Holiday and family gatherings are fun, but even more fun when the host knows how to throw together a few cocktails! With the right ingredients, a few essential accessories, and a small amount of practice, any host can become a proficient purveyor of their guest’s favorite libations! It’s critical to have a basic cocktail mixing kit, bitters, maraschino cherries, a selection of liqueurs, and plenty of citruses.
Let’s dive into some of the most popular, crowd-pleasing mixed drinks

1. Moscow mule
The Moscow mule is a perfect cocktail for those that appreciate low calorie vodka drinks. Typically, this drink gets served in a copper mug, but any glass will do! Fill the copper mug with ice, then combine two ounces of vodka, one ounce of lime juice, and one ounce of ginger beer. Make sure to give it a quick stir and garnish with a fresh slice of lime before serving. This classic cocktail is perfect for any occasion and gets requested anytime from boozy brunches to late-night gatherings

2. Negroni
The negroni is a slightly more polarizing cocktail, as far as this list is concerned, but it has enough of a following that any cocktail mixing host will eventually receive a request for one. Fill a mixing glass with ice, then add one ounce of gin, one ounce of sweet vermouth, and one ounce of Campari. Stir until the mixture is chilled, then strain over fresh ice, ideally into a lowball glass. The garnish is an orange peel, inserted into the cocktail, amongst the ice. Sometimes it’s nice to twist the peel over the glass’s edges for an added citrus element

3. Dry vodka martini
Amongst low calorie vodka drinks, the dry vodka martini is second to none. A ‘dry’ vodka martini will not have much vermouth, as opposed to a wet vodka martini, which will have a lot. A half-ounce of vermouth is usually the cut off in terms of delineating if the drink is dry or wet. Pour two and a half to three ounces of vodka over ice into a shaker, along with a half-ounce of vermouth (decrease the amount of vermouth for a ‘drier’ drink). Shake or stir, dealer’s choice, and strain into a martini or stem glass. Drop an olive or lemon peel in for a garnish, but never both

4. Gin and tonic
The simplicity of this classic cocktail is in the name! It needs no other ingredients than those in its name. When it comes to a gin and tonic, the best advice for making a good one is to use the right gin! Bombay Sapphire and Tanqueray are some of the most popular. Just combine two ounces of gin and four to five ounces of tonic water over ice in a highball glass, give it a quick stir, and garnish with a lime wedge.

5. Manhattan
The Manhattan cocktail is undoubtedly one of the best whiskey cocktails and certainly one of the most iconic. An excellent synonym for it would be a ‘whiskey martini.’ Into a shaker or mixing glass, over ice, add two and a half ounces of bourbon or rye, one ounce of sweet vermouth, and two dashes of angostura bitters. Stir, do not shake, and then strain into a martini or coupe glass, though some prefer the drink served in a lowball glass. Garnish with a skewered orange peel and cherry

6. Margarita
If done right, a good margarita is always a crowd pleaser! The first step of any margarita cocktail recipe is to salt the rim, though some prefer the drink served without salt. Next, fill a shaker with ice and add two ounces of tequila, half an ounce of either triple sec or Cointreau, one ounce of lime juice, and half an ounce of agave syrup. Some people like to buy premade margarita mix, and there’s nothing wrong with that, but fresh lime juice can add a lot to the quality of the drink. Either way, shake it all up, strain over fresh ice into a lowball glass, then garnish it with a fresh slice of lime