10 Easy Cocktails to Make at Home — No Bartending Experience Needed
These 10 easy cocktails can be made at home in under 5 minutes. No shaker required for most — just a glass, ice, and a few ingredients.
Making cocktails at home is easier than most people think — and significantly cheaper than ordering them at a bar. This list covers 10 classic cocktails that require minimal equipment, straightforward techniques, and ingredients you can find in any supermarket.
Most of these drinks are built directly in the glass. No shaker, no strainer, no specialist tools required for the majority. A jigger or measuring cup helps with ratios, but even that is optional once you've made each drink a few times.
These 10 were chosen because they cover the full range of cocktail flavours — refreshing and citrusy, spirit-forward, bittersweet, creamy, fizzy — so there's something for every preference and occasion. Master these and you have a complete home bar repertoire.
10 Easy Cocktails You Can Make at Home Tonight
Can't decide what to make? Let our generator pick for you instantly.
Generate a Random Drink →
Mojito
A refreshing Cuban highball cocktail traditionally made with white rum, sugar (traditionally sugar cane juice), lime juice, sparkling water, and mint.
Fresh mint, lime juice, white rum, sugar syrup, and soda water. The mojito is Cuba's greatest export and one of the most refreshing drinks ever made. The only technique to master is gentle muddling — press the mint rather than pulverise it, and the drink will be clean and fragrant.
Margarita
A classic Mexican cocktail, the Margarita is a refreshing blend of tequila, lime juice, and orange liqueur, often served with a salt rim.
Tequila, triple sec, and fresh lime juice — shaken and served on the rocks with a salted rim. The margarita is one of the most ordered cocktails in the world and one of the easiest to make well at home. Fresh lime juice makes an enormous difference over the bottled version.
Old Fashioned
A classic cocktail, the Old Fashioned is a timeless blend of bourbon or rye whiskey, a sugar cube or simple syrup, bitters, and a twist of citrus rind.
Bourbon or rye, a sugar cube, Angostura bitters, and an orange peel. The old fashioned is one of the oldest cocktails in existence and arguably the best showcase for a quality spirit. It requires no shaking — just stir gently over ice until cold and slightly diluted.
Rum and Coke
A simple and universally popular highball, the Rum and Coke (often called a Cuba Libre) is a refreshing mix of white or dark rum, cola, and a squeeze of fresh lime juice.
Two ingredients, poured over ice. The Cuba Libre — rum, Coke, and a squeeze of fresh lime — is the simplest cocktail on this list and one of the most satisfying. Use a dark or golden rum for more depth than the standard white rum version.
Aperol Spritz
A vibrant and refreshing Italian aperitif cocktail, characterized by its bright orange hue, balanced bittersweet flavor, and sparkling effervescence.
Aperol, prosecco, and a splash of soda water over ice with an orange slice. No shaking, no measuring, no experience needed. The Aperol Spritz is the drink that made orange cocktails fashionable worldwide — light, bittersweet, and completely sessionable.
Cosmopolitan
A vibrant and stylish cocktail, the Cosmopolitan is a modern classic made with vodka, triple sec, cranberry juice, and fresh lime juice, known for its distinctive pink hue.
Vodka, triple sec, cranberry juice, and fresh lime — shaken until cold and served in a chilled martini glass. The cosmopolitan was the cocktail of the 1990s and it's due a full revival. It's tart, elegant, and pink without being sweet.
Whiskey Sour
A classic and balanced cocktail featuring whiskey (often bourbon or rye), fresh lemon juice, and simple syrup, garnished with an orange slice and a cherry.
Bourbon, fresh lemon juice, sugar syrup — shaken hard and served over ice. Add an egg white and shake again (without ice first) for a silky foam on top. The whiskey sour is one of the most balanced cocktails in the canon: sour, sweet, and spirit-forward all at once.
Negroni
A perfectly balanced Italian cocktail, the Negroni is a bittersweet and aromatic blend of gin, Campari, and sweet vermouth, stirred and served over ice.
Equal parts gin, Campari, and sweet vermouth — stirred over ice and served with an orange peel. The negroni is an acquired taste that most people acquire quickly. It's one of the most perfectly balanced cocktails ever conceived: bitter, sweet, and botanical in exactly the right proportions.
Moscow Mule
A refreshing and zesty cocktail, the Moscow Mule is a simple yet invigorating blend of vodka, spicy ginger beer, and fresh lime juice, traditionally served in a copper mug.
Vodka, ginger beer, and fresh lime juice served over ice — traditionally in a copper mug. The Moscow Mule is a fizzy, gingery, citrusy cocktail that's impossible not to enjoy. Ginger beer (not ginger ale) is essential — the sharper flavour makes the drink.
Daiquiri
A classic and refreshing Cuban cocktail, the Daiquiri is a perfectly balanced blend of white rum, fresh lime juice, and simple syrup, shaken and served straight up.
White rum, fresh lime juice, and sugar syrup — shaken hard until cold and served without ice in a chilled coupe. The daiquiri is one of the most important cocktails to know. Three ingredients, perfect balance, and a clear illustration of why fresh lime juice matters so much.
Equipment You Actually Need
The short list — nothing else is required:
- A cocktail shaker — a two-piece Boston shaker or a three-piece cobbler shaker. Under £15 and essential for margaritas, cosmopolitans, whiskey sours, and daiquiris.
- A jigger — a double-ended measuring cup (typically 25ml/50ml). Consistent ratios make every cocktail better. Inexpensive and far more useful than guessing.
- A bar spoon — for stirring the old fashioned and negroni gently without over-diluting. A regular teaspoon works in a pinch.
- A muddler — needed only for the mojito. A wooden spoon handle is a reasonable substitute if you don't own one.
- Ice — lots of it. A silicone ice cube tray makes large cubes that melt more slowly. Good ice makes every cocktail noticeably better.
Five Rules That Make Every Cocktail Better
Always use fresh citrus juice. Bottled lime or lemon juice tastes flat and slightly chemical. The difference fresh juice makes to a margarita, daiquiri, or whiskey sour is dramatic — it's the single most impactful upgrade you can make.
Measure your ingredients. Eyeballing ratios is the most common reason home cocktails taste off. The difference between 30ml and 45ml of rum in a daiquiri changes the drink completely. A cheap jigger solves this entirely.
Chill your glasses. Place them in the freezer for 10 minutes before serving, or fill them with ice water while you build the drink. A cold glass keeps the cocktail colder for longer.
Shake hard when shaking. A properly shaken cocktail should have small ice chips throughout — that's correct dilution and chilling happening. Ten seconds of vigorous shaking is enough.
Taste before serving. A small adjustment — a squeeze of extra lime, a few drops more syrup, a touch more spirit — can turn a slightly off cocktail into a great one. Always taste first.
Browse the full cocktail collection — 200+ drinks with detailed instructions, variations, and pairing notes.
Browse All CocktailsBottom Line
These 10 cocktails cover every major flavour profile and occasion. Start with the Aperol Spritz or Moscow Mule if you've never made a cocktail before — both are practically impossible to get wrong. Work toward the daiquiri and negroni once you're comfortable, and you'll have a home bar repertoire that covers almost any situation.
Frequently Asked Questions
A cocktail shaker and a jigger are the only two pieces of equipment that genuinely matter. Everything else — muddlers, bar spoons, strainers — can be approximated with kitchen tools you already own. A shaker is around £10 to £15 and immediately unlocks margaritas, daiquiris, whiskey sours, and cosmopolitans. Start there.
The Aperol Spritz is the easiest — pour Aperol and prosecco over ice in equal parts, add a splash of soda, and put in an orange slice. No measuring, no shaking, zero technique required. The Moscow Mule and rum and Coke are similarly simple. Start with these before moving to shaken drinks.
Yes for most of them. The old fashioned, negroni, Moscow Mule, Aperol Spritz, and rum and Coke are all built directly in the glass with no shaking required. For margaritas, daiquiris, cosmopolitans, and whiskey sours, shaking is important — but a large lidded jar or travel mug works as a substitute in a pinch.
Very. Bottled citrus juice contains preservatives that add a faint chemical or metallic note, and it lacks the brightness and aromatic oils of fresh juice. In cocktails where citrus is a key ingredient — margarita, daiquiri, mojito, whiskey sour — fresh juice makes a clearly noticeable difference. It takes 30 seconds to juice a lime and it genuinely transforms the drink.
Can't decide what to make? Let our generator pick for you instantly.
Generate a Random Drink →Tags:
Ready to Try These Recipes?
Browse our complete recipe collection for more cooking inspiration!