Big batch something popular mate, no one wants to be mixing during their whole party. Negroni I is a great batch, spicy marg. Google freezer door cocktails

Do a large batch of flavored margarita

Sangria

I made this for my rehearsal dinner. I wouldn’t do quite the full amount of gin as it may be a bit strong for everyone’s tastes. 1.5oz rather than 2 and compensate with a bit more soda.

We did a huge batch they morning of and it was a hit the whole night.

https://www.liquor.com/recipes/floradora/

I usually go for 50ml white rum, 25ml lime juice and 10ml simple syrup. Then shake and strain. It’s super simple to make and difficult to mess up.

If you get bored of that, try crush blackberries in the bottom of your shaker and then adding the other ingredients. Other fruits can be used but blackberries are my personal favourite!

Martini is pretty easy, just gin and vermouth.

Most cocktails with a 2 strong 1 sour 1 sweet base will be pretty good.

A 2:1:1 ratio for most sour type cocktails is a good place to start, then you scale the ingredients up and down to taste. Personally, I like 2.5 oz rum, .75 oz like and 3 tsp powdered sugar (equivalent to .75 oz simple syrup).

Negroni I think is the easiest cocktail. You can build it in the glass and it's pretty forgiving if you eyeball equal parts.

Old fashioned. If you’ve got sugar, bitters, and whiskey you can make a decent one.

Old Fashioned, Manhattan, Martini, Daiquiri, Sidecar, Margarita, Moscow Mule, Dark & Stormy, Cuba Libre, Presbyterian, Cape Codder and Greyhound/Salty Dog are all classics requiring three or fewer ingredients. There are many more. Just google "three-ingredient cocktails". Pick the ones that sound good and ignore the others.

I think the easiest that comes to mind is a daiquiri. All you need is rum, simple syrup, and lime. And it’s incredibly versatile when it comes to changing the flavour via the adding of fruit.

20 minutes in this sub could give you a menu.

Then, add some seasonal and local flavors... add pumpkin pie spices to your simple syrup in the fall and winter... use different bitters... infuse spirits with seasonal fruits.

I am a complete mixology novice, but this sounds like a fun part of the job.

Every cocktail is just a riff on a few formulas, the book Cocktail Codex is a great breakdown of this concept. Definitely worth picking up if you’re interested in fundamentals for cocktails. Their formulas are:

• Old Fashioned: Spirit + Sweet + Bitter + Citrus Oil
• Daiquiri (Sour): Spirit + Sweet + Tart
• Sidecar (Daisy): Spirit + Liqueur(s) + Tart
• Martini (Manhattan is a better example given how fucked up Martinis typically are): Spirit + Wine/Vermouth + Bitter
• Highball: Spirit + Mixer
• Flip: Spirit + Sweet + Dairy/Egg

Once you know the formulas and appropriate ratios making new cocktails is just a matter of slotting in the right ingredients and making it, tasting for a little fine tuning, and putting that to print.

Now inspiration is a whole other thing. Personally I get inspired by unique ingredients (“I want to use this weird spirit/liqueur/syrup, what would pair well?”) or trying to describe something via a drink, like a person/character, song, movie, historical fact, famous landmark, a mythological story/fairy tale, the vibe of a moment, or just an extra specific feeling. Often I start from a cool name than think “what flavours would describe that?” and that leads me to the drink I want. I’ll smell the forest, look over a desert, or watch sheets on the line blowing in summer wind and think “how can I distill that into a drink?”. That’s probably unhelpful, but it’s what I got.

If you’re making five new cocktails you probably want a mix of several kinds of cocktail, probably about one from the first five formulas (flips are pretty niche and out of fashion during the summer these days). You could also just resurrect some obscure cocktails, most incredible historical cocktails are basically unknown to the public (but given you’re new they are probably new to you too, so eh).

Most cocktails in most bars are just fairly basic riffs on classics. (Tbh even most new famous and popular drinks are just pretty much riffs on earlier drinks, it’s hard to be truly original here).

Go to the IBA list and pick five classics out of the hundred drinks then just change one or two ingredients for something else similar. Or add an ingredient. Or clarify it with milk. And then give it a flowery name. You can think of 10 drink ideas in 20 mins, then try each one and keep the best 5.

Alternatively, if you really have no creativity, then chatGPT can probably do all of that with unlimited ideas, then you can just taste and approve which ones go on the menu.

Grab a death & co book and read, front to back. It’s not my method, but my method is essentially trial and error until i like my drink. The Death & Co method will save you.

If you have no idea what you're doing and they're offering you a job, it means they also have no idea what they're doing.

Adding simple in addition to other syrups is pretty straightforward - you want to add additional sweetness but no more of whatever other flavor is in your syrup. Off the top of my head, Mai Tai recipes usually use a 2:1 or 3:1 split of orgeat syrup to cane sugar/demerara syrup, using all orgeat can be a bit much if you're wanting to tone down the nutty flavor.

Syrup is more concentrated than juice in terms of sweetness and flavor, you use less of it than juice generally.

Juice, most commonly from citrus like lime or lemon, usually adds balance and acidity to drinks and cuts through the sweetness.

Cocktails are an effort in the balance between different kinds of flavours (spirit, sweet, sour, bitter, herbal, etc) to create an evolution greater than the sum of its parts. Most follow one of about six basic formulas (Old Fashioned, Manhattan, Sour, Daisy, Highball, Flip), so learning the fundamentals of those formulas lets you unravel the theory behind cocktails. If you want a good book on the subject, I’d suggest Cocktail Codex.

For some beginner cocktails, my canonical starting point is a Tom Collins. It’s long, refreshing, approachable, but doesn’t hide that it has gin in it. It is a Sour lengthened with soda water.

Tom Collins

• 2 oz London Dry Gin
• 1/2-3/4 oz Simple Syrup (I typically use 2:1 sugar:water)
• 1 oz Lemon Juice, freshly squeezed
• Soda Water, to top
• Lemon Twist

Build in a Collins glass filled with cracked ice, stir lightly to incorporate. Peel a swath of lemon peel (with a vegetable peeler) and express over the drink to release the oils, drop it in as garnish.

Sours (Spirit + Sweet + Sour) and Highballs (Spirit + Mixer) are typically a good place to start as a beginner, they tend to be more approachable than stirred cocktails like Old Fashioned (Spirit + Sweet + Bitters + Citrus Oils) and Manhattans (Spirit + Aromatized Wine + Bitters). Flips (Spirit + Dairy/Egg + Sweet) can also be approachable, but most people don’t have them regularly. A Daisy (Spirit + Liqueur + Sour) are essentially a kind of Sour, but tend to be less sweet and have less approachable flavours.

Here are two fundamental Sours:

Daiquiri

• 2 oz Rum (classically an unaged or lightly-aged column still rum, like a Cuban or Puerto Rican, but any real rum works; i.e. not spiced rum)
• 1/2-3/4 oz Simple Syrup (2:1, feel free to bump it up to taste if using 1:1)
• 1 oz Lime Juice, freshly squeezed

Build in shaker, shake with ice, strain into a coupe. No garnish.

Whiskey Sour

• 2 oz Whiskey (typically Bourbon, but again, use it to try different whiskey)
• 1/2-3/4 oz Simple Syrup 2:1
• 1 oz Lemon Juice, freshly squeezed
• 1 Egg White
• Angostura Bitters, for garnish

Build in shaker, dry shake (without ice, to emulsify the egg white), wet shake (with ice), strain into a coupe. You can also reverse dry shake if you like. Garnish with a few drops of bitters on top of the frothy head.

Here are two fundamental Highballs:

Paloma

• 2 oz Tequila (typically Blanc)
• 1/2-1 oz Lime Juice, freshly squeezed
• Grapefruit Soda, to top

Build in a Collins glass filled with ice, garnish with a grapefruit wedge or a nice sprig of mint. Can also be made in a Sour style with fresh grapefruit or homemade grapefruit soda, but that can be more advanced.

Gin & Tonic

• 2 oz London Dry Gin (or gin of choice)
• 1/2 ounce Lime Juice, freshly squeezed
• Tonic, to top (3-4 oz)

Build over cracked ice in a double rocks glass, the tonic should only be slightly greater in volume than the gin for proper balance. Garnish with a lime wedge.

If you want to try out a couple stirred drinks just for experience, here are two fundamentals:

Old Fashioned

• 2 oz Whiskey (typically Bourbon)
• 1/4 oz Simple Syrup (2:1, many like a Demerara Syrup here)
• 2 dashes Angostura Bitters
• Orange Twist, for garnish (and important aromatics)

Build with ice in a mixing glass or over a big cube in the serving glass. Strain into a rocks glass with a big cube of ice, express the orange peel and drop in as garnish.

Manhattan

• 2 oz Whiskey (typically Rye)
• 1 oz Sweet Vermouth (brand makes a big difference, I like Cocchi di Torino or Antica Formula)
• 2 dashes Angostura Bitters
• Maraschino Cherries (good black ones, not the neon red ones), for garnish

Build in a mixing glass, stir with ice, strain into a coupe. Garnish with cherries.

The world of cocktails is incredibly wide and deep, so this doesn’t cover nearly everything, but I hope it inspires you to try some stuff.

I started with manhattans, because they only have three ingredients, rye whiskey, sweet vermouth, and angostura bitters. Add Campari to that and you can make a boulevardier. Get a bottle of gin and you can make a negroni. Get a bottle of dry vermouth and you can make a martini.

As far as cost, it's really up to you how you want to balance the number of bottles you get vs. quality. Most spirits you can find a 750ml bottle for $20 or so. I like Beefeater for gin, and Bullett for rye, and Dolin or Noilly Prat for vermouth. None of them are terribly high end but will make for good drinking.

I slowly built up. At first I might buy vodka or run to pour into juice. Then add a few and I can make Long Island Iced Tea. Get some peach schnapps and now I can make Fuzzy Logic.

The bar just kept growing this way.

The book Raising the bar is a great start. You start with one bottle and work your way up.

What’s your favorite drink?

I suggest starting with a drink you already like, finding a recipe for that, then getting what you need to make it. Then, once you're ready to try something new, you look at what other drinks you can make with the bottles that you have or can buy. Sours are great for this, since it's really just a matter of swapping base spirits, sweeteners, and citrus to make different drinks.

Here’s some that come to mind. Lmk if you need recipes :)…

Citrus: Lemon Drop (vodka, lemon, triple sec)

Pegu Club (gin, curaçao, lime, angostura bitters)

Sidecar (cognac, dry curaçao, lemon)

Siesta (tequila, lime, grapefruit, Campari, Simple syrup).

Berry: Clover Club (gin, lemon, dry vermouth, raspberry [syrup, liqueur, or fresh])

Enzoni (gin, Campari, lemon, Simple syrup, grapes)

Cosmonaut (gin, lemon, raspberry jam).

Etc: Scofflaw (rye whiskey, dry vermouth, lemon, real grenadine)

Queen’s Park Hotel Super Cocktail (rum, sweet vermouth, lemon, real grenadine)

Daiquiri (light rum, lime, simple syrup)

Side note since you’re new: fresh is best when it comes to citrus juices. Your cocktails will turn out markedly better if you juice fresh citrus yourself. Also, consider making your own syrups. It is very easy and will save you a lot of money.

Yamas

Porn Star Martini?

11/2 ounces vanilla vodka 1/2 ounce passion fruit liqueur (such as Passoã or De Kuyper) 1 ounce passion fruit puree 1/2 ounce lime juice, freshly squeezed 1/2 ounce vanilla simple syrup

Side of 2 ounces sparkling wine, chilled

Hanna Rosa

Salted Caramel Whiskey, Minutemaid Lemonade, and ice.

Ice a glass half empty. Fill the cracks with whiskey to half full. Top with another 1/2 of lemonade. Drink responsibly.

Moscow Mule: 1 part lime, 2 parts vodka, 4-6 parts ginger beer. Serve over ice.

Vasectomy: 1 part cranberry juice, 1.5 parts gin, 3 parts tonic water, generous splash of lemon (or lime). Serve over ice.

I’m a simple girl.. a shot of rum and a can of Diet Coke..it’s a party now

I keep hearing. , "You put de lime in de coconut, you drink 'em bot' togedder."

Cranberry juice (any kind of juice works), vodka, 7-up/sprite.

Try an old fashioned but with a flavored simple syrup. Like Earl grey or rosemary or maple syrup.

Cucumber & st Germaine with something a lil acidic is always easy and a crowd favorite too!

My fav that looks fancy but isn’t is a lavender gimlet! 2 oz gin .5 lime .75 oz lavender simple syrup Pick a pretty garnish

Negroni.

Paloma.

I’ve been doing a whiskey sour meets campari and grapefruit:

2 1/2 oz rye

1/2 oz simple (1:1 Demerara by weight)

3/4 oz lemon juice

1 oz grapefruit juice

3/4 oz campari

expensive neat liquor.

New York Sour is really simple, but it blows people's minds at weddings

Nice glassware and big ice

Margarita, Daiquiri, Bee’s Knees, Gold Rush.

I've had great results with the Jungle Bird. I split the rum base with 1oz Appleton estate and 1oz Havana Club 3 year to keep it approachable, as I usually use more robust rums when I make it for myself. Campari, the other alcoholic component can be polarising, but it's very gentle in this cocktail, and can be substituted for Aperol depending on taste! If you don't have to go buy all these ingredients, I would highly suggest it! Otherwise, I'd find something that at least incorporates something you already have on the shelf.

Jungle Bird
2oz Rum
3/4oz Campari
2oz Pineapple Juice
3/4oz Lime Juice
1/2oz Simple Syrup

Death and Company’s High Five is excellent, unique, and very approachable to make. I’ve had great success with it when dealing with friends who are a bit newer to cocktails.

1.5 Gin .5 Aperol 1 grapefruit .5 lime .5 simple syrup

If you want to snazz it up a bit further, when making the simple syrup on the stove just throw a few sprigs of Rosemary in and let it simmer for five minutes. Then you can garnish with grapefruit and rosemary and it will be both delicious and gorgeous

Edit- didn’t read the colour but, but this is kind of a pink/orange. Not perfect, but pretty close. Also from a prep perspective, you can mix the gin, aperol and simple together beforehand, then just add citrus and shake. Good luck!

A Sidecar is always nice and simple too

Paper Plane was my first thought once the OP mentioned orange.  Other than involving some less basic bottles, nice equal parts recipe, suitable for batching, and great tasting.