Top 10 Mix Drinks To Make At Home
Looking to save some money from the bars? Here are 10 mix drinks that you can make at home without paying an arm and a leg. The best thing about these mix drinks is that they’re tasty, simple, and don’t cost much at all if you make them yourself, so let’s get into it.
1) Cape Codder
Whether you care to grace it with the proper name Cape Codder or just stick with the typical title known as the Vodka Cranberry, this is one of many mix drinks that you just have to make at home. Vodka and cranberry juice, a simple combination that’s absolutely delectable and easy on the wallet if you’re the one buying the ingredients. And what’s really nice about this drink is it is the gateway into many other mix drinks with the same base ingredients. If you blend the concoction with lime you get a “Frog In A Blender”, if you add pineapple juice you get the “Bay Breeze”. That is why you have to make a Cape Codder at home because its great on its own but it opens the door to plenty of other mix drinks.
2) Russians
Usually, these mix drinks are pretty similar, the only difference is the addition of cream. A “Black Russian” is the bare bones drink of vodka and a coffee liqueur, typically Kahlua, whereas the “White Russian is the same but again, with cream”. The great thing about this drink though is the fact that it is so drinkable! The flavors meld together well and if you had ordered at a bar, I guarantee you would order another. Instead, save some money, buy yourself the bottles and enjoy these mix drinks on your own time at home. And if you’re feeling adventurous and want to mix it up, even more, you could add club soda to a “White Russian” to make a “Smith and Wesson” or add Cola instead of club soda to make a “Colorado Bulldog”. Yet again, another gateway drink to even more mix drinks.
3) HighBall
Quite possibly one of the easiest to make mix drinks. The reason for this being it’s naturally intuitive with how to make it. More often than not when someone wants an easy mix to go along with their spirit of choice, they turn to soda or pop if that’s what you call it. The only difference here is that a Highball is specifically whiskey followed by ginger ale. And yes there are also 100 different mix drinks you can make by adding something else to this concoction, either way, its good to know because it takes the sting out of any whiskey and compliments it very well.
4) Bloody Mary
A classic and very familiar beverage to most mixed drinks enthusiasts. Whether it’s for brunch, getting over a hangover, or just that raw need for that spicy savory alcoholic beverage we love so much. whether you get a premade mix or rock it with v8-vodka and some hot sauce will get you the rest of the way to making this drink. And it’s worth it to know how to make it, out of any of the mixed drinks on this list, this is a craving drink for sure, out of nowhere someone will want it and then you’ll have everything you need to sip this savory special in the comfort of your own home.
5) Lemon Drop Martini
When you’re not sure what you want among the vast choices of mixed drinks, but you know you have a sweet tooth this is the drink for you. Vodka, lemon juice, and sugar-its simple, delicious, and looks so beautiful in a martini glass with a lemon slice floating lazily at the top. The reason you’ll want to make this at home beside it being a tasty drink is that its a good opener for non-regular drinkers. It’s not for everybody but when you have that guest who isn’t sure what to drink but wants to join in-this is a really safe place to start outside of the plethora of soda combination mixed drinks.
6) Gin and Tonic
Much liked the other mixed drinks I’ve mentioned thus far, this one is also really simple at its base, but can lead you to endless places. At its heart, the Gin and Tonic is just an easier way to drink Gin, I apologize to those who are passionate about it, but that’s what it is at its core. However, once you start making these at home you can’t possibly go wrong with combinations. You can go for a “Gin Fizz” which is where you add an egg to the mix-weird as all get out-but it actually works. Or you could go for something a little sweeter and feel a little fancier among other mix drinks with a “Tom Collins” which brings simple syrup and lemon zest to the drink making it feel on a whole other level.
7) Old Fashion
If whiskey is your drink of choice, and you wonder how any kind of mixed drinks could ever compare to it, this is the drink you need to make at home. Your whiskey of choice, crushed sugar cubes, angostura bitters, and a toss-up between an orange peel or maraschino cherry garnish-or both. The entire point of this drink is to bring out the flavors of your whiskey. Having the sugar to activate the spirit and bring it partially back to how it was made while using bitters and garnishes to really get that aromatic combination of smells and flavors. That my friend is the Old Fashion-yes it’s on the stronger side of mixed drinks but all it does is enhance your whiskey of choice.
8) Mojito
White rum, club soda, mint leaves, of all the mixed drinks out there you can know exactly what this will taste like even if you haven’t had it before. Your expect this semi-sweet clean minty combination and that is exactly what you get. It’s a very spring/summer mixed drink with how bubbly and fresh it is but no shame in enjoying it year-round. Making this at home for yourself will be a refreshing way to relax at the end of the day. And if you make it for a BBQ or a block party-you’re the hero of the day for all the worn-out parents in need of some mixed drinks. Also while there are other versions of this mixed drink, they predominately just involve the name of the fruit you put in it being in front of Mojito-so go nuts, you have plenty of combinations to try.
9) Manhattan
A Manhattan is a tough one out of these mixed drinks to explain. It s a bit on the higher end of things given that it involves bitters and sweet vermouth being in your fridge, or in your bar. Besides those ingredients, the main spirit is usually rye whiskey. The reason this is a drink you need to make at home is that it captures an era. Manhattans have been around for quite a long time, and despite them losing points with the younger crowd nowadays, its a timeless classic that is like black coffee when you’re younger. Most need some sweetener or some cream to even it out and get themselves used to it-but you keep wanting to go back to it despite the initial uneasiness with the drink. Try it, appreciate what it is, and then impress your friends by making it-its been around too long to be forgotten and unappreciated.
10) Green Tea
I’m breaking the mixed drinks rule here friend, a “Green Tea” is usually served in shot form, but it is a mixed drink. Irish Whiskey, Peach Snapps, Sweet and Sour mix, and a splash of lemon-lime soda. This is why I argue its more of a mixed drink thing than a shot thing-its too hard to fit all of this in a shot and not want more anyway. This is another one of those mix drinks that is so easily appreciated by light drinkers or people who aren’t sure what they like yet. It’s sweet, a little strong feeling after you swallow, and then this unmistakable after taste of drinking sweetened iced tea on a porch somewhere-albeit a little more green tea than sweet tea-hence the name. Make it, and for me make it in a tall glass so you’re not filling tons of shot glasses up-yes they are that good.
