Updated September 2026
A cocktail you make before going out has a different job from one you sip at a dinner table. It has to be quick, because people are still arriving and someone is still doing their hair. It has to survive being made six times in a row. And it should not put anyone on the floor before the taxi turns up. These six manage all three.
Every ingredient list below is the one in the Cold Ones app, so if you would rather have the full steps on a phone while you pour, they are already there.
What makes a good pre-party cocktail
- Under two minutes each. Anything that needs double-straining or a blender is a dinner-party drink, not a pregame one.
- It scales. If you can multiply it by six in one shaker or a jug, you get to talk to your friends instead of bartending all night.
- Few bottles. Six drinks sharing one base spirit beat six drinks needing six bottles.
- Sensible strength. One or two of these, then food and water. The point is to arrive, not to peak on the sofa.
Espresso Martini
The definitive going-out drink, because it is the one cocktail here that makes people more awake rather than less. Make it while the coffee is still worth drinking and the foam does the rest.
What goes in: 50ml vodka · 30ml coffee liqueur · 30ml espresso, cooled · 10ml sugar syrup · Ice · 3 coffee beans for garnish
The short version: Shake the four liquids hard with ice until frothy, fine-strain into a chilled glass and float three coffee beans on top.
Mojito
The safest crowd-pleaser there is: long, cold, and low enough in strength that nobody regrets the second one. It also scales better than anything else on the list, since the mint and sugar can be muddled straight in a jug.
What goes in: 60ml white rum · 30ml lime juice · 2 tsp sugar · 6-8 mint leaves · Soda water · Ice
The short version: Muddle the mint with the sugar, add lime and rum, fill with ice, top with soda and stir gently.
Paloma
Mexico's actual favourite tequila drink, and a smarter pre-party pour than a Margarita because it is built in the glass with no shaking at all. The grapefruit soda does the work.
What goes in: 50ml tequila blanco · 5ml fresh lime juice · 100ml pink grapefruit soda · 1 pinch salt · Ice · Grapefruit slice for garnish
The short version: Add tequila, lime and salt to a tall glass, fill with ice, pour in the grapefruit soda and stir gently.
Daiquiri
Three ingredients, thirty seconds, and a far better drink than its frozen strawberry reputation suggests. If you only learn one shaken cocktail, learn this one — the rum, lime and sugar ratio is the backbone of half the drinks in any bar.
What goes in: 60ml white rum · 20ml fresh lime juice · 2 teaspoons fine sugar · Ice · Lime wheel for garnish
The short version: Stir the rum, lime and sugar until the sugar dissolves, then shake with ice and strain into a chilled coupe.
Long Island Ice Tea
Five spirits in one glass, and the reason it is on this list is honesty: somebody always asks for it. Make it once, early, and make it properly measured, because the version poured by eye is how evenings end at 10pm.
What goes in: 15ml vodka · 15ml gin · 15ml white rum · 15ml tequila · 15ml triple sec · 30ml lemon juice · Cola · Ice
The short version: Fill a tall glass with ice, add the five spirits and the lemon juice, top with cola and stir gently.
Vodka Energy
Not a cocktail any bartender would defend, and included because it is what half of Europe actually drinks before going out. Two ingredients, no skill, and worth knowing your own limit with: caffeine hides how much you have had.
What goes in: 50ml vodka · Red Bull · Ice
The short version: Fill a tall glass with ice, add the vodka, top with the energy drink and stir once.
Now 56 recipes to explore
The book has grown by 22 recipes: try a bright Cosmopolitan, a floral Hugo Spritz, a sparkling French 75 or a peachy Bellini. For a richer evening drink, explore the Boulevardier, Sazerac or Amaretto Sour. BUNZE and PIXEL are our own creations, named after the app creators.
Looking for a place or a period? On supported devices, Cocktail AI can suggest recipes by flavor, ingredients, occasion, origin or era, and share a short backstory. If the book has no exact match, it says so and can offer a clearly labeled alternative. AI can make mistakes; check the recipe and drink responsibly.
The other recipes are in the app
The drinks above are the ones worth planning an evening around. The rest of the shelf — a Negroni, an Old Fashioned, a Pornstar Martini, a Penicillin and more, 56 in total — sits in Cold Ones with the full numbered steps, the right glass, the garnish and a photo of what it should look like when you get it right.
- 56 cocktail recipes, with alcohol-free ideas where suitable in English, German, Spanish and French, each with step-by-step instructions rather than the one-line summaries above.
- Tell it what you already own. The ingredient picker groups spirits, mixers, fruit and garnishes into easy-to-find choices. Tick what is actually in your kitchen and the app shows only the drinks you can make right now, instead of sending you to a shop at 9pm.
- An AI cocktail assistant. Ask for something in plain language — "citrusy but not too sweet, and I have gin" — and it narrows the list. It runs on your own phone on supported devices, so the conversation is not sent anywhere.
- Eight party games in the same download: Truth or Dare, Never Have I Ever, Paranoia, Impostor, Trivia, They're a 10, But…, Party Mode and a spin-the-wheel Roulette. The drinks are rarely the whole evening.
Free on iPhone and Android, with no ads and no account needed to open a recipe.
Frequently asked questions
What is the best cocktail to drink before going out?
An Espresso Martini, because it is the only classic that leaves people more awake rather than less. If you want something longer and lighter that you can make six of at once, a Mojito or a Paloma is the better call.
Which cocktails can you batch ahead for a party?
Anything without a carbonated mixer. A Mojito base (rum, lime, sugar, mint) and an Espresso Martini mix can both be made in a jug in advance and kept cold; add the soda or shake with ice only when you pour. Never pre-mix anything topped with cola, soda or prosecco, because it goes flat.
How many cocktails should you make before going out?
One or two each, with food and water in between. The point of a pregame is to arrive in good shape, not to peak on the sofa, and drinks like a Long Island Ice Tea carry five spirits in one glass.
What cocktails can you make with only one bottle of spirit?
With white rum alone you can make a Mojito, a Daiquiri and a Cuba Libre. With vodka you get a Screwdriver, a Kyiv Mule and the base of an Espresso Martini. Picking drinks that share a base is the cheapest way to cover a whole evening.
