Three Classic Cocktails You Can Make at Home
While there's nothing quite like getting a cocktail mixed by a well-trained bartender, that experience also comes with a price. And there's no reason why you can't make great cocktails on your own — and become your own bartender at a fraction of the cost!
Here are a few classic cocktails you can pretty easily make in your own "bar" at home.
Said to have been a favorite of American writer Ernest Hemingway, a mojito is made with lime juice, mint, white rum, sugar and soda water.
The one hard part is "muddling" the mint, which means pressing or crushing it to get the flavor out. But just muddle — or crush — the mint with the lime juice and sugar, then add rum while stirring with a long spoon. Top up your glass with soda water, then garnish it with more mint and you're done!
A Negroni is made with equal amounts of sweet vermouth, Campari and gin. And be sure to use your good stuff! Add ice and stir until cold, then strain into a glass with more ice — one big piece, if possible — and garnish with a slice of orange.
It's said this drink was invented in Florence in the early 20th century by the Italian Count Camillo Negroni, who asked to have his favorite drink, the Americano, made stronger by using gin instead of soda water.
A martini can be made with many different things. But a classic martini is made by mixing gin or vodka with dry vermouth. Add ice and stir, then strain into a chilled martini glass, and garnish with an olive or a piece of lemon peel.
While James Bond famously ordered his vodka martinis "shaken, not stirred," it's actually usually best to stir your martini. Shaking it can affect the flavor — but some people like it shaken because shaking the alcohol together with the ice makes the drink colder.
Now get mixing!
