You don’t have to be an upscale bartender at a fancy club to make good cocktails at home. In fact, shaking and stirring from the comfort of your own kitchen can allow you to experiment with spirits, syrups, mixes, garnishes, and more. You’ll be able to discover your unique tastes and share them with others during social gatherings. Here are just a few classic cocktails that you can whip up for your next party to impress your guests:
1. Moscow mule
This classic cocktail blends vodka, ginger beer, lime juice, and ice to create a refreshing and spicy beverage. It has a tart yet electrifying taste that sings on the tongue, and it’s perfect for pregaming or party planning. Variations of the drink include Mexican mules made with tequila and Kentucky mules made with bourbon. To recreate the kind that you get at a bar, you’ll want to buy a copper mug for serving—it takes on the chill of the drink.
2. Mojito
The mojito takes five ingredients to create a traditional and refreshing drink—sugar, mint, lime juice, white rum, and soda water. As with other cocktails, there are many ways that you can change up the recipe. Adding fruit, like watermelon and strawberry, is popular. There’s also the “frojito” that’s simply a frozen version of the mojito served with ice. This drink has a reputation for going down easy as it doesn’t taste like liquor at all. However, it contains quite a bit of rum so drink safely as it can get to be too much quickly.
3. Dry martini
The martini is one of the most iconic alcoholic beverages in the world, making it an impressive drink to put on your personal cocktail menu. This cocktail favorite is made with gin and vermouth, but the gin can be substituted with vodka for an equally compelling taste. The “dry” part of the name refers to the amount of vermouth added. A dry martini has very little, usually with a vermouth-to-gin ratio of 1:6. An extra-dry one might only have a small splash. You might also consider adding a few olives or a curl of citrus as a garnish.
4. Gin and tonic
Another iconic summer drink, the gin and tonic has been around since the 18th century. It started as a practical treatment due to the quinine within the tonic water, which British soldiers stationed in India found could be used to treat malaria. Mixing a gin and tonic is simple: Just pour tonic water and gin over ice. To create its signature look, add a garnish in the form of a wedge or slice of lime. Another nice touch is a clear highball glass that’ll let everyone appreciate the shine and the bubble of the settling drink.
5. Manhattan
As elegant as its namesake city, the Manhattan is a drink that’s sure to turn heads at your party, especially if it’s served in a classic cocktail glass and garnished with a maraschino cherry. There are many different ways to make it. The three foundational elements are whiskey, sweet vermouth, and bitters. From there, you can customize it however you’d like. Traditionalists use rye for the whiskey, but you can also opt for bourbon or flavored rye whiskey. Angostura is the classic bitters of choice, but other options include orange bitters and Peychaud’s bitters.
