Free online courseEssential Cocktails: 50-Day Home Bartending and Classic Cocktail Recipes
Duration of the online course: 9 hours and 5 minutes
New
Free home bartending course covering tools, balance, ice, garnishes, and classic cocktails with easy templates to mix better drinks.
In this free course, learn about
Course Introduction and Home Bar Foundations
Core Technique: Balance, Sweeteners, Seasoning, Ice, Garnish, and Mixing
Sours and Refreshing Citrus Classics
Modern Party Drinks and Sour Variations
Equal-Parts Modern Classics and Whisky Standouts
Stirred Classics: Manhattan to Martini
Negroni Family and Spritz
Tiki and Tropical Templates
Dessert and Coffeehouse Cocktails + Course Wrap-Up
Course Description
Essential Cocktails: 50-Day Home Bartending and Classic Cocktail Recipes is a free online course in Professional Skills, built for anyone who wants to make better drinks at home with confidence. You will move from bartending fundamentals to practical technique, learning how to think like a bartender rather than just follow a recipe.
Start by setting up a functional home bar with smart bottle choices and simple, affordable tools, including workable alternatives if you do not have specialist equipment. From there, master the principles that make cocktails taste right: balance, sweetness, dilution, temperature, and the small adjustments that transform a drink from good to great.
You will also learn the details that elevate presentation and texture, including ice strategy and easy clear ice methods, plus approachable garnishes such as zests, wedges, dried fruit, and other finishing touches. With a strong foundation in mixing methods, you will be able to tailor drinks to your preference and troubleshoot results, whether a cocktail tastes too sharp, too sweet, too strong, or too flat.
The course then guides you through a wide range of classic cocktails and modern favorites, giving you repeatable templates and variations you can apply across spirits and styles. By the end, you will be equipped to stock your bar wisely, mix with consistency, and serve crowd-pleasing drinks for any occasion.
Course content
Video class: 1. Introducing ESSENTIAL COCKTAILS: 50 Days to Better Drinks! (Free Cocktail Course)03m
Exercise: What is the main goal of the Essential Cocktails course?
Video class: 2. Stocking a Home Bar: Where to Start and Example Drinks! (Essential Cocktails)25m
Exercise: For someone starting a home bar, what is suggested as a simple way to begin making a wide range of cocktails?
Video class: 3. Cocktail Tools and Alternatives! (Essential Cocktails)10m
Exercise: Which tool is most strongly recommended as the first purchase to improve precision when making and seasoning cocktails?
Video class: 4. The Importance of BALANCE! (Essential Cocktails)06m
Exercise: What is described as the main reason a cocktail can taste disappointing?
Video class: 5. A Simple Guide to SWEETENERS in Cocktails! (Essential Cocktails)07m
Exercise: Why is a 2:1 rich sugar syrup preferred over a 1:1 simple syrup for many cocktails?
Video class: 6.The Power of SEASONING to Level Up Cocktails! (Essential Cocktails)06m
Exercise: When using saline solution to season a cocktail, what is the main goal?
Video class: 7. ICE04m
Exercise: Why is using firm, consistent ice straight from the freezer important when making cocktails?
Video class: 8. Easy CLEAR ICE! (Essential Cocktails)02m
Exercise: Why does using a cool box help create clear ice at home?
Exercise: Which garnish method both preserves fruit for a long time and creates an intensified flavor by removing moisture?
Video class: 10. A Beginner's Guide to Mixing Drinks (Essential Cocktails)06m
Exercise: Which mixing technique is generally best for cocktails that are mostly spirit and contain no citrus, to keep the drink silky and clear?
Video class: DAIQUIRI - Classic and Strawberry! (Essential Cocktails 11/50)05m
Exercise: Which set of ingredients makes up a classic daiquiri?
Video class: How to Make Your Perfect WHISKEY SOUR! (Essential Cocktails 12/50)04m
Exercise: In this Whiskey Sour build, what is the main purpose of adding aquafaba (chickpea water)?
Video class: MOJITO - One Recipe, Endless Variations! (Essential Cocktails 13/50)05m
Exercise: In this mojito template, what is the recommended amount of freshly squeezed lime juice per glass to balance the sweetness?
Video class: Never Made a MARGARITA? Start Here! (Essential Cocktails 14/50)04m
Exercise: What are the three core ingredients of a classic Margarita?
Video class: AVIATION: Botanical, Floral, Delicious! (Essential Cocktails 15/50)03m
Exercise: Which set of ingredients and measurements matches the Aviation cocktail recipe?
Video class: The WHITE LADY: An Underrated Classic! (Essential Cocktails 16/50)04m
Exercise: What technique is used to make a White Lady especially light and foamy?
Video class: PALOMA: The Most Refreshing Drink Out There?! (Essential Cocktails 17/50)04m
Exercise: In a classic Paloma build, what ingredient is used to lengthen the drink and add sparkle?
Video class: CAIPIRINHA: A Brazilian Classic! (Essential Cocktails 18/50)05m
Exercise: Which set of ingredients forms the classic three-ingredient base of a Caipirinha?
Video class: How to Make a CLOVER CLUB! (Essential Cocktails 19/50)05m
Exercise: In a Clover Club, what ingredient is used to lighten the drink and reduce the ABV compared with a similar gin-and-orange liqueur sour?
Video class: BRAMBLE: An 80s Anti-Hero! (Essential Cocktails 20/50)05m
Exercise: Why is the Bramble often built directly in the glass instead of shaken?
Video class: DARK03m
Exercise: In a classic Dark and Stormy, which rum is the cocktail built around and most closely associated with?
Video class: My Best Ever AMARETTO SOUR Recipe! (Essential Cocktails 22/50)06m
Exercise: In this Amaretto Sour variation, what ingredient is added to help reduce the Amaretto’s sweetness and add more spirit backbone?
Video class: LONG ISLAND ICED TEA... But Good! (Essential Cocktails 23/50)05m
Exercise: Which set of five spirits is used in the refined Long Island Iced Tea recipe?
Video class: TOMMY'S MARGARITA: A Clean, Fresh, Easy Marg! (Essential Cocktails 24/50)03m
Exercise: In a Tommy's Margarita, what ingredient replaces the orange liqueur found in a traditional Margarita?
Video class: PICANTE DE LA CASA: The Ultimate Spicy Margarita! (Essential Cocktails 25/50)03m
Exercise: What classic cocktail is a Picante de la Casa essentially based on?
Video class: TWENTIETH CENTURY: Chocolate Orange but Refined! (Essential Cocktails 26/50)03m
Exercise: Which luxury train inspired the name of the cocktail 20th Century?
Video class: ENZONI: Your New Favourite Cocktail?! (Essential Cocktails 27/50)04m
Exercise: What best describes the Enzon’s overall style and inspiration?
Video class: An Easy PISCO SOUR Recipe! (Essential Cocktails 28/50)03m
Exercise: In this Pisco Sour recipe, what is the main purpose of adding aquafaba (or egg white)?
Video class: The LAST WORD: Simple But Perfect! (Essential Cocktails 29/50)03m
Exercise: Which set of ingredients makes up the equal-parts classic cocktail The Last Word?
Video class: PAPER PLANE: Equal Parts, Epic Drink! (Essential Cocktails 30/50)04m
Video class: NAKED04m
Exercise: In the equal-parts cocktail The Naked and Famous, which set of four ingredients is used?
Video class: PENICILLIN: The Best Whisk(e)y Sour Riff?! (Essential Cocktails 32/50)06m
Exercise: In the described Penicillin recipe, what is the main base spirit used for the 60 ml pour?
Video class: My Best Ever HOT TODDY! (Essential Cocktails 33/50)06m
Exercise: Why does the recipe preheat the glass and mixing tin with boiling water before making the Hot Toddy?
Video class: How to Make Your Perfect OLD FASHIONED! (Essential Cocktails 34/50)06m
Exercise: Which extra ingredient is suggested to elevate an Old Fashioned without making it taste salty?
Video class: MANHATTAN: The Original and Some Suggested Riffs! (Essential Cocktails 35/50)04m
Exercise: What is the broadly accepted classic ratio for a Manhattan cocktail?
Video class: MARTINEZ: The Bridge from Manhattan to Martini! (Essential Cocktails 36/50)04m
Exercise: In a classic Martinez made with a 2:1 ratio, what is the correct set of ingredients and amounts?
Video class: How to Make The Perfect MARTINI For You! (Essential Cocktails 37/50)11m
Exercise: Which ratio is suggested as a good starting point when experimenting to find your preferred Martini style?
Video class: NEGRONI: Origin, Recipe, Variations! (Essential Cocktails 38/50)05m
Exercise: What is the traditional ratio for a classic Negroni?
Video class: WHITE NEGRONI: The Ultimate Negroni Riff? (Essential Cocktails 39/50)03m
Exercise: In a White Negroni, which ingredient replaces Campari to provide the bitter, herbal character?
Video class: BOULEVARDIER: A Negroni for Whiskey Lovers! (Essential Cocktails 40/50)02m
Exercise: What is the key difference between a Boulevardier and a classic Negroni?
Video class: A Better Way to Make a SPRITZ! (Essential Cocktails 41/50)04m
Exercise: In the demonstrated Aperol Spritz build, what does the 1-2-3 squeeze method refer to?
Video class: My Favourite (Easy) MAI TAI Recipe! (Essential Cocktails 42/50)06m
Exercise: In this Mai Tai recipe, what is added at the very end to crown the drink?
Video class: A Simple, Epic HURRICANE Recipe! (Essential Cocktails 43/50)06m
Exercise: In the simplified Hurricane recipe, what is the basic measurement approach for the main liquids (rums, citrus, and sweetener)?
Video class: JUNGLEBIRD: Did I Create an Amazing Drink? (Essential Cocktails 44/50)05m
Exercise: Which combination correctly matches the key substitutions used to turn a classic Jungle Bird into a White Jungle Bird?
Video class: The Best PINA COLADA I've Ever Tasted! (Essential Cocktails 45/50)05m
Exercise: Which pair of ingredients are described as the two key components of a Piña Colada in this recipe?
Video class: ZOMBIE: Less Confusing and Damn Tasty! (Essential Cocktails 46/50)07m
Exercise: In the simplified Zombie template, which set correctly lists the three main categories of ingredients used to build the drink?
Video class: My Ultimate PORNSTAR MARTINI! (Essential Cocktails 47/50)05m
Exercise: In this Porn Star Martini recipe, what ingredient is added to help bridge sweetness and acidity while also creating natural foam when shaken?
Video class: COSMO: A Misunderstood Drink! (Essential Cocktails 48/50)05m
Exercise: In the 10–20–30–40 template for a balanced Cosmopolitan, what does the 40 ml measure represent?
Video class: My Ultimate Easy ESPRESSO MARTINI Template! (Essential Cocktails 50/50)05m
Exercise: In the simple Espresso Martini formula described, what is the purpose of adding a small amount of saline solution?
Video class: ESSENTIAL COCKTAILS - Free Cocktail Course!4h29m
Exercise: What is one key feature that must be present for a spirit to be called gin?
