Tom Collins Cocktail

Cacio e pepe is a social media sensation. Everywhere you look, there are live-action pasta lifts of creamy, pepper-flecked, twirl-worthy mounds of this classic pasta dish. But this "new" foodie fodder is actually rooted in ancient Roman cuisine. To learn how to make this marvel from scratch, Guillermo travels to New York’s Seaport district to meet with world renowned chef Jordan Frosolone, and learn how he makes his “Best of NYC” (an honor bestowed by New York Magazine) dish. Chef Jordan is currently the executive chef at 10 Corso Como, an imported Italian restaurant/gallery concept that has become a celebrity darling since its opening last year. From its kitchen he shows Guillermo how to make pasta from scratch the traditional way, and how to successfully make this incredibly simple dish, that just requires precision and attention to detail.

These colorful little sandwich cookies turn us all into kids in a candy store. They’re so perfect that the idea of making them is intimidating — but fear not! To learn how to make them, Guillermo met with master pâtissier Jayce Baudry, the executive pastry chef for Daniel Boulud's Épiceries. The chef taught us tricks and techniques to make the process manageable, even for an amateur baker at home.

Store-bought hummus is convenient but you haven't lived until you've made your own. For this episode of Chow-To, we visit chef Eden Grinshpan at her Middle Eastern-inspired restaurant DEZ in New York City to find out how to make hummus that is way better than the kind you'll find in a store. Guillermo and Eden make a traditional version, and then, to make things more interesting, they take it to the next level with Eden’s signature Beet Meze. This delicious vegan, gluten-free, protein-packed base is easier to make than most people think.

Delicious ripe strawberries are the epitome of summer freshness. Muddled into this Collins-style cocktail, the strawberries provide an enticing base for the flavor of blood orange and a decent helping of Peychaud’s. Lengthened by vodka and balanced with a touch of sweetness and a bit of lemon juice for acidity, this cocktail is surely the perfect way to end a nice summer evening.

A warm baked apple aroma and flavor treat the palate when taking a sip of the Treacle. With wonderful notes of cinnamon the Treacle is the perfect cocktail to show off a delicious spiced rum like Sailor Jerry Spiced Rum.

Regulars come in to your bar for various reasons: Their friends and colleagues go there. They enjoy the ambience. Maybe they really like you and the other bartenders behind the bar. More than likely, they have a cocktail they really enjoy every time they sit at the bar. Serving that cocktail and the others on the menu consistently is key to keeping your best patrons coming back again and again and is really quite simple. Proper measuring using a jigger is paramount to creating consistency behind the bar.

Choosing the right mixing technique for making a cocktail is straightforward. In the case of the Daiquiri, it is shaken because it contains the juice of a lime. Charlotte demonstrates how to make a classic Daiquiri cocktail as well as how to properly shake a cocktail.

Every cocktail needs to be strained, and using the right strainer is key in any cocktail preparation. The Mixology Guys show us three different types of strainers and the uses for each one.