Every cocktail

Got two things and no idea what they make? Browse by pairing.

• Amaretto SourA splash of bourbon stops it turning into marzipan.
• AmericanoThe Negroni’s daytime cousin. Bond ordered it first.
• Aperol SpritzThree, two, one: prosecco, Aperol, soda. Fill the glass with ice first.
• AviationViolette turns it sky-grey. Skip it and the drink still flies.
• Bee’s KneesProhibition-era cover-up for bad gin. Excellent with good gin.
• BelliniHarry’s Bar, Venice. White peaches if you can get them.
• Black RussianThe White Russian before the dairy arrives.
• Bloody MaryRoll it between two glasses. Shaking flattens the tomato juice.
• BoulevardierA Negroni that spent the winter in Kentucky.
• BrambleDick Bradsell, London, 1980s. Drizzle the liqueur so it bleeds down the ice.
• Brandy AlexanderPudding in a glass, and unapologetic about it.
• CaipirinhaMuddle the lime with sugar in the glass. No shaker required.
• Corpse Reviver #2A breakfast drink, historically. Use your judgement.
• CosmopolitanUnfairly maligned. Made properly it is a very good drink.
• Cuba LibreRum and coke plus lime, which is the entire difference.
• DaiquiriRum, lime, sugar. Nothing else, and nothing missing.
• Dark ’n’ StormyFloat the rum so the first sip is a storm cloud.
• Dry MartiniTwo ingredients, nowhere to hide. Get everything painfully cold.
• El DiabloTequila and cassis is a stranger pairing than it has any right to be.
• Espresso MartiniOnly works with a fresh shot. Cold coffee will not foam.
• French 75Named after a field gun. It hits about that hard.
• French MartiniShake hard enough and the pineapple builds its own foam.
• GimletSharper and colder than you remember.
• Gin & TonicMore ice than you think. Warm tonic is the enemy.
• Ginger Lime CoolerThe one to hand someone who is driving.
• GodfatherTwo ingredients, no tools, twenty seconds.
• GrasshopperBright green and completely shameless.
• Hot ToddyHot but never boiling — boiling water scalds the whisky.
• Kir RoyaleTwo ingredients and a dinner party rescued.
• Last WordFour equal parts that should not work together, and absolutely do.
• Lemon DropSugar the rim before you pour, and shake it hard.
• Long Island Iced TeaFive spirits and no tea. Proceed with respect.
• Mai TaiNo pineapple juice. The real one is rum, lime, orange and almond.
• ManhattanRye and sweet vermouth in a wool overcoat.
• MargaritaSalt on half the rim, so you get a choice with every sip.
• Mezcal MargaritaSame shape as a margarita, twice the personality.
• MimosaJuice first, then fizz, or it foams over the table.
• Mint JulepCrushed ice, packed to a dome, until the cup frosts over.
• MojitoPress the mint, do not shred it. Bruised mint tastes like a lawn.
• Moscow MuleCopper mug optional. Cold ginger beer is not.
• NegroniEqual parts, bitter and beautiful. The one you learn first and drink forever.
• Negroni SbagliatoThe "mistaken" Negroni — prosecco where the gin should be.
• NogroniBitter, orange-led and adult. Grapefruit does the Campari’s job.
• Oaxaca Old FashionedSmoke and agave. Flame the orange peel if you want the full show.
• Old FashionedSpirit, sugar, bitters, ice. The original definition of the word cocktail.
• PainkillerGrate the nutmeg over the top. It is the whole trick.
• PalomaWhat Mexico actually drinks while tourists queue for margaritas.
• Paper PlaneFour equal parts, invented in 2008 and already a classic.
• PenicillinModern classic. The ginger and honey do the heavy lifting.
• Piña ColadaBlend it or shake it — just do not skimp on the coconut.
• Planter’s PunchOne of sour, two of sweet, three of strong, four of weak.
• Pornstar MartiniBritain’s most-ordered cocktail. The prosecco goes beside it, not in it.
• Rusty NailScotch with the heather-honey dial turned up.
• SazeracRinse the glass, discard the absinthe. The ghost of it is the point.
• ScrewdriverFresh oranges make this a genuinely good drink. Cartons do not.
• Sea BreezeThe grapefruit is what keeps it from being squash.
• Sex on the BeachOrder it anyway.
• Shirley TempleNamed after the actor, who reportedly hated it.
• SidecarSugar rim if you like. Paris, roughly a century ago.
• SouthsideGin, lime, sugar and mint, shaken and served straight up.
• Tequila SunrisePour the grenadine last and do not stir. That is the sunrise.
• Tom CollinsA gin sour, stretched long with soda.
• Tommy’s MargaritaAgave instead of orange liqueur — cleaner, and the tequila actually speaks.
• Vieux CarréNew Orleans in a glass — rye and cognac sharing the driving.
• Virgin MojitoAll of the ritual, none of the rum.
• Whiskey SourThe template every other sour is a remix of.
• Whisky HighballJapan perfected this. Cold glass, cold soda, one stir.
• White LadyA sidecar in gin, with a silk collar of egg white.
• White RussianFloat the cream and let the drinker stir it in.
• Woo WooThree ingredients, zero pretension.