I hear from folks all the time that they enjoy cocktails but don't make them at home because they seem too involved or complicated. Trust me, I get it. Most of the time my cocktail of choice is a glass of wine. However, I have a few go-to "formulas" for making great-tasting, yet easy, cocktails at home.
What Do I Mean By Formula
When I say formula I don't mean a specific recipe, I mean more of a template that allows you to swap in whatever you have on hand or are craving. The three most common templates I use are the basic ratios for a Manhattan, Tom Collins, or Old Fashioned. So, let’s break them down and see how each one can become a formula for a variety of easy to make drinks.
Manhattan Formula
A classic Manhattan is 2 oz whiskey, 1 oz sweet vermouth, and a few dashes Orange or Aromatic bitters. The easiest way to play around with this is to swap out all or part of the sweet vermouth with a sweet liqueur. Instead of vermouth try ginger liqueur, coffee liqueur, or chocolate liqueur. If that sounds too sweet go half and half with the vermouth. You could also swap out some of the whiskey to keep the vermouth and add the extra flavor of the liqueur.
Here it is in action:
Ginger Variation: 2 oz whiskey, 1 oz ginger liqueur, 3-4 dashes orange bitters
Coffee Variation: 1.5 oz whiskey, 1 oz coffee liqueur, ½ oz sweet vermouth, 3-4 dashes aromatic bitters
Chocolate Variation: 2 oz whiskey, ½ oz chocolate liqueur, ½ oz sweet vermouth, 2 dashes orange bitters, and 3 dashes aromatic bitters
Tom Collins Formula
A Tom Collins is 2 oz gin, 1 oz lemon juice, ½ oz simple syrup, and soda water to top. There are a lot of ways to play with this one, from using a different spirit to mixing up the citrus to even using a different soda. How about ginger ale instead of plain soda, whiskey instead of gin, or grapefruit instead of lemon? And yes, I realize this recipe doesn’t call for bitters, but you can guess I recommend adding some. A classic Tom Collins is great with Cardamom Bitters, but if you use whiskey instead of gin try Orange Bitters.
Here it is in action:
Spirit Variation: 2 oz whiskey, 1 oz lemon juice ½ oz simple syrup, soda water to top, and 3-4 dashes orange bitters
Soda Variation: 2 oz gin, 1 oz lemon juice, ½ oz simple syrup, ginger ale to top, and 3-4 dashes cardamom bitters
Citrus Variation: 2 oz gin, 1 oz grapefruit juice, ½ oz simple syrup, soda water to top, and 3-4 dashes grapefruit bitters
Old Fashioned Formula
The Old Fashioned is the oldest of cocktails and one of the best to play around with, especially if you’re just getting started. The recipe is 2 oz whiskey, 1 sugar cube, and 4 dashes Aromatic bitters. The most obvious place to start is changing the spirit. An Old Fashioned made with rum or mezcal is a fun way to mix it up. However, the sugar and the bitters also allow for many interesting variations.
Here it is in action:
Rum Old Fashioned: 2 oz aged rum, 1 sugar cube, and 4 dashes aromatic bitters
Mezcal Old Fashioned: 2 oz mezcal, 1 tsp agave, and 4 dashes cardamom bitters
Log Cabin Old Fashioned: 2 oz whiskey, 1 tsp maple syrup, and 4 dashes hazelnut bitters
Taking It Home
When making cocktails at home keep it simple and work with the spirits, liqueurs, and flavors you already love. Use the suggestions above, make up your own combos, or start with a different cocktail you like to drink and see what happens if you change just one ingredient. The more you play, the more confident you get, and the more adventurous you become.
