Cocktail ratio calculator

The three ratios that cover 90% of classic cocktails

Almost every classic cocktail is a variation of one of three ratios:

• 2:1:1 (sour template): 2 oz spirit, 1 oz citrus, 1 oz sweetener. Margarita, Daiquiri, Whiskey Sour, Sidecar, Gimlet all live here. The acid + sweet balance around the base spirit is the backbone of bar mixology.
• 2:1 (stirred-spirit template): 2 oz base spirit, 1 oz modifier (sweet vermouth, dry vermouth, amaro, Lillet). Manhattan, Martini (at classic ratio, though modern is drier), Negroni (1:1:1 variant), Rob Roy.
• 3:1 split (dry stirred): 3 oz base, 1 oz vermouth. Modern Martini. Hemingway Daiquiri runs 2:1 variant.

Memorize the sour template — 2:1:1 — and you can make hundreds of drinks by just swapping spirit and sweetener. Tequila + lime + agave = margarita. Rum + lime + simple = daiquiri. Gin + lime + simple = gimlet. Whiskey + lemon + simple = whiskey sour. They're the same drink with different labels.

The classic recipes, measured

• Margarita: 2 oz tequila (blanco or reposado), 1 oz lime juice, 0.75 oz orange liqueur (Cointreau/triple sec), 0.25 oz agave or simple syrup. Shake with ice, strain. Salt rim optional.
• Daiquiri: 2 oz white rum, 1 oz lime juice, 0.75 oz simple syrup. Shake, strain up.
• Old Fashioned: 2 oz bourbon or rye, 0.25 oz simple syrup (or 1 sugar cube), 2 dashes Angostura bitters, orange peel expressed. Stir over one large ice cube.
• Manhattan: 2 oz rye whiskey, 1 oz sweet vermouth, 2 dashes Angostura bitters. Stir 30 sec, strain, cherry garnish.
• Negroni: 1 oz gin, 1 oz Campari, 1 oz sweet vermouth. Stir, serve on the rock, orange peel. This 1:1:1 ratio is sacred.
• Martini (modern dry): 2.5 oz gin or vodka, 0.5 oz dry vermouth (ratio 5:1). Stir, strain, olive or twist.
• Whiskey Sour: 2 oz bourbon, 0.75 oz lemon juice, 0.5 oz simple syrup, 0.5 oz egg white (optional). Dry shake, wet shake, strain.
• Moscow Mule: 2 oz vodka, 0.5 oz lime juice, 4 oz ginger beer. Build in copper mug over ice.
• Paloma: 2 oz tequila, 0.5 oz lime juice, 0.5 oz simple syrup, 4 oz grapefruit soda (Jarritos or fresh grapefruit + soda water).
• Aperol Spritz: 3 oz prosecco, 2 oz Aperol, 1 oz soda water. Ice-filled wine glass.

Simple syrup: the foundation

1:1 simple syrup is equal parts sugar and water by weight. 200g sugar + 200g water, heated just until dissolved. Refrigerated: 4-6 weeks. Rich simple syrup is 2:1 (400g sugar to 200g water) and is used in cocktails that need sweetness without adding water — mostly stirred drinks like Old Fashioneds. Honey syrup (1:1 honey and water) is used in whiskey cocktails like a Gold Rush. Agave syrup (1:1) matches margaritas.

Scaling for a party: the math

A single cocktail uses 2 oz of spirit. A 750 ml bottle = 25.4 oz = 12-13 cocktails. For a 10-person party where each guest has 2 cocktails (industry standard for a 3-hour event), plan 20 cocktails = 1.5-2 bottles of the base spirit.

Batch cocktail math for 20 servings of margarita:

• 40 oz tequila (1.5 bottles)
• 20 oz lime juice (juice of ~18-20 limes)
• 15 oz Cointreau (0.6 bottle; a full 750 ml gets you 25 drinks)
• 5 oz simple syrup

Batch and refrigerate the spirit + syrup + liqueur mix ahead. Add fresh lime juice within 2 hours of serving (citrus oxidizes quickly — pre-squeezed lime juice over 4 hours old tastes flat and dull). Shake individual servings with ice or pour batch over ice and stir.

The ice question nobody asks

Different cocktails want different ice:

• Shaken & strained up (martini, daiquiri): no ice in glass
• On the rocks (Old Fashioned, Negroni): one large 2-inch cube — melts slowly, doesn't over-dilute
• Tall drinks (Moscow Mule, Paloma, Dark 'n Stormy): small cubes or crushed — faster dilution is actually good here
• Frozen drinks: 1.5 cups crushed ice per serving in a blender

Clear ice from boiled (twice-boiled) water is a bar-nerd touch but makes drinks look gorgeous. Silicone cube trays (2-inch) from Amazon are $12 and produce restaurant-quality ice at home.

Dilution: the invisible ingredient

A stirred cocktail (Manhattan, Old Fashioned) picks up 20-25% water by volume from ice during a 30-second stir. A shaken cocktail picks up 25-35% water during a 10-12 second shake. That 2 oz of bourbon in a Manhattan becomes 2.5 oz of diluted liquid after stirring — and the dilution smooths the alcohol burn. Stirring for only 10 seconds leaves a drink hot and boozy; 40 seconds over-dilutes and flattens flavors.

The bitters rule

Bitters are cocktail seasoning — 2-4 dashes per drink. Angostura is the universal workhorse. Peychaud's makes a Sazerac. Orange bitters brightens a Martini. A home bar with Angostura, orange, and one "weird" bottle (mole, lavender, chocolate) can season 95% of classic cocktails.

Alcohol volume and party planning

A standard cocktail contains 1.5-2 oz of 40% ABV spirit = 0.6-0.8 oz pure alcohol, equivalent to 1-1.3 standard drinks. Men typically metabolize one standard drink per hour; women, slightly less. For a 3-hour party, plan 2-3 cocktails per guest max if you're serving dinner. For a cocktail-only party, plan 3-4 per guest but have food to slow absorption.

Related: wine per guest, party food planner, tea ratios, coffee ratios.

FAQ

Fresh-squeezed vs. bottled citrus? Fresh every time. Bottled lime juice in a green squeeze bottle tastes like cleaner and ruins a margarita. The 90 seconds to juice a lime is the difference between a cocktail and a regret.

Shaken vs. stirred? Shake anything with juice, egg, or cream — these need aeration. Stir anything that's only spirits (Manhattan, Martini, Negroni). Shaking a Manhattan bruises the vermouth and clouds the drink.

Best budget home bar? Gin ($20 Beefeater), bourbon ($22 Buffalo Trace or $28 Woodford), tequila blanco ($25 Espolon), Campari, sweet vermouth (Carpano Antica $20), Cointreau ($35), Angostura bitters. Total: ~$180 buys access to 30+ classic cocktails.

The one drink to master first

The Old Fashioned. It teaches stirring, dilution, bitters seasoning, and ice handling. Once you can make a balanced Old Fashioned, every stirred classic is trivial. Recipe: 2 oz rye or bourbon, 0.25 oz simple syrup, 2 dashes Angostura, orange peel. Stir with ice 30 seconds. Strain over one 2-inch cube. Express the orange peel over the glass. Done.

Worked classic cocktails scaled for 1 and for 20

Old Fashioned. Single drink: 60 ml bourbon + 7.5 ml simple syrup + 2 dashes Angostura bitters + orange peel. Batch for 20 (batched without ice): 1,200 ml bourbon + 150 ml simple + 40 dashes bitters + 20 peels. Pour over ice to order.

Margarita. Single: 60 ml tequila + 30 ml lime + 22 ml Cointreau (2:1:0.75 classic Daiquiri-adjacent). Batch 20: 1,200 ml tequila + 600 ml fresh-squeezed lime + 440 ml Cointreau + salt rim setup. Shake with ice and strain to order — don't pre-batch with ice (waters out).

Negroni. Single: 30 ml gin + 30 ml Campari + 30 ml sweet vermouth (1:1:1, the simplest cocktail in the canon). Batch 20: 600 ml gin + 600 ml Campari + 600 ml vermouth = 1.8 L — fits a standard empty wine bottle, freezer-stash and pour over a big ice cube.

Manhattan. Single: 60 ml rye + 30 ml sweet vermouth + 2 dashes Angostura + cherry. Batch 20: 1,200 ml rye + 600 ml vermouth + 40 dashes bitters + cherries. Stir with ice and strain.

Cocktail ratio families

Home bar starter buying guide 2026

• Gin: Tanqueray ($25/L), Beefeater ($22/L), or Plymouth ($32/L for softer profile).
• Bourbon: Buffalo Trace ($30/750 ml), Wild Turkey 101 ($27/L), Old Forester 100 ($25/750 ml).
• Rye: Rittenhouse 100 ($28/750 ml), Sazerac ($35), Wild Turkey Rye ($30).
• Tequila (cocktails): Espolòn Blanco ($30/L), Lunazul ($22/L), Milagro Silver ($32/750 ml).
• Sweet vermouth: Carpano Antica Formula ($35/L) — worth every penny. Cocchi Vermouth di Torino ($22/750 ml).
• Dry vermouth: Noilly Prat ($15/750 ml), Dolin ($18/750 ml).
• Campari: Genuine Campari ($32/L). No substitute for Negronis.
• Orange liqueur: Cointreau ($40/L), Combier ($35/L), Pierre Ferrand Dry Curacao ($42/L) for pro-level Sidecars.
• Bitters: Angostura ($10/200 ml), Peychaud's ($10/148 ml), orange bitters (Regans or Fee Brothers, $10).

Essential tools

• Jigger (dual 1 oz / 0.5 oz, Koriko, $15): For free-pouring amateurs, a jigger cuts drink variance from ±30% to ±5%.
• Boston shaker (Koriko weighted tin pair, $20): Pro-standard. Ice-seals watertight.
• Hawthorne strainer ($10) + fine mesh ($5): Double-strain citrus cocktails.
• Mixing glass ($15) + barspoon ($8): For stirred cocktails (Martini, Manhattan).
• Clear ice maker (True Cubes, $90): 2" clear cubes for Old Fashioneds.

Frequently asked questions

Shake or stir? Shake drinks with citrus, cream, egg, or fruit. Stir drinks that are all spirit + vermouth/bitters (Martini, Manhattan, Negroni). Stirring dilutes 15-20%, shaking 20-30% + aeration.

Why does my cocktail taste weak? Ice melted too much. Shake 10-12 seconds, not 30. Or chill glasses first so dilution doesn't keep going after pour.

What's a dash? 0.6 ml — roughly 6-8 drops from a bitters bottle. A "heavy dash" = 2 ml.

Simple syrup ratio? 1:1 sugar:water by weight. Dissolve warm, cool, refrigerate 1 month. For richer: 2:1 (demerara or rich syrup) — common in Old Fashioned, Tiki.

Fresh vs. bottled lime juice? Always fresh. Bottled Rose's tastes of metal. Fresh lasts 24 hr fridge — squeeze to order or batch morning of.

Does vermouth go bad? Yes — it's wine. Refrigerate opened bottle, use within 1 month. Old vermouth = flat, oxidized cocktails.

Premium spirits in cocktails — worth it? For sipping, yes. For cocktails that mask the spirit (Margarita, Manhattan), mid-tier wins. Don't Margarita with 18-year-old tequila.

How do I reduce alcohol in a drink? Split the spirit — 30 ml gin + 30 ml dry vermouth + 15 ml Lillet = ABV 18% vs. 40% for a martini. Or serve long over soda.

What's the strongest classic cocktail? Sazerac: 60 ml rye + absinthe rinse + sugar + bitters. 38% ABV. Followed by Vieux Carré (split spirits, 36%).

Best cocktail book in 2026? "The Essential Cocktail" by Dale DeGroff, "Death & Co: Modern Classic Cocktails," "Meehan's Bartender Manual." Every home bar needs at least one.