Cocktails are an enjoyable way to enjoy spirits. You can make different variations at home with a simple-to-follow recipe and a few ingredients. A martini is one of the popular favorites, best suited to be made and served as a formal mixer. The elegant drink is made of pure vodka with added flavors and served without ice. Below are some delicious martini recipes you must check out before hosting another party at home.

Classic martini
Nothing beats the classic cocktail, a drink that has always been featured in the James Bond movie franchise. All it takes is a few ounces of vodka and vermouth mixed, shaken, not stirred, and served with an olive garnish or lemon twist. You can tweak the measurements and even switch out popular vodka and gin brands to make your own variant of the classic martini. The vermouth certainly adds a bit more flavor to the dry martini, and you should ideally avoid adding ice cubes to dilute the punchy flavor. Try this recipe at home when you host your very own cocktail mixer.
Appletini
Everybody loves an appletini. It is also one of the easiest cocktail recipes, with just two ingredients for the base—a vodka of your choosing and an intensely flavored apple liqueur, such as apple schnapps. But a dash of apple cider extract brandy sets the flavor of the cocktail apart from the rest of the popular mixes. Remember, these are all potent mixes, so use the measurements for the cocktail sparingly to ensure the flavor is not too overpowering. Don’t add ice to dilute the flavor; that is no way to make a proper martini. Stick to the measurements mentioned in the recipe you follow, and voila, an appletini is ready to be served. Finish off the cocktail with a garnish of delicious apple slices.

Lemon drop martini
If there is one exception to the classic martini, it’s the lemon drop cocktail. This is because it is one of the few cocktails served with ice cubes, whereas most classic martinis are dry. A lemon drop martini is simple to make, but avoid bottled lemon juice at all costs. The flavor won’t do justice to the cocktail. Use freshly squeezed lemon juice made just before mixing the vodka. And unlike most martini recipes, you don’t need premium vodka. Just ensure the brand you choose has a smooth flavor that cuts the acidity of the lemon juice. Mix the ingredients well and serve with some ice in a nice, cool martini glass. You also don’t need a special garnish for this cocktail. But you can add a sugar ring to the rim of the martini glass before pouring the cocktail. Every sip will then have that added flavor of sugar to just cut back on the little bit of tartness from the lemon.

Espresso martini
Coffee lovers can certainly go for this unusual twist on the classic recipe. The base remains the same for any premium choice of vodka. However, the coffee bit is where things get exciting and flavorful, with a caffeine boost with each sip. All you need is some freshly brewed espresso coffee (roasted coffee bean powder works well) and some liqueur to add flavor. Instead of olive or lemon garnish, you can top off the cocktail with a few roasted (optional) beans. Some recipes also call for a sugary syrup flavor to sweeten the cocktail and not let the coffee become too overpowering. We suggest you measure a few mixes to see what flavor is best.

Chocolate martini
If you love coffee, you won’t say no to chocolate, which has the best of both worlds: cocoa and caffeine. Again, the base remains the same with a vodka of your choosing. But instead of coffee brew and coffee liqueur, you switch up the recipe with chocolate syrup and liqueur. And for the garnish, you can add freshly shaved chocolate sprinkled over the cocktail to create a unique flavor profile.