What do you need to make cocktails at home?

The best cocktails to make at home are the simplest ones. But before we do anything, we need to ensure your kitchen is well-equipped for serving up the very best of our whisky cocktail selection. Stocking your bar need not be stressful or difficult. Let’s start off with what you’ll need to make delicious cocktails from your very own home:

• Ballantine’s whisky
• Your favourite mixers and juices
• Cocktail glasses – a wide range is always beneficial to the aesthetic!
• Ice
• Shaker
• Strainer
• Jigger for measures
• Muddler for crushing
• Straws
• Sweeteners like sugar or fruit
• Any other spirits and garnishes you want to experiment with

What’s the simplest way to make a cocktail?

Often, simplicity is the key to creating a balanced, delicious cocktail. You don’t need to go out of your way to get your kitchen looking like the best bar in town, nor do you suddenly need to learn any special cocktail making skills (unless you want to of course).

From traditional mixers to blended drinks, we’ve got you covered with a whole range of simple and not quite as simple cocktails. It’s time to get shaking.

Mixers

Mixers are wonderfully versatile. They’re go-tos for lots of casual whisky drinkers, and we can see why. They’re quick to make and when created using the correct proportions, pretty unforgettable. See for instance the classic whisky coke, using Ballantine’s and Cola. It’s classic and a perfect introduction to whisky making at home. When sampling mixers, be sure to try out a more fiery ginger ale cocktail, perfect for kick-starting the evening with friends or family.

Build in a glass

Get your ingredients and quite literally build your cocktail in the glass, balancing the flavours with a good, old fashioned stir. Pour one ingredient on top of the other and build towards something to your taste. The best thing about building a cocktail in the glass is you can experiment with flavours along the way. That’s part of the thrill of cocktail making. Our Rob Roy perfectly demonstrates how simple making cocktails at home really is.

Shaken

Now’s the time to start introducing slightly more advanced cocktail making tools like your shaker. Oh, that beautiful sound of ice and your ingredients shaking. Shaking your whisky cocktails will take some elbow grease for sure, but it’ll be worth it when you create wonders like a Whisky Sour.

For those of you who enjoy a colder cocktail, shaken cocktails help to chill your ingredients quicker and get some air into the mixture for a consistent texture throughout. 

Blended

Inspired by the slushie, blended drinks are popular on the hottest days of the year. Filled with crushed ice and whizzed to perfection, they can be the most refreshing of the cocktail world. Check out our sweet and creamy whisky milkshake for inspiration on how to blend Ballantine’s.

On the hob

Yep, that’s right – plenty of cocktails can also be enjoyed hot. There’s a real place for warm whisky cocktails like the Hot Toddy, especially during the winter months. If you’re feeling a little chilly or fancy a festive drink, a stovetop cocktail is your go-to style for wrapping up warm.

The best thing about cocktails? Their versatility. Don’t be shy in trying out new techniques once you’ve familiarised yourself with the ingredients and discovered what you like. As you become accustomed to the taste of Ballantine’s, there’s nothing more fun than playing around with flavours.

If you’re a novice mixologist, you might be a little overwhelmed at the thought of mastering the perfect at-home cocktails. However, there’s no need to fret. There are some straightforward tricks and tips that can elevate your drinks with ease.

Stock your bar

Even if your favourite cocktails only require two ingredients, they are unlikely to all be the same. Having a variety of spirits, alcohols and mixers stocked in your home bar can ensure you’ll have what you need when it’s time to dust off the cocktail shaker. 

Of course, we recommend Ballantine’s whisky, but vodka, tequila, rum and gin are also spirits worth having. Single serving bottles and cans of mixer such as tonic, soda, ginger ale and cola will help keep things fresh and stop them from going flat. 

Make a simple syrup

You can buy simple syrup at the supermarket but it’s also super simple to make at home and is ideal for having to hand to add extra sweetness to your cocktails. At its most basic, it’s a 1:1 ratio of granulated sugar dissolved in an equal amount of water. However, you can also make flavoured syrups by infusing the mixture with your favourite herbs, spices and fruits. 

Once you’ve made it, decant into a glass jar, seal tightly with a lid and store it in the fridge. It will keep for about a month. 

Use fresh ingredients

We know using pre-bottled juices and frozen fruits may make your cocktail-making quicker and allow for spontaneous mixology sessions but it’s worth the time and energy it takes to use fresh ingredients. Squeeze your own citrus fruits, slice ripe berries and garnish with herb sprigs. You’ll definitely notice a difference in how your cocktails taste.

Keep the right ingredients in the fridge

Whisky should be stored in a cool, dry place away from direct sunlight at an optimum temperature of 15-20°C. However, other cocktail ingredients are best kept in the fridge. Any alcohol under 20% ABV is best refrigerated once opened and consumed within a week to a month to ensure it’s flavour, appearance and overall quality is still good. 

Follow the recipe

Follow the recipe and add ingredients to the glass in the right order, especially if there are liquid ingredients that are different densities and sit on top of one another. If winging your drinks, a good rule of thumb is to start with the least expensive ingredients first. If you have to start again, you’ll have minimised wastage and cost. 

Don’t underestimate the ice

Ice can really make a difference to the mouthfeel, aesthetic and enjoyment of a cocktail. Cubes, crushed, blended, spears and spheres are all options. You want to strike the right balance between chilling the cocktail and ensuring it won’t dilute too much once the ice starts to melt. 

Become a pre-batch pro

When having friends and family over, it’s normal to want to impress them with fun and flavourful cocktails. However, you can soon find yourself in the kitchen all evening if you make them fresh every time a round is finished. 

Instead, you can get ahead of the game by mixing the cocktails in advance and prepping the garnishes so that all you need to do once your guests arrive is pour and serve. 

Make use of what you’ve got

While it may be nice to have every type of cocktail glass and the full set of mixology tools, it can be expensive to purchase it all upfront.

Your cocktails can still look great and taste delicious by utilising the equipment and glassware you already have in your cupboards. For example, a clean, empty jam jar makes a great vessel for a whisky mule and an egg cup will work as a spirit measure as they hold approximately 50ml of liquid. 

Think of the final flourish

While the taste might be the pivotal part of a cocktail, how it looks really adds to the overall drinking experience. Therefore, being a keen cocktailian means paying attention to the little details. 

Keep a selection of garnishes at home, from cinnamon sticks to maraschino cherries and don’t forget the fun extras like cocktail stirrers, umbrellas and reusable straws.

The Old Fashioned

An absolute staple in whisky cocktail making, the Old Fashioned is easy to make at home. Combining orange, sugar and Ballantine’s 7 American Barrel Finish Whisky makes for a balanced cocktail. If you’re only just getting into cocktail making at home, this is a great place to start.

Penicillin 

A concoction of some of our favourite flavours. Honey, ginger, lemon and Ballantine’s 12 Year Old. There’s no waiting around for a doctor’s prescription of Penicillin – create your very own at home.

Bobby Burns

Raise a toast to one of Scotland’s finest, Robert ‘Bobby’ Burns. An effortless mix of vermouth, Bénédictine, lemon and Ballantine’s Finest make for a herbal and experimental flavour. The Bobby Burns is sure to be a hit among friends.

Boulevardier 

A stirred cocktail much like Negroni, but using Ballantine’s 12 year old instead of gin. You get the sweet tones of Ballantine’s instead of Gin’s punch, combined with Campari for a citrusy finish. The Boulevardier is simple to make and sure to be a crowd pleaser in your own kitchen.

Atholl Brose

Quintessentially Scottish. When made well, the Atholl Brose looks a delight and tastes one too. Using plenty of honey for a sweet finish, this whisky cocktail is certain for success after dinner. 

If you’re looking for more inspiration on making cocktails in the cosiness of your own home, check out more simple whisky recipes. You’ll find a range of flavours from our favourite cherry whisky drinks to dessert cocktails.