and thinking it tasted better fresh. (Limes, in the other hand, in the summer when good limes become available where I live, I notice a difference… the limes we get in the winter are sufficiently bad that we no longer drink lime cocktails in the winter.) However, in my experience, a bottle of Cocchi Vermouth de Torino maintains its vanilla notes for as long as I have ever had one open. And we not only put vermouth in cocktails, we sip it straight. And all the sipping vermouths we have are entirely sipable for the lifespan we’ve ever had a bottle open. Most of the Blancos we have are rather sweet, though… with the exception of the Dolin Blanc. It’s possible that the Dolin Blanc (which I find rather dry for a Blanco) might not last as long as a bottle of Poli Grand Bassano, which is the kind of white vermouth we like sipping. We find the Dolin Blanc only good for cocktails.
Are you keeping your house at 42° F? Your taste buds must be dead if you can’t notice a difference between fresh vermouth and vermouth that’s been opened for months without refrigeration.
I will still make super juice because I like the "lack of waste", the negligible difference in texture or flavour is worth the massive cost savings (booze is expensive), and I clean fewer dishes by having a chilled bottle of lime in my fridge (no citrus squeezer, no knife, no cutting board).
I strongly disagree about superjuice as a general rule. It would make sense to use fresh citrus if you make cocktails frequently and regularly enough to go through it, but if you drink more infrequently it can often go to waste especially if you want to have multiple types of citrus on hand so you have more options on what to make.
Yeah, it’s either having no juice options or buying limes, lemons, oranges, and grapefruits every week to just go bad... just did the lime super juice to hopefully get out of that cycle. I did try a written word with it and it tasted off, but thought that was due to the cointro vs marichino swap, I’ll have to do more research
Thank you for this. Very informative. Especially tip 4 which certainly explains why my St Germain looks funky. Made a cocktail with it recently and it did taste off as well. Not sure I agree that the taste is not affected. Did not know about creme de mure or cassis either. Guess they will be getting shifted to the fridge this evening!
@@robertwilloughby8050 good point! Plus mine has been on the shelf for ages. Maybe its time to throw it out and buy a new one (and store it in the fridge)
2:25 The Utah call out hurts so bad. Literally part of the reason why I started watching your channel was so I could make drinks (the way they should be made!) at home and not have to over-pay for less of a drink!
Straight after ice and fresh citrus: upgrade the "flavour" component of your drink. Nothing ruins a drink more than a nasty, artificial liqueur or syrup. The $10 extra on a good bottle will make more difference than reaching for that top shelf spirit.
Hmm, re juice I squeeze and freeze, with bits inc. when having a cocktail themed night - it works. I saw that Steve the bartender has bottles of juice prepared and that’s where I got the idea. I just don’t have the room over Christmas for lots of citrus fruits. After the night is over I dispose it’s more to do with space and time.
Thx for great vid! I hopefully don’t offend with too many of these (quietly shifts St Germaine too fridge) but wish I was better at tasting and adjusting balance with my cocktails- I’m not sure where to start and worry I’ll wreck it, would love tips on this 🙂
I’m surprised you didn’t mention that Luxardo cherries, unlike most cherries, DON’T go in the fridge. Just learned this recently haha, they can crystallize. It says on the back to leave them out.
Got nervous when I saw St Germain on your lineup of bottles to refrigerate. My has been sitting on the shelf for 2 years! Good to know it's still good.
#1 Alcohol content also matters because guests have expectations for the physical effect a drink will have. If you’re overserving liquor, say 2.5 oz instead of 2.0 oz, someone is going to be 25% drunker than they planned for.
I'll add: dilution is a good thing! Obviously WAY too much water can be gross, but you need surprising amounts to get to that point. Dilution helps flavor! Dilution helps complexity! Dilution meditates (oops) harshness!
I’m from Argentina and as everybody knows we are big fernet drinkers. Despite that most people argue that not, fernet changes it flavor if it is not keep in the fridge after it is opened.
I refrigerate and Vac-u-vin all of my vermouths and Cocchi Americano, Lillet Blanc, etc. I have tasted old vs. fresh in several instances and even up to 9 months, there are only slight differences that, in a cocktail would never be noticeable. The one exception is Fino Sherry. Even refrigerated and vac-u-vinned, it just does not hold up very well, so I don’t tend to have it on hand.
Oh, and my St. Germain has been sitting on top of my bar for at least a year and its color is fine, so maybe as long as it stays below certain room temp, it holds up?
@@bobbarron1920 I have the same experience with St Germain, perhaps because I'm in Sweden, so it never gets that hot. I have had some sloe gin turn a pretty sad and murky brown color though. But if I have to keep any more home bar things in the fridge, I'll have to buy a separate one just for that soon. (Oh and I'd also second the Vac-u-vin comment.)
I’ve been considering an evacuation of O2 in conjunction with the obv refrigeration for vermouths… interesting that you got THAT much life out of them. What product do you use? Re:st germain it becomes especially noticeable after ~2 years especially if one of those it was in questionable temperature control (stuff in storage)
As a home bartender I only ever make super juice when I've got a fair number of guests coming to visit, or something else like that where I have a likely hood of going through it. As is I live with my partner and the two of us will have 2-3 drinks a week unless we have company. The extra effort to make super juice gets wasted if I can't go through the stuff fast enough.
The whole point of super juice is that it lasts a long time. It’s a lot of upfront effort for less work down the line. At your rate, just use fresh-squeezed, or buy a quality lime juice, like Natalie’s.
My take was the opposite, I just started trying super juice batched with 2/3 frozen and 1/3 refrigerated to always have a reasonable facsimile of lime and lemon juice on hand
@@chrisnormandeau6101 does it do well frozen? I might have to try that if that's the case. Maybe portion it into ice cubes I can shake with until they are gone.
Thank God for the 375 mL bottles of vermouth. I also add that if you want to find a use for your dry vermouth that’s been sitting in the fridge and it’s getting close to the end but you’re not feeling a martini…. Cooking. Dry vermouth is great for deglazing a pan sauce or adding some sweetness to tomato sauce.
I think you should also direct people to invest in a food dehydrator for making their own dried citrus and other fruit. It's easy and you can find a pretty good machine for under $100.
Thanks for the great tips. I echo these to my viewers all the time. Well except for the refrigeration tip. I am a big proponent of ice and fresh fruit, so it's nice to here I'm not alone in my preaching. Great job!
I agree with apéritif’s that they need to be refrigerated, but for syrups, I can argue that they don’t need to be refrigerated, if anything, refrigerating, simple syrup, solidifies it too much for my taste, especially since I make Rich simple syrup
I would love to hear more on number 4. I would not have guessed that St. Germain or Creme de Cassis need to be refridgerated after opening (glad I haven't opened mine yet). What else in the world of liqueurs (apart from the wine ones) need to be refridgerated, please give more examples? Is there any downside to refridgerating something that doesn't actually need to be refiridgerated?
To answer your last question- no. There is no downside to refrigerating something that doesn’t necessarily require refrigeration. The _only_ thing I would say against it is the colder things are, the less flavor you can perceive from them. Red wine, for example, tastes like nothing when chilled. The same can be said for most spirits. Good whisky that is consumed chilled and with ice is doing a disservice to that whisky because you’re missing out on so many flavors that will only come out as the drink’s temperature goes up. With the added ice, however, you’ll be getting too much dilution, changing the whisky altogether. Side note: Whisky is best consumed at room temp with a few drops of water. My general rule of thumb is anything spirit-based does not need to be refrigerated. Vodka, tequila, rum, etc., do not need refrigeration. However, if you feel the need to refrigerate your spirits, only refrigerate clear spirits; nothing brown. That means no whisky or reposado and añejo tequilas.
@@chandaharkins4418 The cocktail cherries (i.e. luxando, Maraschino) don’t need refrigeration. Besides the jar/can they come in telling you refrigeration is not required, the cherries themselves are macerated in alcohol and A LOT of sugar. They’re almost pickled at that point.
Great vid, but probably the biggest mistake, and unfortunately you see it being made by professional bartenders too often, is shaking classic "spirit forward" cocktails instead of stirring. Martini, Manhattan, Vieux Carre, Boulevardier, Negroni, etc are stirred - not shaken (yes, I love James Bond, but he was wrong about his cocktail).
Great Video! Thankfully, as I follow your channel long enough, I wasn't doing any of those mistakes! But I have never bought some of those liqueurs and would probably leave them out of the fridge if I haven't watched this video!
Love making drinks at home for the wife & me. We like drinks with the super juice over fresh limes or lemons. Not all fresh limes/lemons are created equal, no consistency in the drinks using them. To each his own.
By that rationale, your super juice wouldn’t be consistent either, because no two fruits are created equal. Also, that’s just splitting hairs. There’s not going to be any real noticeable difference in flavor between two limes or two lemons once mixed into a drink.
@@jurajsebechlebsky4241 Most likely an issue with sterilizing the vessel you used as opposed to the syrup. It makes no difference what type of sugar you use. There is no chance of bacteria formation in a properly sterilized container that is 2:1.
Thanks. I consider myself pretty educated, but didn’t think St. Germaine needed to go in the fridge with my vermouths and wine based liqueurs . Thanks!
@8:34 I am not sure about st germain turning murky. i worked at a bar while i was in college, and we had the same bottle of st germain sitting on the shelf all 4yrs, and that never happened
What I'm missing within the selection of alcohol that belongs in the fridge, is a note about spirits infused with fresh fruit, like strawberry infused Camapari for example. Should you keep those in the fridge as well and if so, how long do they last approximately?
I have to disagree with superjuice vs fresh juice. My opinion applies only to lime and lemon as I am not a fan of superjuiced orange or grapefruit. However, I find superjuiced lime superior to fresh lime juice. I've never had to adjust the lime for more complex drinks, and in fact, the great majority of drinks are elevated by it. Superjuiced lemon has at least equal performance across all lemon drinks. And the added bonus that the superjuioced batches last a month or so makes superjuice ideal for the home bartender IMO.
What a great and informative video…thanks for posting it! I was wondering about joggers as they all seem to have interesting shapes but are they all regulated to have the same measurements? Also, what actually are the measures of the small vs larger side? 2oz/1oz? Or 1oz/.5oz?
Just tried buying the dehydrated wheels and checkout wouldn't work. Tried 2 different credit cards that are active & funded. Thanks for the great content!
I find when I use fresh juice I have to respec the drink with a reduction of citrus. It is too much for me. But there is no replacement for lime at all
I don't often keep oranges in stock because most cocktails only seem to call for their peel as a garnish. Any ideas on cocktails that use an orange's worth of orange juice so it doesn't go to waste?
A bowl of lemons and limes looks pretty, but if you don't make many cocktails, and have a repertoire of 80 to choose from, keeping a few in the fridge will make them last longer.
Looks like I need to make more st Germain cocktails then. What about the vacuum wine corks, I've been using them to store vermouth on the shelf, does that also work similar to putting them in the fridge?
RE: Superjuice, I made a Last Word this week with some that I had laying around- big mistake. It separated in the cocktail and I managed by stirring before each sip. Fresh all the way!
Aperol does not need to be refrigerated. It is spirit-based and has a lot of sugar in it, which doesn’t promote oxidation. Anything spirit-based does not need refrigeration.
@@eyespy3001 Well, St. Germain is a spirit-based liqueur and this video cites it as an exception due to the elderflower, as well as creme de mure and creme de cassis. So it seems like that's not really a hard and fast rule.
@@DollarDude Any bar you have ever been to with that carries any elderflower liqueur does not, has never, and never will refrigerate the bottle, and it’s just fine. I’ve been in this business for over 20 years and have never seen St Germain or any other elderflower liqueur turn gray or go bad.
Got a question regarding the fresh citrus juice: Here in germany they sell directly pressed lemon/lime juice in bottles, no concentrates, without any additives. Would you say that this is a legit substitute for pressing the limes/lemons at home?
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it's a pretty well-known fact that most of the probiotic gets eaten up by stomach acid BEFORE it ever makes it to your intestines. That is why taking them in capsules that don't dissolve until they reach your intestine is vital. Not so sure this Z even gets to where it is supposed to.
I would argue that not garnishing is probably one of the biggest routine mistakes. When I started getting into making cocktails learning to properly garnish yielded a disproportionately large increase in quality of drink and experience. That and good quality ice.
Tip #6: don’t slice half your pinkie nail off with your oxo peeler! Doesn’t feel great
Lol or your knuckle, can confirm is super painful.
Once you do it once, you will never, ever, do it again. Speaking from experience here.
I feel like there should be more warning about how dangerous peelers are lol. I've lost many parts of my nails/fingers and now just resort to using a knife.
Everybody has to do it at least one time
I use a pen-type peeler and it's far easier and safer to use.
Thanks for the #4 tip and the guidance around it. I was doing mostly right except for the St Germain. One additional thing I do is I mark the bottle with a sharpie when I open it. This way I know the age of the opened bottle! Thanks for the great work!
Never put my simple syrup in the fridge 🙄
@@Felix-guysame. I do make a 2:1 so it’s shelf stable allegedly. Current batch has been out for a year or so and no issues. Wonder if a 1:1 would be similar
@chrisnormandeau6101 a 1:1 allegedly could ferment, it takes a looong time, and starting with a clean bottle and bottling when hot helps a ton, sort of like jarring. That makes it so bacteria and atmospheric yeast that gets in from opening it has an uphill battle.
Regarding refrigerating certain ingredients - if you’re anything like me - date your bottles when you open them. It helps me with culling out stuff that’s too old to serve.
Thank you! I didn’t realize St. Germain needed refrigeration along with a couple others. Love this kind of info! (Along with the recipes…)
To be fair there are relatively few cocktails where the color of St Germaine is going to make a critical difference. The flavor doesn't especially suffer, as he said (and my experience confirms as well).
Would you consider making a video all about refrigerating spirits? I’m still not entirely sure where to draw the line, and I’ve seen plenty of professional bartenders who clearly have no idea (leaving out open bottles of Lillet, Carpano Antica, etc.).
During a busy service, it's not really an issue to leave a fortified or aromatized wine out because you'll likely go through that bottle anyways, and it won't be out long enough to affect it. Also, something like Carpano Antica, which has a lot of sugar, will be slightly more stable and resistant to oxidation. It also depends on weather and climate. Oxidation can actually do some interesting things flavor-wise to some spirits and wine-based amaro and fortified wines, like softening sharp botanicals/spices, brightening some notes. Many sherries are already oxidized and are sitting out in the sun in Jerez as they're fermenting and being made. The refrigerate rule of thumb is a good one, but there's more nuance to this.
I would love digging into the what to refrigerate conversation more, with the caveat and understanding that obv anything wine based be chilled
I've been using frozen super juice in 0.5 oz portions for years in cocktails. I would say that the time it takes to slightly adjust your spec or to just deal with a slightly (slightly) citrus forward cocktail. far far outweighs the cost can time savings you get from dealing with fresh citrus.
Yeah, and I also just wonder about adjusting the super juice recipes themselves. Maybe a bit less acid, or more dilution, or some other adjustment could create the "perfect" recipe. 🤔
Actually I just remembered that Darcy O'Neil/Art of Drink did an improved Super Juice video. Especially the idea of using a salt as a buffer seems like it might help with what Leandro is describing here: th-cam.com/video/pHQZG_lfv_I/w-d-xo.html
Another thing about using super Juice ist that, although you are a bit more acidic, you are constantly more acidic and can deal with that. Fresh citrus, and i think especially limes, is sometimes more and sometimes less acidic, depending on the growing conditions. On top of that, fresh citrus looses water over storage time and by this gets more acidic. That is not a problem for professionals and bars because of the high output and short storage time and better storage conditions. But at home it can matter.
@@markusrichert5441 Yeah, that's another interesting point.
@@markusrichert5441 yeah I think you're right. Where I buy my citrus in the Netherlands the acidity really differs from lime to lime or lemon to lemon. So atm in quite contempt with using super juice. Also great to have a 200ml max bottle in the fridge for cooking to!
I knew most of these but the information about what to refrigerate and what not was SUPER helpful. Thank you
I always refrigerate vermouth, didn’t realize St Germain was also target for oxidation.
What other liquors require refrigeration? (Or oxidation would be slowed by refrigeration?)
Chartreuse?
Does opened vs closed make a difference? (I assume closed is good at room temp indefinitely?)
I now understand why my 2 year old Empress Gin is clear now.
I use fresh. But I also squeeze the extra citrus and freeze half and 1 oz cubes. They pop right out of silicone trays, so I always have something on hand.
Phew! I don't make any of those mistakes... But I make plenty of others.
I'm newly obsessed with making cocktails, so of course I'm watching every video ever put on TH-cam about cocktails...
Not to throw shade on other channels, but I think your vids are consistently the BEST on TH-cam.
Also yeah, when I first started buying ingredients I thought "hey, maybe I can save money by buying pre-juiced citrus". Big mistake lmao. Fresh is 1000x better than anything processed/older than a day.
I also owned a cobbler shaker for precisely 1 day lol. Boston shaker all da-way baybeee
I’ve heard a lot of bartending channels say that vermouth needs to be kept in the fridge.
My personal experience with vermouth….
I had one bottle of Quinquina go off on me one time. But it was about three years old. Otherwise, I’ve never had an issue.
We keep our vermouth on the bar, out of direct sunlight. We’ve got 8 bottles open at the moment. I don’t keep track of how often they are replaced (we drink a lot of vermouth), but I’m guessing it’s normal for some bottles to be on the shelf for a year.
Your milage may vary. We live in Canada, where the summers are barely warm and the winters are cold AF. We also don’t have any dry vermouth in our collection - just reds and blancos.
Lots of truth to this - i live in the Southeastern US, and it's hot here for a good 6 months, and humid most of the year, so refrigeration is a must. I would imagine with the cooler climate where you are in Canada and where you put the bottles out of the sun, they probably keep okay. I'd be curious if the flavor does change over time though.
@@cyoungner1a2nI’m not a sommelier, so I don’t necessarily have a well refined palate. I’ll acknowledge that. But I’ve never had an experience of cracking open a new bottle of Vermouth and thinking it tasted better fresh.
(Limes, in the other hand, in the summer when good limes become available where I live, I notice a difference… the limes we get in the winter are sufficiently bad that we no longer drink lime cocktails in the winter.)
However, in my experience, a bottle of Cocchi Vermouth de Torino maintains its vanilla notes for as long as I have ever had one open.
And we not only put vermouth in cocktails, we sip it straight. And all the sipping vermouths we have are entirely sipable for the lifespan we’ve ever had a bottle open.
Most of the Blancos we have are rather sweet, though… with the exception of the Dolin Blanc. It’s possible that the Dolin Blanc (which I find rather dry for a Blanco) might not last as long as a bottle of Poli Grand Bassano, which is the kind of white vermouth we like sipping. We find the Dolin Blanc only good for cocktails.
Are you keeping your house at 42° F?
Your taste buds must be dead if you can’t notice a difference between fresh vermouth and vermouth that’s been opened for months without refrigeration.
@@eyespy3001 LOL!
I wasn't sure I would find this useful, but I did learn some things. Thank you!
It's always been obvious to me that super juice makes sense for bars but not at home - I appreciate you calling that out.
I will still make super juice because I like the "lack of waste", the negligible difference in texture or flavour is worth the massive cost savings (booze is expensive), and I clean fewer dishes by having a chilled bottle of lime in my fridge (no citrus squeezer, no knife, no cutting board).
@@HansMaximumI second this opinion
I strongly disagree about superjuice as a general rule. It would make sense to use fresh citrus if you make cocktails frequently and regularly enough to go through it, but if you drink more infrequently it can often go to waste especially if you want to have multiple types of citrus on hand so you have more options on what to make.
Yeah, it’s either having no juice options or buying limes, lemons, oranges, and grapefruits every week to just go bad... just did the lime super juice to hopefully get out of that cycle.
I did try a written word with it and it tasted off, but thought that was due to the cointro vs marichino swap, I’ll have to do more research
Always educational!! Best cocktail channel….
Thanks!
Thank you for this. Very informative. Especially tip 4 which certainly explains why my St Germain looks funky. Made a cocktail with it recently and it did taste off as well. Not sure I agree that the taste is not affected. Did not know about creme de mure or cassis either. Guess they will be getting shifted to the fridge this evening!
Chambord (Holy Hand Grenade) too. It can be a bit funky if you leave it out.
@@robertwilloughby8050 good point! Plus mine has been on the shelf for ages. Maybe its time to throw it out and buy a new one (and store it in the fridge)
2:25 The Utah call out hurts so bad. Literally part of the reason why I started watching your channel was so I could make drinks (the way they should be made!) at home and not have to over-pay for less of a drink!
Straight after ice and fresh citrus: upgrade the "flavour" component of your drink. Nothing ruins a drink more than a nasty, artificial liqueur or syrup. The $10 extra on a good bottle will make more difference than reaching for that top shelf spirit.
Hmm, re juice I squeeze and freeze, with bits inc. when having a cocktail themed night - it works. I saw that Steve the bartender has bottles of juice prepared and that’s where I got the idea. I just don’t have the room over Christmas for lots of citrus fruits. After the night is over I dispose it’s more to do with space and time.
Thx for great vid! I hopefully don’t offend with too many of these (quietly shifts St Germaine too fridge) but wish I was better at tasting and adjusting balance with my cocktails- I’m not sure where to start and worry I’ll wreck it, would love tips on this 🙂
I’m surprised you didn’t mention that Luxardo cherries, unlike most cherries, DON’T go in the fridge. Just learned this recently haha, they can crystallize. It says on the back to leave them out.
Got nervous when I saw St Germain on your lineup of bottles to refrigerate. My has been sitting on the shelf for 2 years! Good to know it's still good.
#1 Alcohol content also matters because guests have expectations for the physical effect a drink will have. If you’re overserving liquor, say 2.5 oz instead of 2.0 oz, someone is going to be 25% drunker than they planned for.
This is a really important consideration as a responsible host. Thanks for bringing it up.
I'll add: dilution is a good thing! Obviously WAY too much water can be gross, but you need surprising amounts to get to that point. Dilution helps flavor! Dilution helps complexity! Dilution meditates (oops) harshness!
meditates?
Haha MEDIATES. my bad @@jimklemens5018
I’m from Argentina and as everybody knows we are big fernet drinkers. Despite that most people argue that not, fernet changes it flavor if it is not keep in the fridge after it is opened.
I refrigerate and Vac-u-vin all of my vermouths and Cocchi Americano, Lillet Blanc, etc. I have tasted old vs. fresh in several instances and even up to 9 months, there are only slight differences that, in a cocktail would never be noticeable. The one exception is Fino Sherry. Even refrigerated and vac-u-vinned, it just does not hold up very well, so I don’t tend to have it on hand.
Oh, and my St. Germain has been sitting on top of my bar for at least a year and its color is fine, so maybe as long as it stays below certain room temp, it holds up?
@@bobbarron1920 I thought that was an odd mention as well. I have had several bottles sit out (though not direct sunlight) with no ill effects.
@@bobbarron1920 I have the same experience with St Germain, perhaps because I'm in Sweden, so it never gets that hot. I have had some sloe gin turn a pretty sad and murky brown color though. But if I have to keep any more home bar things in the fridge, I'll have to buy a separate one just for that soon. (Oh and I'd also second the Vac-u-vin comment.)
I’ve been considering an evacuation of O2 in conjunction with the obv refrigeration for vermouths… interesting that you got THAT much life out of them. What product do you use?
Re:st germain it becomes especially noticeable after ~2 years especially if one of those it was in questionable temperature control (stuff in storage)
As a home bartender I only ever make super juice when I've got a fair number of guests coming to visit, or something else like that where I have a likely hood of going through it. As is I live with my partner and the two of us will have 2-3 drinks a week unless we have company. The extra effort to make super juice gets wasted if I can't go through the stuff fast enough.
You should drink a little more.
The whole point of super juice is that it lasts a long time. It’s a lot of upfront effort for less work down the line. At your rate, just use fresh-squeezed, or buy a quality lime juice, like Natalie’s.
My take was the opposite, I just started trying super juice batched with 2/3 frozen and 1/3 refrigerated to always have a reasonable facsimile of lime and lemon juice on hand
@@chrisnormandeau6101 does it do well frozen? I might have to try that if that's the case. Maybe portion it into ice cubes I can shake with until they are gone.
@@g0mikese tbd, a handful of limes makes so much I have enough for 2 years now
Great info! agree with all of these tips! Cheers!
Glad to be among your followers
Enough love from Ghana 🇬🇭
I’m about to start cocktail bar
Thank God for the 375 mL bottles of vermouth.
I also add that if you want to find a use for your dry vermouth that’s been sitting in the fridge and it’s getting close to the end but you’re not feeling a martini…. Cooking.
Dry vermouth is great for deglazing a pan sauce or adding some sweetness to tomato sauce.
I think you should also direct people to invest in a food dehydrator for making their own dried citrus and other fruit. It's easy and you can find a pretty good machine for under $100.
My problem with fresh citrus is the quality is hit or miss. I had bitter limes ruin some margarita
I agree with every single point and I am rushing to put my creme de cassis in the fridge (did not know it needed to go in...).
Thanks for the great tips. I echo these to my viewers all the time. Well except for the refrigeration tip. I am a big proponent of ice and fresh fruit, so it's nice to here I'm not alone in my preaching. Great job!
Any advice like this is greatly appreciated. Keep up the amazing work all around Leandro.
I knew Vermouth had to be refrigerated, but had no idea I needed to put St. Germain in the fridge.
Here in Britain bars and people at home use hardly any ice. Drives my crazy.
Thank you thank you thank you. I’ve learned so much from you over the past few years. Keep up the great work
I agree with apéritif’s that they need to be refrigerated, but for syrups, I can argue that they don’t need to be refrigerated, if anything, refrigerating, simple syrup, solidifies it too much for my taste, especially since I make Rich simple syrup
LEANDRO!!! This was awesome!! I totally agree with everything!! Did you know that Chambord turns BROWN over time???? YUK!!!!
Yeah all the fruit liqueurs do if they’re using real fruit
I would love to hear more on number 4. I would not have guessed that St. Germain or Creme de Cassis need to be refridgerated after opening (glad I haven't opened mine yet). What else in the world of liqueurs (apart from the wine ones) need to be refridgerated, please give more examples? Is there any downside to refridgerating something that doesn't actually need to be refiridgerated?
To answer your last question- no. There is no downside to refrigerating something that doesn’t necessarily require refrigeration. The _only_ thing I would say against it is the colder things are, the less flavor you can perceive from them. Red wine, for example, tastes like nothing when chilled. The same can be said for most spirits. Good whisky that is consumed chilled and with ice is doing a disservice to that whisky because you’re missing out on so many flavors that will only come out as the drink’s temperature goes up. With the added ice, however, you’ll be getting too much dilution, changing the whisky altogether. Side note: Whisky is best consumed at room temp with a few drops of water.
My general rule of thumb is anything spirit-based does not need to be refrigerated. Vodka, tequila, rum, etc., do not need refrigeration. However, if you feel the need to refrigerate your spirits, only refrigerate clear spirits; nothing brown. That means no whisky or reposado and añejo tequilas.
A significant downside for most of us mortals is fridge (and freezer) space
I'd like more on this topic, as well! Another example is cocktail cherries.
@@chandaharkins4418 The cocktail cherries (i.e. luxando, Maraschino) don’t need refrigeration. Besides the jar/can they come in telling you refrigeration is not required, the cherries themselves are macerated in alcohol and A LOT of sugar. They’re almost pickled at that point.
Great vid, but probably the biggest mistake, and unfortunately you see it being made by professional bartenders too often, is shaking classic "spirit forward" cocktails instead of stirring. Martini, Manhattan, Vieux Carre, Boulevardier, Negroni, etc are stirred - not shaken (yes, I love James Bond, but he was wrong about his cocktail).
100 %
Super helpful video! I didn't realize St. Germain needed to be in the fridge!
Loved this video! Super helpful!
Great Video! Thankfully, as I follow your channel long enough, I wasn't doing any of those mistakes! But I have never bought some of those liqueurs and would probably leave them out of the fridge if I haven't watched this video!
Thank you for this really helpful video. As a hobby bartender, I appreciate it.
I'm still convince that Green Chartreuse isn't in short supply, rather they needed to create demand. Mission accomplished!
Love making drinks at home for the wife & me. We like drinks with the super juice over fresh limes or lemons.
Not all fresh limes/lemons are created equal, no consistency in the drinks using them. To each his own.
By that rationale, your super juice wouldn’t be consistent either, because no two fruits are created equal.
Also, that’s just splitting hairs. There’s not going to be any real noticeable difference in flavor between two limes or two lemons once mixed into a drink.
Fruit liqueurs in the fridge! Learned something new today.
Not enough room in my fridge so my St. Germain is just gonna be murky.😅
A 2:1 simple syrup doesn't need to be refrigerated. It has such a high sugar content that its shelf life is basically infinite without refrigeration
But be careful with demerara syrup. I had a 2:1 demerara grow mold when I left it on the shelf
@@jurajsebechlebsky4241 Most likely an issue with sterilizing the vessel you used as opposed to the syrup. It makes no difference what type of sugar you use. There is no chance of bacteria formation in a properly sterilized container that is 2:1.
I’m always amazed when bars don’t refrigerate their vermouth.
Thank you for this excellent and informative video!!
Great video, No. 4 was a good one for me. Learn't heaps
oops, I've got a bottle of St. Germain sitting in my cabinet for about a year.........
Thanks. I consider myself pretty educated, but didn’t think St. Germaine needed to go in the fridge with my vermouths and wine based liqueurs . Thanks!
@8:34 I am not sure about st germain turning murky. i worked at a bar while i was in college, and we had the same bottle of st germain sitting on the shelf all 4yrs, and that never happened
Good information..thank you
What I'm missing within the selection of alcohol that belongs in the fridge, is a note about spirits infused with fresh fruit, like strawberry infused Camapari for example. Should you keep those in the fridge as well and if so, how long do they last approximately?
Those should go in the fridge too
I have to disagree with superjuice vs fresh juice. My opinion applies only to lime and lemon as I am not a fan of superjuiced orange or grapefruit. However, I find superjuiced lime superior to fresh lime juice. I've never had to adjust the lime for more complex drinks, and in fact, the great majority of drinks are elevated by it. Superjuiced lemon has at least equal performance across all lemon drinks. And the added bonus that the superjuioced batches last a month or so makes superjuice ideal for the home bartender IMO.
What a great and informative video…thanks for posting it!
I was wondering about joggers as they all seem to have interesting shapes but are they all regulated to have the same measurements? Also, what actually are the measures of the small vs larger side? 2oz/1oz? Or 1oz/.5oz?
The tip RE which bottles go in the fridge was most helpful.
Just tried buying the dehydrated wheels and checkout wouldn't work. Tried 2 different credit cards that are active & funded. Thanks for the great content!
Hmm not sure what happened. I can look into it
I find when I use fresh juice I have to respec the drink with a reduction of citrus. It is too much for me. But there is no replacement for lime at all
Your ice has too much ice in it!
I don't often keep oranges in stock because most cocktails only seem to call for their peel as a garnish. Any ideas on cocktails that use an orange's worth of orange juice so it doesn't go to waste?
How about simply drinking freshly squeezed orange juice for breakfast?
Would you adjust lime super juice ratio in The Last Word?
Great tips thanks!
Can you use the wine sucker caps to preserve wine based spirits longer?
Mistake #5 is one of the many reasons I don’t watch Johnnydrinks. Haha (I did when I was brand new to things, but quickly picked up it wasn’t my jam).
Canada is also on the list of places that have legal limits on alcohol in a single drink.
for #4, what about brandy/cognacs?
A bowl of lemons and limes looks pretty, but if you don't make many cocktails, and have a repertoire of 80 to choose from, keeping a few in the fridge will make them last longer.
Cherry heering? Does it need to be refrigerated?
Love a bit of Kevin Kos
So any home made syrups need to be stored in the fridge? How long will they last?
Super juice saves me time and mess! I’ll test it O’my lol…..
Seems like you're really blowing people's minds with this take on St Germain, Leandro. 😅
Didn't know to put Casis in the fridge.
I can announce that it is now in my fridge
Looks like I need to make more st Germain cocktails then. What about the vacuum wine corks, I've been using them to store vermouth on the shelf, does that also work similar to putting them in the fridge?
It does help. The vacuum decreases the amount of oxygen in the bottle, and the fridge slows the process. I do both
I could kinda tell that the super juice was sort of more lemony than regular lemon juice. I do really like just having a ton of it though
Im not against super juice at all its just about understanding your ingredients to use them more effectively
Isn't the Cream of Coconut, NUT milk based syrup. So, it should be called Coconut orgeat if anything. Not Coconut syrup. I still use Cream of coconut.
My juice squeezer has discoloring is there anyway to get rid of that?
RE: Superjuice, I made a Last Word this week with some that I had laying around- big mistake. It separated in the cocktail and I managed by stirring before each sip. Fresh all the way!
You guys are in USA and the freight costs for anything to europe are very expensive.
Dang it my fridge it already full!
What are your thoughts on the rule that anything under 15% alcohol needs to go in the fridge? Aperol would fall under that category.
Aperol does not need to be refrigerated. It is spirit-based and has a lot of sugar in it, which doesn’t promote oxidation.
Anything spirit-based does not need refrigeration.
@@eyespy3001 Well, St. Germain is a spirit-based liqueur and this video cites it as an exception due to the elderflower, as well as creme de mure and creme de cassis. So it seems like that's not really a hard and fast rule.
@@DollarDude Any bar you have ever been to with that carries any elderflower liqueur does not, has never, and never will refrigerate the bottle, and it’s just fine. I’ve been in this business for over 20 years and have never seen St Germain or any other elderflower liqueur turn gray or go bad.
8:35 I have the St Germain still untoched and closed. When do I have to put it on a fridge? Once I open it? Or now?
after it's been opened
@@cweretelnyk thanks!
Holy crap!! Alaska mentioned! Just wish it was positive.
On the plus side, I can drive to a glacier and get some crazy ice for my cocktails!
I read that 2 to 1 simple doesn't need to be in the fridge, is this wrong? Steve the bartender I believe is who made a video saying this
I've had good mileage using the gas based wine preservers for vermouth, wondered if you have any thoughts on those?
Also wine vacuum sealers are pretty handy
OK, so do I refrigerate my maraschino, Violette, and/or Pierre Ferrand dry curaçao?
Nope none of those
@@TheEducatedBarfly Thanks!! How do you feel about vacuum pumps? (Like with the stopper)
Got a question regarding the fresh citrus juice:
Here in germany they sell directly pressed lemon/lime juice in bottles, no concentrates, without any additives. Would you say that this is a legit substitute for pressing the limes/lemons at home?
No i wouldn’t say it’s a sub for fresh. Lemon and lime oxidizes and leads to off flavors so that juice in the bottle is going to be much worse
What about bitters, do they need to go in fridge.
Nope they’re very high proof spirit based tinctures
Does Z Biotics really work? I often get hangovers, and would love a real hangover prevention agent.
Yes it works very well. Use it all the time now lol
the website for st. germaine does not recommend refrigeration, only to consume w/i 6 months
Shit!! My Cappelletti is probably bad.....oh wait I might of drank it all....cause it is DELICOUS!