Food and Recipes Drinks 5-Ingredient Cocktail and Drink Recipes for Your Easiest Happy Hour Ever By Jenna Sims Jenna Sims Jenna Sims is a Digital Editor for Southern Living and joined the team in 2014. She writes, produces, and ideates content with a focus on email growth and commerce content. She covers a range of topics in the lifestyle space from holiday gift guides to new product launches to tips for cooking with your air fryer. Southern Living's editorial guidelines Updated on March 4, 2022 Share Tweet Pin Email Trending Videos Photo: Greg DuPree; Prop Styling: Kay E. Clarke; Food Styling: Cat Steele These 5-ingredient recipes are here to prove that you don't need a fully stocked bar in your home to enjoy a refreshing cocktail. You can transform just a few simple ingredients, many of which you probably already have on hand, into delicious drinks for an at-home happy hour. These cocktails, spritzers, slushes, and punches will bring a festive sparkle to your evenings and weekends. Plus, we've included several non-alcoholic drinks for kiddos and those that prefer a booze-free happy hour, that are just as refreshing. Many also have easy swaps that will enable you to make both cocktails and mocktails from the same ingredients, so there will be an easy drink to suit every guest. From the best Texas Ranch Water to twists on classic drinks like a Mint Julep Slush and more, here are our easiest 5-ingredient drink recipes of all time. 01 of 20 Ranch Water Getty Images/Lauren King / EyeEm Recipe: Ranch Water We can thank Texas for this dressed-down margarita that will become your go-to summertime cocktail. 02 of 20 Salty Dog Cocktail Caitlin Bensel Recipe: Salty Dog Cocktail If you prefer a not-so-sweet cocktail, grapefruit juice makes sure this drink is fresh and tart. 03 of 20 Moscow Mule Recipe: Moscow Mule This cocktail recipe just requires a few stirs, so we guarantee you can't mess it up. 04 of 20 French 75 Cocktail Southern Living Recipe: French 75 Cocktail The key to this easy cocktail is making sure the ingredients are well combined using a cocktail shaker. You'll want to shake until your fingers are almost numb. 05 of 20 Vodka Cherry Limeade Photographer: Antonis Achilleos; Prop Stylist:Christine Keely; Food Stylist: Chelsea Zimmer Recipe: Vodka Cherry Limeade With a few fresh limes and some cocktail bar staples, this colorful sipper can be poured and stirred in a matter of minutes. We like a corn-based vodka because it has a slightly sweeter flavor. 06 of 20 Mint Julep Slush Caitlin Bensel Recipe: Mint Julep Slush Instead of serving this mint julep over ice, we made it even more refreshing by blending it together with the rest of the ingredients. 07 of 20 Strawberry-Mint Tea Alison Miksch; Food Styling: Torie Cox; Prop Styling: Ginny Branch Recipe: Strawberry-Mint Tea This Strawberry-Mint Tea is great on its own or as a mixer. 08 of 20 Lemon Drop Martini Photographer: Antonis Achilleos, Prop Stylist: Christine Kelly, Food Stylist: Ali Ramee Recipe: Lemon Drop Martini Adding sugar to the rim gives this martini a finish that's reminiscent of lemon candy. 09 of 20 Pineapple-Coconut Fizz Victor Protasio; Prop Styling: Audrey Davis; Food Styling: Emily Nabors Hall Recipe: Pineapple-Coconut Fizz Even though this drink had an impressive presentation, it's so easy to pull together with just three ingredients. 10 of 20 Key Lime Daiquiris Antonis Achilleos; Prop Stylist: Kay E. Clarke; Food Stylist: Margaret Monroe Dickey Recipe: Key Lime Daiquiris If you can't find Key limes in your grocery store you can use regular Persian limes, but definitely use them if possible. 11 of 20 Rum Swizzles Antonis Achilleos; Prop Stylist: Thom Driver; Food Stylist: Tina Stamos Recipe: Rum Swizzles One sip of this rum-based cocktail will instantly transport you to the Caribbean, which makes sense as it is sometimes referred to as Bermuda's national drink. 12 of 20 Homemade Cherry Limeade Southern Living Recipe: Homemade Cherry Limeade Use this recipe to make a batch drink when you're having guests. Just make sure not to make it too far ahead of time, as the soda can go flat. 13 of 20 Cucumber-Honeydew Cooler Victor Protasio; Prop Styling: Audrey Davis; Food Styling: Emily Nabors Hall Recipe: Cucumber-Honeydew Cooler If you prefer to make this cooler as a mocktail, you can substitute the gin for lime-flavored seltzer water. 14 of 20 Pink Cadillac Margaritas Photo: Jennifer Davick Recipe: Pink Cadillac Margaritas As the name implies, these unique margaritas are pink in color. Make this margarita your signature cocktail at your next get-together. 15 of 20 Strawberry Piña Coladas Photographer and props: Jennifer Causey Food Stylist: Emily Nabors Hall Recipe: Strawberry Piña Coladas Upgrade your next homemade piña colada with the addition of fresh strawberries. 16 of 20 Classic Transfusion Cocktail Getty Images/JB325 Recipe: Classic Transfusion Cocktail While this cocktail is particularly popular on the golf course, you can enjoy it on the porch too. 17 of 20 Lemon-Basil Spritzer Victor Protasio; Prop Styling: Audrey Davis; Food Styling: Emily Nabors Hall Recipe: Lemon-Basil Spritzer Make the most of your herb garden with this thirst-quenching spritzer. 18 of 20 Sparkling Punch Photo: Jennifer Davick Recipe: Sparkling Punch From happy hour on the porch to a celebratory shower, this pretty pink punch won't disappoint. 19 of 20 Lemon-Mint Sparklers Hector Sanchez Recipe: Lemon-Mint Sparklers Make the Lemon-Mint Syrup a week ahead, and keep cold. Chill the club soda, too, but mix the drink just before serving to keep it nice and fizzy. 20 of 20 Honeysuckle-Watermelon Cocktail Chris M. Rogers Recipe: Honeysuckle-Watermelon Cocktail We used Mississippi's Cathead Honeysuckle Flavored Vodka to give the cocktail a delicate floral note, but plain vodka works too. Was this page helpful? Thanks for your feedback! Tell us why! Other Submit