How do I make a mojito?
A proper mojito — the muddling technique that doesn't shred the mint, the right ratio, and how to build it in the glass.
beginner10 min2 min read
Cocktails
Balance, technique and drinks worth making at home.
14 guides in Coffee, Tea & Drinks
How do I make good cocktails at home?
The principles behind most cocktails — balance, dilution, temperature — plus the minimum kit and the handful of ratios worth knowing.
beginner30 min3 min readHow do I stock a home bar?
The small number of bottles that cover most classic cocktails, and what to buy first if you are starting from nothing.
beginner30 min2 min readHow do I make stirred cocktails?
The stirred cocktail family — Negroni, Martini, Manhattan — and why stirring rather than shaking matters.
beginner10 min2 min readHow do I make an espresso martini with good foam?
Fresh espresso, a hard shake and the sugar that makes the foam hold rather than collapse.
intermediate10 min2 min readHow do I make a proper gin and tonic?
The ice, the tonic and the ratio that make the difference between a good G&T and a flat, watery one.
beginner5 min2 min readHow do I make drinks for a party?
Batching cocktails, quantities per person, and how to serve a group without spending the evening behind a bar.
beginner1 hr2 min readHow do I make an Old Fashioned?
The template for spirit-forward stirred drinks, using the Old Fashioned as the clearest example.
beginner10 min2 min readHow do I make shaken cocktails at home?
The shake, the ratio and the strain that make sours work, using a whisky sour as the template for a whole family of drinks.
intermediate10 min2 min readWhat do I need to stock a home bar?
A short list of bottles and tools that between them make dozens of drinks, in the order worth buying them.
beginner45 min2 min readHow do I batch cocktails for a party?
Scaling drinks up correctly, including the water you must add to replace the dilution shaking would have given.
intermediate45 min2 min readHow do I set up drinks for a party so I am not stuck serving?
A self-service setup that works, the quantities to plan for, and the ice problem nobody accounts for.
beginner1 hr2 min readHow do I make drinks look as good as they taste?
Glassware, ice, garnish and the small details that make a home drink look considered.
beginner15 min2 min readHow do I make good ice for drinks?
Why home ice is cloudy and melts fast, and the simple changes that produce clear, slow-melting cubes.
beginner15 min2 min read
Going deeper: CocktailHQ
Full recipe library, spirit categories, dilution and balance theory, and bar technique.