Built balance
Never made a drink before?
Start with Old Fashioned for balance, ice, and garnish without a shaker.
- Measured spec
- No shaker
Recipe specs
Cocktail recipe archive
Measured classics with one useful spec each: the pour, the glass, the garnish, the technique, and the family route when you want context.
- 21 specs
- 10 families
- 6 techniques
Pick the job before the drink
Choose a practical starting point, then follow one clear spec.
Small round
Keep a small round moving
Margarita gives the group a clear, repeatable first pour.
- Repeatable build
- Clear service
Bottle first
Find the nearest family
Use the family index when the bottle or style is the first decision.
- Style context
- Recipe links
Routes through the shelf
Choose by the work in the glass
These lanes come from the current recipe data: technique, glassware, difficulty, and the ingredients already visible on each spec.
- Tin workShake the bright shelfLime, lemon, cranberry, and orange liqueur builds for drinks that need a hard shake before they taste awake.Start with Margarita
- After darkStirred and spirit-forwardCold, clear, bitter, or whiskey-led specs where dilution and the base spirit carry the room.Start with Martini
- Tall glassBuilt for ice and bubblesHighballs, copper mugs, and long glasses for a first round that stays refreshing over ice.Start with Mojito
- Texture callFoam, blender, muddleCoffee texture, blended chill, and muddled aromatics for the specs that ask for a little more handling.Start with Espresso Martini
The library
All cocktail recipes
TequilaMargaritaFresh lime, blanco tequila, and a half rim that keeps the drink bright instead of heavy.MartinisMartiniCold gin, fresh vermouth, and dilution handled carefully enough for the garnish to matter.WhiskeyOld FashionedBourbon, demerara, bitters, and orange oil built directly over cold ice.RumMojitoMint pressed with restraint, white rum, lime, sugar, and soda in a tall glass.Coffee CocktailsEspresso MartiniVodka, coffee liqueur, and fresh espresso shaken hard for foam and snap.AperitivoNegroniEqual parts gin, Campari, and sweet vermouth, stirred cold and kept bitter.WhiskeyManhattanRye, sweet vermouth, and bitters with a clean coupe finish.VodkaCosmopolitanA sharper vodka sour where cranberry adds color rather than candy.WhiskeyWhiskey SourBourbon, lemon, sugar, and optional egg white for a softer top.RumDaiquiriRum, lime, and sugar, the three-part balance check every bar should pass.VodkaMoscow MuleVodka, lime, and ginger beer built fast over ice.RumMai TaiA nutty, citrus-led rum build, not a pool-bar fruit punch.RumPiña ColadaRum, pineapple, coconut, and lime blended or shaken with a real spec.VodkaBloody MaryA savory vodka build where tomato, citrus, heat, and seasoning need structure.GinGin and TonicA ratio drink where chill, tonic, and garnish do the work.TequilaPalomaTequila, lime, and grapefruit soda, built tall and kept refreshing.GinFrench 75Gin, lemon, sugar, and sparkling wine with enough briskness for dinner.BrandySidecarCognac, orange liqueur, and lemon kept dry enough to stay elegant.AperitivoBoulevardierWhiskey gives the Negroni template a deeper, warmer register.Agave and CaneCaipirinhaCachaca, lime, and sugar, muddled gently so the oils stay bright.Coffee CocktailsCarajilloLicor 43 and espresso shaken into a silky after-dinner glass.
House method
How this guide works
Every recipe here is a spec: the exact build a drink follows. Make the listed version once before adjusting it, because the measurement, glass, garnish, and ice cue are part of the result.
Built drinks assemble in the serving glass. Stirred drinks chill spirit-forward builds without clouding them. Shaken drinks use force for citrus, coffee, egg white, or other ingredients that need integration.
The archive stays practical on purpose. The recipes carry the glassware and method; the family pages explain where each drink sits; the Spirits hub handles base-spirit choices when that decision matters.
BuiltAssemble in the serving glass, then manage ice and top-ups cleanly.StirredChill spirit-forward drinks without clouding the texture.ShakenUse force when citrus, coffee, egg white, or other ingredients need integration.
Questions
Answered before you mix
What cocktails should I learn first?
Start with an Old Fashioned for built balance, a Daiquiri for shaken citrus, and a Martini for stirred dilution. Those three techniques unlock most of the library.
What equipment do I actually need?
A shaker, jigger, strainer, and bar spoon cover the recipes in this archive. The glassware, garnish, and ice cue on each recipe page tell you what else matters for that drink.
Shaken or stirred, does it matter?
Yes. Citrus drinks are shaken, spirit-forward drinks are usually stirred, built drinks assemble in the serving glass, and blended drinks need the blender for texture.
How do I use a bottle I already have?
Use the family chips to start with the closest spirit or style, then follow recipe links to the spec and bottle-guide links where the base spirit changes the result.