Swizzle may sound like some liquor-artistry that you try and pretend to know so you look cool, but it’s actually pretty easy once you get the hang of it! This blog will help you understand this old art, so you can show off to your friends later.
What’s A Swizzle?
Traditionally, a swizzle is a rum-based drink served with crushed ice. ‘Swizzling’ refers to the technique that’s used to stir the drink with – you guessed it right – a swizzle stick! In our modern world, you may find some fancy decorated swizzle sticks being used in bars, but the original ones come from the Caribbean. Quararibea turbinata, also known as swizzlestick tree, grows branches that spread out into star-shaped tiny pokes. It’s these pokey sticks that make the original swizzle sticks.
Steps For Swizzling
First thing’s first – you only use crushed ice and not block ice. It makes the stirring easy. Also, swizzle cocktails are generally made in the glass in which they are served. You make it and drink it in one, and this is how you do it –
1. Take a chilled glass, and fill it with crushed ice up to half.
2. Pour the ingredients for your cocktail, one by one, into the glass
3. Now, put the swizzle stick in (the star-shaped pokes immersed in the glass), hold it between your palms, and rotate the stick in circular motion.
4. Lastly, you can add more crushed ice if you want, and garnish as per your choice.
That’s it! It’s that easy. You don’t need to worry about the swizzling, what you really need to think about is what you put in that cocktail to make it good.
Also read: Dreamy Cotton Candy Cocktails That You Should Try Once
Why Do You Need It?
Swizzling is not just a way for the bartender to charm you by his skills, it’s about giving you the perfect balanced cocktail. The swizzle technique mixes the ingredients just the right amount, and brings out the flavors. The gentle stirring chills the drink, and makes the glass frosty on the outside. It also helps in aeration and dilution of the drink. Keeping the technicalities aside, you swizzle so you can whistle your night away!
Some Swizzles For You
1. Bermuda Rum Swizzle
This rum swizzle is the traditional recipe, and from this the modern swizzles have arrived. It’s made from rum, some fruit juice and grenadine (bar syrup), and is enjoyed across nations.
2. Cotter Swizzle
This swizzle cocktail is a combination of red wine vinegar, old tom gin, lime juice, Angostura bitters, and ginger liqueur. The idea of this swizzle originally came from the low-waste philosophy of a restaurant called ‘Fish & Game’ in Hudson, New York. They made use of red wine vinegar from wine past its maturity. Though the restaurant is no longer open, they left a legacy with this cocktail. This swizzle cocktail is a combination of red wine vinegar, old tom gin, lime juice, Angostura bitters, and ginger liqueur.
Also read: 6 Hot Cocktails To Try When It’s Raining Cats And Dogs
3. Serpent-less Swizzle
This snaky swizzle comes from New Orleans, but instead of rum, it’s packed with the power of whiskey. It’s made with 12-Year-Old Special Reserve whiskey, lemon juice, Dolin blanc vermouth, and grenadine.
Summing up
So, in the end, swizzling is more than dancing your way through cocktails. It’s how you perfect a drink, with the right ingredients and technique. Now that you know how to swizzle, you can try to make your own cocktail. We just hope that you don’t swizzle so hard that your table enjoys the cocktail more than you. Swizzle away!
FAQs
1. Why stir a cocktail, instead of shake?
The stirring allows the ingredients to blend easily and make it more palatable, unlike shaking which may make the drink look carbonated.
2. What does swizzle mean in slang?
Swizzle in slang means to cheat or con.
3. What is a cocktail spoon called?
A cocktail spoon is called a bar spoon.
4. Can you swizzle with a bar spoon?
If you don’t have a swizzlestick, you can use a bar spoon to swizzle.
5. What are the top classic cocktails?
Margarita, Cosmopolitan, Daiquiri, and Manhattan are some of the top classic cocktails.
6. Where did the rum swizzle originate from?
The rum swizzle originated in the Caribbean.
