In the old days, cocktails were like hand rolls, breadsticks, and olives. You’d order them the way they come, and if you wanted a second or third, the bartender would bring you another. That changed in the mid-twentieth century when bartenders began mixing simple drinks to their hearts’ content, creating lip-smacking cocktails.

Every bartender has their secret recipes that comprise ingredients that can elevate a plain drink to cocktail perfection. Some go light on the vermouth, some go heavier on the gin. Some use a deep red grape, others go for the green. Similarly, you can recreate yours using this inexpensive list.

Margarita Mix

Margarita mix the drink that everybody knows how to make and is also probably the best known of all time. But how does it go together? Well, there are many margarita recipes around that you can find.

Here’s the simplest: You need sugar, water, and lime juice. Squeeze the lime juice and bring the water and sugar to a boil over medium heat separately. Let the mixture settle before adding the lime juice. Combine the ingredients and pour into a bottle. Refrigerate the juice for at least two weeks before serving.

You can buy the ingredients at your local grocery store.

Collins Old Fashion Whiskey Cocktail Mix

The John Collins cocktail is simple. The combination of bourbon whiskey, instead of gin, lime, and syrup is a classic. Spice it up with other ingredients and you’ll be making a great summer cocktail in no time.

To create this drink, you need bourbon whiskey, club soda, lemon juice, lemon, simple syrup, maraschino cherry, and orange.

Pour the syrup, lemon juice, and bourbon into a cocktail shaker, after which you add one cup of ice. Shake the mixture until ice-cold and filter into a Collins glass. Pour another cup of ice into the mix. Add club soda and mix, followed by maraschino cherry, lemon, and orange slices.

Jordan’s Skinny Pina Colada

If you’re a lover of tropical drinks, this Jordan’s skinny Pina Colada recipe is for you.

It is an incredible, creamy beverage that is full of tropical flavors. Its recipe isn’t overly complicated. You need just the right amount of ingredients to make the best cocktail.

As long as you have rum, coconut milk, pineapple, and a blender, you won’t need to visit the local bar again. To make this cocktail, place all the ingredients (including ice) in a blender and mix until smooth. Ideally, you should use Malibu rum to get the ideal flavor. Blend the ingredients until smooth and serve.

Lucy’s Sugar-Free Sour and Sweet Lemon Cocktail

A sour and sweet cocktail, such as Lucy’s is a delicious way to enjoy a glass of lemonade. But as we know, with lemonade comes the sugar and the calories.

Plus, you might have that stinging guilt feeling of consuming more calories than needed. However, you can use a better approach that doesn’t require sugar.

To make this cocktail, you need lemon juice, lime juice, artificial sweetener (sugar-free syrup), and water. Mix all the ingredients and store them in a refrigerator. The sour and sweet cocktail is a classic, simple, no-guilt cocktail you’ll love to consume regularly. It isn’t particularly sweet if you look closely.

Lava Premium Spicy Watermelon Habanero Margarita

This DIY watermelon habanero margarita is the perfect summer cocktail for any occasion. Serve this homemade cocktail in a clear, stemmed glass for a classy touch.

Its ingredients include watermelon juice, Reposado tequila, habanero garnish (habanero slice or chili), and simple syrup.

Begin by rimming the edge of the stemmed glass with chili and lime juice and place aside. Mash the habanero slices at the base of the glass. Pour in ice, watermelon juice, Reposado tequila, and simple syrup, and shake properly. Fill a separate glass halfway with ice and strain the ingredients into it and garnish with a habanero slice.

Spicy Bloody Mary Mix

Bloody Mary is a popular cocktail that is known for its very bright red color, which comes from its main ingredient — tomato juice. The drink is typically prepared using vodka, sometimes mixed with other ingredients such as olive juice and Worcestershire sauce.

Making this cocktail would require tomato juice, black pepper, celery salt, kosher salt, and vodka. Mix all the ingredients in a pitcher, excluding the vodka, and refrigerate for an average of 5 hours or overnight. Once the flavors have been fully infused, add vodka and stir properly. Season the rim of the glass with salt before serving.

Master of Mixes Mango Daiquiris

The daiquiri is named after a drink that originated in Cuba during the late 1800s. Daiquiris are made by combining rum, sugar, and lime juice. While it has traditionally been made with rum, some versions use vodka.

To make mixed mango daiquiri, you need sugar syrup, white rum, lime juice, ripe mango, and crushed ice.

In a blender, combine the white rum, sugar, mango, and lime juice and mix until smooth. Fill a glass halfway with ice and pour the ingredients over it. You may make your sugar syrup by heating water and sugar together until they form a paste.

Monin: Pineapple & Orange Mai Tai Mixer

A homemade mai tai is a cocktail that is made with some rum, vodka, pineapple juice, and a splash of orange curacao.

You need orange juice, red grenadine, pineapple juice, dark rum, light rum, and orange curacao. For garnish, prepare your pineapple wedges, orange slices, paper umbrellas, cherries, lemon slices, lime slices, and Malibu spiced rum.

Fill the bottom of the glass with grenadine and add ice halfway. Pour in the pineapple juice, light rum, orange curacao, and orange juice in a slow and steady stream. Before serving, float the dark rum and garnish. Enjoy your Mai Tai.

Passion Fruit Mix

This cocktail is best described as a passion fruit fizz. The passion fruit mix comprises primarily pureed passion fruit and simple syrup.

However, you need dark rum and lime juice to give it its cocktail demeanor. So, prepare your passion fruit, grenadine syrup, dark rum, lime juice, light rum, ice cubes, and sugar.

You also need starfruit slices, orange slices, and maraschino cherries, to garnish your cocktail. Combine grenadine, lime juice, rum, sugar, and fruit juice in a pitcher and stir. Pour the mixture into an ice-filled hurricane glass filled with ice. Serve with maraschino cherries, orange slices, and starfruit slices as garnish.

Strawberry Daiquiri Mixes

The homemade strawberry daiquiri recipe makes a refreshing cocktail with fresh strawberries and other citrus fruits.

The traditional daiquiri is mixed with rum and sugar, but this variation uses only a splash of berry-infused rum and a splash of freshly squeezed lemon and lime juice. It’s a fantastic thirst-quenching beverage!

Prepare frozen strawberries, rum, lime juice, lemon juice, lemon-lime soda, white sugar, and ice on hand. Combine strawberries, sugar, and ice in a blender and whip. Add in soda, lemon juice, lime juice, and rum until smooth. Serve. Lime and lemon juice add a citrus note to the daiquiri, making it not super sour.

Conclusion

Making the perfect cocktail from home without breaking the bank is possible using the right ingredients and preparatory steps. Whether you are entertaining a large crowd or just having a few friends over for a nightcap, a well-made cocktail is always a crowd-pleaser.

In addition, a cocktail shaker and strainer are great for making cocktails at home.

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As a side note, when creating any of the cocktails mentioned here, use high-quality spirits. Your cocktail might be ruined if you use cheap vodka. We hope this guide has given you some ideas for making some of the greatest cocktails in the business, and remember to have fun experimenting!