9 Cocktails You’ve Already Got The Ingredients For At Home

Picture this: It's the end of the night, you're taking a bunch of people back to yours, but have NOTHING to serve them. Fear not — you've probably got at least 9 cocktails lurking in the back of your cupboard. You don't even need fancy equipment - use an egg cup for a measuring glass, a jam jar instead of a shaker and a spoon to mix it. For even more last-minute cocktail recipes, head over to Mixedcocktails.com...

1. Cuba Libre

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Offer your friends a Cuba Libre and they'll be too impressed to realise you're serving up a rum and coke.

Ingredients

1 parts Bacardi Gold Rum

2 wedges of lime

2 parts cola

Instructions

Step one: Fill a glass with lots of ice

Step two: Rub one wedge of lime around the edge of the glass then drop both lime wedges into the glass.

Step three: Pour in the Bacardi Gold rum, top up with chilled cola and stir gently

Step four: Make sure that you add the squeeze of lime over the ice before adding the Bacardi Gold rum. It all makes a difference

Notice step two? That's an old bar trick — it makes the drink taste more citrus because it hits your tart-tasting taste buds on the sides of your tongue.

2. Bombay Mary Cocktail

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The Bombay Mary Cocktail is far superior to the Bloody Mary, if only because you won't have to argue with BM snobs about whether or not to include beef broth or clam juice.

Ingredients

1 1/2 parts Bombay Sapphire Gin

4 parts tomato juice

Curry powder

1 pinch of ground coriander

3 drops soy sauce

5 drops Worcestershire sauce

2 drops tabasco sauce

1 dash lemon juice

Ice

Celery

Instructions

Step one: Pour everything into a clean jug. Stir.

Step two: Strain it into a glass, garnish with celery, and serve.

3. Golden Fizz

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The beauty of the Golden Fizz is not just its amber hue - it's how easy it is to make.

Ingredients

2 parts Bombay Sapphire Gin

1 part lemon juice or lime juice

Sugar syrup

Half an egg yolk

Slice of lemon and sprig of mint to garnish

Soda (to taste)

Ice

Instructions

Step one: Put all of the ingredients into a shaker. Shake to foam up the egg yolk.

Step two: Add ice. Shake to chill the liquid really well.

Step three: Strain the mix into a glass filled with ice.

Top up your glass with soda. Try a slice of lemon and a sprig of mint as a garnish.

NB: If a drink requires sugar syrup, this is just sugar dissolved in water. Add two tsp of sugar to a mug and add just a splash of boiled kettle water. Stir until it is a syrup.

4. Daiquiri Cocktail

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Did you know that you probably have the favourite drink of Ernest Hemingway and president John F. Kennedy lurking at the back of your cupboard? It's called the Daiquiri and you can whip one up in minutes.

Ingredients

3 parts Bacardi Rum

1 part lime or lemon juice

Sugar to taste

Ice

Instructions

Step one: Place all ingredients into a cocktail shaker and shake hard for a minimum of 30 seconds.

Step two: There is no step two. You're done!

5. Bees Knees

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The term Bees Knees is prohibition slang for 'the best'. Once you've tasted this cocktail you'll understand why…

Ingredients

2 parts Bombay Sapphire Gin

3/4 part honey syrup

3/4 part lemon juice

Ice

Instructions

Step one: Chill your glass (the easiest way is to fill it with ice).

Put lots of ice and all of the ingredients into a shaker.

Step two: Shake hard for about 20 seconds to chill the liquid really well then strain the mix into the glass.

Pro tip: Remember the sugar syrup recipe from #3? Honey syrup is the same - you just use honey instead of sugar.

6. Vodka Collins

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The Vodka Collins is the cheeky younger sibling of the Tom Collins which is made with Bombay Sapphire Gin instead of Grey Goose Vodka.

Ingredients

2 parts Grey Goose Vodka

1 part lemon juice

1/3 part sugar syrup

3 parts soda water

Instructions

Step one: Put ice and all of the ingredients (apart from the soda water) into a shaker

then shake hard for about 20 seconds to chill the liquid really well.

Step two: Strain the mix into a tall glass filled with ice.

Step three: Top up with soda water.

Step four: Enjoy!

7. Gin Sour

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Although the Gin Sour was big in the 1940's, its pedigree can be traced back to the 1800's. Don't let the squeamish put you off using egg white - it gives the drink its sea foam texture.

Ingredients

2 parts Bombay Sapphire Gin

1 part lemon juice

1/2 part sugar syrup

1/2 part egg white

Ice

Instructions

Step one: Put everything in a shaker.

Step two: Then shake hard for about 30 seconds to chill the liquid really well.

Step three: Strain the mix into a glass filled with ice.

Pro tip: The easiest way to separate an egg is to crack it over a slatted spoon. The white will trickle through and the yolk will stick.

8. Plantation

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The Plantation tastes like a holiday in a glass. The lemon juice gives it a sharp tang while the orange juice rounds out the flavour and stops your lips puckering like a cat bum.

Ingredients

1 1/2 parts Bacardi Dark Rum

3/4 part lemon juice

A dash of orange juice

Instructions

Step one: Chill your glass (the easiest way is to fill it with ice).

Step two: Put lots of ice and all of the ingredients into a shaker. Shake hard for about 20 seconds to chill the liquid really well.

Step three: Strain the mix into the glass.

Pro tip: If you're trying to impress someone grab a vegetable peeler and shave off a twist of orange peel to use as garnish. Scorch the peel a little with a lighter for a burnt taste.

9. White Russian

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The White Russian is the perfect nightcap to have back at yours or a delightful lazy Sunday afternoon drink.

Ingredients

2 parts Grey Goose Vodka

1 part coffee liqueur

1 part cream

Instructions

Step one: Stir ingredients into a warmed mug

Step two: Top up with hot water.

Pro tip: If you don't like mixing cream to your cocktails, replace it with cola and you have yourself a Black Russian.

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