Write the drink before you pour it
The bench
Start from a shape. Move one number. The card tells you which template you just made, whether the method is wrong, and one word for how that shape feels. Then pour it, and taste.
A daiquiri, a whiskey sour, a pisco sour, and a mezcal sour are the same shape. Only the bottle changes, and the bench cannot taste a bottle. A margarita changes the sweet. A mojito adds length. A gin and tonic is the highball with tonic instead of soda. Mint, smoke, and a place are yours. The bench will not pretend it can smell them.
- 2 oz spirit
- ¾ oz syrup
- ¾ oz citrus
- Shake with ice. Fine strain.
- About 1 oz meltwater if the ice is cold and you don’t rush it.
Spirit, sweet, and acid, shaken. A daiquiri, a whiskey sour, a pisco sour, and a mezcal sour are this shape. The bottle is the only difference, and the bench cannot taste it. A richer syrup than 1:1 means you should be on the low side of this sugar.
Honest. The jobs are in proportion and nothing is performing. Clarity, balance, no trick. Trust this before you add a story.
- Spirit 2
- Syrup ¾
- Citrus ¾
- Water 1
The base spirit is about 44% of the finished pour. Vermouth and liqueur bring their own alcohol, so this is not ABV. It’s how loud the bottle still is.