Making a good cocktail is a mix of science and alchemy. And just like a chef sourcing the best ingredients, you get out what you put in.

From humble beginnings in the 1800s, the cocktail enjoyed its first golden age in Prohibition-era speakeasies, the sweet mixers helping to mask the harsh, inferior liquors on offer. Today, cocktails are well into their second golden age, this time as a celebration of the excellent ingredients and techniques available to the modern bartender.

These masters of mixology have moved on from resurrecting such Prohibition-era classics as the Whisky Sour and Tom Collins. Their sights are now set on reclaiming the drinks of the 1970s, ‘80s and ‘90s, reimagining them and correcting the mistakes of a time infamous for poor quality ingredients and spirits, and crudely brazen names. Bartenders are challenging themselves to create the best possible versions of the likes of the Cosmopolitan, Tequila Sunrise or Sex on the Beach. Often the names have been changed to reflect our more puritan age.

Balance is what those bartenders are seeking – the balance of temperature versus environment, balance of flavours, balance of acidity versus sweetness, and the balance of occasion. Quality ingredients are essential – you get out what you put in. Just as in cooking, the end result is the sum of all the parts, so if you start with top-quality ingredients and treat them properly, you will produce a higher standard of drink. It’s no different to a chef sourcing the best ingredients to make the best dish in a restaurant.

If you watch any top mixologist at work, the last thing they do before serving you your cocktail is taste it. They do this by putting a micro straw in the finished drink, putting their finger on the top to seal it and then transferring the small amount of trapped liquid to their tongue. It’s the only way to check that the crucial balance has been achieved.

There’s a lot to learn if you want to up your home bartender game, but the research is a lot of fun too. The experts at LK Carlton are ready to help. Liquor King’s flagship store at Carlton Mill Corner focuses on an immersive and sensory shopping experience, with three zones that bring to life various flavour profiles and encourage shopper exploration. The fruity and floral flavours of white wine, gin and vodka reign at The Conservatory; The Distillery explores the rich, smoky and heavier profiles of red wine, whisky and rum; and The Brewhouse focuses on a wide array of beer brands and styles.

How to pick the good stuff

With spirits, each category has its own markers of quality. Knowledge is the key to discerning the good stuff from the not so good, and thanks to the internet it’s a lot easier now to gain that knowledge. Here are some questions to guide your research.

What is the quality of the base ingredients? With tequila, for example, there’s a big difference between ‘Made with agave’ and ‘Made from 100% blue agave’, with the latter being the one you want.

How pure is the end product? No sugars or flavours should be added after production.

Is the product made where it is supposed to be? How long have they been part of that market? Does the label actually exist? It helps to weed out the spirits that are brought in bulk, then labelled and bottled as something else.

Shaken or stirred? Not that you would tell him to his face but James Bond had it wrong – a martini should be stirred, not shaken. Shaking is a much more vigorous process of combining liquids and flavours. Stirring is much gentler. When we shake, we combine flavours and ingredients much faster, we chill and dilute faster, and we introduce bigger air bubbles. Great if you want to combine the big bold flavours in a daiquiri or margarita, but not so great for a drink with subtly subdued flavour notes such as a martini or negroni. With those, stirring gives much greater control over temperature, dilution and aeration.

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