Three-Ingredient Cocktails
No fancy syrups or long shopping lists. These simple, three-ingredient-or-fewer cocktails are easy to make well at home.
Daiquiri
A pure, elegant expression of rum, brightened with fresh lime and softened with a touch of simple syrup.
Vodka Martini
A crisp, clean spin on the classic martini, stirred cold with just a whisper of dry vermouth.
White Russian
A velvety, dessert-like sipper blending vodka, coffee liqueur, and a float of fresh cream.
Black Russian
The White Russian's leaner cousin, just vodka and coffee liqueur over ice for a bold, bittersweet kick.
Screwdriver
The simplest brunch classic: vodka and fresh orange juice over ice, bright and easy-drinking.
Salty Dog
A tart grapefruit and vodka highball served in a salt-rimmed glass for a savory-sour finish.
Gin and Tonic
The simplest gin cocktail there is: botanical gin lifted by bittersweet tonic and a wedge of lime.
Martini
The definitive gin cocktail, stirred with dry vermouth and garnished with an olive or a lemon twist.
Bacardi Cocktail
A pink, citrus-forward rum sour brightened with a touch of grenadine and fresh lime.
Rusty Nail
Scotch whisky and Drambuie stirred together for a warming, honeyed, spirit-forward sipper.
Gold Rush
A bourbon sour sweetened with honey syrup and brightened with fresh lemon juice.
Whiskey Highball
A crisp, effervescent mix of whiskey and soda water over ice, simple and endlessly drinkable.
Bellini
A Venetian brunch classic blending white peach purée with chilled prosecco.
Mimosa
The classic brunch pour of chilled champagne and fresh orange juice in equal parts.
Kir Royale
A French aperitif of crème de cassis topped with sparkling champagne for a berry-tinted fizz.
Death in the Afternoon
A Hemingway original pairing a dash of absinthe with chilled champagne for a herbal, potent fizz.
Bitter Giuseppe
A simple, low-proof aperitivo of two amari over ice, dry and pleasantly bittersweet.
Carajillo
A Spanish after-dinner classic shaking hot espresso with sweet Licor 43 over ice.
Harvey Wallbanger
A retro screwdriver upgrade, floated with sweet, herbal Galliano for a fragrant finish.
Woo Woo
A simple, sweet-tart shooter-turned-cocktail of vodka, peach schnapps, and cranberry juice.
French Martini
A glossy, fruity vodka martini shaken with raspberry liqueur and pineapple juice.
Melon Ball
A bright, fruity highball combining vodka and melon liqueur with orange juice.
Vodka Tonic
The simplest of highballs: crisp vodka lengthened with bittersweet tonic and a squeeze of lime.
Ti' Punch
A pared-down French Caribbean classic of grassy rhum agricole, lime, and cane syrup.
Honeysuckle
A simple, sunny sour balancing white rum with honey and fresh lime.
Freddy Fudpucker
A playful tequila screwdriver topped with a floating layer of herbal Galliano.
Tequila Mockingbird
A refreshing, herbal tequila sour brightened with cooling crème de menthe.
Conquistador
A fruity, tart tequila cocktail brightened with cherry liqueur and fresh lime.
Godfather
A simple, boozy sipper pairing Scotch whisky with sweet, nutty amaretto over ice.
Brown Derby
A honeyed, citrusy bourbon classic named for the famous Hollywood restaurant.
Algonquin
A crisp, unexpected classic pairing rye whiskey with dry vermouth and pineapple juice.
Blinker
A tart, ruby-hued rye sour brightened with fresh grapefruit and a touch of raspberry syrup.
Boilermaker
A no-frills bar classic pairing a cold beer with a neat shot of whiskey on the side.
Frisco Sour
A honeyed rye sour rounded out with the herbal sweetness of Bénédictine.
Stinger
A cool, minty after-dinner classic pairing cognac with white crème de menthe.
Jack Rose
A tart, rosy classic built on apple brandy, lime, and a touch of grenadine.
French Connection
A simple, warming sipper pairing cognac with sweet, almond-forward amaretto.
Corpse Reviver No. 1
A rich, warming brandy classic blending cognac, calvados, and sweet vermouth.
Kir
A simple, elegant French aperitif tinting crisp white wine with a splash of cassis.
Bicicletta
A low-proof Italian spritz combining crisp white wine with bitter Campari and soda.
Poinsettia
A festive, cranberry-tinted champagne cocktail with a touch of orange liqueur.
Black Velvet
A striking, layered pour of stout beer and champagne in equal measure.
Sherry Cobbler
A refreshing, fruit-garnished sherry classic served tall over crushed ice.
Adonis
A low-proof, wine-forward aperitif blending sherry with sweet vermouth and orange bitters.
Bamboo Cocktail
A dry, savory wine classic pairing sherry with dry vermouth and a whisper of bitters.
Fernet and Coke
A bittersweet, minty highball pairing pungent Fernet-Branca with cola.
Amer Picon Highball
A bittersweet French classic combining orange-forward Amer Picon with soda water.
Averna and Soda
A simple, mellow Sicilian classic lengthening rich, caramel-toned amaro with soda water.
Montenegro Sour
A silky, orange-and-vanilla-toned sour built around amaro Montenegro.
Snakebite
A classic pub mix combining lager and cider in equal, easy-drinking measure.
Shandy
A light, thirst-quenching mix of lager and lemon-lime soda or lemonade.
Red Eye
A brunch-table classic mixing lager with tomato juice for a savory morning-after fix.
Pimm's Cup
A cucumber-fresh English classic mixing Pimm's No. 1 with lemonade and garden fruit.
Virgin Lime Rickey
A crisp, old-school soda fountain classic of fresh lime juice and soda water over ice.
Arnold Palmer
Half iced tea, half lemonade — a perfectly balanced American classic that needs no introduction.
Sour Cherry Shrub Soda
A drinking-vinegar shrub of sour cherry and apple cider vinegar mixed with soda — tart, fruity, and more interesting than it sounds.
Strawberry Rhubarb Shrub Fizz
A tangy summer shrub of strawberry and rhubarb brightened with apple cider vinegar and topped with soda.
Greyhound
A stripped-back, bracingly tart highball of vodka and fresh grapefruit juice — clean, dry, and effortlessly refreshing.
Balalaika
A sharp, citrusy vodka sour — equal parts spirit, triple sec, and lemon — often called the Russian answer to the Sidecar.
Gibson
A bone-dry gin martini distinguished by a single, briny cocktail onion in place of the usual olive or twist.
Monte Carlo
An elegant three-ingredient whiskey cocktail: rye softened by Bénédictine's herbal honey and anchored with Angostura bitters.
Brave Bull
A bold two-ingredient tequila cocktail: blanco over ice with coffee liqueur, simple in execution and surprisingly complex in flavor.
Rossini
Italy's strawberry Bellini: fresh strawberry purée stirred into cold prosecco for a blush-pink, fruit-forward aperitivo.
Black and Tan
A dramatic two-layer pub classic: rich, roasty Guinness stout poured slowly over pale ale, the dark and light holding their ground.
Caipirinha
Brazil's national cocktail: muddled lime and sugar brought to life by cachaça, the funky, fresh-cut sugarcane spirit that makes it incomparable.
Garibaldi
Campari and freshly squeezed orange juice — absurdly simple, strikingly beautiful, and a masterclass in what freshness does to a drink.
Dog's Nose
A Victorian pub classic: a measure of gin stirred quietly into a cold pint of pale ale, making it at once lighter and more potent.
Radler
A crisp, effervescent German classic: cold lager cut with tart grapefruit juice for a beautifully refreshing low-alcohol thirst-quencher.
Beermosa
The brunch-table beer answer to the Mimosa: chilled hefeweizen topped with fresh orange juice. Light, citrusy, and dangerously easy to keep drinking.