Bar Guide

You do not need a fancy setup to make good drinks at home. A few tools, fresh citrus and plenty of ice will get you a long way. This guide covers the gear, the basics, and 15 classics worth knowing.

Tools

You can start with these:

• Jigger: a small double-sided measure, usually 1 oz on one side and 2 oz on the other. Measure every pour, and your drinks will taste the same every time.
• Shaker: a two-piece tin set is the easiest to use and clean.
• Strainer: a Hawthorne strainer (the one with the spring) fits on top of a shaker tin.
• Bar spoon: a long spoon for stirring drinks in a tall glass or mixing glass.
• Mixing glass: any sturdy pint glass works for stirred drinks.
• Muddler: a short wooden or plastic stick for crushing mint, fruit or sugar.
• Citrus press: fresh lime and lemon juice makes the biggest difference of anything on this list.
• Knife and cutting board: for wedges, wheels and peels.

Glassware

• Rocks glass: short and wide. For drinks served over ice, like an Old Fashioned or a Negroni.
• Highball or Collins glass: tall and narrow. For drinks topped with soda, like a Mojito or a Tom Collins.
• Coupe or martini glass: stemmed. For drinks served cold with no ice, like a Daiquiri or a Manhattan.
• Copper mug: the classic cup for a Moscow Mule. A highball glass works too.
• Wine glass: big enough for a spritz with lots of ice.

Techniques

• Shake: for drinks with juice, cream or egg. Fill the shaker about two-thirds with ice, add the ingredients, close it tight, and shake hard for 10 to 15 seconds. Strain into the glass.
• Stir: for drinks made only of spirits, like a Martini or a Manhattan. Stir with ice for about 20 to 30 seconds until the outside of the glass is cold. Stirring keeps the drink clear and silky.
• Build: make the drink right in the glass you serve it in. Add ice, pour in the ingredients, and top with soda last.
• Muddle: press herbs or fruit gently to release their flavor. For mint, press and twist a few times; do not shred the leaves, or the drink turns bitter.

Simple syrup: stir equal parts sugar and hot water until the sugar dissolves. Let it cool, then keep it in the fridge for up to about 2 weeks.

Measures

Recipes on this page use ounces (oz). The ml values are rounded the way most bartenders round them.

US measure	Metric
1/4 oz	7.5 ml
1/2 oz	15 ml
3/4 oz	22.5 ml
1 oz	30 ml
1 1/2 oz	45 ml
2 oz	60 ml
4 oz	120 ml
1 bar spoon	about 5 ml
1 dash	a few drops, about 1 ml

In the US, one standard drink is 1 1/2 oz (about 45 ml) of 80-proof spirit. Many cocktails below have more than one standard drink in them.

Stock a starter bar

Spirits: vodka, gin, white rum, blanco tequila, and bourbon or rye whiskey.

Liqueurs and wine: orange liqueur (triple sec or Cointreau), sweet vermouth, dry vermouth, coffee liqueur, Campari, Aperol, and a bottle of prosecco.

Mixers: club soda, cola, ginger beer and grapefruit soda.

Fresh stuff: limes, lemons, oranges, mint and plenty of ice.

Pantry: simple syrup, Angostura bitters, cocktail cherries, olives, cream of coconut and pineapple juice.

Classic cocktails

Margarita

• 2 oz blanco tequila
• 1 oz fresh lime juice
• 3/4 oz orange liqueur
• Salt for the rim (optional)

Shake with ice. Strain into a rocks glass over fresh ice, with or without a salted rim. Garnish with a lime wheel.

Paloma

• 2 oz blanco tequila
• 1/2 oz fresh lime juice
• 1 pinch of salt
• 4 oz grapefruit soda

Build in a highball glass with ice. Top with the grapefruit soda, stir once, and add a lime wedge.

Mojito

• 2 oz white rum
• 3/4 oz fresh lime juice
• 3/4 oz simple syrup
• 8 to 10 mint leaves
• Club soda to top

Muddle the mint gently with the syrup in a highball glass. Add the rum, lime juice and crushed or cubed ice. Top with soda, stir, and garnish with a mint sprig.

Daiquiri

• 2 oz white rum
• 1 oz fresh lime juice
• 3/4 oz simple syrup

Shake hard with ice and strain into a chilled coupe. Simple, sharp and refreshing.

Piña Colada

• 2 oz white rum
• 1 1/2 oz cream of coconut
• 1 1/2 oz pineapple juice
• 1/2 oz fresh lime juice

Blend with 1 cup of ice until smooth. Pour into a tall glass and garnish with a pineapple wedge.

Moscow Mule

• 2 oz vodka
• 1/2 oz fresh lime juice
• 4 oz ginger beer

Build in a copper mug or a highball glass full of ice. Top with ginger beer and add a lime wedge.

Espresso Martini

• 2 oz vodka
• 1 oz fresh espresso, cooled
• 1/2 oz coffee liqueur
• 1/4 oz simple syrup

Shake very hard with ice so the drink gets a thick foam. Strain into a chilled coupe and float 3 coffee beans on top.

Martini

• 2 1/2 oz gin
• 1/2 oz dry vermouth

Stir with ice and strain into a chilled martini glass. Garnish with an olive or a lemon twist. Use vodka for a vodka martini.

Tom Collins

• 2 oz gin
• 1 oz fresh lemon juice
• 1/2 oz simple syrup
• Club soda to top

Shake the gin, lemon and syrup with ice. Strain into a Collins glass over fresh ice, top with soda, and garnish with a lemon wheel.

Negroni

• 1 oz gin
• 1 oz Campari
• 1 oz sweet vermouth

Stir with ice and strain into a rocks glass over a large ice cube. Garnish with an orange peel. Bitter, sweet and strong.

Old Fashioned

• 2 oz bourbon or rye whiskey
• 1/4 oz simple syrup
• 2 dashes Angostura bitters
• 1 orange peel

Stir the whiskey, syrup and bitters with ice. Strain into a rocks glass over a large ice cube. Squeeze the orange peel over the drink, then drop it in.

Manhattan

• 2 oz rye whiskey
• 1 oz sweet vermouth
• 2 dashes Angostura bitters

Stir with ice and strain into a chilled coupe. Garnish with a cocktail cherry.

Whiskey Sour

• 2 oz bourbon
• 3/4 oz fresh lemon juice
• 3/4 oz simple syrup
• 1 egg white (optional)

Shake with ice and strain into a rocks glass over fresh ice. With egg white, shake once without ice first to build the foam, then shake again with ice. Garnish with a cherry or a lemon peel.

Long Island Iced Tea

• 1/2 oz vodka
• 1/2 oz white rum
• 1/2 oz gin
• 1/2 oz blanco tequila
• 1/2 oz orange liqueur
• 3/4 oz fresh lemon juice
• 1/2 oz simple syrup
• Cola to top

Build in a tall glass full of ice. Top with a splash of cola and add a lemon wedge. It tastes light, but it holds about 2 standard drinks, so take it slow.

Aperol Spritz

• 3 oz prosecco
• 2 oz Aperol
• 1 oz club soda

Build in a wine glass full of ice: prosecco first, then Aperol, then soda. Stir gently and garnish with an orange slice.

---

Drink responsibly. Never drink and drive. 21+ only in the US.