We might not be able to hit the bars, but you can still make the most of a Happy Hour at home with these delicious DIY cocktail recipes.
Whether you’re planning a virtual hen party, or working on developing some new mixology skills with your new-found spare time, this may just be the perfect opportunity to try your hand at some DIY cocktail making.
While we can’t head out to the bars ourselves, we’ve spoken to the cocktail connoisseurs from some of the best bars and luxury hotels around the world, to bring you a menu of delicious DIY cocktail recipes.
Delicious DIY Cocktail Recipes
Transport your tastebuds around the world with this delectable digest of wanderlust-inducing cocktails from a hand-picked selection of the some world’s greatest hotels. Follow the recipes to recreate this cocktails at home.
The Espresso Martini
From: The Library Bat at The Lanesborough
Overlooking Hyde Park and adjacent to the grounds of Buckingham Palace, The Lanesborough is one of London’s most iconic hotels commanding a prestigious location that straddles Belgravia, Knightsbridge and Mayfair. The hotel’s prestigious Library Bar offers a sanctuary from the hustle and bustle of city life and serves up on of the best Espresso Martini’s in the capital. A sweet-toothed tipple that is perfect as a post-dinner digestif, the classic cocktail is concocted using only three ingredients. Here’s how to make your own Espresso Martini.
DIY COCKTAIL RECIPE & METHOD
- Two shot glasses of espresso, or instant coffee mixed with hot water (make it strong!). We recommend two teaspoons of instant coffee to one spoon of sugar
- Two shot glasses of Vodka – any will do
- Two drops of vanilla extract
- Shake well in a tin jar or cocktail shaker with ice
- Strain and pour into your favourite cocktail glass (ideally a Martini glass)
- Tip: to make this extra sweet or to adapt into a fun dessert, you could blend the coffee mix and Vodka with two tablespoons of vanilla, chocolate or caramel ice cream – take your pick
The Bloomsbury
From: Parker’s Tavern, Cambridge
The bar in Parker’s Tavern at University Arms, Cambridge acts as a social hub in the city, and has been a meeting spot for over 100 years. The bar offers an extensive drinks menu, including a wide selection of English sparkling wine and a botanical-focused cocktail menu. The Bloomsbury Boozer was named after The Bloomsbury Set; a group of writers, academics and intellectuals including Virginia Woolf, John Maynard Keynes and E. M. Forster, who met at Cambridge in their boozy student days. Here’s how to make the famous cocktail at home.
DIY RECIPE & METHOD
- 50ml Cambridge Dry Gin
- 20ml elderflower cordial
- 20ml fresh lemon juice
- 4 – 5 raspberries
- Add all the ingredients to a cocktail shaker (or you can use a large jam jar with lid)
- Shake vigorously over ice
- Strain into a martini glass
The Estate Martini
From: The American Bar at The Gleneagles Hotel
The Gleneagles Hotel is one of Scotland’s most iconic hotels. Reminiscent of the elegance and glamour of bars of the 1920s and 30s, The American Bar is a truly special place for intimate drinks. Alongside glamorous tipples that pay tribute the characters and pastimes of the 20s, sit five stunning Signature Martinis. Our personal favourite it the Estate Martini, a raspberry leaf-infused vermouth and elderflower blend added to a South Loch Raspberry Old Tom gin. Here’s how to make it yourself.
DIY COCKTAIL RECIPE & METHOD
- 60ml South Loch Raspberry Old Tom Gin
- 5ml elderflower cordial
- 15ml raspberry leaf-infused vermouth
- Add the gin, vermouth, elderflower and ice together in a mixing glass and stir to combine
- Strain into a chilled Martini glass
- Garnish with a lemon peel
The Aperol Spritz
From: Jardin Français at Le Bristol Paris
Adored the world over, the Aperol Spritz is a simple classic cocktail originally from northern Italy. One of the best places to enjoy the summer aperitif however is at Le Bristol Paris’ Jardin Français, an urban oasis in the heart of Paris. The exquisitely pretty garden is a delightful place to revive after shopping with a light lunch shaded beneath a white parasol. Now, you can enjoy a classic Aperol Spritze with a French twist from your own garden with this DIY cocktail recipe.
DIY RECIPE & METHOD
- 40ml Aperol
- 60ml Côtes de Provence white wine
- 60ml soda water
- One orange
- Pour the Aperol into a wine glass filled with ice
- Pour the wine and soda water into a siphon and complete the cocktail with the mixture
- Decorate with fresh orange slices
The Bellini
From: Bar Bellini at Hotel Du Cap-Eden-Roc, Antibes
This Bellini recipe has been perfected by Christophe Lencioni, Head Bartender at the French Riviera’s most glamorous hotel, the 150-year-old Hotel du Cap-Eden-Roc. The hotel even named one of its much-loved bars, the Bar Bellini – the Côte d’Azur’s cocktail bar of choice for Hollywood stars. With a beautiful outdoor terrace and spectacular views over Hotel du Cap’s enchanting gardens and the famous Grande Allée down to the sea, it’s hard to imagine anything more elegant than sipping a Bellini here. The next best thing, however, would be sampling this at home. Channel riviera chic from your kitchen by following this DIY cocktail recipe.
RECIPE & METHOD
- 140ml of Champagne
- 15ml peach cream or Peachtree liqueur
- 100ml fresh peach purée
- Mix all ingredients together and serve in a long, chilled Champagne flute
The Eden Colada
From: Eden Rock, St Barths
Served in Eden Rock – St Barths’s brand-new Rémy Bar – named after the hotel’s original owner, Rémy de Haenen – signature cocktail, the Eden Colada honours both his fabulously wild pioneering spirit and the birthplace of the drink’s main ingredient: rum. The Eden Colada mixes two rums including Plantation 3 Stars, a tribute to historic rums with a suave blend of the region’s three primary terroirs: Barbados, Jamaica and Trinidad. You could substitute the specialist rums with any white rum. Fancy pineapple glass optional.
DIY RECIPE & METHOD
- 25ml Clement Blanc rum
- 25ml Plantation 2 Stars rum
- 30ml Moët & Chandon Champagne
- 30ml fresh pineapple juice
- 30ml pineapple syrup
- One scoop of coconut sorbet
- Simply blend all ingredients together in a blender
- For best results, serve in something similar to the iconic Eden Rock – St Barths pineapple glass (but any large round glass will do!)
- Add one drop of vanilla essence to complete if desired
The Rum Punch
From: Jumby Bay Island, Antigua
The perfect welcome to the Antigua, everyone’s first drink on the private Jumby Bay Island is the quintessentially Caribbean Rum Punch, concocted with local Antiguan rum. Described as being “sweet, a little tart, but full of magic,” this brew is a strong, timeless staple. You can substitute in a rum of your choice.
DIY COCKTAIL RECIPE & METHOD
- 120ml 5-year-old English Harbour rum
- 30ml fresh lime juice
- Two dashes of Angostura bitters
- 30ml Simple Syrup
- Fresh cinnamon powder
- Pineapple and lime to garnish
- Muddle all ingredients together, excluding the cinnamon powder
- Shake vigorously in a cocktail shaker or similar
- Serve over ice in a short glass and garnish with cinnamon powder, a slice of pineapple and one lime wheel or wedge
The Passion
From: Milaidhoo Island, The Maldives
This cocktail is sure to take your mind to the powder-soft white sand beaches lapped by gin-clear waters and framed by tropical greenery that the Maldives is famous for. For armchair travellers keen to get their Indian Ocean fix at home, this tropical beverage allows drinkers to envisage themselves at Milaidhoo – set over 13 acres atop the Baa Atoll’s beautiful UNESCO Biosphere Reserve. A firm favourite sundowner choice, The Passion is sweet with a zesty undertone, creating a refreshing twist on a classic.
DIY RECIPE & METHOD
- One passionfruit
- Two tsp vanilla sugar
- 20ml fresh lime juice
- 25ml fresh orange juice
- 10ml Passoa Liqueur or passion fruit liqueur
- 10ml Aperol
- 40ml Vanilla Absolut Vodka
- Orange peel, mint sprig and half passionfruit for garnish
- Shake all ingredients and pour over crushed ice into a glass of choice
- Garnish with orange peel, mint sprig and half passionfruit
Read More:
Want more wedding information and inspiration? Just hit ‘Like’ on our Wedding Ideas Facebook page, and ‘Follow’ on our @wimagazine Twitter account. To join in the conversation, share your stories here.