CocktailsWhat to CookLists
15 Classic Cocktail Recipes You Need to Know
by Sarah Jampel
• December 27, 2014
• 12 Comments
In order to compile this list of need-to-know classic cocktails, I relied on advice from four of my more knowledgeable colleagues. (Perhaps that should have been a warning sign that I was not authorized to write this.) Here is a transript of part of the ensuing converation:
Sarah: by "martinez" do you mean martini?
Marian: no they're distinct
Sarah: i can't tell if you're kidding
Don't let this happen to you. I may not know anything about cocktails, but together, let's promise to study these 15 classic recipes and stock up on the spirits we'll need to practice making them. Soon, we'll be the life of the party (and we'll be significantly less likely to say something dumb at a bar -- or in the workplace).
We've also included some tools from our shop collection -- some essential, some ritzy -- to help you make cocktails in style.
2. The Last Word: Serve it in these Cocktail & Champagne Coupes.
3. The Singapore Sling: You'll need something to shake it in.
4. The Old-Fashioned: Don't forget a muddler.
6. The Southside: It looks perfect in highball glasses.
9. The Martini: Keep track of whose drinks are whose with these Animal Drink Stirrers.
10. The Margarita and the cocktail salts you need to line their rims.
11. The Martinez
12. The Gimlet: Serve them on these classy Brass Coasters.
13. The Negroni...or make your life easier and order this handy Negroni Collection.
14. The Daiquiri
15. The Sazerac: Impress your friends with some really fancy ice.
What was the first cocktail you learned to make? Share with us in the comments below!
Comments (12)
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almost 2 years ago Alissa
Definitely a toss up between a spicy Bloody Mary and a French 75.. both are my family's drinks of choice for the holidays (or anytime, really) and I learned them at a relatively young age. (Doesn't everyone cure their Christmas Eve hangovers with Bloody Mary's on Christmas Day??)
almost 2 years ago Westcoasty
A classic gin and vermouth dry martini. It does need to be shaken, and make mine dirty. I still love a martini on occasion. Drawling "Bond, James Bond" is just a fun bonus.
about 2 years ago Kirsten
Champagne cocktail. I worked at a nice place in AK and when I was off the clock Giuseppe would plant one in front of me at the back booth where I folded napkins. He also really helped me graduate from White Zin to better things.
over 2 years ago cookdoctor
First cocktail I ever tryed to make was a Screwdriver! Reminds me I haven't had one for years...
over 2 years ago Bevi
I was a bartender, on and off, for 25 years. As I recall the places I worked, different cocktails were popular, depending on the decade and the venue. A stint at a jazz bar in New Haven produced traditional cocktails, and the occasional Black and Tan.
By the end of my career as a bartender, martinis of every persuasion were the rage.
There was a period in the middle of it all that made me think the sun never set on a Tequila Sunrise….
over 2 years ago Gret
This past summer we were once again, serving Sunrises in our home with bites. Everyone loved them!
over 2 years ago Your Other Mom
I was a bartender for several years... a secret passion that still fills my soul. My first concoction? A whiskey sour for my Mom... with egg whites, too! And here's something every serious imbiber of adult libations should know: http://www.thekitchn.com.... Cheers!
almost 3 years ago kimikoftokyo
Gin and tonic. Which is my favorite. A cosmopolitan was next along with a vodka martini
almost 3 years ago Karen Atchison
We called them Scotch Old Fashions. A teaspoon of sugar, jigger of Dewars, add ice and fill with orange juice. We drank them at Christmas time!
almost 3 years ago Lee
As a kid in elementary school, I was taught to make my dad's martini: small round stemless glass or rocks glass; 1 large ice cube; cover with Beefeaters Gin; open vermouth bottle and blow across the top of it into the gin; stir counter-clockwise 52 times. Serve to dad. Recap vermouth and gin bottles. :-)
almost 3 years ago Sarah Jampel
Sarah is Food52's senior staff writer & stylist.
Just more proof that dads are clever!!
almost 3 years ago Gret
I'm really surprised that the Tom Collins & Pink Lady, weren't included!
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