At home, and at the bar.

In the 1800s British drinkers in the tropics mixed gin into bitter tonic water, and the pair stuck. With so few ingredients, the ice and the pour decide how it tastes. That is why people order it first at a new bar.

Q-Na

At home

45 ml gin, 135 ml tonic water (1:3). Fill the glass with ice, pour the gin, then add cold tonic slowly down the inside of the glass. Squeeze in an eighth of a lime and lift the drink once with a bar spoon.

Joanne

At the bar

Ask for a gin and tonic with lime. You do not need a brand name; say you want something citrus forward, or something light, and the bartender will choose.

Gin and vermouth, nothing else. Over the years the vermouth has shrunk, and the dry version became the standard. Since the balance is a matter of taste, regulars settle on their own ratio.

Q-Na

At home

60 ml gin, 10 ml dry vermouth. Stir gently about twenty turns over ice, then strain into a chilled glass. Twist a strip of lemon peel over the surface and drop in one olive.

Joanne

At the bar

Say you would like it on the dry side and the vermouth comes down. If it sounds strong, ask for it a little lighter. When the bartender asks olive or lemon twist, either answer is fine.

The story says a guest in 1920s Florence asked for gin instead of soda in his aperitif, and the drink took his name. Equal parts gin, bitter liqueur and red vermouth make it easy to remember. It is meant to be sipped before a meal.

Q-Na

At home

30 ml gin, 30 ml bitter liqueur, 30 ml sweet vermouth (1:1:1). Build over ice in a short glass and stir about fifteen turns. Finish with a strip of orange peel.

Joanne

At the bar

Just ask for a Negroni. It is bitter, so if it is your first one say you want it less bitter and the vermouth goes up. You can also ask for it lengthened with soda.

It goes back to long sea voyages, when gin was drunk with lime. Most bars now use fresh lime and a little sugar, and the balance of sweet and sour shows the bartender's hand. It is also famous from a novel.

Q-Na

At home

45 ml gin, 15 ml fresh lime juice, 1 teaspoon (5 ml) sugar syrup. Shake with ice for about ten seconds and strain into a chilled glass. If it is too sharp, add syrup 2 ml at a time.

Joanne

At the bar

Ask for a Gimlet with fresh lime. Say up front whether you like it sweeter or sharper. You can also have it served over ice.

Born in 19th century America, it is the model for spirit plus citrus, sugar and soda. The name comes from the sound of the bubbles. Light and tart, it often works as a first drink.

Q-Na

At home

Shake 45 ml gin, 20 ml lemon juice and 10 ml syrup with ice for ten seconds, then pour into an iced glass. Top with 70-80 ml soda water and stir once. Add a lemon slice.

Joanne

At the bar

Ask for a Gin Fizz. Say less sweet if you want it drier, or more soda if you want it lighter.

Think of it as a Gin Fizz moved into a tall glass with plenty of ice so it lasts. The name is said to come from a London waiter in the 1800s. It holds up well through a long conversation.

Q-Na

At home

Stir 45 ml gin, 20 ml lemon juice and 10 ml syrup in a tall glass, fill with ice and top with 100 ml soda water. Lift once from the bottom and add a lemon wheel.

Joanne

At the bar

Ask for a Tom Collins. If the bartender checks how it differs from a Gin Fizz, just say you want the tall one.

Whisky and soda, nothing more, but Japan turned it into a drink for the dinner table. Bars and izakayas in Taiwan pour a lot of them now. The bubbles open up the cask notes, which suits fried and grilled food.

Q-Na

At home

40 ml whisky, 160 ml soda water (1:4). Pack the glass with ice, pour the whisky and stir once to chill it. Add the soda down the side, not onto the ice, and lift once more at the end.

Joanne

At the bar

Ask for a highball. Say lighter or stronger to change the ratio, and ask for lemon if you want it. If you care about the whisky, say you like more cask character.

An old formula of spirit, citrus and sugar that appears in 19th century books. Many bars add a little egg white for a softer texture. The sweetness of the whisky and the bite of lemon sit right next to each other.

Q-Na

At home

45 ml whisky, 20 ml lemon juice, 15 ml syrup. Shake hard with ice for about twelve seconds and pour over one or two ice cubes. For egg white, add 15 ml, shake ten seconds without ice, then shake again with ice.

Joanne

At the bar

Ask for a Whisky Sour. If egg white is not for you, say so before it is made. Ask for it less sweet if you prefer.

It keeps the recipe from the time the word cocktail was coined: spirit with a little sugar and bitters. The name simply means the old way. As the ice melts, the drink keeps changing.

Q-Na

At home

Put 2-3 dashes of bitters on a sugar cube (or 10 ml syrup) and dissolve it with 10 ml of the whisky. Add one large ice cube, pour in the remaining 50 ml and stir twenty turns. Finish with orange peel.

Joanne

At the bar

Ask for an Old Fashioned. It is strong, so asking for a large ice cube or a touch more sugar helps. Many bars let you pick the whisky, so say what you like.

Whisky cut with cold water, a habit that has long sat on the Japanese dinner table. Lower in strength and softer in aroma, it stays out of the way of the food. Simple to make, though the temperature of the ice and water matters.

Q-Na

At home

40 ml whisky, 120 ml cold water (1:3). Pour the whisky over a glass packed with ice, stir gently to chill it, then add the water. Lift once more from the bottom at the end.

Joanne

At the bar

Ask for whisky and water, or whisky with still water on ice. Say weaker or stronger and the bartender will adjust.

Whisky lengthened with hot water, a cold weather standard. Warmth lifts the cask and grain notes, so a small glass goes a long way. Honey and lemon are classic additions.

Q-Na

At home

Warm a heatproof glass with hot water and empty it, then add 30 ml whisky. Pour in 90 ml water at about 80C (1:3) and, if you like, a teaspoon of honey and a slice of lemon. Water straight off the boil blows the aroma away, so let it settle first.

Joanne

At the bar

Most bars will make you a hot whisky. If they do not, ask whether they have anything warm and they will suggest something seasonal.

A Cuban drink of rum, lime, mint and soda. Crushing the mint hard makes it bitter, so press it just enough to release the scent. It is one of the most ordered drinks in hot weather.

Q-Na

At home

Squeeze a quarter lime into the glass and drop the shell in, add ten mint leaves and 15 ml syrup, then press lightly. Fill with crushed ice, pour 45 ml rum, top with 60 ml soda and stir twice from the bottom. Crown it with a sprig of mint.

Joanne

At the bar

Ask for a Mojito. Say less sweet, or more mint, as you prefer. Asking for a lighter rum changes the weight of the drink.

Named after a Cuban mining area, it is rum, lime and sugar and nothing else. With three ingredients, the freshness of the lime and the amount of sugar show. The frozen version is well known too.

Q-Na

At home

45 ml rum, 20 ml fresh lime juice, 12 ml syrup. Shake with ice for ten seconds and strain into a well chilled glass. Adjust the syrup in 5 ml steps until it suits you.

Joanne

At the bar

Ask for a Daiquiri, or a frozen Daiquiri if you want the slushy kind. Frozen in summer, straight up the rest of the year is an easy rule.

Rum with cola and a squeeze of lime. The name is said to come from a Cuban slogan of the early 1900s. It is hard to get wrong, which makes it a good one to make at home.

Q-Na

At home

Fill a glass with ice, add 45 ml rum, squeeze in an eighth of a lime and drop the shell in. Top with 120 ml cola (about 1:2.5) and lift once. Cold cola keeps the fizz steady.

Joanne

At the bar

Ask for a rum and coke with lime. It is sweet, so extra lime tightens it up.

Dark rum floated on ginger beer and served in layers. The story places it at sea around Bermuda. Ginger heat meets the molasses note of the rum.

Q-Na

At home

Pour 120 ml ginger beer over ice and squeeze in a quarter lime. Float 45 ml dark rum over the back of a spoon and serve unmixed. Stir it yourself before drinking if you like.

Joanne

At the bar

Ask for a Dark and Stormy. Without ginger beer a bar will use ginger ale, which comes out milder.

The story goes that in 1940s America someone paired slow selling vodka with ginger beer. The copper mug many bars use is a leftover from that push. Ginger gives the drink its edge.

Q-Na

At home

In an iced mug or glass combine 45 ml vodka and 10 ml lime juice, then top with 120 ml ginger beer (about 1:2.5). Lift once and add a lime wedge.

Joanne

At the bar

Ask for a Moscow Mule. Say more ginger for heat, or more lime to keep it fresh.

Vodka and orange juice, named after a story about workers stirring it with a tool. The juice is the drink, so bars that squeeze fresh make a different thing. It is sweet and easy going.

Q-Na

At home

Pour 45 ml vodka and 120 ml orange juice (about 1:2.7) over ice and stir twice. Fresh squeezed juice makes it brighter. Add a slice of orange.

Joanne

At the bar

Ask for a Screwdriver. Check whether they squeeze the juice fresh before you order.

Vodka with tomato juice, seasoned with salt, pepper and hot sauce. It began in a Paris bar and took its present shape in America. The seasoning varies a lot from bar to bar.

Q-Na

At home

Over ice, combine 45 ml vodka and 120 ml tomato juice, then add 5 ml lemon juice, a pinch of salt, black pepper and two dashes of hot sauce. Stir well, taste, and add salt a little at a time. Garnish with celery or lime.

Joanne

At the bar

Ask for a Bloody Mary. Say milder or more pepper to steer the seasoning. Temperature matters, so mention it if you want it very cold.

Said to have been invented in 1980s London: vodka with espresso and coffee liqueur. A hard shake builds the fine foam on top. Most people order it after dinner.

Q-Na

At home

40 ml vodka, 30 ml fresh espresso, 15 ml coffee liqueur, 5 ml syrup. Shake hard with ice for fifteen seconds and strain into a chilled glass. No foam means you did not shake enough; change the ice and go again.

Joanne

At the bar

Ask for an Espresso Martini. It runs sweet, so ask for less sugar if you want it cleaner. A smaller pour is fine to request.

Sake lengthened with tonic water, a habit that spread over the past decade or so. The sweetness of the rice meets the bitterness of the tonic, which makes sake easier to approach. More Japanese restaurants in Taiwan pour it now.

Q-Na

At home

60 ml sake, 90 ml tonic water (2:3). Pour the sake over ice, then add cold tonic slowly. A squeeze of lemon sharpens it. A quiet junmai style is the easiest to work with.

Joanne

At the bar

Ask if they can lengthen sake with tonic; most places can. Add that you would like a lighter style of sake, since a very aromatic one fights the bitterness.

A newer idea: swap part of the vermouth in a Martini for sake. The rice sweetness rounds off the gin. It also works when you want a small glass of sake before eating.

Q-Na

At home

40 ml gin, 20 ml sake, 5 ml dry vermouth. Stir twenty turns over ice and strain into a chilled glass. Add lemon oil from a twist, and a slice of cucumber if you like.

Joanne

At the bar

Ask for a Martini with part of the vermouth replaced by sake. Bars that keep sake are usually happy to try.

Sake with soda water, the simplest version of all. Lower in strength and more open in aroma, it suits the first glass of a meal. Chilled junmai with something salty is a good pairing.

Q-Na

At home

70 ml sake, 70 ml soda water (1:1). Pour the sake over ice, stir once, then add the soda down the side of the glass. A squeeze of lemon tightens the aroma.

Joanne

At the bar

Ask for sake with soda. Saying half and half is the clearest way to set the strength.

A modern glass: sake with a little yuzu juice and honey, lengthened with soda. Yuzu is strong, so a small amount carries the whole drink. Some bars serve it as a winter citrus special.

Q-Na

At home

Stir 60 ml sake, 10 ml yuzu juice and a teaspoon (5 ml) of honey until the honey dissolves. Pour over ice, add 80 ml soda water slowly and lift once. Lemon works if you have no yuzu.

Joanne

At the bar

Ask whether they can do sake with yuzu and soda. Without yuzu, most bars will build something similar with lemon.

Fruit steeped in sake so the juice and aroma move into the drink. It borrows the idea of Spanish sangria and is easy to make at home. Since it can be made ahead, it suits days with guests.

Q-Na

At home

Steep 150 g of sliced strawberry, orange and apple with a tablespoon of honey in 300 ml sake, chilled for at least three hours. Serve with the fruit over ice and add an equal part of soda water. Take the fruit out after half a day or it turns bitter.

Joanne

At the bar

This is more of a home drink, but at a bar with a sake list you can ask whether they have a sake cocktail with fruit.

Shochu with soda and a squeeze of lemon, a fixture of the Japanese izakaya. It is said to have spread from Tokyo shops in the 1950s. It stays light next to oily food.

Q-Na

At home

45 ml shochu, 135 ml soda water (1:3), a quarter lemon. Pour the shochu over a full glass of ice and stir once, squeeze the lemon, then add the soda slowly. Add 5 ml syrup if you want it sweeter.

Joanne

At the bar

Ask for a lemon sour. If you do not want it sweet, say no syrup and they will build it with plain soda.

Shochu cut with oolong tea, long popular in izakayas. The tannin covers the spirit, which helps people who dislike the smell of alcohol. Brewed with Taiwanese tea it comes out quite different.

Q-Na

At home

45 ml shochu, 135 ml cold unsweetened oolong tea (1:3). Pour the shochu over ice, add the tea and stir twice. Brew the tea strong and chill it so the ice does not thin it out.

Joanne

At the bar

Ask for shochu with oolong tea. Check that the tea is unsweetened, since some places only keep the sweetened kind.

Shochu with hot water, the way it has long been drunk in Kyushu. Pour the water first and the shochu second and they mix on their own. Heat opens the sweet potato or barley aroma, so bolder shochu suits it best.

Q-Na

At home

Pour 90 ml water at about 70C into a heatproof glass first, then add 60 ml shochu (3:2). Leave it a minute rather than stirring. If the aroma is too much, cut the shochu by 10 ml.

Joanne

At the bar

Ask for shochu with hot water. If you want it precise, say six parts water to four parts shochu.

Half a grapefruit squeezed into the glass on the spot, common in Japanese izakayas. The pith adds bitterness, so it satisfies without sugar. Some places hand you the fruit and a press.

Q-Na

At home

Squeeze half a grapefruit (about 60 ml of juice) and combine with 45 ml shochu over ice. Add 90 ml soda water and stir twice. If it is too bitter, add 5 ml syrup.

Joanne

At the bar

Ask for a fresh grapefruit sour. Confirm that it is squeezed to order, since some bars only stock juice.

Umeshu with soda, the most common way to drink it. Neat umeshu is heavy with sugar, and soda lets the acidity through for a lighter finish. Well aged umeshu keeps its aroma even when lengthened.

Q-Na

At home

50 ml umeshu, 100 ml soda water (1:2). Pour the umeshu over ice, add the soda gently and lift once. A squeeze of lemon reins in the sweetness.

Joanne

At the bar

Ask for umeshu with soda. Say lighter if the sweetness bothers you.

Umeshu chilled by one large cube. Undiluted, the plum aroma and acidity come through, so differences between makers show. It suits slow drinking after a meal.

Q-Na

At home

Pour 60 ml umeshu over one large ice cube and let it sit about ten seconds to cool. Stir once only and follow how it changes as the ice melts. A bigger cube dilutes less.

Joanne

At the bar

Ask for umeshu on the rocks. It is sweet, so a glass of water alongside keeps your palate fresh.

Umeshu with tonic and a little mint or lime, a modern take. The bitterness of the tonic catches the sweetness, which helps people who avoid sweet drinks. Any bar can put it together.

Q-Na

At home

45 ml umeshu, 105 ml tonic water (3:7). Pour the umeshu over ice and add the tonic slowly. Squeeze in an eighth of a lime and clap three mint leaves between your palms before adding them.

Joanne

At the bar

Ask for umeshu with tonic. Check whether they have mint before you order.

Umeshu cut with unsweetened oolong, for anyone who wants less sugar. Tannin and plum acidity together keep it drinkable through a meal. A roasted Taiwanese oolong adds a toasty layer.

Q-Na

At home

45 ml umeshu, 105 ml cold unsweetened oolong (3:7). Pour the umeshu over ice, add the tea and stir twice. The stronger the tea, the clearer the outline.

Joanne

At the bar

Ask for umeshu with oolong tea. In Taiwan some bars let you pick the tea; a roasted one changes the drink.

From northern Italy, a bitter liqueur lengthened with sparkling wine and soda before dinner. It is low in strength and made for early evening. A slice of orange is standard.

Q-Na

At home

Fill a large glass with ice and pour 90 ml sparkling wine, 60 ml bitter liqueur and 30 ml soda water (3:2:1). Lift once and add a half slice of orange. Use everything straight from the fridge or the bubbles die.

Joanne

At the bar

Ask for a Spritz. The bitterness depends on the liqueur, so say if you want it on the gentle side.

Sparkling wine with orange juice, named after the flower for its color. It is said to have started at a Paris hotel. Light enough for daytime, it often shows up at celebrations.

Q-Na

At home

75 ml well chilled sparkling wine, 75 ml orange juice (1:1). Put the juice in a flute first and pour the wine in slowly so it does not foam over. Do not stir.

Joanne

At the bar

Ask for a Mimosa. More wine and less juice makes it drier. Fresh juice makes a real difference.

Blackcurrant liqueur with orange juice, sweet and easy. It became a standard in Japan and is a safe order for a first visit to a bar. The color helps too.

Q-Na

At home

Pour 40 ml blackcurrant liqueur and 120 ml orange juice (1:3) over ice and stir twice. If it is too sweet, add 20 ml more juice or a squeeze of lemon.

Joanne

At the bar

Ask for cassis and orange. If it is too sweet for you, cassis with soda is the lighter version.

Coffee liqueur with milk, sweet and gentle. People usually order it after dinner or as a last drink. It is simple enough to copy exactly at home.

Q-Na

At home

Pour 45 ml coffee liqueur and 90 ml milk (1:2) over ice and stir three times from the bottom. They do not mix easily, so lift from underneath along the ice.

Joanne

At the bar

Ask for coffee liqueur with milk. More milk makes it lighter. Say if you want it very cold, as not every bar keeps the milk chilled.

A red bitter liqueur topped with soda, the Italian aperitif. Bitterness leads rather than sugar, which is why it sits before a meal. Low in strength, it works as a first glass.

Q-Na

At home

Pour 40 ml red bitter liqueur and 120 ml soda water (1:3) over a full glass of ice and lift once. A slice of orange softens the bitterness.

Joanne

At the bar

Ask for Campari and soda. If the bitterness is too much, ask them to add orange.

Grappa is distilled from the grape skins left after winemaking; here it is lengthened with tonic. Italians usually drink it neat after dinner, but tonic opens the aroma and makes it work at the table. The floral grape character stays.

Q-Na

At home

40 ml grappa, 120 ml tonic water (1:3). Pour the grappa over a full glass of ice, stir once, then add cold tonic slowly. Lemon oil from a twist pulls the grape aroma together.

Joanne

At the bar

Ask if they can pour grappa with tonic. Aged and unaged grappa smell quite different, so say whether you want the lighter style or the cask aged one.

Grappa framed as a sour, balanced with citrus and sugar. A spirit that can feel loud on its own settles once acidity and sweetness arrive. A good first step into Italian distillates.

Q-Na

At home

40 ml grappa, 20 ml lemon juice, 15 ml syrup. Shake with ice for twelve seconds and pour over one cube. If the aroma is too loud, cut 5 ml of grappa and add 5 ml water.

Joanne

At the bar

Ask whether they can build a sour with grappa. Many bars do not stock it, so check first.

An Italian habit of adding a small measure of spirit to espresso, usually grappa. The name means corrected coffee, and it comes at the end of a meal. The pour is small, closer to seasoning than to a drink.

Q-Na

At home

Pull a single espresso (30 ml) and add 10 ml grappa. If you take sugar, put a teaspoon in the cup first, pour the coffee, then the spirit. More than 10 ml and the grappa takes over.

Joanne

At the bar

At an Italian restaurant, ask for a corretto after dinner. At a bar, ask for an espresso with a little grappa in it.

Mead, fermented from honey, is among the oldest drinks on record. Neat it leads with sweetness, but soda leaves the aroma and lightens the body. The colder it is, the cleaner the finish.

Q-Na

At home

60 ml mead, 90 ml soda water (2:3). Pour the mead over ice, add the soda gently and lift once. An eighth of a lemon squeezed in tightens the sweetness.

Joanne

At the bar

Ask whether they have mead and, if so, for it with soda. Not many bars stock it, so it is worth trying when you see it.

Mead with lemon, propped up by a small measure of spirit. The honey does the job of the sugar, so you barely need syrup. Different honeys give noticeably different aromas.

Q-Na

At home

90 ml mead, 20 ml lemon juice, 15 ml gin or whisky. Shake with ice for ten seconds and pour over one cube. If it needs sweetening, add half a teaspoon (2.5 ml) of honey.

Joanne

At the bar

Ask whether they can turn mead into a sour; some will add a little gin. Since mead is rarely on the shelf, start by asking if they have it.

Mead warmed with spices for cold weather. Heat lifts the floral honey notes so they sit alongside clove and cinnamon. Boiling drives the aroma off, so warm it only.

Q-Na

At home

In a small pan, warm 150 ml mead with a cinnamon stick, two cloves and a strip of orange peel to about 60-65C. Take it off before it boils, strain and pour. Add 30 ml hot water if it is too sweet.

Joanne

At the bar

In winter, ask whether they can warm mead with spices. If they cannot, they will usually suggest another warm fruit wine instead.

The same build without the rum: lime, mint and soda. It fits in at a table when you are not drinking, which is why it comes up at dinners. The aromatics are still there, so it does not feel thin.

Q-Na

At home

Squeeze a quarter lime into the glass with the shell, add ten mint leaves and 15 ml syrup and press lightly. Fill with crushed ice, top with 150 ml soda water and stir twice. An extra lime wedge sharpens it.

Joanne

At the bar

Ask for something like a Mojito without alcohol. It is an easy order when you are driving or simply not drinking tonight.

Ginger and lime with soda, no alcohol. The heat of the ginger closes the finish so it never tastes merely sweet. It sits comfortably at any point in a meal.

Q-Na

At home

Stir a teaspoon (5 g) of grated ginger with 15 ml lime juice and 10 ml syrup in the glass, add ice, then 130 ml soda water. Stir twice and add a lime slice. Halve the ginger if it is too sharp.

Joanne

At the bar

Ask for something non alcoholic that is not too sweet, and most bars will reach for ginger or citrus. Saying it up front matters, since otherwise you may just get a sweet soft drink.

A bitter non alcoholic aperitif with soda, built in the shape of a Spritz. The bitterness gives it a weight that sweet drinks do not have. Purpose made alcohol free bottles are easier to find now.

Q-Na

At home

60 ml bitter non alcoholic aperitif, 120 ml soda water (1:2). Build over ice in a large glass and lift once. Without a purpose made bottle, 150 ml soda with 30 ml grapefruit juice and 10 ml strong black tea gets close.

Joanne

At the bar

The quickest route is to ask whether they carry a non alcoholic aperitif. If not, some bartenders will build something bitter from citrus and tea.