I wanted to compile a list of simple cocktails that are super easy to recreate at home when entertaining. Cocktails that don’t contain a lot of extravagant ingredients, only require basic cocktail techniques and are incredibly tasty.

The end result is 10 step by step cocktail recipes featured in a concise (just over 10 minutes in fact) and easy to follow video. View the video below or you can skip to a particular cocktail recipe within the video by clicking the relevant links:

Espresso Martini | Negroni | Aperol Spritz

Brown Derby | Bees Knees

Margarita | Daiquiri | Godfather

Manhattan | Brandy Flip


Espresso Martini Cocktail Recipe

How to make an Espresso Martini

The espresso martini has been made hugely popular in recent years due to the addictive combination of coffee & vodka! Make sure you use cold drip coffee - coffee extracted with heat tends to go bitter when not used immediately. Cold drip makes a delicious and consistent Espresso Martini - every time!

Ingredients

Instructions

  1. Fill a boston glass with ice.
  2. Pour all ingredients over ice.
  3. Shake and strain into a chilled coupe glass.
  4. Garnish with 3 coffee beans

Negroni Cocktail Recipe

How to make a Negroni Cocktail

This cocktail resembles the Americano (minus the soda and replaced with gin). Not to everyone's taste though I must admit - try easing into one by replacing the Campari with a less bitter Italian aperitif, Aperol - yum!

Ingredients

Instructions

  1. Fill an old-fashioned glass with ice
  2. Pour ingredients over ice
  3. Stir well (20-30 seconds)
  4. Garnish with an orange twist

Aperol Spritz Recipe

How to make an Aperol Spritz

The Aperol Spritz is a popular summer drink! Aperol's grapefruit notes and subtle bitterness compliment the bubbly, sweeter style prosecco.

Ingredients

  • 90mL Prosecco
  • 60mL Aperol
  • 30mL Soda Water

Instructions

  1. Add 60mL of Aperol to a large wine glass
  2. Fill the wine glass with plenty of ice
  3. Top with prosecco and the dash of soda
  4. Garnish with a slice of orange

Brown Derby Cocktail

How to make a Brown Derby Cocktail

The Brown Derby is somewhat of a bourbon whiskey based riff on a classic daiquiri. A big measure of bourbon is balanced with sweet honey syrup and sour and subtly bitter grapefruit juice. Named after the popular LA restaurant from the mid-20th century.

Ingredients

  • 60mL Bourbon Whiskey
  • 30mL Fresh Grapefruit Juice
  • 15mL Honey Syrup (1:1)

Instructions

  1. Combine all the ingredients in your cocktail shaker
  2. Shake with ice
  3. Strain into a chilled cocktail glass
  4. Garnish with a twist of grapefruit

Bees Knees Cocktail

How to make a Bees Knees

The Bee's Knees cocktail recipe was invented out of necessity, hiding the poor quality homemade, bathtub cut gin that was prevalent during the prohibition-era.

Nowadays, good quality gin is in abundance and this is a delicious, citrusy and honeyed gin cocktail.

Ingredients

  • 60mL Gin (2 oz)
  • 15mL Fresh Lemon Juice (½ oz)
  • 15mL Honey Syrup (1:1) (½ oz)

Instructions

  1. Combine all ingredients in your cocktail shaker
  2. Shake with ice
  3. Strain into a chilled cocktail glass
  4. Garnish with a twist of lemon or wheel

Margarita

How to make a Margarita

Tequila and especially margaritas are party drinks, so instead of serving them up in a stemmed Margarita glass, serve them up short on ice by following this simple simple 3-2-1 recipe.

Ingredients

Instructions

  1. Rim the glass with salt - moisten the glass with a piece of lemon or lime and place upturned onto a plate of salt
  2. Fill a Boston glass with ice
  3. Add all the ingredients
  4. Shake and strain over ice into your salt-rimmed glass.
  5. Garnish with a lime wedge

Classic Lime Daiquiri

How to make a Daiquiri

The Daiquiri would have to be one of the most iconic classics. It was first created in the 1890's and Bacardi was first call. Originally the drink was served in a tall glass packed with ice.

Ingredients

  • 60mL Bacardi Carta Blanc White Rum
  • 22.5mL Fresh Lime Juice
  • 22.5mL Sugar Syrup

Instructions

  1. Fill a boston glass with ice
  2. Add all 3 ingredients
  3. Shake and strain into a chilled cocktail glass

Godfather Cocktail Recipe


How to make a Godfather cocktail


The original recipe of the Godfather calls for equal parts of Scotch Whisky and Amaretto which is quite sweet. I prefer to increase the Scotch Whisky to 45mL and drop the Amaretto to 15mL creating a less sweet and dryer Godfather recipe. Either way, the Amaretto will smooth and sweeten the whisky into a velvety smooth and tasty stirred drink.

Ingredients

  • 30mL Scotch Whisky
  • 30mL Amaretto

Instructions

  1. Fill a double old fashioned with ice
  2. Add both ingredients
  3. Stir to chill
  4. Garnish with a twist of orange

Classic Manhattan Cocktail Recipe

How to make a Manhattan

Ingredients

  • 60mL Rye whisky
  • 20mL Sweet Red Vermouth
  • 1-2 Dashes of Bitters

Instructions

  1. Fill a boston glass with ice
  2. Add all ingredients
  3. Stir throroughly
  4. Strain into a chilled cocktail glass
  5. Garnish with an orange twist or maraschino cherrry

Brandy Flip Recipe

How to make a Brandy Flip Cocktail

The Brandy Flip is a simple, 3-ingredient cocktail with a rich flavour and creamy texture. The very first Flips emerged as early as the late 1600s - they were originally created with a mixture of sugar, eggs and spices being added to a tankard of ale before being heated with a red-hot iron poker from the fire.

Now, a Flip commonly refers to a cocktail of fortified wine or spirit and whole egg sweetened with sugar.

Ingredients

  • 60mL Brandy (2 oz)
  • 30mL Simple Syrup (1:1) (1 oz)
  • Whole Egg

Instructions

  1. Combine all ingredients to your cocktail shaker
  2. Dry shake (without ice) to emulsify the egg
  3. Shake with ice
  4. Strain into a chilled, stemmed cocktail glass
  5. Garnish with freshly grated nutmeg

What is your favourite? Comment below…

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