Photo by
Chas Turansky
Chief Cocktail Officer
Ever wonder why the best bartenders never crack open a recipe book? It’s because they think in families, not individual drinks. Once you understand the core ratios behind the six main cocktail families, you can swap ingredients, tweak proportions, and invent your own signature serves—without fear of failure (or wasting good gin).
Think of cocktail families as culinary blueprints. Just like bread, pasta, and pastry all start from flour but become different with small adjustments, cocktails follow ratio-based structures that define their taste, balance, and texture.
Sam Ross, the Australian bartender behind modern classics like the Penicillin and Paper Plane, emphasized these foundations long before The Cocktail Codex popularized them. The idea: if you master the parent, the offspring (aka your custom creations) come naturally.
Six Families You Need to Know
The Sour
Ratio: 2 parts spirit : ¾ part lemon juice : ¾ part sweetener
The Sour family is the foundation of balance. Spirit, sugar, and acid in perfect harmony. Swap your base spirit and you’ve got endless riffs.
The Collins
Ratio: A Sour + soda water
Start with your favorite sour, lengthen it with soda, and you have a refreshing highball. Effervescent and sessionable, Collins drinks are perfect for sunny afternoons.
Ramos Gin Fizz
Morning Glory Collins
The Gimlet
Ratio: 2 parts spirit : 1 part lime juice : ¾ part sweetener
Gimlets is very similar to The Sour, but instead of lemon we substitute lime. Now this might seem like a simple shift, but these ingredients do perform differently, hence why you need to increase the lime juice by adding an additional quarter.
The Rickey
Ratio: A Gimlet + soda water
Virtually the same as the collins and born to be lighter, drier alternative to the Collins. Just add water to your favorite Gimlet style cocktails. The result is crisp and snappy hydration and intoxication in one.
Southside Rickey
Mexican Firing Squad
The Martini & Manhattan
Ratio: 2 parts spirit : 1 part modifier : dash bitters
Elegant, stirred, and spirit-forward. This family relies on subtle balance. The modifiers usually are fortified wines (vermouth, sherry, quinquina) brings depth and nuance.
The Old Fashioned
Ratio: 2 parts spirit : sugar : bitters
The grandparent of them all. No citrus, no liqueurs just spirit, sweetness, and spice. Stirred to a silky chill, it’s the definition of minimalist perfection.
Build, Stir, Shake, or Fizz
Each family brings a technique.
Sours & Gimlets: Shake hard with ice for texture.
Collins & Rickey: Build over ice, top with soda.
Martini & Manhattan: Stir to clarity and chill.
Old Fashioned: Stir gently to integrate.
Technique matters just as much as ratios. Shaking aerates and dilutes quickly, while stirring creates smoothness and control.
Make It Your Own
Once you grasp ratios, creativity becomes second nature.
Swap base spirits: Try rum in a Sour or mezcal in a Manhattan.
Add modifiers: Liqueurs, bitters, or syrups to tweak balance.
Adjust ratios: Dial sweetness or acidity up or down for your palate.
These frameworks turn you from a follower into a creator and that’s where cocktail craft really begins.
Now that you know the families, start experimenting. What’s your twist on a Sour or Old Fashioned? Post your recipes online and make sure to tag us #drinksiplore, we’d love to see what you shake up.
Sources
Campari Academy: Sam Ross on Classic Cocktail Formulas
Cocktails & Bars: Sam Ross on Cocktail Families
Gourmantic: Sam Ross of Milk & Honey, NYC
Published: November 1, 2025
Chas Turansky
Chief Cocktail Officer
Meet Chas Turansky, your Chief Cocktail Officer, a title that's more than just a self-proclamation; it's a testament to their passion and expertise in the art of mixology. With a rich background in catering that provided a firsthand look into the world of food and beverage service. This experience has given him invaluable insights into what patrons truly desire.
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