Mastering Five Classic Cocktails
- Candice Moore
- 1 hour ago
- 2 min read
One of the things on my 50th list was to master five classic cocktails.
Not because I envisioned opening a speakeasy in my basement (although, that’s now in the works).
I simply wanted to become one of those people who could confidently make a great cocktail for friends without reaching for Google halfway through.
Fortunately, our friends Aaron and Tiffany Reddy offered to host this learning journey, and, as it turns out, Aaron has his own secret alter ego.
Mine has always been that, in another life, I would've been a DJ.
Aaron's?
A mixologist.
And honestly...he's pretty convincing.
His basement bar and top-shelf leaning liquor cabinet is quite impressive, and on the Friday evening before winter break, he transformed their kitchen into our own little cocktail classroom.
Like the consummate hosts they are, every detail had been thoughtfully planned. We each had our own place setting complete with mixing tools, recipe cards, fresh citrus, crystal glassware, and enough bottles of spirits to make us grateful for taking an Uber.
Aaron patiently walked us through five classics:
Old Fashioned
Daiquiri
Negroni
Corpse Reviver #2
Paloma
Some were stirred.
Some were shaken.
Every one of them earned its place on the classics list.
The biggest surprise of the night?
The Daiquiri.
I owe that drink an apology.
For years I'd assumed a daiquiri was that fluorescent, frozen concoction sold from machines on Bourbon Street or served poolside with a tiny umbrella sticking out of it.
Turns out the original is something entirely different.
Just rum, fresh lime juice, and simple syrup.
Simple. Bright. Refreshing. Wonderfully boozy.
It was, without question, my favorite drink of the evening.
And proof that sometimes classics become classics for a reason.
Five cocktails in one evening sounded like the potential recipe for a regretting-my-life-choices level hangover the next morning. Thankfully, I managed to pace myself. We called an Uber at a respectable hour, made it home safely, drank plenty of water, and I woke up feeling surprisingly...normal.
More than learning five cocktail recipes, though, I loved the chance to spend the evening with friends gathering around a kitchen island to connect over our shared love for concocting classic libations.
The cocktails have since earned a permanent place in my entertaining repertoire. I keep the ingredients stocked, just in case the mood strikes for a proper Old Fashioned...or, more likely, another perfectly balanced Daiquiri.
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