Cocktail Party Favourites - A Complete List

Throwing a cocktail party? OK, besides the obvious tips (don’t let people make other people’s cocktails), you also want to have a great line up of old favourites plus a few new surprise variations, without breaking the bank.

Here’s the ultimate guide to get any cocktail party started:

The Cosmopolitan

A cocktail that calls New York home, it gained notoriety during the long running 90s show Sex and The City. Let’s call it the quintessential “girls night out” cocktail and thankfully it is super-easy to make.

Ingredients

• 30mL vodka
• 30mL cranberry juice
• 15mL triple sec
• Lime juice
• Ice

Method

1. Add vodka, cranberry juice, triple sec, juice of half a lime, and ice to a cocktail shaker.
2. Shake and strain into a Martini glass.
3. Garnish with a wheel of lime.

The Dirty Martini

When it comes to a cocktail party, easy is better. Leave the 10-step cocktails to the bottle-twirling barmen and create this savoury classic cocktail. James Bond can keep his Vesper Martinin, we’ll take this simple classic any time.

Ingredients

• 10mL olive brine (or 2 olives)
• 60mL gin
• 10mL vermouth
• Green olives, to garnish
• Ice

Method

• Add 2 olives, gin, and vermouth to a tall glass and muddle.
• Add ice to fill the glass, then stir.
• Strain into a martini glass.

The Mojito

The beach, the ocean, the chirping of gulls overhead and the warm sun on your skin. There’s only one cocktail that fits this scene and that’s the Mojito. This citrussy rum cocktail combines a sweet sugar rush with the aroma of mint that has the ability to transport you to any tropical destination. An old favourite.

Ingredients

• 45ml white rum
• 20mL sugar syrup
• 8 mint leaves
• 6 lime wedges
• Soda water, to top
• Fresh mint and lime wedges, to garnish
• Crushed ice

Method

1. Muddle mint leaves, lime wedges and sugar syrup in a highball glass.
2. Add rum.
3. Top with crushed ice and soda water.
4. Stir well.
5. Garnish with fresh mint and lime wedges.

The Manhattan

Some ladies like their liquor a little harder and that’s where the Manhattan comes in with its blend of whisky and vermouth. A sophisticated cocktail that never gets old.

Ingredients

• 60ml rye or canadian whisky
• 20mL sweet red vermouth
• Dash of bitters
• Maraschino cherries, to garnish
• Ice

Method

1. Fill a tall glass with ice.
2. Add whisky, vermouth, and bitters, and stir.
3. Strain into glass.
4. Garnish with maraschino cherries.

Tequila Sunrise

The Eagles sang a great little song about Tequila Sunrise - which begs the question, which came first? The song or the cocktail? It was the cocktail that first surfaced in the 40's in a different form, but now this delicious cocktail combines tequila, orange juice, and grenadine mixture. Another summery cocktail.

Ingredients

• 60mL tequila
• 2 dashes of bitters
• 120mL orange juice
• 10mL grenadine
• Orange wedge, to garnish
• Ice

Method

1. Fill a tall glass with ice.
2. Add tequila, bitters, orange juice, grenadine.
3. Rim glass with chocolate syrup and pour blended drink into glass.
4. Garnish with an orange wedge.

The Long Island Iced Tea

Some see that this cocktail uses five different spirits and head for the hills, but they’re missing out on a classic combo that is surprising in how well the whole thing comes together. This is a cola based cocktail, for those who prefer that style.

Ingredients

• 15mL white rum
• 15mL gin
• 15mL tequila
• 15mL vodka
• 15mL Cointreau
• 20mL lemon juice
• 15mL sugar syrup
• Cola, to top
• Lemon wedge, to garnish
• Ice

Method

1. Add rum, gin, tequila, vodka, Cointreau, lemon juice, sugar syrup, and ice to a cocktail shaker.
2. Shake, and then strain into an ice filled tall glass.
3. Top with cola.
4. Garnish with a lemon wedge.

The Margarita

It’s a bit of cliché to get together with the girls and suck down Margaritas, but how does a cliché become a cliché? Because it’s a great way to spend some time! There are hundreds of different margarita cocktail recipes out there but we find this one to be the biggest crowd pleaser.

Ingredients

• 50mL tequila
• 15mL Cointreau
• 30mL lime juice
• 15mL sugar syrup
• Lime slice, to garnish
• Salt, to rim
• Ice

Method

1. Run a slice of lime around the rim of your glass, and dip the glass rim in salt.
2. Add tequila, Cointreau, lime juice, sugar syrup, and ice to a cocktail shaker.
3. Shake, and then strain into glass.
4. Garnish with a wheel of lime.