Cocktails - A Starter's Guide

Shopping List

Cocktail Shaker
Get a good one. If you can find one second-hand that's fine, but it's difficult to come across good quality ones. Second hand will cost £5 - £25. New ones will set you back at least £20 for a good steel cocktail shaker.
Don't bother attempting cocktails without a shaker.

Ice
You don't need to buy this, you can make it at home in your freezer. Put some water into an ice tray and leave it on a level shelf in your freezer until it's solid.

Straws
You can steal these from McDonald's or something; or pop out and find some funky coloured ones - it will make all the difference.
You need straws for cocktails, don't bother without them.

Cocktail Stirrers
I have found these aren't completely essential but certainly don't go amiss, and add to the adventurous party spirit surrounding cocktails - get some.

Glasses
At home I have stuck with bog-standard drinking glasses for all cocktails - but if you're willing to splash out then get a variety to suit each cocktail you produce.

Drinks

You need fruit juices, colours and flavours to go with the all important alcohol.

Fruit Juices, Colours and Flavours

Grenadine - A red syrup, this is the stuff you see at the bottom of a Tequila Sunrise.
Orange Juice - pure orange juice, essential.
Pineapple Juice - pure.
Apple Juice - pure.
Lemonade - normal lemonade, don't get cheapo stuff.
Coke - normal coke.
Milk - normal milk.
Banana Milkshake - great with Irish creams and kahlua.
Mars drink - great with banana milkshake, Irish creams and kahlua.
Limes & Lemons & Glacier cherries for decoration.

Alcohol

Tequila - for those sunrises of course.
Vodka - an essential for many cocktails.
Triple Sec - a much needed alcohol supplement.
Midori - a green melon liqueur, great colour - essential for many cool looking cocktails.
Blue Curacao - a blue sweet liqueur.
Dark Rum - great with orange juice.
White Rum - goes with a lot of things.
Irish Cream - or kahlua.
Malibu - goes well with pineapple juice.
Absinthe - overpowering green, very strong spirit.

There are many more of course, but these will get you started.

Here are a few ideas:

Tequila Sunrise Deluxe

How to make a Tequila Sunrise
Put Tequila and Orange Juice into a shaker - don't worry about quantities - just use your common sense. Shake it up. Pour and then add the grenadine, pour slowly into the mix and it will settle at the bottom of the glass. Rim the glass with salt if you wish. Deluxe version
My way to make them better:
Do the same but add a little caster sugar, pineapple juice and a squirt of lime juice to the mix and shake it up with the Tequila and orange juice.
Serve with a slice of lemon.

Envious

How to make an Envious
Curacao blue, vodka or triple sec, and orange juice in a shaker - serve with lime.

Oriental Delight

Dark rum, white rum, orange juice, pineapple juice, table-spoon grenadine in a shaker - serve with orange slice.

Green Dragon

How to make a Green Dragon
Melon Midori, triple sec, lemonade (not in a shaker) - serve with lime

Pink Lady

How to make a pink lady
2 Table-spoon grenadine, vodka, Malibu, milk in a shaker. Serve with cherry.

Choc-banan smoothie

Mars Drink + banana milkshake + triple sec + Irish Cream or kahlua in a shaker.

Pina Colada

Milk, Malibu, white rum. Pineapple or coconut to garnish.



Top Tips: Don't worry about measurements too much; don't over sweeten with too much grenadine or over power with too much absinthe. Check the alcohol content on the drinks you are using so you can ensure your cocktails are not too strong or weak.