Having a casino night at home or organising a game of poker? Then if drink is involved, there are a few essential cocktails you can not afford to miss.

Staying at home is the new going out. As the winter months roll in, many households in the northern hemisphere are trying to replicate the experience of a night on the town from their warm, cozy abodes. While much of this comes down to entertainment, a lot of it is inevitably down to food and of course, a little tipple.

If you are stocking up on your home bar, you may wish to start by trying some of the classics. Below, we discuss the cocktails you must sample on your home night out.

Dry Martini

The first on our list is the Dry Martini. Oddly, for such a famous drink its origin is unknown. Made from vermouth and gin, it is a light, floral beverage rich in aromatic flavors. Confusingly, Martini itself is a brand name of vermouth, which may be where the Martini cocktail derived its name. Usually, the mix includes two measures of gin to one measure of vermouth. The less vermouth included, the drier the drink becomes. It is often served with an olive or a hint of citrus peel.

The drink was extremely popular in the twenties. However, it has a close association with casinos, which lies firmly at the door of Ian Fleming’s famous book character, and later cinematic icon, James Bond. He drank a variation on the Dry Martini, known as a Vodka Martini. With his famous catchphrase “Shaken not stirred” he popularized the Martini in film culture.

As a result, anyone who may be thinking of holding a popular home casino night should be ready to stock up on the Dry Martinis. It is easy to make and quick to serve to give the perfect casino ambiance. You can combine this with the use of online slot games to get real sounds and sights. Many of the ones found online are the video slots you find in physical casinos, so you will get the perfect recreation with your drink. If you shop around, you can even find great sign-up offers so that you can save some of your bankroll for the big night in. 

Old Fashioned

The Old Fashioned is a truly American cocktail, dating back to 1862. However, at this time it was made from gin along with bitters, sugar, and citrus peel. The addition of its signature bourbon ingredient is accredited to Mr. James E Pepper, who served it at a private social club in Louisville, Kentucky. He then took it to New York at the bar of the Waldorf-Astoria. It is now the most requested cocktail in the world.

Today the recipe has not changed much at all. It contains two parts of bourbon whisky, which can be substituted for rye based on preference. These then get mixed with three dashes of bitters, a twist of orange, a teaspoon of sugar, and a teaspoon of water. Some mixologists prefer to boil the water and sugar into a syrup, though this is another preference. The beauty of the cocktail is that it allows the tones of the whisky below to breathe while taking off the sharp edge with citric acid.

Cosmopolitan

A Cosmopolitan is a fairly new addition to the cocktail world when compared to some of the other entries. It was allegedly created in 1975 by the bartender Neal Murray from Minneapolis. He added a dash of cranberry juice to a Kamikaze cocktail. When a patron remarked that it was so cosmopolitan, the drink was born.

Today the drink is a fruity affair, containing the orange liqueur Cointreau, vodka, cranberry juice, and sweetened lime. However, some recipes predate this origin in the seventies and include gin, lemon, raspberry syrup, and Cointreau. Its popularity as a drink boomed in the nineties when it was the drink of choice on the sitcom ‘Sex and the City’.

Espresso Martini

The Espresso Martini is another cocktail that is fairly new in its origins. Invented in the eighties, it was created by a bartender in London called Dick Bradsel. Working in a Soho bar, a famous supermodel walked in and asked him for a drink that would wake her up. His first thoughts turned to coffee and switching on the machine he combined the punchy caffeine shot with vodka. Along with some sugar syrup and two types of coffee liqueur, it became known as the Vodka Espresso.

Over time, its name has changed to the Espresso Martini though it does still not contain vermouth. To make it, you just need to add Kahlua to your choice of vodka, along with the coffee and sugar syrup.

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