Fix a cocktail, inspire your creativity.

Back in the days when our office and our homes were different places, we at Compadre were known to segue a day of working hard into a fun night of imbibing responsibly at a local haunt. Of course, with bars now closed, we’ve each been forced to call on our inner Tom Cruise in Cocktail -- shaking, stirring, and probably spilling along the way. While the results have ranged from “that’s surprisingly good” to “holy sh*t that’s strong,” the process of concocting the classics or coming up with our own creations has been fulfilling in more ways than one. 

The purpose of this article isn’t to provide you with drink recipes -- you can find those in a million other places from people who know far more than we do -- but instead to give you a hypothetical seat at our home bars and hopefully provide some inspiration for your own. 

As far as tools needed for quaran-tending, it’s important to keep in mind that it’s OK to experiment. You are your only customer and therefore you can take some liberties with traditional builds. That said, you do probably want to get a jigger to measure your pours (at a restaurant/bar cocktails generally range from 1.5-3 oz of liquor depending on the drink). If you opt for the jigger you might as well get a whole starter set -- strainer, stirrer, shaker -- to at least feel like you know what you’re doing. 

Great, you’ve got your tools and now you need something to use them on. Well, let’s see what the Compadre crew has been whooping up to give you some ideas: 

With all this fresh in your mind, it’s time for you to get crankin’ on your own libation creations. If you make something awesome, share the recipe or photo with us. And if you make something terrible, keep it to yourself and try again! Cheers, compadres.