Learn the classics.
For free.

Ingredients

• Bourbon or rye45 ml
• Sugar1 cube
• Angostura bitters2 dashes
• Watersplash

Method

1. 1Muddle the sugar with bitters and a little water in the glass.
2. 2Add the whiskey and one large ice cube.
3. 3Stir gently to combine and chill.
4. 4Express an orange peel over the top; add a cherry if you like.

Garnish · Orange peel, optional cherry

Why it matters — This is the baseline for every spirit-forward drink. Get it right and you understand how sweetness cuts bitterness while the spirit stays in charge — 40% of the classics make sense automatically.

Ingredients

• White rum45 ml
• Fresh lime juice25 ml
• Simple syrup15 ml

Method

1. 1Add all ingredients to a shaker with ice.
2. 2Shake hard until the tin frosts over.
3. 3Double-strain into a chilled coupe.

Garnish · Lime wheel (optional)

Why it matters — The sour template — spirit + citrus + sugar — is the backbone of the entire cocktail canon. Nail the Daiquiri and you can build a Margarita, a Whiskey Sour, a Sidecar.

Ingredients

• Gin30 ml
• Campari30 ml
• Sweet vermouth30 ml

Method

1. 1Build directly over a large cube of ice in a rocks glass.
2. 2Stir until cold and properly diluted — never shake.
3. 3Express an orange peel over the surface and drop it in.

Garnish · Orange peel or half slice

Why it matters — Equal parts is the training wheel of balance: change one part and you feel exactly what it does. Master it and every stirred drink opens up.

Ingredients

• Tequila35 ml
• Cointreau20 ml
• Fresh lime juice15 ml

Method

1. 1Rim half the glass with salt, if you like — leave the other half bare.
2. 2Shake all ingredients hard with ice.
3. 3Strain into the chilled glass over fresh ice or straight up.

Garnish · Salt rim, lime wheel

Why it matters — Same skeleton as the Daiquiri, different spirit and a liqueur for sweetness. Once you see cocktails as templates, you stop memorising and start understanding.

Ingredients

• Gin60 ml
• Dry vermouth10 ml

Method

1. 1Stir gin and vermouth over plenty of ice until very cold.
2. 2Strain into a chilled martini glass.
3. 3Garnish with a lemon twist or olives.

Garnish · Lemon twist or olives

Why it matters — Dilution and temperature are ingredients too. The Martini teaches you that how you chill and stir matters as much as what you pour.

Ingredients

• Campari30 ml
• Sweet vermouth30 ml
• Soda watersplash

Method

1. 1Build Campari and vermouth over ice in a highball glass.
2. 2Top with soda water.
3. 3Garnish with an orange slice and a lemon twist.

Garnish · Orange slice, lemon twist

Why it matters — Add gin to an Americano and you get a Negroni. Seeing how one drink becomes another is how you stop memorising recipes.