Updated October 2026
The usual way to pick a cocktail is backwards: find a recipe, then discover you're missing two bottles. Start from the other end. Below are three combinations plenty of people already have at home, each checked against the 56 recipes in the Cold Ones app, with the drinks they make in full and the one extra bottle that unlocks the next. Ingredient lists are copied from the app; the numbered steps, the right glass and a photo are in the app.
If you have white rum, limes, sugar, mint, soda water and cola
Mojito
Long, fresh and full of mint.
What goes in: 60ml white rum · 30ml lime juice · 2 tsp sugar · 6-8 mint leaves · Soda water · Ice
The short version: Muddle mint and sugar in the glass, add lime and rum, fill with ice, top with soda.
Daiquiri
No mint, no soda: just rum, lime and sugar in balance.
What goes in: 60ml white rum · 20ml fresh lime juice · 2 teaspoons fine sugar · Ice · Lime wheel for garnish
The short version: Dissolve the sugar in the rum and lime, shake with ice, strain into a chilled coupe.
Cuba Libre
Rum and cola, rescued by real lime.
What goes in: 50ml white rum · Cola · Lime wedges · Ice
The short version: Squeeze two lime wedges over ice, add the rum, top with cola, stir gently.
One more bottle: add cachaça, and the same limes and sugar make a Caipirinha over crushed ice.
If you have vodka, limes, ginger beer, orange juice, cranberry juice and triple sec
Kyiv Mule
Spicy, fizzy and done in thirty seconds.
What goes in: 50ml vodka · 15ml lime juice · Ginger beer · Ice
The short version: Vodka and lime over ice in a copper mug, topped with ginger beer.
Screwdriver
Two ingredients and no technique at all.
What goes in: 50ml vodka · Orange juice · Ice
The short version: Vodka over ice in a tall glass, topped with orange juice and stirred.
Cosmopolitan
Tart, pink and the only shaken drink of the three.
What goes in: 40ml citrus vodka · 15ml triple sec · 15ml fresh lime juice · 30ml cranberry juice · Ice · Orange peel for garnish
The short version: Shake hard with ice, fine-strain into a chilled glass, twist the orange peel over it.
The finder counts the Cosmopolitan's citrus vodka as vodka. One more bottle: peach schnapps unlocks the Sex on the Beach and the Touch Down, the same four ingredients in different proportions.
If you have prosecco and soda water, plus Aperol, limoncello, or elderflower syrup and mint
Aperol Spritz
Bitter orange, long and light.
What goes in: 90ml prosecco · 60ml Aperol · 30ml soda water · Ice · Orange slice for garnish
The short version: Prosecco, Aperol and soda over ice in a wine glass, one gentle stir.
Limoncello Spritz
Sweet-sour lemon instead of bitter orange.
What goes in: 60ml limoncello · 90ml prosecco · 30ml soda water · Ice · Lemon slice and mint sprig for garnish
The short version: Limoncello first, then prosecco and soda over ice; stir once.
Hugo Spritz
Elderflower and mint, the South Tyrol spritz.
What goes in: 120ml prosecco · 20ml elderflower syrup · 40ml soda water · 6-8 mint leaves · 2 lime slices · Ice
The short version: Clap the mint, add it with lime and syrup to a wine glass, ice, then prosecco and soda.
One more bottle: white peach purée turns the prosecco into a Bellini.
Only two things in the house?
Eight recipes in the book need just two core ingredients, not counting ice or garnish: Screwdriver, Vodka Energy, Flying Hirsch, Dry Martini, Mimosa, Dark 'n' Stormy, Lillet Wild Berry and Bellini. More low-effort recipes are in our guide to easy cocktails; for a whole evening, see cocktails for a night out and dinner party cocktails.
Let the app check your kitchen
Cold Ones has this built in, for free. In Cocktails, tap the checklist button at the top right to open Add ingredients, search for what you have and tap it to add it. Brand names work too: Cointreau finds triple sec, Baileys finds Irish cream, Coke finds cola. Then tap Take me to my cocktails to see only the recipes you can make completely. Everyone bringing a bottle? Add them all and see what comes out.
- 88 entries to pick from. Spirits are grouped: Rum covers white, dark, spiced and aged rum, Whiskey covers bourbon, rye and Scotch, and Lime juice also counts fresh limes. The recipe names the exact bottle.
- It remembers. Your list stays saved on the phone; next time, add only what you bought.
- No AI needed. The finder works on every phone, in English, German, Spanish and French.
- Or just ask. On supported devices, COCKT(AI)L, the AI bartender, understands “I have gin, limes and sugar syrup. What can I make?” and answers with the Gimlet.
Frequently asked questions
What cocktail can I make with vodka and orange juice?
A Screwdriver: 50ml vodka topped with orange juice over ice. Add cranberry juice and peach schnapps and you can also make a Sex on the Beach or a Touch Down.
What can I make with rum, lime and sugar?
A Daiquiri: 60ml white rum, 20ml fresh lime juice and 2 teaspoons of fine sugar, shaken with ice. Add mint and soda water for a Mojito, or cola for a Cuba Libre.
Is there an app that shows cocktails I can make with what I have?
Cold Ones has a free ingredient finder: add what's in your kitchen, tap “Take me to my cocktails” and it shows only the recipes, out of 56, that you can make completely. It works on every phone, in English, German, Spanish and French.
What cocktails only need two ingredients?
In the Cold Ones recipe book, eight, not counting ice and garnish: Screwdriver, Vodka Energy, Flying Hirsch, Dry Martini, Mimosa, Dark 'n' Stormy, Lillet Wild Berry and Bellini.
