ESSENTIAL BAR SKILLS: LAYERING

Layering: the technique that, when done right, can result in beautiful levels of flavor or, when done wrong, a cloudy muddle of ingredients… and let’s face it, no one wants their customer to say, "That doesn’t look like a baby Guinness?!"

So whether you are making a French Coffee or a Baileys B52, it's time to get to perfect with your layering technique. Not only does it add theater to creating serves (making you look like the true professional that you are!), it can also enhance the taste experience for your customer as different ingredients are released in a specific order when the drink is sipped. So, let’s get started.

Essential tools for layering

First of all the tools—here’s what you need in order to perfect your layering technique:

Bar Spoon

This is used to pour the liquids into the glass. Liquids are poured over the back of the bar spoon.

Syringe

A specialized, non-medical syringe can be used for ease and accuracy.

Patience

There's a real art to layering and the slower you do it, the better!

How to layer

For layering, the important thing to remember is the densities of the liquids you're using.

Put simply, heavier liquids go first with the lighter liquids on top.

To begin, it's better to follow proven recipes as you know the order and densities will work once the method is perfected.

Practice your layering!

Now put everything you have learned into practice with this Baileys coffee recipe.

BAILEYS COFFEE

• 1.75 oz. BAILEYS Irish Cream
• 3.5 oz. black coffee
• Heavy cream to top up

METHOD:

Pour BAILEYS into a glass.

Heat with steam wand on coffee machine.

Fill glass ¾ full with black coffee.

Carefully layer heavy cream on top of drink.