Easy Cocktail Recipes

Whether you’re throwing a dinner party or you’re just trying to show off a little sophistication for a new significant other, knowing your way around a few easy cocktail recipes is something every drinker should learn. While these may not be quite as simple as the screwdriver recipe you learned in college, these popular and easy cocktails should give you the options to please most every drinker in your life.

The Basic Gin Martini
2 oz gin

1 oz dry vermouth

One of the most popular drinks in the world (thanks Mr. Bond), the Martini is also an easy cocktail to learn. Just pour the gin and vermouth over ice, and stir. Yes, you read that right. While 007 may have popularized the Martini, his famous “shaken, not stirred” is actually pretty bad advice.So unless you’re told in no uncertain terms to shake it, give that Martini a good stir instead. Then strain into a glass, pop in an olive or two (or a lemon peel), and you’re done!

The Beginner’s Manhattan

2 oz rye whiskey (or bourbon)

2 dashes bitters

1 oz sweet vermouth

Now I know what you’re thinking here. “What the heck is a dash?!”. A dash is about ¼ of a teaspoon, so for your basic Manhattan a half teaspoon of bitters should do the trick nicely. Once again pour your ingredients over ice and stir, then strain into into a glass. Pop in a bit of orange rind for a garnish, and add ice if asked for it “on the rocks”.

Dark n’ Stormy
1 oz dark rum

2 oz ginger beer

A screwdriver level easy cocktail, the Dark n’ Stormy is as easy a cocktail to make as exists. Just pour the rum over ice, add your ginger beer, then lightly squeeze a lime wedge into the mix and toss in the wedge afterwards as a garnish. Doesn’t get any easier than that!

A Simple Sidecar
2 oz cognac (brandy or bourbon also work)

1 oz cointreau

1 oz lemon juice

If you want to impress your friends with a shockingly easy cocktail recipe, the Sidecar is one of your best bets. Simply pour your ingredients over ice, shake, and strain into a glass. Don’t mess around with sugared rims, don’t try substituting Grand Marnier in place of the Cointreau (trust us, it really does make a substantial difference), just follow this super simple recipe and you’ll have a simple and delicious cocktail ready to go. For extra sophistication points, tell your friends you’ve made it for them “French” (which simply means that the proportions of the drink were 2-1-1, as in the recipe above).

With these four easy cocktail recipes, you’ll be ready to please almost any drinker. But as they’re all fairly booze heavy, you might also want to stock up some Before You Drink gummies...you know, just in case you decide to partake in a second round. Or a third.