Cocktail Calculator
Recipes are stored as base ratios; serving scaler multiplies each ingredient by your requested number of servings. Related: cooking converter, tip calculator.
Show the math
What Your Result Means
- Ingredient Amounts: The exact ounces (or display units like dashes, rinses) for each ingredient, scaled to your chosen number of servings.
- Glass Type: The traditionally recommended glass for that cocktail — rocks, coupe, flute, Collins, and so on.
- Method: The mixing technique (stirred, shaken, built) and any special steps like dry-shaking egg whites or floating a spirit.
- Reverse Lookup: When you enter ingredients you have on hand, the tool shows which recipes you can make and highlights any missing ingredients.
How This Calculator Works
You browse or search a database of 100+ cocktail recipes, each stored with exact ounce ratios per ingredient. Selecting a recipe displays the full recipe, and a serving scaler multiplies every ingredient by the number of servings. The reverse-lookup mode filters recipes to those matching your available ingredients, ranked by completeness.
Quick Questions
Are the recipes based on standard bartending ratios?
Yes. The recipes use widely recognized ratios from classic bartending references. Taste is subjective, so feel free to adjust sweetness or citrus to your preference.
What does "float" mean in a recipe?
A float is a small amount of spirit poured gently over the back of a spoon so it sits on top of the drink rather than mixing in. It adds aroma and a layered visual effect.
How accurate is the serving scaler for large batches?
The scaler multiplies each ingredient linearly. For batches over 8 servings, you may want to reduce citrus and sweetener slightly (by about 10–15%) since flavors concentrate differently at volume. Add dilution water to replace the ice melt you'd get from individual shaking.
Can I substitute ingredients?
Many spirits have close substitutes — bourbon for rye, mezcal for tequila, or lime for lemon in a pinch. Liqueurs are harder to swap since they carry unique flavors. The reverse lookup can help you find recipes that already use what you have.
Sources
- Wikipedia — Cocktail (history and classification of mixed drinks)
- Wikipedia — IBA Official Cocktails (International Bartenders Association standard recipes)
- Punch (contemporary cocktail culture and recipes)
Method & review
Estimate only. Results reflect your inputs and standard formulas. Double-check important decisions independently.