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Bar Basics

The classics, the syrups, the garnishes, and the one skill this site is built on: turning any cocktail into a zero-proof drink that still tastes like a cocktail.

Overhead view of bar tools on a cream linen cloth: a gold jigger, a shaker tin, a bar spoon, a citrus press, a jar of simple syrup, and neatly cut lemon twists.

A mocktail workbench with jars of tea, verjus, shrub, tonic, and spices beside a finished smoky zero-proof sour in a coupe.

Techniques4 recipes · two ways

Bar Basics

How to Make Mocktails That Taste Like Real Cocktails: The 5-Part Method

How to turn any cocktail into a mocktail that still tastes like a proper drink: the five things alcohol does, what to swap in for each (tea, verjus, shrubs, tonic, salt), and four worked examples.

A row of homemade cocktail syrups in glass bottles: clear simple syrup, amber demerara, golden honey, pink lavender, ruby grenadine, and herb-infused rosemary.

Syrups & Mixers5 recipes · two ways

Bar Basics

Simple Syrup Recipes: How to Make 10 Cocktail Syrups (Plus 5 Drinks to Use Them)

How to make simple syrup for cocktails and mocktails, plus rich demerara, honey, honey-ginger, cinnamon, rosemary, lavender, ginger, spiced cranberry, and real grenadine, with ratios, shelf life, and five drinks.

Six simple cocktails on a kitchen counter with just a few bottles and citrus: a daiquiri, a Cuba libre, a whiskey ginger, a Cape Codder, an amaretto sour, and an Americano.

Classics6 recipes · two ways

Bar Basics

Easy Cocktail Recipes: 6 Three-Ingredient Drinks Anyone Can Make (Plus Mocktail Twins)

Six easy cocktail recipes with just three ingredients: the daiquiri, Cuba libre, whiskey ginger, Cape Codder, amaretto sour, and Americano, with simple steps and a zero-proof twin for each.

Six classic cocktails on a dark vintage bar: a martini with a lemon twist, a Manhattan with a cherry, a frothy whiskey sour, a sugar-rimmed sidecar, a mai tai with mint, and a Boulevardier.

Classics6 recipes · two ways

Bar Basics

Classic Cocktails: 6 Timeless Recipes Every Home Bartender Should Know

Six classic cocktails with standard, balanced specs: the dry martini, Manhattan, whiskey sour, sidecar, mai tai, and Boulevardier, plus a zero-proof version of each that respects the original.

Beautiful garnished cocktails on a marble bar: a collins with edible flower ice cubes, a sour with a smoking rosemary sprig, and a margarita with a chili-lime rim, surrounded by dried orange wheels and herbs.

Garnish & Glassware5 recipes · two ways

Bar Basics

Cocktail Garnish Ideas: 10 Aesthetic Garnishes That Make Any Drink Look Beautiful

Ten easy cocktail garnish ideas for aesthetic drinks: citrus twists, dehydrated wheels, flower ice cubes, sugared herbs, smoked rosemary, mint bouquets, and rims, plus five drinks to show them off, each with a mocktail twin.