What is Poutinis?
Poutinis.com is a glorified recipe book! …and the name of our home bar. I have stacks of handwritten field notebooks full of recipes i’ve made, found, or modified to my preference. These books were prone to getting lost or damaged, and so I put together this site to catalog my favorite recipes. Some are mine, some are from books, some are from friends. I will always do my best to link to the author of the original recipe.

Bar tools
In my 20s I worked for a carpenter that would say “Quality tools yield quality results” every-time I was impressed by work he did. I like that phrase because he wasn’t implying that he was a genius, or that the tools did all the work. He meant that with the right tools and practice, you can achieve something great! …and often a lot easier than if you had sub-par tools. In the world of cocktails I think this applies to the physical tools as well as the ingredients. You can make a cocktail with lots of different tools, but we recommend the following tools for the best results and ease of use.

Must have:
• 2 piece stainless steel shaker • Jigger (or set) that measures ounces .5 / .75 / 1 / 1.5 / 2 • Bar spoon • Mixing glass • Springed strainer • Mesh strainer • Citrus knife • Channel knife • 1 teaspoon spoon • 1 tablespoon soon • Various ice moulds for cubes, spheres, etc.

Additional:
• Clear Ice mould kit • Teaspoon set • Tablespoon set • Medium and large sealed containers • Dropper containers • Atomizer / Mister • Ice shaping tools

Recipes and ingredients
At Poutinis, “well” is a four letter word. There is no base spirit that works in every single drink recipe. Each ingredient has a specific flavor profile that was chosen to our liking. With that being said, booze is expensive and sometimes hard to find. I do not edit and create recipes with a financial backer, so every purchase means a lot to me. If you see a recipe you like, but may not have the exact bourbon, gin, tequila, etc… still go for it! We strongly encourage you to try our specific recipe, but swapping brands to match your budget, flavor preference, and/or timeframe is great. You may inadvertently create something brand new!

Thoughts on ice
Ice is very important in cocktail construction. It performs two functions; it chills and it dilutes. Ice always performs these two tasks at the same time, but it will dilute and chill at different rates depending on the size and shape. It’s important to learn how and when to use different types of ice. I am constantly making sure I have medium sized cubes for mixing, and then spheres and large blocks for serving (that can also be crushed).

Flavor of ice
The flavor of ice is very important to cocktail construction. When ice is shaken or stirred, it introduces water to each recipe, dilutes at a certain rate, and so it’s important to be using the best water. I have found that using deionized water yields the best results. Deionized water is purified water that removes common impurities like calcium, magnesium, iron, sodium, and other common substances found in municipal water without introducing new flavors. It often freezes a little clearer due to the lack of impurities. However, even the purest of water can absorb impurities from other items stored in your freezer. This is often why some cocktail bars will store cocktail ice in its own freezer.

Clear ice
It’s important to know that purified water does not mean clear ice! Clear ice is very beautiful, and dilutes at a slower rate, but the cloudiness will not break a drink if good water is being used. Cloudiness in ice is due to oxygen and other impurities being trapped in the ice during the freezing process. The only way to make clear ice is through directional freezing. In a small format, you can buy kits for your freezer that use vessel space and specific materials to create directional freezing. Although clear ice adds another level of class and care, I feel the process sometimes outweighs the reward in a home setup. It you’re looking to save money on a kit, stay focused on using the best filtered water. So don’t beat yourself up if your ice is a little cloudy. If clear ice is something you want to explore, a directional freezing mold kit should cost you around $80-$100 online.

Please… don’t waste your time boiling water, double boiling, double freezing, or even… pouring the boiling water directly into the molds located in the freezer. These methods do not create clear ice and only lead to frustration.

Glassware
Glassware has become a cherished hobby. One of my favorite road trip activities is to stop at antique or thrift stores and find interesting, old, and/or odd glassware. The vessel that the cocktail is served in is half of the experience. A Manhattan served outside of a coupe would be pretty disappointing... We suggest glassware for each drink with our recipes. Some drinks have traditional vessels like the martini in a martini glass, whiskey sour in a coupe, etc. It is 100% up to you to serve your drink in the most classy or interesting way that you can. I will say, our glass collection is growing rapidly, and we try not to pay more than $2 for a glass. You would be surprised what beautiful glasses get left at thrift stores.