Tips from the Cookbartender

Feel free to use whatever glasses you want depending on what you have on hand.

Use a grater to obtain finely grated zest. The finer the zest, the better your recipe will turn out.

• If you need just a few drops of lemon or lime juice, prick the fruit with a large needle (or toothpick) and squeeze out the juice.
• Otherwise, cut it in 2 and place the unused half face down on a saucer and cover with a glass.

The best way is to place a clean tea towel in a shallow dish and place the strawberries in a single layer on it and fold the edges of the towel over top. The towel will absorb any moisture from the fruit and the berries will stay fresher longer.

Gently break the egg over a bowl so that you have 2 half shells. Transfer the yolk back and forth between the halves, letting the white drip into the bowl below.

1. The melon should feel heavy
2. The melon should be fragrant (but not excessively or it will be overripe).
3. The stem of the melon should be easy to detach from the fruit and the skin should be firm and elastic.

Store the melon at room temperature until it is cut open.

a simple solution is to purchase frozen melon balls or you can cut the melon into cubes.

you can use a whipped cream dispenser or purchase whipped cream in an aerosol can.

use freshly squeezed fruit juice.

with just a squeeze of lemon juice. That touch of acidity will counter-balance the sugar in the fruit and in the liqueur.

use a wide-mouthed bottle or whisk the ingredients together in a bowl.