5 Tips For Making Restaurant-Quality Frozen Drinks At Home, According To A Master Mixologist - Tasting Table

"Before building his decorated career in mixology, Lavenue got his start working as a busser. One day he was asked to jump behind the bar to cover for a bartender who didn't show up for their shift, and the rest is history. He's since grown to be at the helm of several different businesses and has mastered the art of the perfectly-blended frozen cocktail."

"First and foremost, Lavenue wants at-home mixologists to remember that ice is water and is playing a much different role in a frozen drink compared to a traditional cocktail. "Ice is not a neutral ingredient," he explains, "it aggressively dilutes flavor, and without enough sugar to act as a bridge, the drink will taste flat, watery, and disappointing." Sugar is going to be your best friend when it comes to avoiding a watery frozen drink - more on that later."

Justin Lavenue is an experienced mixologist and co-owner of The Roosevelt Room who also operates The Eleanor and RoadHaus Mobile Cocktails. He began in hospitality as a busser and moved behind the bar when asked to cover a shift, later building multiple businesses and mastering frozen cocktails. He offers five essential tips for making restaurant-quality frozen drinks at home. Ice functions as water and aggressively dilutes flavor, so sugar must bridge dilution to prevent flat, watery results. The Brix scale can help gauge the proper sugar range for frozen cocktail sweetness.

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