cocktails

The holidays will be here before you know it. If you’re planning on doing some entertaining in the months ahead, the time to set up that at-home bar with cocktail essentials and tools is now. Start perfecting your mixology skills and be prepared to artfully quench the thirst of all your guests.

The History of the Basic Cocktail

There’s so much more to a cocktail than dumping vodka into a glass of orange juice. In 1806, a cocktail was defined by The Balance and Columbian Repository of New York as “a stimulating liquor composed of any kind of sugar, water, and bitters…”1 In 1862, a bartender by the name of Jerry Thomas published The Bartender’s Guide (How to Mix Drinks) which became the widely accepted encyclopedia for bartenders and wanna-be mixologists worldwide.

The availability of ice and the ability to successfully transport it before it melted propelled cocktail culture forward, as did the repeal of Prohibition. By the mid-

Who says you have to go out for cocktails when you can just as easily (and affordably) make at home? Even if the most bartending experience you’ve ever had is pouring wine from a bottle, these five drinks will have you thinking about a career in mixology. 

Most of these classic cocktails contain no more than three or four ingredients--many you probably already have in your cabinet. And if you have the bare bar essentials like a cocktail shaker and an ice cube tray, you’re ready to stir things up.

Whiskey Sour

Sweet, tart, and impressively classy, bartenders have been making this whiskey drink since 1862. With just four ingredients, it’s simple to mix and tasty to drink.

Ingredients:

• 2 oz. bourbon whiskey
• 1 oz. fresh lemon juice
• 3/4 oz. simple syrup
• Orange slice or co

Typically, starting a diet is associated with cutting calories and, therefore, most of our favorite drinks.

However, starting a diet doesn’t mean that you have to give up everything. Instead, think of it as simply altering the recipes of your favorite cocktails.

To help you out, we created a list of the best low-calorie cocktails you can enjoy on a diet and as part of a healthy lifestyle.

Calculating Calories in Cocktails

Calorie counting is one of the most common requirements of most diets, but most cocktails are homemade and don’t come with a label.

If that’s the case, you can always use this calculator to estimate how many calories you are consuming. 

Unfortunately, you’ll probably be disappointed by the number of calories in each cocktail. Therefore, here are some ideas to make your cocktails diet-friendly and indulge guilt-f

Professional mixologists have long created cocktails using Baileys because the smooth, creamy liqueur pairs perfectly with an array of other spirits. In fact, with eleven flavor varieties available, there are dozens of delicious recipes you can use to make Baileys cocktails.

Are Baileys and Kahlua Interchangeable?

Baileys and Kahlua both complement a freshly brewed cup of coffee, but there are distinct differences between the two liqueurs.

Baileys is creamy and derives its taste from cream, cocoa, and Irish Whiskey. Kahlua is dark without the creaminess of Baileys and is made with 100 percent arabica coffee, rum, and sugar.

While acceptable, swapping out Baileys for Kahlua in a cocktail recipe will produce quite different taste results. 

Rich and Delightful Baileys Cocktails

March is the month where everybody is either Irish or Italian. You've got St Paddy's day (actually we Irish celebrate that day all week), and then a few days later you have St Joseph's day. So besides the standard green beer and whiskey on St. Patrick's Day, and wine on St. Joe's, maybe change things up a bit and make a fun cocktail.

Everyone knows that if you want to experience the ultimate party, New Orleans is the place to go during Mardi Gras. The carnival goes back hundreds of years and has become famous for many exotic cocktails.