17 Simple Cocktail Recipes for Beginners | The Easiest Cocktails to Get You Through Quarantine

I’ve compiled all of the simple cocktail recipes on my blog to help you narrow down what to make while you’re sheltering in place during the COVID-19 quarantine. I guess you could call them “quarantine cocktails” because they’re all really, really easy to make with zero obscure ingredients. But truthfully, most of these recipes are classic cocktails. If a cocktail recipe has stood the test of time (some of these recipes are over 100 years old!), they’re good enough to get you through a pandemic.

I’ve grouped these recipes into categories: 2-3 ingredients or 4 ingredients. I mean, can it get any easier? I guess you could just take shots of vodka, but where’s the fun in that?

There are certainly more simple cocktail recipes out there, like a Gin & Tonic, a Negroni, an Aperol Spritz, rum & Coke… seriously, there are so many more out there. The simple cocktail recipes below are just the ones I already have on my blog that I think would be the perfect cocktail recipes for beginners to master during the quarantine.

To make it even easier, here’s a complete grocery list to get you going:

Liquor Store	Grocery Store
gin whiskey vodka spiced rum/dark rum white rum brandy champagne/sparkling wine coffee liqueur (or make it) orange liqueur/triple sec sweet vermouth Campari orange bitters	lemons limes ginger beer club soda/sparkling water blood orange Italian soda cream Coke egg (prob already have) sugar (prob already have) honey (prob already have) jam (prob already have)

With those lists, you’ll have EVERYTHING you need to make all 17 of these simple cocktail recipes. And since none of these ingredients are uncommon, it should be easy to get your hands on them even during the quarantine. For some of you, you can even buy the liquor and liqueur at the grocery store. (I’m looking at you, Nevada.)

But if that still seems a little intimidating, here’s a pared-down shopping list. If you already have an egg, sugar, honey, and a rando jar of jam, and you make your own coffee liqueur using the vodka, you’ll be able to make 12 of these cocktails:

Liquor Store	Grocery Store
gin whiskey vodka spiced rum/dark rum white rum orange liqueur/triple sec	lemons limes ginger beer club soda/sparkling water cream Coke

All of those are considered bar cart essentials to me and are incredibly useful to keep on hand. Seriously, if you keep gin, whiskey, vodka, rums, orange liqueur, limes, lemons, club soda, ginger beer, and simple syrup on deck, you can make soooo many simple cocktail recipes. So, if you’re aspiring to be a home mixologist, consider this list your starter kit.

Here’s to adding some pizazz to your quarantine days with these simple cocktail recipes. Cheers!

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Simple Cocktail Recipes with 2 or 3 Ingredients

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Simple Cocktail Recipes with 4 Ingredients

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What other cocktails do you think are essential for beginners? What’s been your go-to cocktail during quarantine? Leave a comment and recipe down below!