Looking for budget friendly cocktails? Don’t worry: you don’t have to break the bank to drink classy! Turns out, some of the best classic cocktails are 2 and 3 ingredient drinks that are deliciously simple to mix up in the comfort of your own home. And guess what? You don’t even have to tip your bartender! Here are the best cheap drinks to make on a budget! Classics from the Old Fashioned to the daiquiri and gimlet are all simple and inexpensive to make. Keep in mind: we haven’t set an exact price for each drink because liquor price varies greatly based on quality. Buy what you can afford and let the drink do the rest! Let’s get mixing.
And now…the best cheap drinks to make on a budget!
Money saving tips for cocktail equipment!
Don’t have all the tools for making cocktails? No problem. You don’t need to buy anything to make cheap drinks at home! Yes, it’s a little easier with the right tools. But here’s what you can use that you probably already have on hand: Variations: Jack and coke, Whiskey and coke, Gin and coke, Tequila and coke, Crown and coke or Vodka and coke Ingredients: Rum, cola, lime Variations: Mexican Mule, Kentucky Mule, Gin Gin Mule, Irish Mule, or Mezcal Mule Ingredients: Vodka, ginger beer, lime Variations: Sea Breeze, Bay Breeze, Madras Ingredients: Vodka, cranberry juice (optional simple syrup) Ingredients: Gin, tonic water Ingredients: Dark rum, ginger beer, lime Variations: Strawberry Daiquiri or Lime Frozen Daiquiri Ingredients: White rum, lime juice, simple syrup Variation: Wisconsin Old Fashioned Ingredients: Whiskey, cocktail bitters, sugar cube Variation: Whiskey Highball Ingredients: Vodka, tonic water, lemon, lime Variation: Black Russian (even cheaper!) Ingredients: Vodka, Kahlua, heavy cream or milk Variations: Vodka Gimlet, French Gimlet Ingredients: Gin, lime, simple syrup Ingredients: Dry red wine, cola Variations: Greyhound Cocktail Ingredients: Grapefruit juice, gin, simple syrup
No cocktail shaker? Use a covered jar. All you need is a mason jar with a cover. Throw in the ice and shake! Then strain out the drink using a fine mesh strainer (or poke a hole in the cover — just make sure to cover it when you shake!). No cocktail muddler? Use a wooden spoon. Most of the cheap drinks above don’t require muddling. But if you need to muddle citrus or herbs: use a wooden spoon instead! No need for a professional muddler.
Budget friendly simple syrup: make your own
Want the cheapest way to get ahold of simple syrup? Make your own! Yes, it’s so simple (ha!) to make simple syrup for ultra cheap drinks: it only takes 5 minutes and a bit of sugar. Go to How to Make Simple Syrup or follow these steps:
Place equal parts sugar and water in a saucepan. Usually we use ½ cup sugar and ½ cup water.Heat over medium and whisk until the sugar dissolves, about 1 to 2 minutes. Resist the urge to simmer! All you want is to dissolve the sugar.Cool to room temperature. That’s it: you’re done!
More cocktails
Looking for more cocktails outside of these cheap drinks? Here are some more of our favorite cocktail recipes: No reviews
30 Great Cocktail Recipes You Should Know The high hitters! Our favorites. 15 Popular Classic Cocktails to Try These top drinks are solid classics. Try our recipes with the big 5: Great Whiskey Cocktails, Best Vodka Cocktails, Best Gin Cocktails, Top Tequila Cocktails and Best Rum Cocktails.Browse them all: 200+ Popular Cocktail Recipes!
