Easy alcoholic drinks to make at home

If you’re stuck at home in quarantine like the rest of the world, you might be missing nights out at the bar. But just because you can’t go out with friends and have some cocktails, doesn’t mean you can’t enjoy some at home! With these easy cocktail recipes, you can still raise a glass while drinking at home.

Here are our favourite easy alcoholic drinks to make at home.

Moscow Mule

Ingredients:

2 oz. vodka
1/2 oz. lime juice, freshly squeezed
6 oz. ginger beer

Directions for an easy Moscow Mule:

Squeeze lime juice into a Moscow Mule mug (or a Collins glass) and drop in the spent shell. Realistically you can use just about any glass, though.
Add 2 or 3 ice cubes, then pour in the vodka and fill with cold ginger beer
Stir to combine

That’s it! Just 3 simple ingredients to make a really tasty cocktail at home. There’s nothing simpler! Plus, the vibrant lime makes a Moscow Mule a great summertime cocktail, even if you’re stuck at home.

While this drink is best in the proper Moscow Mule mug, it can be enjoyed from any glass. You’ll just have to make do with what you have at home!

Mojito

Ingredients:

10 fresh mint leaves (or more or less, depending on how minty you like your Mojito)
1/2 lime, cut into 4 wedges
2 tablespoons white sugar
1 cup ice cubes
1 1/2 fluid ounces white rum
1/2 cup club soda

Directions for a basic Mojito:

Place mint leaves and 1 lime wedge into a sturdy glass. Use a muddler to crush the mint and lime to release the mint oils and lime juice.
Add 2 more lime wedges and the sugar, and muddle again to release the lime juice. Do not strain the mixture.
Fill the glass almost to the top with ice. Pour the rum over the ice, and fill the glass with carbonated water.
Stir, taste, and add more sugar if desired. Garnish with the remaining lime wedge.

A mojito is a classic refreshing drink and it’s surprisingly easy to make at home. Another reason we love making Mojito is that this drink typically causes less of an alcohol flush reaction, or Asian Flush. If you get a red face from drinking alcohol, give a mojito a try. The ingredients and alcohol content make it a good choice for those of us who suffer from this condition.

Want more details? Check out our articles below:

Why does my face go red after drinking alcohol? (2020 Updated)
Red face after drinking red wine? You’re not alone!
Best Alcohol for Asian Flush

French Martini

Ingredients:

2 ounces vodka
1 ounce pineapple juice
1⁄4 ounce Chambord raspberry liquor
ice

Directions for a classic French Martini:

Mix all ingreidents in shaker
Shake well
Strain and pour into a Martini glass

For a classic, fancy-looking drink, a French Martini is extremely easy to make. You’ll likely already have vodka in the house, but make sure to pick up some Chambord raspberry liquor the next time you’re out at the store! Since you only need 1/4 ounce, it’ll last you a long time. This classic cocktail is best served in a Martini glass, of course, but really, any glass will do in a pinch.

Whiskey Sour

Ingredients:

2 ounces of Bourbon whiskey – you can use any whiskey, but we prefer the flavour of bourbon
¾ ounce of lemon juice
¾ ounce of simple syrup (or Maple syrup for a different version)
Garnish of orange peel and cocktail cherry

Directions to make a Whiskey Sour:

Combine alcohol, lemon juice, and simple syrup in a cocktail shaker. Fill shaker with ice, cover, and shake until outside of shaker is very cold (about 20 seconds)
Strain cocktail through a strainer or a slotted spoon into an old-fashioned or rocks glass filled with ice.
Garnish with orange wheel and cherry
Bonus: If you want to try a different type of sweetness, use maple syrup instead of simple syrup!

Common ingredients to stock up on while in quarantine:

Many of us are only going to the store once a week, at most. Next time you’re doing your grocery shopping, make sure to stock up on these cocktail essentials so you can make some great drinks at home. That way you’ll have (nearly) everything you’ll need already at home to make some classic alcoholic drinks!

Angostura bitters

Grabbing some bitters the next time you’re at the store is super helpful for making cocktails at home. Bitters are used for flavouring drinks, and Angostura are the best (in our opinion). They’re really easy to spot as it has a distinctive oversized label. By simply adding a few dashes of bitters to certain cocktails, you can really bump up the flavour with hardly any work!

Lime and/or lemon juice

It’s likely that you’ll already have some lime juice and/or lemon juice in the fridge but if not, get some! A few dashes of lime or lemon are fairly common in a lot of cocktails. Plus they’re cheap ingredients and once in the fridge, they can last a long time.

Fruit juice – you’re choice!

A lot of classic cocktails will call for fruit juice, especially orange juice, pineapple juice or even grapefruit juice. It’s helpful to have some in the fridge for your cocktails!

Cocktail set

You’d probably be surprised that you can buy a full cocktail set for cheap online! However, it makes a huge difference in the quality (and ease) of your cocktails. Either pick up a set at your local liquor store, or you can find plenty of great options online at places like Amazon. A basic bar set should include:

Cocktail shaker
Double-sided jigger – typically with 0.5 / 1 oz (15/30 ml) markings
Muddler
Mixing spoon

Some sets might come with more add-ons, but these items are the most important.

Soda water or club soda

Having a bottle of soda water or club soda on hand is very helpful for easy alcoholic drinks to make at home. We recommend keeping a bottle in the cupboard so you’ll have one at home next time you need it. Of course, once opened, the bottle will need to be used quickly before it goes flat.

Simple syrup

A lot of cocktails call for “simple syrup.” This ingredient is typically made from one part water to one part granulated sugar (1:1). You’ll need to add one cup of sugar to one cup of water in a saucepan and put on low heat, stirring until the sugar has dissolved.

It’s pretty straight forward to make at home, and it makes a world of a difference to your cocktail.