How to layer a cocktail

Here is a table of the specific gravities of most common alcohols.

This table will be useful to make perfect layered cocktails!

You should know that the secret of a well layered cocktail is the judicious superposition of liquids, based on their respective densities.
And of course your delicacy!


Pour ingredients in descending order of weight, which means the denser (and therefore heavier) first, and so on.

Alcohols are mostly lighter than water, they tend to remain on the surface.

Most layered cocktail recipes are written in the order of densities from heaviest to lightest, so you can follow a priori the order!


In general, in a well layered cocktail the more ingredients have different densities the easier it will be stacked to give very distinct layers.



So if you want to overlay ingredients with relatively similar densities, you can cheat by premixing them with other ingredients of different densities.
For example, you can premix your syrup with alcohol to increase its density!
In making such mixtures pay attention to not alter the desired taste and color!

Think that the difference of temperature can also help you keep two separate layers.

Finally, to achieve a beautiful layered cocktail be patient when layering, pour the liquid gently helping yourself with a knife on which you will pour the liquid along the blade (you can also use a spoon).

The tip of the knife blade should touch the glass and be:
- At the surface if your cocktail ingredient is lighter, and therefore less dense,
- Below the surface of the innermost layer when the ingredient is denser than the glass contents.

Once the cocktail is layered and done, move it gently and do not touch its contents for it may disturb the separation between layers.