If you throw together a cocktail at home and aren’t thrilled with the result, take a tip from the kitchen. Rather than tossing it out and starting over, take a sip of your experimental concoction and ponder what it needs.

When making food, and your dish needs something, there’s a simple system:

• Bland? Add salt, or if that isn’t it, add more of the herbs and spices already in use.
• Lacking Depth? Up the umami with Worcestershire or soy sauce, anchovies, sun dried tomatoes or tomato paste.
• Need acid? A squeeze of lemon juice, or splash of vinegar.
• Too bitter? Add sugar, honey or maple syrup
• Not rich enough? Add butter or cream.

For a cocktail, it’s about the same:

• Too weak or strong? Add more spirits or mixers (Obvious, I know).
• Lacking depth? Add a dash of bitters.
• Need acid? A squirt of lemon or lime juice.
• Too bitter? Add simple syrup, agave or maple syrup.
• Not rich enough? fruit liqueurs like Cherry Heering and Chambord might give you what you seek.  Butter, probably won’t help, but bacon might!