If crafting cool cocktails while your friends enjoy the party is your thing, then you are bound to be a great bartender. It is not hard to mix drinks and figure out the best combinations. If you have a natural flair for it, then a few tips in this regard will certainly help you. Before you decide to become a pro, here are a few bar basics to mix up any cocktail that you want.

1. Differentiate between “shaken” and “stirred”
There are not many techniques to speak of, but when you know the right way to mix certain drinks, you are off to a good start. The most important of bar basics to mix up any cocktail is stir drinks that have liquor in them and shake drinks that contain juices or strongly-flavored ingredients.

2. Do you strain all the drinks?
Yes, you do not want people to think that the drink is light or lacks ice. As you shake or stir the drinks, the ice is bound to break down and melt. Straining is essential and is a required step as you make the drink better. Consider this one of the most important things in bar basics to mix up any cocktail.

3. Taking the drink to the next level
Before you try out exotic mixes, gain mastery over some of the most basic but popular drinks. For instance, a vodka tonic is pretty basic but learning how you can serve it (since it is directly poured in the serving glass) can help immensely when you learn other complicated mixes. Frozen cocktails are a whole other thing, as you may need to learn about the flavor combinations.

4. DIY projects in drinks
As far as DIY projects go, the best place to begin for cocktails is making syrups. You can start by making a simple sugar syrup at home. On the other hand, a sour mix is one where you add lemon to the sugar syrup. A homemade grenadine syrup, which is pomegranate-flavored, is bound to take your drinks to the next level. An important syrup to use in bar basics to mix up any cocktail is gomme syrup or a simple syrup to which gum arabic is added. This makes the drinks smoother and silkier.

5. Presentation is key
One of the key elements in great presentation is to get comfortable with different types of glassware. It is important to have a basic knowledge of drinks and the glassware that is used to serve them. Learn how to “chill” and “rim” a glass. Both of these are a simple yet critical part of bar basics to mix up any cocktail.

As you learn the simple and complex aspects of bar basics to mix up any cocktail, it is important to keep experimenting to discover a personal style in bartending.