Classic Cocktails

A short list of classics covers most of what a home bartender ever needs. Once you can make an Old Fashioned, a Daiquiri, a Negroni and a Martini, the rest of the cocktail world is mostly variations on those four templates.

The drinks in this category are the ones that have stayed on bar menus for decades. Most are three or four ingredients, almost all are easy to remember once you've made them twice, and they hold their balance whether you're pouring at home or at a wedding.