9 Bartenders Share Their Favorite 3-Ingredient Cocktail to Make at Home

While some say that three’s a crowd, it’s a magic number behind the bar. All you really need to make an excellent, balanced cocktail is three ingredients — and dozens of classic, time-tested recipes prove it.

In fact, you can make just about any style of cocktail with just a trio of ingredients if you know what you’re doing. Negronis, Manhattans, and Daiquiris are some of the most famous examples, but you can also stir up some complex highballs or sours with little more than what’s already on your bar cart or stowed away in the fridge.

These simple concoctions are a great entry point to making drinks at home, so we asked nine pros from across the country for the tried-and-true cocktail recipes they make when they want to keep it simple. From stirred-and-boozy classics to refreshing citrus-forward drinks, here are the best three-ingredient cocktails to make at home, according to bartenders.

DJ Ingalls

Head bartender, Romeo’s, New York City

My favorite cocktail to make at home is a “beericano.” All the ingredients are cheap and easy, the proportions are very personal, and there’s really no wrong way to go about it. I haven’t discovered any combination that truly doesn’t work, at least for myself. My personal favorite version is a hazy New England-style IPA with a richer, cacao-forward Italian vermouth.

Ingredients

1 ½ ounces Campari
1 ½ ounces sweet vermouth
Beer to top
Garnish: Orange slice or twist

Directions

Combine Campari and sweet vermouth in a highball glass and stir.
Top with cold beer.
Garnish with an orange slice or twist.

Quincy Palou

Bartender, Chyna Club, Las Vegas

Lately, I’ve been on a Daiquiri kick. My go-to recipe is about as simple as it gets: Bacardí Superior rum, freshly pressed lime juice, and house-made simple syrup. I keep the syrup truly simple, equal parts sugar and water, because I believe great cocktails don’t need a lot of complicated ingredients, especially during the summer. Everything is shaken well and served ice-cold, creating a crisp, bright, and incredibly refreshing cocktail that’s perfect for warm weather.

Ingredients

2 ounces Bacardí Superior
¾ ounce lime juice
¾ ounce simple syrup

Directions

Combine all ingredients in a shaker tin.
Add ice and shake.
Strain into a coupe or Martini glass.

Koharu Usui

Head bartender, Bar Goto, NYC

After a long shift at the bar, the last thing I want to do is juice citrus, so at home I tend to drink stirred cocktails with ingredients that I can buy off the shelf. For a full-bodied but lower-ABV drink, my go-to is a Negroni with the gin subbed out for sherry. The lower ABV means I can get away with a couple quick stirs over rocks in the glass — anything to make it easier from the kitchen to the couch.

Ingredients

1 ¼ ounces Lustau Amontillado sherry
1 ounce Dolin sweet vermouth
¾ ounce Campari
Garnish: Orange twist

Directions

Combine ingredients in a rocks glass with ice, stir lightly to combine.
Garnish with orange twist.

Misha Chavez

Co-founder, The Museum Bar + Gift Shop, Brooklyn

My favorite three-ingredient cocktail is something I’ve been calling a Little Root. It’s basically an Old Fashioned or Manhattan with Cynar. I love it because Cynar and bourbon are my favorite things to drink, and this combines them. It requires no prep, it’s delicious, and you don’t really even need to measure for it to be good.

Ingredients

2 ounces bourbon (something strong and sweet like Wild Turkey 101)
1 ounce Cynar
2 dashes Angostura bitters

Directions

Combine all ingredients in a rocks glass with ice. Stir to combine.

Lukkaew Srasrisuwan

Founder, MaKiin Concepts (Makiin, KinDee Thai Cuisine), Houston

I love the Thaipirinha because three simple ingredients can create so much character. Mekhong, Thailand’s original spirit, brings warm spice and complexity, while fresh lime and sugar make the drink bright and refreshing. At home, I want a cocktail that doesn’t require special equipment or a long list of ingredients, yet still connects me to Thailand. This allows me to introduce people to a spirit that deserves to be better known abroad.

Ingredients

1½ ounces Mekhong
1 whole lime, cut into wedges
2 teaspoons brown sugar
Garnish: lime wedge

Directions

Muddle the lime wedges and sugar directly in a rocks glass.
Fill with crushed ice.
Add Mekhong and stir well.
Garnish with lime wedge.

Gelo Honrade

Partner and beverage director, After Eden, NYC

The mezcal Negroni is one of my favorite cocktails to make at home because it’s simple, balanced, and made with three ingredients that are easy to find. It feels sophisticated but is still effortless to prepare whenever you’re craving a well-made cocktail at home. It’s a great staple for any home bar because it’s refreshing, easy to drink, the recipe is simple to remember, and the flavors are always reliable.

Ingredients

1 ½ ounces mezcal
¾ ounce Lo-Fi sweet vermouth
¾ ounce Campari

Directions

Combine all ingredients in a rocks glass with ice. Stir to combine.

Thomas Sullivan

Bar manager, Pasjoli, Los Angeles

Negronis are my favorite “let’s find out” style of cocktail. Sometimes you’ll find yourself with some loose vermouth, sherry, any wine-based anything at home, and I like to throw it in a mixing glass with whatever bitter and spirit makes sense. I’ve recently been loving Kingston Negronis with oloroso sherry. If you’re willing to add another ingredient, the dry sherry is also great with some added Giffard Banane du Bresil as a modifier, but almost any combination works.

Ingredients

1 ½ ounces Hamilton Pot Still Blonde rum
¾ ounce St. Agrestis Inferno Bitter
½ ounce oloroso sherry

Directions

Combine all ingredients in a rocks glass with ice. Stir to combine.

Luis Alatorre

Head bartender, The Cabinet Mezcal Bar, NYC

My favorite three-ingredient cocktail is a Mezcal Tommy’s Margarita, or as I like to call it, the Meztomasita. It’s my go-to cocktail at home because it’s simple, balanced, and lets the mezcal shine. The fresh lime juice brings brightness and citrus, while the agave syrup rounds everything out with just the right touch of sweetness. Together, they highlight the mezcal’s earthy, roasted, and mineral notes without overpowering them. I love this cocktail because it proves that a few quality ingredients are all you need to make something exceptional. It’s easy to prepare, approachable, and consistently delicious.

Ingredients

1 ¾ ounces mezcal
¾ ounce fresh lime juice
¾ ounce agave syrup
Garnish: Tajín rim

Directions

Combine ingredients in a shaker tin with ice and shake to combine.
Strain into a rocks glass with a Tajín rim with a large ice cube.

Gia St. George

Assistant director of beverage development and training, Fontainebleau, Las Vegas

For me, it’s hard to beat a Moscow Mule. Ginger is one of my favorite flavors in cocktails, and the combination of bright citrus and spicy ginger beer never gets old. The best part is how adaptable it is. If you don’t have vodka on hand, you can easily substitute gin, rum, or bourbon and still end up with a fantastic drink. It’s simple, refreshing, and a great reminder that some of the best cocktails are also the easiest to make.

Ingredients

2 ounces vodka
¾ ounce lime juice
Ginger beer to top

Directions

Fill your glass or copper mug of choice with ice.
Add the vodka and lime juice.
Top with ginger beer and gently stir to combine.

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