A basic and necessary technique for anyone making cocktails.

Cocktail Bootcamp
Discover the simple building blocks of mixology, and get ready to impress all of your friends.
Course Preview
Course Details
Tutorials in this course: 11
Total viewing time: 1 hour
Total course time (including prep): 1 hour 12 minutes
The perfect cocktail comes down to technique and flavor. There's an art to mixology, but it's one that can be mastered simply by understanding a few basic fundamentals. Who better to learn from than some of the most respected folks in the cocktail business?
With Cocktail Bootcamp, our goal is to make you feel more comfortable working with the bar. Begin by understanding how to measure, muddle, stir, and strain with essential bartending tools. In no time, you'll be ready to serve up industry favorites including the Gin Martini, Manhattan, and French 75.
Chef Instructors
Jeff Leanheart is the beverage director at The Smith in New York City. Bringing an artisan-minded approach to The Smith for the last four years, his cocktail recipes have been featured in magazines like New York Magazine and Fox Magazine.
Nick Vitulli is the man behind the cocktail programs at many of LA's most beloved bars, including the Famous. He is known for his rugged style, creative concoctions, and extensive whiskey knowledge.
Chef Geraldine Gilliland is the executive chef and co-owner of Lula's Cocina Mexicana and Finn McCool’s Irish Pub in Santa Monica, California. She has a James Beard nomination for her cookbook, and has been named “one of the top 6 chefs in the United States” by Bon Appetit Magazine.
Mixologist Neal Bodenheimer is a co-founder of Cure, Belloq, and Cane & Table in New Orleans. These bars have received numerous awards; Cane & Table was named among the 8 Best Southern Cocktail Bars by Conde Nast Traveler, and both Cure and Cane & Table were featured as Top Bars in New Orleans by Travel + Leisure. In addition, Bodenheimer is currently a 2015 James Beard Foundation Award semifinalist.
Julian Cox is an award-winning mixologist and the creative mastermind behind many of Los Angeles’ best cocktail programs, including Picca, Sotto, Short Order, Bestia, Petty Cash, and Santa Monica’s Brilliantshine.
What You Need
Equipment
- Jigger or shot glass
- Cocktail spoon
- Strainer
- Muddler
- Citrus squeezer
- Paring knife or peeler
- Channel knife
- Top and bottom cocktail shaker
- Mixing glass
- Martini glass
- Margarita glass
- Rocks glass
- Champagne flute
- Kitchen scale
- Immersion blender
- Japanese “half and three-quarter” jigger
- Bell jigger
- “Two-one” jigger
- Teaspoon
- Bottle with speed-pour stopper
- Julep cup
- Hawthorne strainer
- Small fine mesh strainer
- Julep strainer
- Boston shaker
- Tall mixing glass
- Bar spoon
- 3/4-ounce jigger
- 2-ounce jigger
Ingredients
- Ingredients are listed within each respective tutorial