It’s Happy Hour! We’re sharing balancing failures (ours and others) and successes. We’ve got volcanoes, torches, funky rum, giant thistles and enough nuts to feed a forest of squirrels*.

Ben presents his Typical Ben Rum Drink a wild tiki-inspired mix of Jamaican rum and orgeat with a snowy mountain of crushed ice. Which will you drown in first, the rum or the water from all that ice?

Matthew reworks a restaurant cocktail originally called the BronArmy Navy. It was a sugar bomb with a with star ingredient that wasn’t allowed to shine. Matthew lets the artichokes free! You’re welcome Castroville.

*Justice for Peanut

(00:00) Opening and Squirrel Nut Factories

(02:44) The end of our first “arc” and a look forward

(12:15) Salvaging failed cocktails and stubborn recipes

(14:17) Ben’s muddy mess

(16:20) Cocktail: Typical Ben Rum Drink

(19:59) Tiki is a vibe

(32:58) Cocktail: Matthew’s BronArmy Navy

(44:25) Episode close

• 1 oz Smith and Cross Jamaican rum
• 1 oz Planteray Stiggin’s Pineapple rum
• 1 oz Orgeat
• 3/4 oz lime juice
• 1/4 oz Falernum (to top)
• 2 dashes Angostura bitters
• Instructions: Combine rums, orgeat, and lime juice in a shaker with ice. Shake until chilled, then strain into a rocks glass packed with crushed ice. Top with Falernum and Angostura bitters. Garnish with pineapple fronds or other tiki-inspired decor.

• 2 oz bourbon
• 1 oz lemon juice
• 3/4 oz Cynar
• 3/4 oz Orgeat
• Pinch of salt
• Instructions: Combine all ingredients in a shaker with ice and shake well. Double strain into a chilled glass and serve with or without a lemon twist garnish.

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The links below that point to Amazon are affiliate links. If you click on them and make a purchase we may receive a small compensation at no extra cost to you. Links to any other destination are not affiliate links.

We own and recommend these books:

The 12 Bottle Bar: Make Hundreds of Cocktails with Just Twelve Bottles by David Solmonson, Lesley Jacobs Solmonson

Liquid Intelligence: The Art and Science of the Perfect Cocktail by Dave Arnold

Imbibe! by David Wondrich

Cocktail Codex by Alex Day, Nick Fauchald, David Kaplan

Products we own, like and use:

• Measuring tools
• OXO Good Grips Mini Angled Measuring Cup, 2 Oz capacity
• OXO Metal Angled Measuring Cup
• OXO SteeL Double Jigger
• Shakers
• This shaking set is sold as two separate items on Amazon, you will need both
• Cocktail Kingdom Koriko Small Weighted Shaking Tin
• Cocktail Kingdom Koriko Large Weighted Shaking Tin
• Mixing Glasses/Tins
• Viski Crystal Mixing Glass, 17 oz
• Pint glass: you don’t need a link for this do you?
• Peelers
• OXO Good Grips...

Your training is almost complete. Today we’re cocktail tasting, cocktail balancing and cocktail perfecting. In this finale of our "Getting Started" series, we’re breaking down the steps to deconstructing a cocktail, balancing it and then improving it. et us introduce you to a sweet little friend of ours—the Cocktail of the Week. Who will also be our model this week. So get in here!

(00:00) How to Balance a Cocktail

(01:54) Cocktail of the Week: The Plain & Simple (Daiquiri)

(03:59) Why fresh lime juice matters

(05:21) A brief sojourn into rum

(08:31) How to taste cocktails like an expert (no, you're doing it wrong)

(15:32) The secret to balancing cocktails (hint: it involves homework)

(24:02) Simple tips to improve your cocktail

(30:00) Closing

• 2 parts white rum
• 1 part fresh lime juice
• 1 part simple syrup (1:1 white cane sugar to water)
• Combine all ingredients in a shaker with ice. Shake until fully chilled. Double strain into a chilled, stemmed cocktail glass. Serve without garnish.

• 2 parts Plantation Three Stars rum
• 3/4 part fresh lime juice
• 3/4 part simple syrup (1:1)
• 1 lime wheel for garnish
• Combine rum, lime juice, and simple syrup in a shaker with ice. Shake until fully chilled. Double strain into a chilled, stemmed cocktail glass. Float lime wheel on top of cocktail.

• 2 parts white rum
• 1 part fresh lime juice
• 3/4 part simple syrup
• Combine all ingredients in a shaker with ice. Shake until fully chilled. Double strain into a chilled, stemmed cocktail glass.

• 2 parts white rum
• 3/4 part fresh lime juice
• 1 part simple syrup
• Combine all ingredients in a shaker with ice. Shake until fully chilled. Double strain into a chilled, stemmed cocktail glass.

• 2 parts white rum
• 3/4 part fresh lime juice
• 3/4 part simple syrup
• Combine all ingredients in a shaker with ice. Shake until fully chilled. Double strain into a chilled, stemmed cocktail glass.

---

The links below that point to Amazon are affiliate links. If you click on them and make a purchase we may receive a small compensation at no extra cost to you. Links to any other destination are not affiliate links.

We own and recommend these books:

The 12 Bottle Bar: Make Hundreds of Cocktails with Just Twelve Bottles by David Solmonson, Lesley Jacobs Solmonson

Liquid Intelligence: The Art and Science of the Perfect Cocktail by Dave Arnold

Imbibe! by David Wondrich

Cocktail Codex by Alex Day, Nick Fauchald, David Kaplan

Products we own, like and use:

• Measuring tools
• OXO Good Grips Mini Angled Measuring Cup, 2 Oz capacity
• OXO Metal Angled Measuring Cup
• OXO SteeL Double Jigger
• Shakers
• This shaking set is sold as two separate items on Amazon, you will need both

It’s Happy Hour! We’re diving into cocktail balance, party fouls, and … livestock*? Then, as promised, we’re presenting two wild-card cocktails with an agave twist.

Ben’s got the “perfect” cocktail to wash away the Negroni from Tuesday: the Banana Frexicano. This smoky-sweet blend of agave and banana will have you dreaming of warm tropical nights. Best of all, no Campari! You like Mezcal, right?

Matthew, at Ben’s request, is bringing a kicked-down Margarita this week. It’s your standard tequila + orange liqueur + lime + salt but with some subtle twists to really let the Tequila shine.

*No cows or pigs were harmed in the recording of this podcast.

(00:00) Opening

(01:13) Do cows fly?

(05:05) Matthew, the Elderflower Liqueur of parties

(07:00) Cocktail balance

(08:49) Flavor matters

(11:46) Flavor balance tips

(17:18) Cocktail: Banana Frexicano

(20:30) Mezcal

(23:25) Cocktail: Matthew’s Margarita

(27:28) Tequila

(31:22) Orange liqueurs primer

(33:40) Their grandpa goes on the run

(35:29) Closing

• 1 oz mezcal
• 1 oz cognac or brandy
• 1 oz banana liqueur (we used Giffard’s Banane du Bresil)
• Combine mezcal, cognac or brandy, and banana liqueur in a mixing glass with ice. Stir for 20-30 seconds to your desired dilution, then strain into a Nick and Nora glass. Garnish with a banana round on a cocktail pick if desired.

• 1.5 oz reposado tequila
• 0.75 oz lime juice
• 0.75 oz Cointreau
• 1 tsp agave syrup
• Pinch of salt
• Add all ingredients to a cocktail shaker with ice, shake until well chilled, and strain into a rocks glass over fresh ice. Garnish with a lime wheel.

---

The links below that point to Amazon are affiliate links. If you click on them and make a purchase we may receive a small compensation at no extra cost to you. Links to any other destination are not affiliate links.

We own and recommend these books:

The 12 Bottle Bar: Make Hundreds of Cocktails with Just Twelve Bottles by David Solmonson, Lesley Jacobs Solmonson

Liquid Intelligence: The Art and Science of the Perfect Cocktail by Dave Arnold

Imbibe! by David Wondrich

Cocktail Codex by Alex Day, Nick Fauchald, David Kaplan

Products we own, like and use:

• Measuring tools
• OXO Good Grips Mini Angled Measuring Cup, 2 Oz capacity
• OXO Metal Angled Measuring Cup
• OXO SteeL Double Jigger
• Shakers
• This shaking set is sold as two separate items on Amazon, you will need both
• Cocktail Kingdom Koriko Small Weighted Shaking Tin
• Cocktail Kingdom Koriko Large Weighted Shaking Tin
• Mixing Glasses/Tins
• Viski Crystal Mixing Glass, 17 oz
• Pint glass: you don’t need a link for this do you?
• Peelers
• OXO Good Grips...