10 Cheap Drinks to Make at Home and Save Money

Vodka and cranberry juice is simple and a great drink anytime. A bottle of cranberry can be found for around than $2 and if you add that to an inexpensive bottle of vodka (check my recommendations) you'll have Cape Codders for days at minimal cost.

Additional Cheap Drinks:

• Crantini - serve it neat
• Frog in a Blender - blend with fresh lime
• Bay Breeze - add pineapple juice
• Madras - add orange juice
• Sea Breeze - add grapefruit juice
• Woo Woo - add peach schnapps (a pint for around $5)

Pictured: Hail to the Chief

Both the Margarita and the Daiquiri are obvious favorites and probably one of the most cost effective ways to diversify your drinking experience. For either you basically need one spirit - maybe a budget liqueur here and there - and, with a few fresh fruits that are in season and at their best prices, you can shake or blend these two drinks into any flavor you could imagine.

A Few Suggestions:

• Apple Margarita
• Hawaiian Margarita - pineapple and strawberries
• Golden Margarita - lime and orange
• Peach Margarita
• Pomegranate Margarita - with passion fruit
• Raspberita - use fresh raspberries
• Banana Daiquiri
• Hemingway Daiquiri - maraschino, grapefruit and lime
• Strawberry Daiquiri

Pictured: Strawberry Daiquiri

Easy and luscious, the Black Russian is one of the best drinks for a tight budget and with a few extras at hand you can make quite a few other drinks.

Additional Cheap Drinks:

• Midnight Martini - served neat
• White Russian - add cream
• Smith and Kearns - add club soda
• Smith and Wesson - bring the vodka back
• Colorado Bulldog - a White Russian with cola
• Dirty Bird - a shaken White Russian

Pictured: White Russian

Vodka, lemon juice and sugar combine for an elegant, yet low cost drink. With a few extra and inexpensive mixers you can expand from the Lemon Drop to other favorite neat drinks.

Additional Cheap Drinks:

• Apple Martini - add green-apple schnapps
• Crantini - cranberry for the lemon
• Vodka Martini - hold the lemon for dry vermouth
• April Rain - add lime to that Vodka Martini
• Tea Tini - steep some tea

A six-pack of small bottles of ginger ale and a bottle of whiskey and you have the "Highball" of all highballs for a few days. Your looking at $20 or less depending on your whiskey of choice and when the budget is tight, that sounds pretty good.

Additional Cheap Drinks:

• Presbyterian - add club soda
• Horse's Neck - brandy for the whiskey and the essential lemon twist
• Gin Buck - gin instead of whiskey

Pictured: Dutch Green Tea

One way to save money in the bar is to invest in a soda siphon and a few CO2 cartridges. This can take you through a myriad of drinks with different base liquors so you can utilize a well-stocked bar and go from the Gin Rickey to quite a myriad of other drinks at minimal cost.

Additional Cheap Drinks:

• Gin Fizz - add egg
• Tom Collins - lemon instead of lime and a touch of sugar
• Singapore Sling - a bit of cherry brandy, lemon juice and sugar
• Old-Fashioned - whiskey for the gin and a few pieces of fruit
• Whiskey Fizz - whiskey and lemon substitutes
• Vodka Collins - Tom, hold the gin, add vodka

Pictured: Rock Star Root Beer

One of my favorite drinks of all time, the Gin and Tonic can be as cheap or extravagant as you want to make it. You can find some great gins for around $10 and decent tonics can be found for just a few dollars

Additional Cheap Drinks:

• Vodka Tonic - pretty obvious, but vodka instead of gin
• Mango Tonic - add mango liqueur to the vodka version
• Leprechaun - Irish whiskey for the gin

Rum has always been one of the least expensive spirits and the Rum and Coke one of the cheapest drinks. A $10 bottle of rum with a $1 liter of cola is tasty and easy on the wallet.

Additional Cheap Drinks:

• Cuba Libre - add lime
• Lounge Lizard - go with a dark rum and add amaretto
• Whiskey and Coke - your favorite whiskey for the rum
• Lime Cola - hold the rum for an enhanced cola drink

Pictured: Midnight Smash

One of the best ways to spice up a low cost bottle of wine is to mix it. In the Kir an equally inexpensive bottle of creme de cassis adds a touch of flavor and sweetness.

Additional Cheap Drinks:

• Kir Royale - switch to Champagne
• Cardinal Cocktail - switch to red wine
• Wine Spritzer - the liqueur for club soda

Pictured: Cardinal Cocktail

Sometimes it takes some fresh herbs to spice up a drink and if you have a bottle of rum, some mint and club soda you have yourself a fantastic drink that doesn't break the bank.

Additional Cheap Drinks:

• Mint Juelp - whiskey for the rum