Cocktails & Home Bar
You don't need a professional bar to make great drinks. With a handful of bottles, fresh citrus and a few simple techniques you can make dozens of classics — and alcohol-free versions for everyone at the table.
Classic cocktails
Step-by-step recipes for the essential classic cocktails: Old Fashioned, Martini, Manhattan, Negroni, Daiquiri, Margarita, Whiskey Sour, Mojito, Cosmopolitan, French 75, Espresso Martini and more.
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Easy 2–3 ingredient drinks
Simple cocktail recipes with just two or three ingredients and no special equipment: highballs, the Moscow Mule, Paloma, Dark ’n’ Stormy, Cuba Libre, White Russian and more.
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Home bar essentials
Build a home bar step by step: which bottles to buy first, essential liqueurs and mixers, the bartending tools you actually need, glassware and how to stock fresh ingredients.
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Shake, stir & build
Learn the core bartending techniques step by step: how and when to shake, stir, build, muddle, strain, double-strain, layer and garnish cocktails at home.
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Mocktails & low-alcohol
Delicious alcohol-free cocktails and low-alcohol drinks: virgin Mojito, Virgin Mary, ginger lime fizz, spritzes, shandies, plus tips on non-alcoholic spirits, wine and beer.
Read guide →Start with the basics
New to mixing? Make the easy two- and three-ingredient drinks first, then work through the classics. When you have a few bottles at home, try our Cocktail Builder: tick what you have and it shows every recipe you can make.
Cocktails can be much stronger than they taste. A Martini or a Negroni contains roughly one and a half to two standard drinks. Measure with a jigger rather than free-pouring, and offer mocktails to guests who aren't drinking.
Frequently asked questions
What are the 6 basic cocktails?
Many bartenders point to six templates from the classic book The Fine Art of Mixing Drinks: the Old Fashioned, Martini, Manhattan, Daiquiri, Sidecar and Jack Rose. Learn these and you understand the structure behind most cocktails.
When should a cocktail be shaken or stirred?
Shake drinks that contain citrus juice, dairy or egg white to mix and aerate them. Stir drinks made only of spirits, vermouth and bitters (like a Martini or Manhattan) to keep them clear and silky.
What is the easiest cocktail to make at home?
A highball: one spirit plus one mixer over ice, such as a gin and tonic, whisky and soda or rum and cola. Add a squeeze of fresh citrus and it tastes like a bar drink.