Pantry Cocktails for When You Need a Pick-Me-Up

Before the pandemic hit, many of us tended to buy and consume alcohol without properly digging through our pantries and liquor cabinets to see what lurked in dark corners! However, when Covid-19 took over our lives, many of us started to get better acquainted with our pantries and took it upon ourselves to come up with more inventive ways to drink alcohol. 

If you’ve been wanting to have a nice cocktail but don’t want to spend a ton of money on unique ingredients, try out one of these recipes using ingredients that you might already have inside your pantry! 

Here’s a list of five pantry cocktails for when you need a pick-me-up: 

1. Vodka Martini 

A vodka martini is one of those cocktails that always puts us in a better mood. It has only four simple ingredients, one of which is ice! If you’re looking to spice up a boring weeknight in front of the TV, but you want to put in minimal effort, then this martini is definitely for you. The vermouth is something you might already have in your fridge when cooking fish or chicken, and vodka is something we all usually have lying around! 

Here’s how you make a vodka martini: 

Ingredients: 

• 3oz of your favorite brand of vodka
• 1oz of vermouth 
• 2 or 3 olives
• As many cubes of ice as you want

Method: 

• Combine your vodka and vermouth in a clean glass for mixing. Add the ice, and stir the three ingredients together until your drink is completely cold. 
• If you’re feeling a little fancy, you can chill your martini glass ahead of time to make sure that your drink stays cold. If not, just pour your cocktail into a martini glass. 
• To garnish your glass, take your olives and run a toothpick through them. 
• Voila! You have now made a delicious cocktail. 

We weren’t kidding when we said that this was a simple drink! 

2. A gin and tonic

Yes, this is another classic cocktail that everyone should know how to make. A gin and tonic is refreshing, delicious, and unbelievably easy to make. It’s almost deceiving how easy it is to make, but here we are! 

Here’s how you make a classic gin and tonic. 

Ingredients: 

• As much gin as you feel good about
• As much tonic water as you feel good about
• Several cubes of ice 
• A fat lemon wedge 

Method: 

• All you need to do is combine your gin, tonic water, and ice in a glass and stir. Garnish your drink with the lemon wedge, and just like that, you have a delicious cocktail in front of you. 

If you’ve ever ordered this cocktail at a fancy bar or restaurant, chances are you overpaid and found yourself wishing you knew how to make it at home. Now that you know how to make one, we’re sure you’ll have some gin and tonic water on hand at all times! 

3. Daiquiri 

Daiquiris remind us of summer days spent on the beach. Imagine this: there’s sand between your toes, and the sun is burning your skin, and all you need to make that perfect moment even better is to add a cocktail into the mix! Unfortunately, you might be stuck at home in your PJs on the couch, and you need something to make you feel like you’re on vacation. 

Make this delicious daiquiri, and thank us later. 

Ingredients: 

• 3oz of white rum 
• 1oz freshly squeezed lime juice
• ¾ of an ounce of simple sugar syrup 
• As much ice as you want  
• A slice of lemon 

Method: 

• Add all of the ingredients except the slice of lemon to a shaker or larger glass. 
• Mix well, or stir well until everything is well-combined. 
• If you’re using a shaker, shake until everything is cold. If you’re using a large glass, constantly stir until the outside of your glass is very cold. 
• Pour your cocktail into another glass and serve with fresh ice and the lemon slice. 
• Once again, you’ve just made a simple cocktail! 

Conclusion: 

In this article, we took you through a list of three pantry cocktails. Like a pantry dessert or pasta, you can throw these easy cocktail recipes together in less than ten minutes using ingredients you have lying around at home. They are perfect for a bit of a pick-me-up on days when you need a little extra boost to get through the day. 

If you’re having a party and want to serve drinks that don’t require much preparation time, you can also make all of these cocktails in large batches! 

The next time you need a pick-me-up, we hope you think of us.