Happy Tuesday, everyone!

For today’s Tools & Tricks we decided to break down the basic recipe for creating your very own original cocktails! Punches, specifically, but we will get into that in a moment.

With these guidelines you will be able to mix and match and cook up some crazy and (hopefully) amazing drinks, all on your own!

And all you need to know is this: 2-1-4-3.

Huh? What? Don’t worry, we’ve got your back.

Before we get into our very own set of LOST-esque numbers, lets break down exactly what you will be able to make with them: punch!

A punch is a broad category of mixed drink that utilizes citrus (lemon or lime) and sugar (or a simple syrup) to modify the base alcohol, and values a balance between all of the ingredients. Sound vague? That is because it is. You are certainly aware of punches, even if you don’t think you are. Almost every drink that uses a significant amount of lemon or lime juice is a punch. Margaritas, Whiskey Sours, Daiquiris — all punches.

And basic punches all follow a specific recipe with the following proportions: Sour (2), Sweet (1), Strong (4), Weak (3). Let’s break that down.

First of all, the numbers are simply units of measurement. In the classical cocktail construction, each unit is 1/2 oz, meaning that in a basic punch you would use 1 oz sour, 1/2 oz sweet, 2 oz strong, and 1 1/2 oz weak. You can change the basic unit, as long as you keep the proportions the same.

So what are all of these sour, sweet, strong, and weak things?

Sour: your citrus juice. It could be lemon, lime, or a mixture of both.

Sweet: your simple syrup. This measurement is only for non-alcoholic sweeteners, not liqueurs.

Strong: your liquor! It does not have to be just one, you can use as many liquors and liqueurs as you like, as long as together they add up to the right proportion.

Weak: generally, weak just means how much  the drink is diluted. This can be through the ice you place in it, or the water that is added by stirring or shaking and then straining.

That’s it!

Of course, punches can get much more complex than this (modified punches like Mai Tais, Tequila Sunrises and the like veer dramatically off of this recipe), but this is a great place to start if you want to experiment on your own.

So go for it! Think of some flavors that you like, match them to your available ingredients, put ’em together, and see what happens! You’d be surprised what can happen…

Let us know if you come up with something that you love, and maybe we will feature it on the site!

Cheers and happy mixing everyone!