Our guide to the best cocktails you can make in your student kitchen

Live your boujee best life in the comfort of your own kitchen

3 years ago

Being a student is basically a balancing act between going out as much as physically possible whilst still managing to pass your degree and not completely maxing out your overdraft. The obvious solution to resolving the dire financial situation most of us are in would be to not have as many nights out, but that seems tragic after almost two years of lockdown.

Instead of blowing a weeks worth of rent on one boozy evening at a bar, a good alternative is to recreate your favourite nights yourself – home made cocktails is a great place to start.

These are our absolute favourite cocktail recipes, tried by a group of very willing volunteers. If you share the cost of ingredients with a group, cocktails are actually really affordable, making them perfect for a birthday pres, a house night in or perhaps if you’re feeling fancy, a dinner party.

Mojito

Transport yourself to tropical Cuban beaches with each sip. The mojito screams sophistication and is perfect for a birthday pres. Save the recipe for the warmer months and you will be the height of class when you are sunbathing in the tiny patch of gravel your landlord calls a garden.

Crush the juice of a lime (one per drink), sugar (one to two teaspoons per person) and mint leaves into your jug. Add some ice, white rum (double shot per person), and soda water. Then taste and adjust to how sweet or boozy you would like it.

Purple Rain

Our take on a Spoons classic, having Prince playing in the background whilst mixing is essential. Also, if you have a sweet tooth you can add some blue gummy sweets to your final cocktail, though it does mean your cocktail evening is no longer the elegant affair you may have hoped for and resembles more a year six disco.

Fill your jug with ice and then proceed to add one and half parts citron absolute vodka to one part blue curaçao and half part grenadine, then top off with lemon lime soda.

Bumble bee

A very aesthetically pleasing cocktail. The one we made did taste a bit like an alcoholic honey and lemon so I like to think of this cocktail as multipurpose. It both combats freshers flu and makes you appropriately pissed for your night out at the same time. Definitely the most convenient cocktail listed, though it requires a tiny bit of prep as you have to thinly slice a few lemons and then let them marinate in honey for an hour.

To make the cocktails then put 2-3 slices of your marinated lemons to each glass along with few tablespoons of the lemony honey mixture. Add your most questionable vodka and then top with lemonade and garnish with mint. If you can still taste the cheap vodka add more honey.

Sex on the Beach

A saucy name for an equally saucy cocktail. This one is really easy and is ideal if you do not have a lot of time or space to be preparing different ingredients. All this recipe requires is a simple mixing together of all the booze, and is easy to make for large groups. We suggest using a plastic storage container rather than a jug if you are making for more than five thirsty students. Classy? Admittedly no. A fun way to not taste supermarket own brand vodka? Oh yes.

Put some ice in your jug/plastic box. To every double of vodka add one shot of peach schnapps, then add equal amounts of orange and cranberry juice. Stir vigorously (otherwise someone will get a glass full of straight vodka and it will get messy) and if you’re classy add some slices of orange on top.