Many of us have planned that special romantic dinner at the house to impress our significant other.  They walk in  looking great, dinner is not quite ready so she says "Can you make me a drink?"  What about when you're hosting the super bowl party and you're in charge of making the margaritas?  Ladies, it's "girls night in" and your girlfirends decide to experiment with the drinks.

For these and many other situations, the ability to make a great mixed drink is mandatory.  Although bartenders make it look easy, it takes some skill and know how to make a good mixed drink.  For those who want to learn but don't know where to start, this article should give you a good foundation for how to make a great mixed drink (or at least to know where to go for help).

Getting Started

Starting with the basics, a good mixed drink consists of one or more alcoholic beverages (Rum, Gin, Vodka, etc.) mixed with one or more mixers (coke, orange juice, etc.) and poured in a glass over ice ("on the rocks") or not ("straight up").  The process of gathering all of the beverages that are required to be a great mixologists is called "stocking the bar" and this is the first step to being able to make a good mixed drink. 

Most bartenders will tell you that 75% of all mixed drinks contain one or more of these 5 alcohols: Gin, Rum, Vodka, Tequila or Whiskey (can you say "Jack Daniels!"), so these 5 alcohols are a great place to start.  Quality of alcohol is your choice, but there definitely is a difference between a 3-year old anejo tequila and the $10 bottle of Cuervo Gold. 

The 5 essential alcohols: Gin, Rum, Vodka, Tequila and Whiskey

With the alcohol out of the way, you need to make sure you have a good number of mixers to give you the most amount of choices for your bartending extravaganza.  Coke (or Pepsi), 7up, orange juce, lime juice, lemon juice, triple sec, sweet and sour and Red Bull will give you an almost infinite selection of drinks that can be made.  Fresh lemons, limes and oranges are also a great idea to keep in stock.

With the drinks and mixers acquired your bar is almost ready to go.  All you need now is a jigger (to measure your liquids), a shaker (to mix your drinks) and plenty of ice.  Most drinks taste better chilled so mixing the drinks usually requires filling your shaker with ice, combining your liquids and then pouring them into a glass (filled to the rim) with ice.  Seems pretty simple right? Well now that you have a stocked bar and you know the basic procedure, all you need now are the names and recipes of some good drinks.  Below are 4 sources for getting the names and recipes for hundreds of mixed drinks as well as step-by-step instructions on how to make them.

Website

If you are looking for a great website to help you make your drinks, look no further than TheBar.com.  This website has about every drink known to man organzed by drink type, occasion and brand. The recipes are simple and the articles and accompanying videos are excellent.  Like many a bartender will tell you - "you can always find your answer at the bar".  

App

If you are a user of an iPhone, you're in luck because there is a perfect app for this situation.  Mixology, created by Digital OutCrop can guide you thorough the whole process.  Simply input the alcohol and the mixers you have at hand and Mixology will suggest the drinks that you can make and how to make them.  The app also includes a dictionary of terms (lingo is important) as well as tips on stocking your bar.  If you find yourself without alcohol (perish the thought) the app also includes a search function that can help you find a local liquor store.

Professional (Dr. Mixologist)

You may not want a generic website, but maybe instead you want a real person to connect with.  Your own personal bartender is a great way to go and fortunately we have found one for you.  Celebrity bartender Darryl Robinson, aka "Dr. Mixologist (www.drmixologist.com) is one of the premiere drink makers in the country, and has been featured on the Cooking Channel and the Today Show.  He has also appeared in a host of publications including Essence and the New York Times. His website is full of articles and videos to walk you through the process of making great drinks and being a very good personal bartender.  Check out the site, read the materials and before you know it you will be the life of the party!

Book

For those not so into the digital age, a good book full of drink recipes may be your best solution.  A personal favorite is "Michael Jackson's Bar and Cocktail Companion" (no, not THAT Michael Jackson). 

The book is a little dated (circa 2004) but a drink is still a drink and this book has great recipes, excellent pictures and is small enough to hide behind your back if your girlfriend pops into the room unexpectedly.