We’ve gathered our cocktail recipes in one place to make it easier for you to get your drink on. You’ll find a few full recipes of the classics and many, many more versions to try. You’ll find your new favorite, for sure!
For those of you trying to limit alcohol, here are some great swaps for some of the ingredients you find in the recipes.
Mocktail Swaps:
1. Bourbon Substitute: Club Soda and vanilla. 1 part vanilla to 2 parts Club Soda
2. Cherry Syrup Substitute: REAL cherry juice
3. Tequila Substitute: Agave Juice
4. Triple Sec Substitute: fresh orange juice
5. Gin & Whiskey Substitute: there really isn’t a great substitute. Try a different drink :)
Mango Fauxito (Mocktail)
1 lime quartered
2 sprigs mint
1.5 oz. jalapeno simple syrup (1 shot glass)
3 oz. mango nectar
3 oz. seltzer water
Jalapeno Simple Syrup:
½ cup sugar
½ cup water
1 jalapeno (remove seeds if you don’t want too spicy or leave if you love the heat Instructions)
First make your simple syrup. In a small saucepan, bring water to a boil and stir in sugar until dissolved.
Remove from heat and add in jalapeno. For a slight jalapeno flavor, remove after 15 minutes. Otherwise, leave in until it reaches the intensity you like.
In a large cocktail shaker, muddle your mint with lime wedges and your simple syrup.
Fill your shaker with ice and pour the mango nectar on top. Shake rigorously until the shaker feels very cool to the touch. Meanwhile, fill a rocks glass with ice.
Pour your mango mojito into your glass and top with seltzer. Garnish with a lime wedge and extra mint. Enjoy!
SKINNY MARGARITA:
We’ve put the skinny margarita version here because we think it is more useful, but we also have the classic version on our full Margarita post. Knowing how to make a basic margarita is incredibly helpful for hosting parties, because once you know the basic you can make infinite variations! And a margarita is almost always appreciated by everyone you might invite over.
Ingredients
- 1 1/2 ounces Tequila
- 1/2 ounce orange juice
- 1 ounce lime juice
- lime wedge for garnish
- sugar
Instructions
- Wet the rim of your glass (a lime works well for this) and add sugar to the rim.
- Shake the tequila, orange juice, and lime juice together in a shaker and pour into prepared glass.
- Garnish with a lime wedge.
Notes
Also, many people prefer to add 1-2 teaspoons of sugar to this drink for added sweetness.
BLOODY MARY:
Bloody Mary’s can be tricky, because everyone has their own personal favorite version. This recipe is a basic homemade version that works as a great base for adding additional ingredients to, but we also have two other versions listed in our full Blood Mary article. This cocktail is the perfect brunch beverage, and can be spruced up with all sorts of fun garnishes.
Homemade Bloody Mary
Ingredients
- Celery salt for rim
- 1 tsp lemon juice
- 1 tsp lime juice
- 2 oz Vodka
- 4 oz Tomato juice
- 2 dashes Tabasco Sauce
- 2 tsp horseradish
- 2 dashes Worcestershire sauce
- 1 pinch black pepper
- 1 pinch paprika
Instructions
- Dampen the rim of your glass (moving a lemon wedge along the rim will do this).
- Place celery salt on a plat and press your glass rim onto it.
- Fill cocktail shaker with ice.
- Place all remaining ingredients in cocktail shaker.
- Shake.
- Strain cocktail into glass.
- Garnish with celery and a lime wedge, or a pickle spear and olive.
CLASSIC MARTINI:
People seem to have this idea that martinis are hard to make, but they are actually one of the easiest cocktails to make! You need 2 ingredients and olives if you want to make it a dirty. Our full martini post gives a great explanation on the variations (dirty, dry, up, etc.) if you are intimidated of the whole process. And really…this is an easy drink to make!
Ingredients
- 1 part dry vermouth
- 4 parts gin you’ll want good quality
- olives, optional
Instructions
- Stir together, or shake in a cocktail shaker.
- Serve in a martini glass.
CLASSIC MANHATTAN AND OLD-FASHIONED:
We put Manhattans and Old Fashioned’s together because they are almost the exact same drink. Almost. This drink has a few more ingredients, and tons of variations, but is another simple classic that you should feel completely capable of making on your own. Go to our full post for even more information.
Ingredients
- 2 ounces bourbon
- 1 teaspoon club soda or water
- 1 teaspoon sugar
- 2 dashes bitters
Instructions
- Mix the sugar, bitters, and soda (or water) together in a chilled low-ball glass with a bit of ice.
- Add the bourbon and gently stir.
- Garnish with an orange.
Though Pina Coladas are generally considered a summer drink, they are also a classic. And they are a great beverage option for those people who aren’t accustomed to strong alcoholic drinks. Nellie and I are among those people. While we appreciate knowing how to make Manhattans and cosmos, etc. we don’t actually enjoy drinking them. We make them for other people. Pina Coladas, on the other hand, are a favorite! Consider having these available at your next party for people like us; we’d be ever so grateful! Go here for the full post and some extra tips.
Ingredients
- 3 ounces white rum
- 3 tablespoons pineapple juice
- 3 tablespoons coconut cream
Instructions
- Mix ingredients together in a shaker.
- Add ice.
- Shake well.
- Pour into cocktail glass.
- Garnish with pineapple.
Notes
