Cocktail mixing is an art which is expressed in the preparation and presentation of the cocktail.

Simplicity is the most important fact to keep in mind when garnishing cocktails. Do not overdo the garnish : make it striking, but if you cant get near the cocktail to drink it, then you have failed. Many world-class cocktails are served simply with a slice of lemon, a twist of orange rind, or a single red cherry. Tall refreshing Hi-Balls tend to have more garnish as the glass is larger. Plastic animals, umbrellas, fans and a whole variety of novelty goods are now available to garnish with, and they add a lot of fun to the drink.

Long cocktails should usually be served with a swizzle stick for additional mixing. It's customary to serve straws both with highly garnished cocktails and with cocktails made for women to avoid lipstick rubbing off on the glass.

Frosting with either salt or sugar is used to both decorate glass rims and mint leaves for garnishing. To frost a glass rim, first rub a lemon or orange slice around the rim until coated with juice. Lemon is used for salt-frosting and orange for sugar. Next, holding the glass by the stem, place the rim on a plate containing salt or sugar and turn slightly so that the salt or sugar adheres to the glass. Pressing the glass too deeply into the salt or sugar will result in chunks sticking to the glass.

To achieve colour effects with sugar-frosted glasses, coat the rim of the glass with a small amount of grenadine or coloured liqueur and then gently rub it in the sugar. The grenadine will absorb the sugar and turn it pink.

To frost mint leaves for garnish, dip leaves in water or egg white and then lay both sides on a saucer of castor sugar.

First, take two short straws and, with a sharp knife, slice one of the straws halfway through in the middle and wedge the uncut straw into the cut straw to create a cross. Lie this cross gently over the cocktail surface while dusting with nutmeg or other sprinkles. Remove the straw cross to reveal a blank cross pattern left on the surface. This can be used for creamy cocktails such as Brandy Alexanders.

Sugar syrup is needed in a good cocktail bar as sugar will not dissolve easily in cold cocktails. To make the syrup, fill a cup (250ml) with white sugar. Top up the receptacle with boiling water until just about full, and keep stirring until the sugar is fully dissolved. Refrigerate when not in use. Keeps indefinitely.

Sour mix, is also known as bar mix, is an important part of many cocktails. To make sour mix, whisk one egg white until frothy in medium-sized bowl. Mix in 225g of sugar, then 500ml of water and 500 ml of lemon juice. Beat until all the sugar is dissolved. The egg whites are optional, but will make the drinks slightly foamy. Will keep in the refrigerator for about a week.

Never leave juices, coconut cream or other ingredients in cans. Pour them into clean bottles, cap them and refrigerate them.

Empty 750ml glass spirit bottles make great storage bottles for fruit juices as you can attach a nip or free pourer to make it easier to pour the correct measurements. Before using the bottle, soak it in hot water to remove both the label and the flavour of the alcohol.

Ice is a vital ingredient of most cocktails and must be clean and fresh at all times. Small squared cubes and flat chips of ice are better for chilling and mixing cocktails. Ice cubes with holes are inefficient. Wet ice, ice scraps and broken ice should only be used in blenders.

To crush ice, fold the required amount of ice into a clean linen cloth and smash it against a solid surface. Although slightly uncivilised, this is an effective method. Don't use a bottle to hit the ice as this may shatter the bottle. Alternatively, a blender may be used to the crush the ice. Half fill the blender with ice and then pour in water until it reaches the level of the ice. Blend for about 30 seconds, strain out the water and you will have perfectly crushed ice.

Always use a scoop to collect the ice from an ice tray or bucket. Never pick up ice with your hands, as this is unhygienic. Shovelling a glass into an ice tray to gather ice can cause the glass to break and should be avoided.

It is important that the ice tray or bucket has been wiped clean before you put any ice into it, to ensure that the ice is kept clean.