The four cocktail templates.
Almost every cocktail is a variant of one of these four · dissolvedsolids.co
1. The Sour
SPIRIT + CITRUS + SWEET (3:1:1, optional egg white)
The most flexible template. Spirit-forward, balanced, refreshing. Shaken hard with ice, double-strained.
- Whisky Sour: bourbon + lemon + sugar (+ egg)
- Daiquiri: rum + lime + sugar
- Margarita: tequila + lime + Cointreau (Cointreau = sweet)
- Gimlet: gin + lime + sugar/cordial
- Bee's Knees: gin + lemon + honey
- Sidecar: cognac + lemon + Cointreau
- Pisco Sour: pisco + lime + sugar + egg
- Junos Sour: ⭐ Jap whisky + yuzu + honey + egg
- Kopi Sour: ⭐ whisky + kopi-O + gula melaka + lemon + egg
Rule of thumb: if you want it sweeter, more sweet; sharper, more citrus; stronger, more spirit.
2. The Sazerac / Old Fashioned
SPIRIT + SUGAR + BITTERS (60ml/1tsp/3 dash, stirred over large ice)
The oldest cocktail template. Spirit-forward, stirred, no citrus. Showcases the base spirit.
- Old Fashioned: bourbon + sugar + Angostura
- Sazerac: rye + sugar + Peychaud's + absinthe rinse
- Manhattan: rye + sweet vermouth (vermouth = sugar) + bitters
- Negroni: gin + Campari + sweet vermouth (Campari = bitter side)
- Boulevardier: bourbon + Campari + sweet vermouth
- Martinez: gin + maraschino + sweet vermouth + bitters
- Gula Melaka OF: ⭐ bourbon + gula melaka + bitters
- Mezcal Negroni: mezcal + Campari + sweet vermouth
Rule of thumb: any clean spirit can replace the base. Sugar can be syrup, jaggery, honey, agave, gula melaka. Bitters set the personality.
3. The Spritz
BITTER LIQUEUR + WINE + SODA (3:2:1 over ice, garnish)
Low-ABV, refreshing, long-pour. Designed for slow afternoon drinking.
- Aperol Spritz: Aperol + prosecco + soda
- Campari Spritz: Campari + prosecco + soda
- Hugo Spritz: elderflower + prosecco + soda + mint
- Negroni Sbagliato: Campari + sweet vermouth + prosecco (no soda)
- Americano: Campari + sweet vermouth + soda (no wine)
- Roselle Spritz: ⭐ hibiscus syrup + gin + lime + cava
- Limoncello Spritz: limoncello + prosecco + soda
Rule of thumb: the bitter liqueur sets the colour and bitterness, the wine sets the celebration, the soda sets the length. Swap any of the three.
4. The Highball
SPIRIT + LONG MIXER (1:3 over plenty of ice)
The simplest cocktail template. Just spirit and mixer over ice, sometimes citrus.
- Gin and Tonic: gin + tonic
- Whisky Highball: whisky + soda
- Moscow Mule: vodka + lime + ginger beer
- Dark and Stormy: dark rum + lime + ginger beer
- Paloma: tequila + grapefruit + lime + soda
- Cuba Libre: rum + lime + cola
- Calamansi Highball: ⭐ vodka/gin + calamansi + soda
- Pandan Collins: ⭐ gin + pandan + lime + soda (sour + highball hybrid)
Rule of thumb: the ice quality matters more than the spirit. Big clean cubes, fill the glass, pour the spirit, top with cold mixer. Stir gently once.