Aperol Spritz
Three parts prosecco, two parts Aperol, one part soda. Low in alcohol, impossible to get wrong, built for the afternoon.
Espresso Martini
Cold espresso, vodka and coffee liqueur shaken hard enough to build its own crema.
Moscow Mule
Vodka, lime and ginger beer. A deliberate 1940s marketing invention that turned out to be a genuinely good drink.
Pina Colada
Rum, pineapple and cream of coconut. The confusion between cream of coconut and coconut cream ruins more of these than anything else.
Mojito
Rum, lime, mint and soda — built in the glass, and ruined more often by over-muddling than by anything else.
Daiquiri
Rum, lime and sugar. The simplest real test of whether a bar knows what it is doing.
Paloma
Mexico’s actual favourite tequila drink. Grapefruit, lime, salt — lighter and more drinkable than a margarita.
Margarita
Tequila, lime and orange liqueur in balance — a sour so well built it survived decades of being made badly.
Negroni
Equal parts gin, Campari and sweet vermouth. Three ingredients, no measuring gymnastics, and nowhere to hide.
Martini
Gin and dry vermouth, stirred cold enough to hurt. Every argument about this drink is really an argument about one ratio.