Drink up! Humans have loved their alcohol for thousands of years, whether brewed or fermented. Early evidence suggests humans were drinking alcohol as long as 9,000 years ago.

Naturally, we’ve learned to do more than let some grapes rot in a vat. Alcohol can be more enjoyable before you’ve acquired a taste for it if you’ve got some good alcoholic drink recipes. The problem is, with how a bartender flips bottles, it doesn’t seem that easy.

We’re here to help. In this guide, we’ll cover cocktail recipes for all types of drinks that you can make. Here are seven you can try right now.

1. The Easiest of Alcoholic Drink Recipes: The Screwdriver

There is nothing easier to make than the screwdriver. There are only two ingredients: vodka and orange juice. Pour vodka in your orange juice, or vice versa, and you’re done.

Feel free to add some ice if you want it nice and cool. Or, garnish it with a cherry, lemon wedge, or whatever suits your fancy.

Now, we highly recommend carefully measuring out your dose of vodka. You’ll barely taste such pure liquor amidst a tangy drink like orange juice. Pour in too much, and you might be rolling around on the floor and vomiting.

You can always dilute the vodka with more orange juice. Ice can also neutralize a bit of the booze if you go overboard.

2. Malibu Bay Breeze

Looking for something that reminds you of the California coastline? The Malibu Bay Breeze is on par with a Mai Tai; a girly drink, or one for those who don’t want to get plastered.

Read this Bay Breeze recipe for a full rundown. You only need three ingredients: Malibu Original, cranberry juice, and pineapple juice.

You need roughly equal parts of each, but feel free to adjust the Malibu to taste. If you’d rather keep the cranberry and pineapple flavor on top, then dim down the Malibu to about a fourth or fifth part.

Ideally, you want to create a fancy color spectrum from top to bottom. Use ice to keep things from mixing. Start with pineapple juice, then cranberry, and top it off with the Original.

3. Red Sangria

Sangria is the party drink for the punch bowl. If you haven’t seen Sangria before, then you’ve probably never been to any parties.

All you need is the following:

Merlot
Sugar
Orange liqueur
Brandy
Lemon/lime soda

Mix it all together into a pitcher or punch bowl. Then slice up some strawberries, limes, or whatever else you like.

Make sure to add plenty of ice, and then stir until the sugar dissolves. If possible, let it sit overnight to steep.

Sangria is wickedly sneaky, though! Moderate your intake. Merlot and liqueur can easily slip past your defenses.

4. French 75

The name of the French 75 apparently originates from WW1. If the stories are true, then soldiers compared its kick to that of a 75 mm artillery gun. We’ve never felt a 75 mm gun kick, but we imagine that’s an accurate representation.

You need to whip out a shaker for this one. Fill it with ice, then add the following:

Gin
Syrup or confectioners’ sugar
Lemon juice

Shake it like you just don’t care for 15 seconds. Once it’s nice and cold, pour it into a flute and garnish with lemon. Serve immediately for the best results, and then ask your guests if they feel the 75 mm analogy is accurate.

5. Moscow Mule

Who knows if this drink really came from Moscow. But like vodka served in a tin cup, it’s plenty easy to make. Take caution though: this kicks like a winter-hardened mule from Moscow.

You’ll need the following:

Ginger beer
Lime juice
Vodka

This is a dead simple party drink. Just mix it into a pitcher and serve it to all your guests. Then regale them about Moscow and Russian spies.

6. Chocolate Martini

Wish you could put dessert and a nightcap together? We recommend the chocolate martini.

Get some melted milk chocolate and drizzle it along the glass’ rim. Set this in your fridge so it’s nice and cool–and won’t melt on your guest’s fingers.

Get your mixing glass (or tumbler, if you still have it) and fill it with ice. Include the following ingredients:

Half-and-half cream
Vodka
Chocolate liqueur
Crème de cacao

Shake or stir until you get a nice condensation rime. Then, get a strainer and strain it into the glasses. Let them chill, or else serve them straight to guests.

7. Spiked Lemonade

Everyone loves a nice, ice-cold lemonade. Now make their eyes go wide when they discover there’s something more inside. Spiked lemonade is a close sister of hard lemonade, except with rum being the surprise.

You only need two ingredients for this one:

Light rum
Store-bought or homemade lemonade

Break out–but don’t break–your highball glasses and stack them with ice. A Collins glass will do nicely, too. Pour in the cocktail and then add lemon garnish if you so desire.

If you can’t find any rum, then worry not. Convert this spiked lemonade into hard lemonade with any liquor you have on hand. Vodka will do nicely.

Make Some Delicious Drinks for Your Guests

Now you’ve got some excellent alcoholic drink ideas under your belt. These drink recipes all pack a punch, but only take a couple of minutes at most to make. So before your next social event, come prepared with more excellent alcoholic drink recipes.

Follow our blog for more ideas on how to make delicious food and drink.