A Cabinet of Mixology Supplies

Before jumping in, think about whether it’s worth it to make the ingredients yourself or buy them from the store (when available). If you completely enjoy the process of making it on your own, then just do it!  But if not, then think about these topics:
- How much time & money you will spend making it, versus how much time & money you will spend buying it  
- The taste. Nothing makes a drink more gourmet than fresh produce. 

Here are a few ways to make your own gourmet ingredients. The ingredients listed below just happen ;) to lend themselves to making my favorite cocktail of the hour; Spicy Cucumber Margarita. Use these ingredients as sparks for ideas to make any gourmet treats your mouth desires. These ingredients also make great gifts since they are made with love and can be used up in a variety of ways.

Fire-up Flavored Syrups

The simplest way to make a favorite drink again and again is to keep some flavored simple syrup on hand. This also comes in handy for experimenting with other drinks. Using a hotter pepper than you first rationalize will allow you to step out to the Scoville edge- which is the fun part about going spicy. You can't make mild peppers hotter, but you can take the hot peppers out of the syrup sooner to make them milder.

Expand your syrup-horizons watching these how-to videos:

This Daily Motion VIDEO shows you how to make sour mix. You can use the same steps to make hot pepper syrup, but replace the lime and lemon juice with hot peppers. Put them in the syrup while it's still hot, then strain.

I prefer to keep my syrups simple, but this VIDEO Bartending Bootcamp shows you how to make more complicated syrups. It's 6 min, but truly good mixology skills are at work here.

Spicy Syrup Recipe

Supplies: sugar, hot pepper of your choice, pot

Time: 20 min

Boil:

1 cup sugar

1 cup water

Add:

3 hot peppers, sliced in half lengthwise

Taste every 5 minutes until desired heat strength is reached

Pour the syrup through a strainer (the more care you take straining, the longer the syrup will last). Clean off the container, dry off and Label it! For now, write with sharpie on a piece of tape and slap it on the bottle..Later I'll introduce you to some free labels you can print (or jump ahead now if you have time & energy). Store in the fridge. Will last from 2 weeks to 4 months. Throw away when you see mold.

Lasts: 2 weeks - 2 months (you'll see mold growing inside when it goes bad)

How-to Store: In a (preferably glass) bottle in the refrigerator

Ami's Favorite Syrups for Making Delicious Drinks:

Sour mix

Lavender

Jasmine

Viola or Pansy

Mint 

Habanero

Simple Syrup

Ginger

DIY Gourmet Liquors

A crafty couple makes berry vodka in this VIDEO.

Kick It Up a Notch Tequila

If the syrup wasn’t hot enough for you, try spicin’ it up with hot, hot, hot tequila.

Supplies: Bowl, Tequila, Hot Peppers, Gloves, Knife, Strainer, Tequila Bottle with Lid, Pen, Tape

Time: 10 min

Cut 3-5 Hot Peppers of your choice in 1/2 using gloves. Drop them into a bowl and pour in tequila. Let them sit for 5 minutes. Taste the tequila. Continue testing every 5 minutes or so until the desired hotness is reached. Once it's spicy enough for your tongue, pour the tequila through a strainer (the more care you take straining, the longer the tequila will last). Store in the freezer (for the longest lasting liquor) and toss the liquid when you see mold in the bottle.

How-to Make Homemade Orange Liqueuer By Brian Airman, eHow Contributor

I like adding orange liqueur (sometimes called triple sec) when I want a good strong drink (otherwise I add club soda for a longer lasting icy beverage).

Fancy Rim Jobs

How-to Rim

Put 2-3 tablespoons of your rim ingredients on a small plate. Put 2-3 tablespoons of water on another plate. Moisten the rim of your glass by sticking it in the water and then dip into the rim ingredients and rotate. Let dry a few seconds.

How-to Make: 

Lime Salt or Lime Sugar

Citrus Extract (to use in Flavored Salt or Sugar