Making great drinks at home is fun, cheaper than going out, and easier than you might think. I’ve distilled twenty years of home-bartending experience along with the advice of some of the country’s best professional bartenders to create my book “Home Bar Basics (and Not-So-Basics),” a pocket-sized Cocktails 101 guide. This companion website expands beyond the content of the book with additional recipes and tips, instructional videos, product reviews, and more.
In this section, I’ll cover The Basics: twelve drinks that form the core of a home bar menu. Master these and you’ll be ready for the more advanced recipes in The Not-So-Basics.
THE 12 BASIC DRINKS
| Old Fashioned | Daiquiri | Tom Collins |
| Mint Julep | Mojito | Sidecar |
| Sazerac | Cuba Libre (Preparado) | Margarita |
| Manhattan | Martini | Rusty Nail |
I recommend building this set of basic tools and booze as you go along, rather than buying them all at once. Start with what you need for one drink and go from there.
Hardware: Cocktail shaker (Cobbler or Boston), Jigger, Citrus juicer or reamer, Hawthorne strainer (if using Boston shaker), Muddler, Barspoon, Cocktail picks, Vegetable peeler, Tovolo Perfect Cube ice trays
Glassware: Old Fashioned (7 oz) glasses, Cocktail (6 – 8 oz) or Coupe (3 – 5 oz) glasses, Collins (10 oz) or Pilsner (16 oz) glasses
Spirits: Bourbon whiskey, Rye whiskey, Scotch whisky (blended or Speyside), Light rum, London Dry gin, Old Tom gin, Brandy or Cognac, Reposado tequila
Mixers & Liqueurs: Italian vermouth (keep cold), French vermouth (keep cold), Triple Sec, Herbsaint, Drambuie, Simple syrup, Sparkling mineral water or tonic water, Coca-Cola
Juices, Accents, & Garnishes: Fresh citrus: lemons, limes, and oranges, Fresh mint, Angostura bitters, Peychaud’s bitters, Orange bitters, Luxardo maraschino cherries, Pimento-stuffed manzanilla olives
Colonial America (late 18th century)
Pendennis Club, Kentucky (1888)
The Old Fashioned is essentially The Original Cocktail, with hard-to-follow roots going back to the early 1800s at least. Back in the day, it could’ve been any kind of booze (in Wisconsin, they still do this one with brandy). Bourbon respects the drink’s established Kentucky roots.
If you order one at a bar, most of them will thin it out with all kinds of fruit and soda; the original used none of those. This is a small tweak to the simple original recipe of spirit, sugar, and bitters – with just a little hit of orange oil that makes the drink.
THE KIT
Hardware: Jigger, Muddler, Barspoon
Ice: Ice chunk or ice cubes
Glassware: Old Fashioned glass
Spirits: Bourbon whiskey (recommended: Bulleit, Four Roses “Yellow Label”, Wild Turkey 81)
Mixers & Liqueurs: Simple syrup
Juices, Accents, & Garnishes: Angostura bitters, Orange zest, Orange wheel (optional), Luxardo maraschino cherry (optional)
HOW TO
In an Old Fashioned glass, add:
1 orange zest piece (cut a piece the size of a large coin – don’t include too much of the bitter white pith, if any – place in the glass with the outside facing up)
3 dashes Angostura bitters
1/2 oz simple syrup
Muddle well and mix to express orange oil in with the syrup and bitters, but don’t shred the zest. Add a large ice chunk or two to three ice cubes then add:
2 oz bourbon whiskey
Stir briskly to blend and chill. Some people like an orange slice and cherry garnish, some say all that does is take away from the whiskey. As you like it.
