Five-Ingredient Cocktails You’ll Love to Whip Up

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An array of cocktails
photo by Advanced Mixology

Guest post by our friends at Advanced Mixology

Cocktails are delightful but if your home bar has minimal bar tools and available ingredients, you’ll do best with these simple cocktails. With a maximum of five ingredients each, not counting the ice, you can make amazing cocktails even while staying at home during the COVID-19 quarantine. Below are five-ingredient cocktails you’ll love to sip on during our hot spring and summer months:

Champagne Cocktail

Many of us still have so much to be thankful for. Celebrate every day of your life with an occasional champagne cocktail. With just three ingredients and no shaking, you’re on your way to a good time in just a minute. Seriously, this takes even less than a minute, not counting chilling the champagne.

 

The Champagne Cocktail is a five-ingredient cocktail mentioned in this blog post.
photo via Advanced Mixology

Ingredients:

Sugar cube

2 drops of bitters

Champagne

 

Directions:

Drop a sugar cube into a champagne flute.

Add 2 dashes of bitters.

Top with chilled champagne.

 

Garnish: Lemon or Orange rind.

 

Sazerac

This departs from the traditional Sazerac because instead of mixing the absinthe into the cocktail, you keep it simple and less ABV by just adding a few spritzes of the absinthe on the insides of the glass. Any whiskey or rum may be used.

 

The Sazerac is a five-ingredient cocktail mentioned in this blog post.
photo via Advanced Mixology

Ingredients:

1 sugar cube

3 dash of Peychaud’s Bitters

10ml soda water

2 ounces of rum

absinthe

 

Directions:

Chill a shaker glass.

Add a sugar cube, patience bitters and some soda water.

Muddle the sugar until dissolved.

Add rum and ice. Stir.

Fill an atomizer with some absinthe and spray the insides of a whiskey glass.

Strain the cocktail into the whiskey glass.

 

Garnish: Lemon peel

 

Whiskey Fix

Imbibe in a refreshingly delicious whiskey cocktail that’s perfect for the coming summer days. Lots and lots of ice and your favorite whiskey–what more could you ask for?

 

The Whiskey Fix is a five-ingredient cocktail
photo via Advanced Mixology

Ingredients:

1 oz lemon juice

1 oz simple syrup

2 oz whiskey

Lemon wedge

Maraschino cherry

 

Directions:

Chill a double whiskey glass.

Add lemon juice, simple syrup and whiskey into a cocktail shaker.

Add a small piece of ice.

Shake until the ice is nearly dissolved.

Transfer into the chilled glass.

Top with lots of crushed ice.

 

Garnish: with a lemon wedge and a Maraschino cherry.

 

Presbyterian

Lovers of the Moscow Mule and Whiskey Ginger, introducing the Presbyterian! We love the lemony ginger goodness of this cocktail. It’s best served very cold.

 

The Presbyterian Cocktail is a five-ingredient cocktail you'll love to make this summer
photo via Advanced Mixology

Ingredients:

½ oz lime juice

1 oz fresh ginger juice

2 oz rye whiskey

Splash of soda water

Crystallized ginger candy

 

Directions:

Add the ingredients in a cocktail shaker.

Add a small piece of ice.

Shake until the ice is nearly dissolved.

Add a splash of soda water into the shaker.

In a Collins glass, add a large chunk of ice, almost as tall as the glass.

Pour in the cocktail.

Add more soda water.

 

Garnish: Crystallized Ginger

 

Gin Rickey

Here’s another very cool cocktail made with just four ingredients that are readily available in any neighborhood store. If you’re looking for simple, this is the simplest you can get.

 

The Gin Rickey is a five-ingredient cocktail mentioned in this blog post.
photo via Advanced Mixology

 

Ingredients:

1 oz lime juice

¾ oz simple syrup

2 oz gin

 

Directions:

Add the lime juice, simple syrup and gin into a cocktail shaker.

Add a large chunk of ice

Shake well until chilled.

Fill a Collins glass with a large chunk of ice, almost as tall as the glass

Double strain to remove lime bits.

 

Garnish: Lime Wedge

 

Bee’s Knees

Here’s another very simple cocktail to make that does not need any bling to make it amazing. The hardest part will be making the honey syrup–just mix one part honey with one part water. Keep the remainder in the fridge for future use.

 

Bee’s Knees Cocktail is five-ingredient cocktail mentioned in this article
photo via Advanced Mixology

 

Ingredients:

¾ oz lemon juice

¾ oz honey syrup

2 oz gin

 

Method:

Fill a cocktail shaker with the lemon juice, honey syrup, and gin.

Add a large chunk of ice and shake well.

Strain into a chilled coupe glass.

 


Foods that Pair Well

Here are some of our ideas for easy shelter-at-home bar foods you can make, as in cucumber sandwiches, or order for takeout, like Korean-spiced chicken. These all pair well with chilly summer cocktails.

 

Cucumber Sandwiches

For gin cocktails, open-faced cucumber sandwiches are your best bet.

 

Cucumber Sandwiches
photo via Advanced Mixology

 

 

Spicy Korean Chicken

Here’s a good way to enjoy your rum cocktails –spicy Korean chicken. The spice on the chicken batter and sauce pairs perfectly with the rum.

 

Spicy Korean Chicken
photo via Advanced Mixology

 

Caramel Popcorn

Celebrate movie night with some booze and caramel popcorn. Everyone will love this.

 

Caramel Popcorn
photo via Advanced Mixology

 

Conclusion

After some simple cocktails, you may want to move on the more intricate cocktails. Here’s a good way to practice your garnishes and start making your summer cocktails with fruit-infused vodkas.

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