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.

White Rum

In the making of Rum, the produce of the fermentation and distillation process of molasses is a transparent spirit, which is then aged in vats or barrels and the end result of the ageing is Rum.

White Rum differs from Dark Rum in this process of ageing, while to produce a Dark Rum, the distillate is aged in a large charred oak barrel, White Rum is aged in big stainless still barrels.

There are no legal categorisatoin of Rums and it's just a matter of practice that dark rum is used in cooking or is drunk straight or with a Cola , white rums are mostly used in cocktails.

Gin

Gin is a distilled alcoholic beverage that has it's origin in medicinal liquor made by monks and alchemists across Europe. The historical Gin producing regions are Southern France, Flanders and Netherlands. Gin was originally created to provide aqua vitae from grape and grain distillates.

During the Middle ages, the newly found substance Ethanol was considered by Alchemists to be the water of life, and an aqueous solution of ethanol was in use all over Europe and had different names and is literally the origin of many spirits like Whisky ( from the Gaelic uisce beatha for water of life ). Today Gin is produces from a wide range of ingredients, which gave rise to numerous distinct styles and brands. The predominant flavour of Gin is from the Juniper berries and then each different distillery flavours it further with an assortment of botanicas or herbs, spices, floral and fruit flavours, in different combinations. Gin is commonly drank mixed with Tonic water but it is also often used as a base spirit for many gin based flavoured liqueurs like Sloe Gin.

White Tequila

Tequila is a distilled beverage, made only from a specific cultivar of Agave Tequilana called 'Weber Azul' or Blue Agave, native to the states of Jalisco, Colima, Nayarit and Aguascalientes in Mexico. The Blue Agave grows above an altitude of 1500 m and are juicy succulents with spiky fleshy leaves.

Tequila is made around the city of Tequila 40 miles northwest of Guadaljara, and in the Jaliscan Highlands of Central Western Mexico. Mexican laws state that Tequila can only be produces in the state of Jalisco and a few limited municipalities in the other Blue Agave growing regions.

Tequila is 35% to 55% Alcohol by Volume (70 and 110 U.S. proof), it must be at least 40% ABV to be sold as Tequila in the USA.

Tequila is a distilled derivative of the pre-Columbian fermented beverage called pulque, made from the Agave plant. When the Spanish conquistadors ran out of their brandy, they started distilling Agave to produce a distilled spirit. This by 1600s was what Don Pedro Sánchez de Tagle, the Marquis of Altamira, began mass-producing in his distillery near modern day Jalisco and came to be known as Tequila.

Blue Curacao Liqueur

Curaçao is a liqueur flavored with the dried peel of the bitter orange laraha. It's been a popular liqueur for more than 150 years, the Dutch East India Company created this orange liqueurs by steeping orange peels in alcohol from the island of Curaçao and called it Curaçao liquor, unlike Triple Sec, Curacao has added spices and herbs to the orange and Curaçao comes in a variety of colours such as clear, orange or blue.

Blue Curaçao being the most used of them, in cocktails. Although Curacao is an orange tinted liquor, Blue Curacao is a regular Curacao dyed bright blue to give it a striking appearance, and thus is a very popular cocktail mixer, whenever a striking colour is desired.

Blue Curacao is usually around 25% ABV.

Blue Curacao is essentially Orange Liqueur tinted Blue, the colour doesn't influence the taste and thus Orange Curacao is interchangeable with Blue Curacao in recipes, if the colour is not important in the appearance.

NOTE: Blue Curacao being an Orange Flavoured Blue Liqueur, it's primary purpose in a cocktail is introducing the Orange flavour and the striking sky blue to the drink, so, if a bottle of Blue Curacao liqueur is something you are not planning to buy right now, you can manage with the Blue Curacao Syrup.
It would add the same flavour and colour profile to the cocktail, all we need to do is simply count for the alcohol absent in the syrup and account for it.

Grenadine Syrup

Grenadine is a common non-alcoholic pomegranate syrup with a characteristic deep red colour. It is a very popular cocktail ingredient, used for its pomegranate flavour and more for its ability to add a reddish to pink tint to a cocktail.

The name Grenadine originates from the French for pomegranate, which is grenade.

Grenadine is not subjected to regulations like alcoholic beverages are, and there are no region specific formulae any more, and thus manufacturers often replace pomegranate with blackcurrant juice and other fruit juices while retaining the same flavour profile.

Many producers now use artificial ingredients like high fructose corn syrup, water, citric acid, sodium citrate, sodium benzoate and food grade red colour along with natural and artificial flavours.

Sweet And Sour Mix

Sweet and Sour Mix, also Whiskey Sour Mix or Margarita Mix or Daiquiri Mix is a versatile mix in many cocktails.
This is a yellowish-green coloured concoction, with equal portion of lemon or lime juice with a simple syrup. When this mix is shaken vigorously with ice it produces a pearly-white liquid mixture ready for your cocktail.

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.

Lemon Lime Soda

Soda refers to carbonated water, sweetened, flavoured or plain, but there is a difference between Soda and plain Carbonated Water or Sparkling Water, which is known as Seltzer Water, while Seltzer Water is plain water carbonated to add fizz, Soda water contains potassium bicarbonate and potassium sulphate in the water, and according to research Seltzer Water is safer for teeth health and sparkling water provides true hydration and is better at it than regular soda or diet soda.