Vodka

Vodka is an European clear distilled alcoholic drink that has been one of the most popular drinks across the world .

You'll find it to be the most popular spirit in drink making because of it's neutral taste and absence of flavour and colour.

Vodka often replaces Gin in many traditional cocktails

Vodka is known to be good for the heart, and if consumed in moderation, can prove to be good for cardiovascular health

Note that these days there are flavoured Vodka available in the market too, and some cocktails do make use of them.

Amaretto

Amaretto is a liqueur, a sweet Italian liqueur that originated in Saronno. There are different brands and each have their slight variations and ingredients vary from apricot kernel, bitter almonds, peach stones or almonds, all these are natural sources of the benzaldehyde that brings the almond flavour to the liqueur. Amaretto usually contains a 21% to 48% Alcohol by Volume.

Amaretto liqueur can be drunk straight or used as an ingredient in mixed drinks, or with coffee.

The name Amaretto originated from the Italian word amaro, meaning bitter. Amaretto's bitterness is derived from the drupe kernel and although the bitterness of Amaretto tends to be mild, sweeteners and at time sweet almonds are added to enhance the flavour of the final product.

Cherry Mix

Cherry Mix is a mix of different dried cherries like Bing Cherries and Tart Cherries, sweetened and if store bought, will have preservatives added for shelf life. In Europe, specially in Italy, specific cocktail cherry cultivars are in use, cherries like Morello and Montmorency are the traditional choices, and Marasca, a Morello variety grown in Italy is popular world over as the Maraschino Cherry Mix.

Orange Juice

Orange Juice is an excellent source of Vitamin C, one cup contains twice the daily recommended value. Vitamin C supports the immune system and helps fighting the common cold. The folate in Orange juice supports healthy fetal development. It is low calory and thus is already a qualified alternative to cola fizz in your cocktail if you want to keep your drinks acceptably healthy.

Orange Juice being citrus and naturally sweet and sour, it literally goes with almost any liquor, and of course Vodka being neutral, the best known pairing is with Vodka. But goes well with Dark Rum too, and you get the Planter's Punch, mix it with Champagne and you have made a mimosa, or with tequila to make a tequila sunrise.

Pineapple Juice

Rich in antioxidants, this juice pressed from the pulp of the Pineapple is a good protection against cell degeneration, It contains bromelain, a group of enzymes known to reduce inflammation, improve digestion and boost immunity. In drink mixing, there is nothing like the tropical flavour of pineapple juice to add that tropical freshness and nuance to a cocktail.

In drink mixing pineapple having a fruity tropical aroma pineapple juice is a good companion for tropical fruits such as mango, banana, passion fruit, and also pairs well with oranges and grapefruit juice.

Pineapple juice is the juice pressed out of the pulp of the pineapple fruit, several varieties of pineapple are used to manufacture commercial pineapple juice. High on Vitamin C and enzymes that have been shown to activate healthy immune response, it’s a good juice to start a day. The enzyme bromelain in pineapple juice, triggers analgesic response in the body to fight pain and reduce swelling. In cocktails, Pineapple juice goes best with Vodka and is often a regular juice in many Vodka cocktails.

Cream

Cream can be used to make a creamy cocktail, but when you make a cream cocktail make sure you whip and make your own version. You can also go for a heavy whipped cream which is thicker than regular cream and milk fat can be between 30%-40%.
For a rich and creamy cocktail recipe, combine heavy cream with one shot of alcohol and powdered sugar, then whip it until soft peaks form for a fluffy consistency or you can use it as a loose cream.

Ice Delete

Ice is so obvious in most drinks, be it a straight drink or a mixed drink, that we often forget it's importance or even reason behind using a crystal clear good quality ice in a glass of whisky, or crushed ice in a tall glass to enjoy a cocktail.

Ice tempers a hard liquor, and as is in the case of whisky for example, if you prefer the flavours of whisky reach your nose without the hard note of spirit lingering around, or want to avoid the mild sting of a neat whisky, a cube of ice mellows the strength down a little and as it melts slowly, the aroma and flavour is released from the whisky slowly and makes whisky progressively weak, lingering and palatable.

Ice in Vodka helps release the little flavour a Vodka has, slowly, instead of letting the Vodka hit your nose all at once,

In mixed drinks, ice plays an important role in creating the perfect temperature a certain drink requires and bartenders use ice in several different ways, crushed ice for long drinks that will allow the cocktail to slowly water down like a Mint Julep, Moscow Mule, Rum Swizzle, Sherry Cobbler and other Tiki drinks, a large block or cubes of ice for drinks that are spirit heavy, such as the Old Fashioned, Negroni, and Manhattan