Notes
Short answers to questions people ask about drinks and this app.
How do you scale a cocktail recipe to your own pour?
Scale the whole drink, not just the spirit. Mixology by Whip has a Your shot setting: pick a shot from 1 oz to 3 oz, and every recipe is rewritten around it in proportion. A Negroni written around 1 oz becomes 2 oz of each part at a 2 oz shot, so it stays balanced instead of just getting stronger.
Dashes and “top with” stay as written, and drinks your shot would more than triple are shown as written and say so.
What can you drink during Dry January?
More than soda water. Mixology by Whip has 67 zero-proof drinks, and 65 of them are rated Beginner. 60 of the 67 use only things you can buy, like soft drinks, juices and bottled syrups, so there's nothing to make ahead.
Start with a Virgin Mule, a Thai Iced Tea, or an Egg Cream, which has neither egg nor cream in it.
What is a French 75?
A gin sour topped with champagne. Shake gin, lemon juice and simple syrup with ice, fine strain into a champagne flute, and top with champagne. Garnish with a lemon peel. It's named for a field gun.
The amounts are on the recipe. For New Year's Eve, Mixology by Whip also has a Kir Royale, a Mimosa and a Champagne Cocktail, each with its glass and method.
What is a hot toddy?
A dark spirit, honey, lemon and boiling water, stirred in a warmed glass. The Mixology by Whip version takes whiskey, dark rum or brandy, honey syrup, lemon juice, cloves and a few dashes of cinnamon, topped with boiling water, with a lemon wheel pierced with a clove to garnish.
The honey syrup is equal parts honey and water. The amounts and its method are on the recipe.
How do you make eggnog?
One glass at a time, it's quick. Shake brandy, a whole egg and simple syrup hard without ice, then add ice and milk and shake again. Strain into a highball glass and grate nutmeg on top. Raw egg can carry salmonella, so use pasteurised egg.
The amounts are on the recipe. Mixology by Whip also has a Sherry Eggnog, and an Egg Nog Punch made for a party.
How do you make simple syrup?
Equal parts sugar and water. Place 1 cup sugar and 1 cup water in a saucepan and bring it to boil, stirring to dissolve the sugar. Remove the pan from heat and let the syrup cool completely before using or storing.
It is one of 169 preparations on Mixology by Whip: syrups, cordials, shrubs and infusions that are cheap to make at home, including cinnamon, ginger and honey syrups.
What is a coupe glass?
Shallow rounded bowl. Easier to carry than a martini glass and the modern default for shaken drinks served up. A typical coupe holds 5-7 oz, and the recommended fill is 6 oz.
The glassware guide covers 24 glasses, each with how much to pour and the drinks served in it.
How do you make mulled wine?
Warm sugar, cloves, cinnamon sticks and a strip of lemon peel with a splash of red wine until the sugar dissolves. Add the rest of the bottle and heat until it steams, but don't let it boil, or the alcohol goes with the steam. Stir in the brandy off the heat and ladle into warmed mugs.
The amounts are on the recipe.
What is a dirty soda?
A soft drink with a flavoring syrup and a splash of cream, coconut cream or milk. The Dirty Dr Pepper is one.
Mixology by Whip has 67 zero-proof drinks on one page: 48 start from a soft drink, 50 add a flavoring syrup, and 40 finish with cream or milk. The classics are there too: Shirley Temple, Roy Rogers, Arnold Palmer and a Nojito.
What bottle should you buy next for your home bar?
Stock Up answers that from your own shelf. Tick what you already own, and it tests every missing ingredient one at a time, counting how many cocktails and mocktails each one would let you make.
Spirits are shown by how many drinks use them, because a bottle keeps. Fresh ingredients like lemons are shown by the drinks they would actually finish.
These notes also go out on the Mixology by Whip LinkedIn page (opens in a new tab).