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Cocktail Ingredients Guide

From base spirits to the syrups, bitters and garnishes that round a drink out, here's a reference for the 73 ingredients you'll run into across our recipes. Pick a family below for the full write-ups — strength, origin, substitutes and notable brands — or jump straight to an ingredient from the index further down.

Browse by family

  • Spirits

    The foundations for the majority of cocktails.

    18 ingredients

  • Liqueurs

    Alcoholic beverages with added sugar and flavors derived from fruits, herbs, or nuts.

    15 ingredients

  • Wines

    Alcoholic drink typically made from fermented fruits, with grapes being the most common.

    5 ingredients

  • Schnapps

    Beverage that takes several forms, from distilled fruit brandies, herbal liqueurs, infusions, to flavored liqueurs.

    3 ingredients

  • Beers & Ciders

    Beer is produced from brewing and fermenting malted barley. Cider is produced by fermenting apple juice.

    6 ingredients

  • Bitters

    Used for flavoring cocktails in drops or dashes.

    0 ingredients

  • Syrups

    Used as a baseline for recipes, sweetens and flavors cocktails.

    7 ingredients

  • Juices

    Invaluable in a home bar, especially from citrus fruits, juices will diversify your game.

    6 ingredients

  • Herbs and Spices

    Blending herb and spices to your cocktails will alleviate the need for artificial mixes.

    0 ingredients

  • Carbonated Drinks

    Sodas are essentials for any bar and can upgrade a basic mixed drink.

    1 ingredient

  • Dairy and Creams

    Used for topping or comfort drinks and festive winter cocktails.

    0 ingredients

  • Pantry

    Essential accompaniments for savory drinks: sugars, salts, sauces, coffee, chocolate etc.

    1 ingredient

  • Fruits

    A great source of fresh juice and garnish ideas.

    1 ingredient

  • Vegetables

    Veggies aren't totally new to cocktails, greens like celery have traditionally served as a garnish for a long time. The cool thing is that you can create atypical ingredients you don't use every day.

    0 ingredients

  • Other

    More ingredients that can come in handy in your home bar like ice.

    10 ingredients

Every ingredient, A–Z

73 documented ingredients. Each one links to its own page where there's enough to say about it, or to its place on the family page otherwise.