Why Your At-Home Cocktail Doesn't Taste The Same As From A Bar (And How To Fix It)

There is a hierarchy in the world of food and drink. Homemade is often better than store-bought, and restaurant-made is often superior to homemade. The same can be true of drinks in a bar. A professional bartender makes a better cocktail — but there's more to it than just having experience. There may be things missing from the homemade cocktail, and according to Toby Maloney, co-author of "The Classic Cocktail Sessions," this includes something as simple as more water and ice.

Tasting Table talked to Maloney to ask him if there were any classic cocktail-making mistakes to avoid. "Be sure that there is enough water in your drinks," he told us. "The ice you have in your freezer is much colder than the ice bartenders use behind the bar. Shake and stir longer than you think you need to." This will help dilute the drink more, creating the balance you'd get from a professionally made drink. Also, use fresh ice, since your freezer ice probably tastes like freezer.

Water should be a part of every cocktail, even one made neat. Water helps release the aromas in spirits and allows you to taste the flavor of the alcohol, rather than just that burning sensation. Homemade cocktails made without enough water come across as lacking flavor or too strong. Use ice made with filtered water for a cleaner taste. Also, make sure you're using crushed ice or cubed ice as befits the cocktail you're serving.

Using glasses that are already cold is another way to improve many cocktails. Shaking or stirring for the right amount of time to ensure proper mixing is also important. Most cocktails need about 10 to 15 seconds of mixing to get them just right. Too little and you won't get them diluted enough, but too much and they could end up weak and watery.

Another corner you don't want to cut is using fresh citrus. If the recipe calls for lemon or lime, use fresh-squeezed juice and not a pre-made mix or something store-bought. A bottle of lemon juice works in a pinch, but if you want a cocktail that tastes like one from a good bar, you need to do it the way a bartender would and squeeze it fresh. This is even one of Martha Stewart's best cocktail tips.

Pre-made mixes and juices don't have the same acidity as fresh-squeezed juice, nor do they have the same oils and flavor compounds. They may have additives that make them taste too sweet or too flat. Think of the difference between drinking orange juice from a carton and drinking orange juice freshly squeezed that morning.

There are plenty of rules for mixing cocktails. You may not want to worry about things like a garnish if you're just making yourself a drink on a Friday night, but having the right ice, the right amount of water, and the freshest ingredients can help your cocktail taste much closer to one made by a professional bartender.