One of the many wonderful things about the cocktail world (and let’s face it there are loads) is that it’s a never ending journey. Ingredients, techniques, garnishes, glassware, there’s always something new to discover. The recipes though are the thing. The list of long drinks and short ones, shaken or stirred, goes on and on. Today’s pioneering bartenders are continually pushing the boundaries, introducing us to all sorts of new experiences in our glasses, but what about the home bartenders? For those of us who enjoy mixing up a fancy drink or two in the comfort of the kitchen, it’s always worth taking a glance back at classic cocktails for inspiration.
There’s a reason that the likes of Mojitos and Mint Juleps, Old Fashioneds and Negronis, and French 75s and Caipirinhas remain popular. They’re super simple to make, beautifully balanced and downright delicious.
If you like mixing it up at home we suggest you take a look at thebar.com. This site is packed with tasty suggestions, neatly grouped by Spirits, Occasions and Recipes. There are useful tips and handy videos too. There’s also a particularly useful Classic Cocktail section. It’s here that you’ll find some of the aforementioned recipes along with a few rather lovely, less well known ones and some clever variations.
Chill your glasses, grab your shaker and check out three of our favourites from the site taking in bourbon, gin and tequila.
Sazerac
How can something this simple (above) be so complex? It’s easy to make but the combination of bourbon with the rinse of absinthe, not forgetting the two bitters, is exceptional.
Aviation
Basically a gin sour this drink introduces Maraschino Liqueur and Créme De Violette in place of sugar syrup to amazing effect. Try it once and it’ll be a regular in your repertoire.
Margarita
We go back to this drink time and again. The classic recipe always works well, but we also like the twisted version, featured in the site’s video, that adds orange juice, agave nectar and mescal for added depth.
For these and many more recipes check out the classic cocktails on thebar.com.
This post is sponsored by thebar.com. We selected the Sazerac, Aviation and Margarita and tried these recipes ourselves.
