Create the drinks cupboard/trolley/home bar of dreams and make sure you’ve got a selection of these cocktail ingredients to hand at all times, so you’re always ready for cocktail hour:

• Spirits - whether you prefer whisky, vodka, gin or rum-based cocktails, make sure you have plenty of your favourite spirit, plus at least one other
• Liqueur - stock up on a selection of different flavoured liqueurs to add hints of fruit, coffee, or even chocolate to your creations
• Wine - lots of cocktails feature wine, so keep at least a bottle of red wine and a bottle of white wine in your drinks cupboard
• Juices, purees & syrups - buy a selection of fruit juices, purees and syrups to add extra sweetness to your drinks
• Cocktail mixers - you need a choice of soft drinks, tonics and soda water to top up your cocktail creations
• Garnishes - from mint for Mojitos to basil for British summertime-inspired drinks to Maraschino cherries
• Crushed ice - shake it up, baby
• Salt & sugar - the perfect finishing touch for the rim of your glass
• Fresh fruit - slice up wedges of lemon, lime, orange and cucumber to finish off your drinks. Cheers!

There’s no beating a classic, so you can’t go wrong with serving up a timeless cocktail at your next gathering. With echoes of everything from old New York to the Copacabana, here’s our pick of some of the best classic cocktail recipes: 

• Classic Margarita
• Dirty Martini
• Gimlet
• Whisky Sour
• Cosmopolitan
• Long Island Iced Tea
• Aperol Spritz
• Espresso Martini
• French 75
• White Russian
• Piña Colada

Put your own twist on a classic and invent your own cocktail concoctions, or check out our favourite recipes for something a little bit different:

• Gin Basil Smash - gin and lemon juice with a sharp touch of basil
• 1870 Sour - whisky or bourbon combines with red wine, lemon and egg white
• Apple Cider Mimosa - an apple and cinnamon twist on the classic Mimosa
• Minty Mojito Float - a refreshing Mojito served with a scoop of vanilla ice cream
• Salty Dog - a fruity vodka or gin cocktail with grapefruit and lime
• Front Porch Swing - a gorgeous summer drink with a white wine and cucumber vodka base
• Provence Cooler - a delicious concoction of vodka, lemon, blackberry and basil
• Death By Chocolate - an indulgent cocktail of vodka, coffee liqueur, and chocolate ice cream

Beer Margarita- an incredibly refreshing blend of tequila, beer and lime

You can mix your own mocktails by following any of our cocktail recipes and simply substituting the alcoholic ingredients for the non-alcoholic equivalent. Alternatively, freestyle and create your own mocktails with syrups, purees, juices and soft drinks. The possibilities are endless!

Aside from a selection of cocktail ingredients, you’ll also need some essential cocktail-making equipment, including:

• Cocktail shaker
• Strainer
• Jigger (for precise measurements)
• Bar spoons
• Cocktail glasses

Fun extras, such as cocktail umbrellas

Buy each item separately, or get everything you need at once in a cocktail set - these make brilliant gifts for budding mixologists too.

The best glass for your cocktail depends on the type of drink you’re making. Martinis call for a Martini glass, as do classic drinks like a Cosmopolitan or Manhattan. For Whisky Sours and Old Fashioneds, choose a tumbler. Serve Margaritas and Daiquiris in a Margarita glass, and opt for a highball glass if you’re mixing up a Mojito or Long Island Iced Tea. Have a few Champagne flutes to hand too, for Bellinis and Mimosas.

When you buy cocktail ingredients online, make sure you’re putting them in the correct place once they arrive at your home. Different types of ingredients need storing in different places:

• Spirits & syrups - keep these sealed and upright in a cool, dry spot out of direct sunlight
• Soft drinks & tonics - store these in a cool, dry place, then chill them in the fridge for a few hours before you’re planning to use them. Once opened, keep in the fridge and use within a few days to prevent them from going flat
• Purees & juices - keep these in the fridge once open and consume within the label’s recommended timeframe

It’s best to use purees soon after purchase; once opened, keep them in the fridge and use them within 10 days. Always read the label of individual purees, as this may vary from product to product.

Flavoured syrups should keep for around a year if stored correctly - they should be kept sealed, upright and in a cool, dry place out of direct sunlight. Always check the label of each individual syrup to see if this varies - some will have different expiration dates.

Yes, cocktail mixers can expire. Most mixers will be okay for about a year once they've been opened, but it's always best to check the expiration date on the bottle. Cocktail mixers that contain high levels of sugar or salt can go bad more quickly, so it's important to pay attention to those dates. 

If you have any leftover mixers after a party, store them in the fridge and they should be good for another few weeks. But if you notice that your mixer has started to spoil (it smells sour or off, or there are mould spores forming), then it's time to toss it out and buy a new one.