We believe that everyone should enjoy amazing cocktails at home; that’s why we’ve compiled a list of 5 of the cocktails you should be making at home. It doesn’t matter if you have no special equipment, this is a list of cocktails that anyone can make at home because the recipe only requires “building”.

Building a cocktail, opposed to shaking, straining, stirring, blending layering or even flaming, means you can just pour the ingredients in to the glass in which it will be served.

1. Mojito

Mojito infography

Traditional, very refreshing, and super easy to create

With common ingredients like lime wedges, sugar syrup, mint leaves, light (white) rum and soda, Mojitos are super easy to make and a great summer cocktail that deserves to be made well. Put some mint leaves and the lime wedges at the bottom of a sturdy glass. Next, use a muddler (the back end of a whisk or kitchen knive usually muddles great too) to squash the juices out with five to ten elegant pushes into the glass. Not too hard, because you don’t want to release the bitter juices inside the lime peel. Top the glass up to 3 quarters with some crushed ice, add the sugar syrup and top the glass of with soda. Your work here is done: Use some mint leaves for garnish and serve!

2. Moscow Mule

Moscow mule infography

Another classic cocktail, also known as the Vodka Buck

Easy as pie. Combine the vodka and ginger beer in your highball glass filled with ice. Add lime juice. Stir gently and garnish with a lime slice. You’ve just recreated a piece of cocktail history with a drink that originated in the fifties. Apparently Oprah is a big Moscow Mule fan too!

3. Gin And Tonic

Gin tonic recipe

Great for sipping

With its roots firmly planted in the British Colonial past, Gin & Tonic can be traced back to a remedy against malaria, more about that in another blog. Super-easy to make, a good Gin & Tonic is built by pouring the gin over the ice which you’ve put in the highball. Next is your tonic water, and with a lime wedge you are good to go.

4. The Screwdriver

Screwdriver infography

Another highball

As simple as the Screwdriver comes, the variations are endless with a “sonic screwdriver”, “Dew Driver”, a “Mexican Screw” (yup. Tequila!), “Sloe Screw”, “Comfortable Screw”, “Harvey Wallbanger”, “American Screw”, “Royal Screw” and the list goes on and on with orange juice being the constant, and variations in the vodka and its quantity a never ending challenge to come up with tacky names. Guess what’s in a “Slow Comfortable Screw Up Against The Wall”…

5. Cuba Libre

Cuba libre infography

Almost too simple to be called a cocktail

The Cuba Libre is a highball made of cola, lime, and dark or light rum. This highball is often referred to as a Rum and Coke, but it’s not! The key difference is the lime juice, which EBS is eager to teach you, makes ALL the difference. Fill your glass with ice, add the lime juice, the rum, and add coke. Garnish is a lime wedge, and there you have it! Delicious!