How to Keg a Cocktail: The Complete Guide

Рет қаралды 41,849

Күн бұрын

Building your own kegged cocktail is a great DIY project that is perfect for large parties, weddings, etc. They are easy enough to build and maintain, and they will save you and your guests tons of time behind the bar on the day of the event. You can get all the tools you need for about $250, and each 5 gallon batch of cocktail can serve over 100 drinks.
| Sections |
00:00 - Equipment You'll Need
01:41 - Principles of Kegging
03:09 - Creating the Recipe
04:55 - Filling the Keg
06:20 - Carbonating the Keg
12:20 - Using the Keg
14:20 - Pouring the Drink
Chris walks us through every step to kegging your own cocktail at home. For a written version of this guide, check out our blog post: www.liberandcompany.com/blogs...
Here are links to the equipment you'll need. There are definitely more advanced/fancy setups out there, but this is great to get you started:
5 Gallon Pony Keg: amzn.to/3su8kd0
5 LB Tank*: amzn.to/3dKRmD8
*NOTE: Tank is sold empty. Fill your tank with CO2 at any home brew store or air supply company.
Pressure Gauge: amzn.to/3uEvEH4
2-Hose Kit: amzn.to/3bD5xaE
Enjoy! Let us know what you keg in the comments below!

Пікірлер: 70

@briminator3075 2 жыл бұрын

You should force co2 into the keg, let it sit, the Oxygen will rise to the top, burp it a few times… then never burp it again. Roll it without any oxygen so that you’re not changing the flavor of the G&T

@liberandco 2 жыл бұрын

Yes, exactly! Pinning this comment as it is relevant and accurate.

@gypsism 5 ай бұрын

What does 'burping" mean? How many rolls with and without oxygen?

@briminator3075 5 ай бұрын

@@gypsism burping is when you pull the release valve to let out pressure from the keg. So you do a couple burps to clear out oxygen, then shake it. No rolls with oxygen if you can prevent it... oxygen is bad. Provided the keg is cold, maybe 15-30 minutes, then do it again later. Keep pushing CO2 in between shakes. You will do a lot at first, which shows how well this method works. then it will take more shaking till co2 is able to get in. Shake it till you can't anymore basically. Let it sit, then test... don't test immediately or else your testing a shaken soda bottle... you know what that means! You gotta let the CO2 dissolve. Doing this while it's cold is 5x better than warm. So chill your keg with the contents if you can (burp out the oxygen first thing regardless). but it's all about the amount of time you have. GL

@gypsism 5 ай бұрын

@@briminator3075 much appreciated and excided to apply this with the newly arrived equipment!

@waynejkl4035 2 жыл бұрын

I just got my first kegerator and I'm already eyeing draft cocktails. This was very empowering and I might try to do my own now. Thanks!

@liberandco 2 жыл бұрын

Best of luck! Let us know how it goes.

@Dashabitv Жыл бұрын

So...how it goes now ?

@rhyswalandouw6686 3 жыл бұрын

Great video mate

@liberandco 3 жыл бұрын

Thank you ! Glad you enjoyed.

@dumac2505 3 жыл бұрын

Great video, very helpful information. Thank you for sharing. Do you have any recommendation on filtering the cocktail coming out from the keg? Is there any filter that we could use un the final line?

@liberandco 3 жыл бұрын

Normally we would run everything through a medium-to-fine mesh strainer as we're loading the keg. Reducing solids in the kegged batch lessens the risk of clogging your outlines with heavy pulp, etc. The carbonation process is also more effective without solids in the keg. Hope this helps! Good luck and cheers!

@yeseniacoria1708 Жыл бұрын

Very helpful

@liberandco 5 ай бұрын

Thank you! Glad you find it helpful! Reach out for any questions or concerns!

@vfiorenza1 9 ай бұрын

What about a cocktail with ginger ale? Can you make the keg two or three days in advance and put the Gingerale in or do it right before you need to serve? Great video, super informative.

@terrill1279 2 жыл бұрын

Love the video! Was looking at trying to do something like a kegged aperol spritz, is there a way to add sparkling wine to a keg or would you just recommend sticking to carbonating the keg?

@liberandco 2 жыл бұрын

You could add sparkling wine! Add while cold and try to retain the natural carbonation. That said, you can recharge with more carbonation as needed.

@joeybillette5507 Жыл бұрын

Thanks for the video! When you roll the keg, be sure to disconnect the gas line. Sometimes you can get liquid in your gas line which can then get into your regulator and CO2 tanks (not good). Also, I like to turn my CO2 on just a little and keep the regulator closed. That way when I open the regulator, if any pressure is built up in the keg, the liquid won’t run up the gas line to equal out. Instead, there will always be pressure going into the keg. This can happen when you make seltzers with already carbonated liquids. Nice video!

@liberandco Жыл бұрын

Thank you! Great tips here.

@nielspasquereau3310 3 жыл бұрын

Thank you for the video, it is very useful. I am looking at buying my own set-up. But when I look online, I see that the picnic tap that you have is not suitable for carbonated drinks, because of the high pressure. Did you have any problems with foaming ? Also, I do not own a kegerator. During parties, the keg will get warmer and warmer. Is this a problem to serve drinks ?

@liberandco 3 жыл бұрын

Hi Niels, We haven't tried any other taps aside from the picnic tap, and that has worked well enough for us, but if you try something else that works well let us know. With regards to foaming, the best way to avoid that is to try and get as much of the C02 gas into the liquid as possible. Get the tank really cold and keep shaking, gassing and releasing pressure as in the video. Agitating the liquid while it's cold and you're pumping C02 in it is the best way to get the most amount of gas into the liquid which will reduce foaming. Additionally, allowing the keg enough time for the C02 to dissolve into the water can also help. So you don't want to rush the carbonating process. Would be good to let the tank sit overnight in the fridge before using. As for the kegerator, we normally do the cheap hack, which is to get a large trash can, fill it with ice and shove the keg in that. Not as sexy, but gets the job done. Let me know if the above is helpful! Thanks for watching! And good luck!

@visantheshiancoe1751 2 жыл бұрын

GREAT job on this tutorial man

@liberandco 2 жыл бұрын

Thank you! Really appreciate it. -Chris

@casaleyuvi Жыл бұрын

Nice! What’s the shelf life on the keg?

@Khaladas 2 жыл бұрын

Question on this, i'm looking to make a sparkling vodka cranberry in a keg and have it last for a few weeks without going bad. Ingredients being water, cranberry juice and vodka. Would you want to boil the water and/or cranberry juice before kegging? Use pasteurized juice only?

@liberandco 2 жыл бұрын

If we were making this, we would use pasteurized juice. That, in addition to the vodka, should help preserve the cocktail in the keg. If you try it out, let us know how it goes! Good luck!

@louisepriest8729 2 жыл бұрын

Great vid! Super helpful!!! I’m new to kegs and apologies for my ignorance but can I make a non-carbonated cocktail (vodka and strained juice)? Will it seperate and all the alcohol sit at the bottom?

@liberandco 2 жыл бұрын

Thank you so much! Yes, you can do non-carbonated, and while we've never done that, it should NOT separate. If you do it, let us know how it turns out!

@louisepriest8729 2 жыл бұрын

@@liberandco awesome thanks heaps! Will let you know how we go😊

@terryallen2500 3 ай бұрын

How would you go about using nitrogen to keg a cocktail? Not looking to make carbonated cocktails

@yermmanechevarria6965 2 жыл бұрын

Hi Christ this is amazing, the way you explain the way you talk means you have a lot of knowledge. first i want to say thanks and second i would like to ask if i can use the same method to carbonated soda? . i own small restaurant and i want to start making my own soda , i seeing a lot of videos but as i told you the way you explain i do understand everything since English is my third language i have a lot of knowledge also becaouse i been doing pre package dips and drinks for the last 10 years in my country and now here in USA but carbonated soda its kind that like new for me. i hope you can share your knowledge with me if you know anything about carbonated soda thanks and once agein thanks

@liberandco 2 жыл бұрын

Hi Yermman! Yes you can use this setup to carbonate soda. The same principles apply: fill the keg with your soda and chill it in the refrigerator to get the liquid cold. Then follow the steps in the video to add CO2, release extra gas, add more CO2, etc. until your soda keg is well carbonated. Good Luck!

@yermmanechevarria6965 Жыл бұрын

Hello again Christ question did you have a bigger carbonated machine , i would like to know if you can provide some info if you have a bigger machine thanks , and have a great Day

@ericbaron5328 Жыл бұрын

Do you have to shake the keg before serving to make sure the ingredients are properly mixed?

@liberandco Жыл бұрын

You will need to mix the contents thoroughly once all the ingredients are in the keg. We recommend agitating the keg as soon as you begin to push CO2 into it. After it's fully carbonated, the contents should remain well mixed, but it's never a bad idea to gently agitate every couple of days to ensure things are staying well-mixed! Don't overshake or you'll get overly foamy cocktails! Hope this helps.

@yeseniacoria1708 Жыл бұрын

How long does that CO2 tank last?

@robinceret9633 3 жыл бұрын

Thanks a lot for the video. Is it possible to use the keg just to push the cocktail out of the tank and serve it without carbonating the liquid ?

@liberandco 3 жыл бұрын

Yes, it is! Instead of pressurizing and depressurizing over and over again (the step where you shake the C02 into the liquid) just hook up the CO2 cylinder and increase the pressure just enough for the cocktail to come out. In that way the C02 shouldn't go into the liquid, it should just push the liquid through the keg without carbonating.

@robinceret9633 3 жыл бұрын

@@liberandco ok perfect thank you !

@cajunbargod 2 жыл бұрын

What about the drink separating. Is their a keg with a built in mixer

@liberandco 2 жыл бұрын

We've never had an issue with separation. Once the liquid contents are under pressure, they should stay separated. That said, if there is some pulp in the cocktail, perhaps from fresh lime juice, you could try shaking/rolling the keg around every now and again, but we really don't think it will be an issue.

@matt01242 2 жыл бұрын

One thing I've been wondering - once you have force carbed chilled liquid, will the drink lose much carbonation if the keg is then left to come back up to room temperature?

@liberandco 2 жыл бұрын

Hey Matt, if you've properly filled it using the gassing and de-gassing method in the video, and so long as the keg is sealed, you shouldn't lose any carbonation if the keg comes back up to room temperature.

@cgellison 2 жыл бұрын

Technically you’ll lose a negligible amount until it reached equilibrium. Once the head pressure picks up some, it will still keep the CO2 dissolved.

@FeelmoreAdult Жыл бұрын

Can you put any cocktail in a keg even those with citrus?

@liberandco Жыл бұрын

Yes! We would recommend straining out as much as the pulp as possible. Kegs with citrus won't last as long as kegs with no citrus (i.e. gin & tonic). With citrus it should last a week or two.

@haakonaleksandereng3195 2 жыл бұрын

Hi Guys, I am using a picnic tap and about 5ft of hose from the Corny Keg, cooling it down for days, tried different dispensing pressures and all that is coming out is foam, when it settles the drink is minimally carbonated. I have tried opening the keg after carbonation and pouring a drink where it is fully carbonated. How can i avoid the foaming and loosing the carbonation? Thanks in advance

@liberandco 2 жыл бұрын

Are you degassing? First step is to get the liquid as cold as possible with ice, then when you begin adding C02 to the keg, you need to periodically degas the keg and then add more C02.

@haakonaleksandereng3195 2 жыл бұрын

@@liberandco yep, up to 4-5-6 times before leaving it at pressure overnight in the fridge, still comes out like foam..

@mdbbox5660 4 ай бұрын

This happens to me with all kegged cocktails as well. Tried margaritas, gin and tonic, and sparkling wine. I tried longer "balanced" lines, a flow control faucet, higher/lower serving pressures, and higher/lower carbonation pressures. The result for me is always the same as yours: foam and flatness. Very disappointing. I was hoping for some kind of secret to be revealed at the end of this video, but the portion on serving was incredibly short.

@Frvrstnd 2 жыл бұрын

I am having issues with two of my cocktail kegs out of the the four that’s on the line. The first one is dribbling out and the second one it’s even slightly pouring :(

@liberandco 2 жыл бұрын

Things that could be the problem: 1. Insufficient pressure, need at least 5psi 2. Line clogged (citrus pulp or other solid?) 3. Incorrect attachment (check each connection is tight and properly aligned)

@mikeberube93 Жыл бұрын

i think i went wrong somewhere, the mix is very strong, it's hard to tell if it was the gin or the tonic syrup. i used 4-1.75 litre bottles of bombay sapphire gin, 85 ounces of top hat classic tonic syrup off of Amazon, and water right to top. feedback please? Thanks.

@liberandco Жыл бұрын

Hm, it's hard to say without knowing the characteristics of the ingredients you're using. I would try and make a G&T as a single serving just the way you like it. Then you're going to have to compare that to a few varieties of single servings where you mess around with the ratios of each ingredient to try and see which direction you went wrong. Then you would adjust your master recipe for the keg.

@IDillon0 2 жыл бұрын

I want to try this, 50psi seems a little high since they tolerate like 60 and then you're force carbing it. But seems like it worked for yall so not complaining.

@liberandco 2 жыл бұрын

Yup, worked just fine for us!

@FeelmoreAdult Жыл бұрын

How long does it last in keg?

@liberandco Жыл бұрын

We tend to drink these pretty fast, but we've tried them after 2 weeks with no noticeable drops in quality.

@georgesimon7244 2 жыл бұрын

how does it taste?

@liberandco 2 жыл бұрын

Great! When done right, it'll taste better than it does when you mix the cocktail normally. This is because when it's kegged, you're carbonating all the liquid.

@rocksoft5433 3 жыл бұрын

Why not decide the psi you want the drink carbonated to and then shake it with the pressure on until it stops taking more CO2

@liberandco 3 жыл бұрын

We haven't tried this method, but are eager to know how it works out. Let us know if you test it.

@jesswijaya6146 2 жыл бұрын

Sir i did your method buy why i cant get the fizzy bubbles

@liberandco 2 жыл бұрын

Hard to say why without seeing. If you try kegging again and record a video of you doing it, send it to us, and we'll attempt to diagnose. info@liberandcompany.com

@jesswijaya6146 2 жыл бұрын

@@liberandco ok will do sir