What we're drinking at home during quarantine, from cocktails that remind us of our travels to tequila sodas that require 2 ingredients

The perfect bar cart has room to store all the bottles and glasses you need, has wheels for easy mobility, and fits perfectly with every home aesthetic. With so much variety, you want to choose the bar cart that's best for your personal style, whether that's vintage with stained dark wooden shelves, more modern with glass and gold accents, or more boho-chic with handwoven handles.

No matter how many apps you have on your phone or how many books you've read, buying a bottle of wine is never an easy process. With so many varietals and vineyards to choose from, how are you supposed to know if you'd prefer a Cabernet Franc to a Cabernet Sauvignon? These are the best wine subscriptions you can sign up for.

The size, shape, construction, and style of a wine glass can dramatically alter how the wine will taste. Find the best overall wine glasses for everyday use and different types of wine in this guide.

There's nothing like a glass of wine after a long day, but getting into the bottle can be a hassle without a good wine opener or corkscrew. To get that cork out as easily as possible, you should get the best one around.

This is a drink you can probably make just by knowing the name, but I like to use Mezcal Union, a fair-trade company that works with and supports micro-distilleries.

Ingredients

• Mezcal (Mezcal Union)
• Ginger beer (I like Barritt's, the official Dark and Stormy ginger beer of Bermuda)
• Worm salt (Sal de Gusano) or rock salt if you can't find it

Instructions

Rim a Moscow Mule cup (or any old glass you please) with lime juice, then worm salt or salt. Add ice, mezcal, and then top off with ginger beer and a little more mezcal if you like. Garnish with an orange. — Owen Burke, senior reporter

I'm an equal opportunity wine drinker and I have an overflowing bar cart with reds, whites, and rosés that were housewarming and wedding gifts, souvenirs from travels, or from various wine subscriptions like WSJwine, Nakedwines.com, and Winc. Every night or so, my husband and I grab a bottle of wine to pair with our dinner so we're constantly discovering new favorites. — Jada Wong, senior editor

Blue Moon Mango Wheat Ale is a light and fruity beer for anyone who doesn't quite like the taste of the regular stuff — so, me. It's sweet, but not overwhelmingly so, and refreshing when I'm not quite in the mood for wine. — Jada Wong, senior editor

My whole family has been enjoying the aperitifs from online company Haus — they're light and easy to drink, but still flavorful and delicious. They also come in nice bottles that look great on your countertop or bar cart. The Citrus Flower is very sweet and tastes like summer, while the Bitter Clove is warm and earthy. I liked Haus' newest flavor, Ginger Yuzu, a lot more than I expected. It has a very fresh ginger taste and is the perfect refreshment to ease you into home happy hour. — Connie Chen, senior reporter

After cooking (or preparing to cook) whatever elaborate meal you doubtless planned during these quarantine nights, why spend time mixing a cocktail when you could simply pour something delicious into a glass? Without even needing to chill it or remembering to make ice cubes?

Ingredients

• Clase Azul Reposado
• Club soda

Instructions

Drink this smooth Reposado neat at room temperature — it would be a shame to mix it with anything (other than maybe a little soda water and a lime garnish). The flavor of caramel and vanilla is especially good as a dessert palate cleanser, and the beautiful bottle is best kept proudly in view en lieu of flowers. It's a favorite of mine for its superior flavor, and I love looking at the bottle. It's perfect as a beautiful, classy gift for anyone you're trying to impress or as well-deserved self-indulgence for making it through another day. — Grace High, senior analyst

When I want a cocktail in a hurry, I follow the philosophy of KISS — that's Keep It Simple, Stupid — with a recipe that keeps it simple, Shu — that's me. For me, that's the whiskey sour, an uncomplicated combination of bourbon, fresh lemon juice, and simple syrup. You can use different types of whiskey (I stick with something that's good yet affordable, like Jim Beam; save the pricier stuff for sipping), and all you need is a cocktail shaker (a vacuum-sealed coffee flask serves in a pinch). Many recipes call for egg whites, which I don't bother with. And don't use cheap pre-made whiskey sour mix, as they are extra high in sugar and taste artificial.

Ingredients

• 2 oz bourbon (Jim Beam does the trick)
• 1 oz lemon juice
• 1 oz simple syrup

Instructions

Combine 2 ounces of liquor, 1 ounce of lemon juice, and 1 ounce of simple syrup (adjust accordingly to your taste) in a cocktail shaker. Fill with ice, and shake until freezing cold. I usually dump the concoction into a glass, but many recipes will have you strain it into a glass filled with new ice. Garnish if you must. — Les Shu, senior editor

The Negroni is more or less the perfect cocktail, but despite its simplicity and ubiquity, it can be tricky to get it just right. My favorite thing about it, though, is that once you have it down, there's a whole world of variations, swapping out one or more ingredients for something else, which can change the entire flavor profile and mood. In fact, the signature groom's cocktail at my wedding was the Boulevardier — a riff on the Negroni swapping bourbon for the traditional gin.

Ingredients

• Gin (I enjoy Plymouth)
• Campari
• Sweet red vermouth (Dolin Rouge is the staple, though I've recently been enjoying Berto Rosso too)
• Orange bitters or orange peel
• Ice cubes

Instructions

1. Combine equal parts gin, Campari, and vermouth in a cocktail shaker with ice.
2. Shake well for 30 seconds.
3. Strain into a cocktail glass — it can be served on the rocks, or straight.
4. Garnish with orange peel or, if you don't have, one dash of orange bitters floated on top.

Or, follow Stanley Tucci's recipe, using two parts gin, one part each of Campari and vermouth, and garnishing with a full orange slice. — David Slotnick, transportation reporter

The old-fashioned is a classic, easy cocktail, and the first I learned how to make. It's traditionally made with a sugar cube muddled with bitters and a drop of water, but I've been using simple syrup instead lately, and I find that it's an improvement — the dissolved sugar tastes better. You can use bourbon or rye, though I'm partial to the former.

Ingredients

• Bourbon or rye (Woodford Reserve bourbon is my go-to, though I use whatever I happen to have on the bar cart at the moment)
• Angostura bitters
• Sugar cube or simple syrup
• Maraschino cherries
• Ice cubes

Instructions

Place a sugar cube in a lowball glass and pour 2-5 dashes of bitters onto it. Add a small teaspoon of water, and muddle (if you have simple syrup, pour about a teaspoon into the glass, and add the bitters). Pour two ounces of whiskey (about one generous shot) into a lowball glass. Add the cherry, and a little bit of the juice from the jar, and crush the cherry with the spoon. Add ice cubes, stir, and enjoy. — David Slotkin, transportation reporter

I first had this drink during my friend's wedding reception dinner at the restaurant Charlie Was A Sinner in Philadelphia, PA. I liked it so much, I asked the bartender to teach me how to make it.

Ingredients:

• Vodka
• 1 tablespoon agave syrup
• 1 lime
• Ice

Instructions:

Mix the juice of one lime with 1 tablespoon of agave syrup. Add two shots of vodka and as much ice as you want. Shake it in a cocktail shaker and pour into a glass. — Malarie Gokey, deputy editor

A mojito is a ubiquitous cocktail that many if not most of us tend to do wrong. We over-muddle our mint leaves, add too much sugar, too little sugar, too much rum, and so on. Here's a simple recipe that may or may not help.

Ingredients

• 2 oz. of a cheaper white rum/Rhum Agricole Blanc (Havana Club or Bacardi Silver works)
• 5-6 oz. of club soda
• A handful of mint sprigs (about 10 leaves)
• 1 lime
• 2 teaspoons of sugar (white is traditional, but I like demerara sugar/syrup)

Instructions

In a highball or mug, muddle (with a muddler, or anything blunt) mint leaves with two wedges of lime to get the oils mixing, but without obliterating the leaves. Then add more lime and the 2 teaspoons of sugar. Muddle again. Fill glass with ice, pouring in rum, and then club soda. Garnish with lime if you so wish and serve. If you want to make a full pitcher, just multiply the recipe and prepare in a serving carafe. — Owen Burke, senior reporter

No offense to my colleagues above, but forget everything you know about a margarita because the paloma is the best tequila cocktail. For me, it's far more refreshing and reminds me of my other favorite, a gin-based greyhound. I discovered this drink during a layover at the Centurion Lounge in Las Vegas's McCarran Airport, where the paloma was once part of the cocktail menu developed by master mixologist Jim Meehan. At home, I follow Meehan's recipe (via Panna), which is just as easy to make as a margarita on the rocks. It calls for fresh ingredients but I have cheated with bottled lime juice.

Ingredients

• 1.5 oz reposado tequila (Jim Meehan calls for Partida)
• 1 fresh lime or 1 oz lime juice
• 3 oz grapefruit soda
• 1 oz fresh pink grapefruit juice
• Pink Himalayan salt
• Ice cubes

Instructions

Moisten a Collins glass with lime and dip the rim into the salt. Into the glass goes the juice of one lime (about 1 ounce), 1 ounce of grapefruit juice, 1.5 ounces of reposado tequila (Meehan uses Partida), ice cubes, and 3 ounces of soda. Top with more if you want. Garnish with a lime or orange wheel and top it off with more ice and soda. — Les Shu, senior editor

We're not huge drinkers, but we do appreciate an interesting cocktail, so occasionally we hit up our favorite specialty liquor store — shout out to Duke's Liquor Box in Greenpoint, Brooklyn — to see how we can beef up our home bar. We brought home Chinola Passionfruit Liqueur and Bittermens Elemakule Tiki Bitters from the same trip. It seemed like a no-brainer to pair them with tequila and lime, and it's since become our go-to cocktail.

Ingredients

• 1.5 oz tequila (Try Dano's Blanco, which is donating up to $50,000 to the Bartender's Guild in response to COVID-19-related layoffs)
• .5 oz Chinola passionfruit liqueur
• 1/2 lime (for juice)
• Club soda or seltzer
• Tiki bitters

Instructions

Mix tequila, the juice of half a lime, half an ounce of passionfruit liqueur (more if you like it sweeter), and 3-5 drops of tiki bitters. Add a few ice cubes and top off with seltzer or club soda. — Sally Kaplan, senior editor, and Jen Gushue, associate editor

This is a recipe I stole from Lucien barkeep Peter Ruppert (also formerly of Pastis), who stole it from Black Emperor Operating Bartender Ben Rojo. To whosever credit, this cocktail was designed just for this very point in time, which, after all, is just a construct, no?

Ingredients

• 1.5 oz Don Papa Rum
• 2 oz orange juice (fresh-pressed if you have it)
• 1 tsp marmalade (or any other preserves — we like Bonne Maman)
• 1 tbsp vanilla ice cream
• Pinch of cayenne pepper
• Pinch of salt

Instructions

If you've got a shaker at home, combine all ingredients with a scoop of ice and go to town. If you don't have a shaker, toss everything in a blender with a half scoop of ice and fix yourself a creamsicle. Serve with buttered toast and a side of bacon, preferably with a bathrobe and slippers. — Owen Burke, senior reporter

If there's one thing you learn while working at a liquor company for a couple of years, it's how to make a fire cocktail. The Gold Rush is my firm favorite: it's delicious, doesn't require a lot of ingredients, and is just enough of a hassle to provide a solid sense of accomplishment.

Ingredients

• 1 cup bourbon (Bulleit Barrel Strength)
• 1/2 cup of honey reduction
• 1/2-3/4 cup fresh squeezed lemon juice
• Rosemary sprig (for garnish)
• Ice

Instructions

Make the honey reduction by combining 2/3 cups honey and 1/3 cup water in a saucepan. Simmer on low heat for 10 or so minutes until the mixture thins out. Stir intermittently. Let it cool for 10 minutes.

Combine 1 cup of bourbon (I prefer Hudson Baby Bourbon or Bulleit Single Barrel), 1/2 cup fresh squeezed lemon juice, and 1/2 cup of your honey reduction in a cocktail shaker. Shake for 10 seconds. Strain into a rocks glass over a couple of ice cubes. Add rosemary sprig as a garnish. Post a captionless photo on your IG story that expresses the sentiment, "This isn't an occasion, I'm just a very classy person." — Vince Mencotti, marketing compliance manager

During this extended stay-at-home period, we all have our own things we need to keep in the house to eliminate inner-panic and stay calm.

For some, a bulk supply of toilet paper helps them sleep at night. For my girlfriend, stocking an Olympic swimming pool's worth of Oatly in the apartment is the key to serenity.

For me, it's ensuring that the top shelf of my fridge is filled to the brim with the king of beers. When I'm able to galavant around bars and taverns again, I'll go back to a variety of IPAs, sours, lagers, and pilsners, but for now, all I need is a crisp, refreshing Budweiser to keep me going. — Daniel Bakst, senior producer

This French-Antillean classic calls for a good rum — save the inexpensive white rum for daiquiris, punches, pina coladas, and anything else that would mask the subtleties of a quality aged rum. I am a big fan of Rhum J.M.'s XO and Goslings' Family Reserve Old Rum (if you want some fancy Dartington glassware, consider the package at ReserveBar).

Ingredients

• 1/2 lime (maybe more, maybe less depending on your taste)
• 1 teaspoon demerara/cane sugar (or whatever's on hand)
• 2 oz. good rum (Rhum J.M. XO, Goslings' Family Reserve old Rum)

Instructions

Pour rum into a small rocks glass. Squeeze a slice of lime into the rum. Toss in the spoonful of sugar and mix with a spoon (or a lele twig, if you happen to have one lying around). Add an ice cube if you'd like, and santé! — Owen Burke, senior reporter

No one knows exactly where or when the margarita, Mexico's answer to the whiskey sour, came along. One thing we can all agree on is that the thing has a million and one variations. Do whatever you so please with to your margarita, but here's our take on the closest thing to the original (that we can find).

Ingredients

• 2 oz tequila (Don't go over the top: Casa Noble, Dano's Dangerous, or Blue Nectar will do, and I like Lunazul when I'm sticking to my budget; if you're a mezcal fan: Mezcal Union)
• 1.5 oz lime juice (freshly squeezed)
• 1 oz simple syrup (1:1 water to sugar ratio) Or if you prefer, you can use an orange liqueur like Grand Marnier, Pur Blood Orange Liqueur, or triple sec.
• Salt for rim

Instructions

Full disclosure: When I'm making margaritas, I'm usually making a pitcher, and I'm usually too preoccupied with getting dinner going or entertaining to take the proportions all that seriously. The good thing about that is, there are only three parts to this drink, so if something's missing when you taste test it, you'll instantly know which of the three ingredients it is. Still, for those who appreciate instruction, here's my approach.

First, pour salt into a plate, run a wedge of lime around the rim of the glass of your choosing, and spin the rim around in the salt until it's evenly coated, or as you like. Combine lime juice, tequila, and simple syrup in a shaker with ice. Shake vigorously for 15-20 seconds, pour into the salt-rimmed glass. — Owen Burke, senior reporter

Until 2007, it had been illegal to produce, procure, or partake of absinthe in the US of A for 95 years. This was, in thanks, to a law stipulating that the toxic chemical thujone, which is found in grand wormwood (an herb used to make absinthe), lent the hallucinations often associated with "the green goddess."

Lore has it that absinthe was really only used by bartenders as a rinse, as in, a shot was poured into patrons' glasses before getting a swirl or two and dumped out into a receptacle for bartenders to consume at their leisure. You can only imagine how they were faring by the end of the night.

But those days were long over until recently when T.A. Breaux, a devotee of all things civil and decent and a native of New Orleans (arguably the city that gave birth to drink), got to studying pre-ban absinthe and found that concentrations of the suspect chemical were so low that there was no way they could lead to delirium, alcohol notwithstanding.

And so absinthe is back, and we can stop substituting Herbsaint (a lovely anise-based variant in its own right) for the real stuff, the way the Sazerac's creator Antoine Amédée Peychaud (yes, that Peychaud) meant it to be.

The original Sazerac calls for a particular cognac that is the very namesake of the drink: Sazerac de Forge et Fils. But that stuff is far too dear for most of us and rare enough that those who can afford it aren't likely to find it. So we use rye, either from Bulleit or Sazerac.

Ingredients

• 2 oz cognac (we use Bulleit Rye)
• 1/4 oz simple syrup (2:1 water to demerara sugar)
• 2 dashes Peychaud's Bitters
• A wash of absinthe (I like Pernod's Superieure)
• A twist of lemon

Instructions

In a pre-chilled old-fashioned glass, pour as much absinthe as you'd like before giving it a swirl and either emptying it (into the mixing glass or down the drain) or leaving it in, as you like. In a Boston shaker or a mixing glass, add rye, simple syrup, and bitters over ice, stirring gently for 30 seconds. Strain into an Old Fashioned glass. Squeeze lemon twist over the glass, run it around the rim, and pitch or drop into drink. — Owen Burke, senior reporter

There's any number of ways to make a cocktail smoky, whether using a brulée torch or a smoking gun like this one from Breville, which I love to use for food and drinks when I'm not in the mood to go outside and light up the smoker.

There's also any number of cocktails that can stand up to a bit of smoke, especially anything bourbon- or rye-based.

• 3 oz bourbon or rye (we like Bulleit)
• 1 oz sweet vermouth (we like Cinzano)
• 3 dashes Angostura bitters
• Mixing glass
• 1 cup ice
• Maraschino cherry (Luxardo is best) and zest of orange or lemon to garnish (optional)
• Manhattan glass

Prepare a Manhattan glass by either turning it upside down and inserting Breville's Smoking Gun tube into the glass so that it fills with smoke, then trap the smoke by placing the glass down. If you're using a torch, start by torching some hickory or other smokable wood (smoking shingles work) and placing glass upside-down over the torched area.

Start with three generous dashes of Angostura bitters into a mixing glass. Add at least a cup of ice (a little more can't hurt if you're quick), and stir or roll the ice around in the glass to spread out the bitters.

Pour in vermouth and liquor of choice. Let sit for a few seconds before stirring for about 15 seconds before pouring through a filter and serve. — Owen Burke, senior reporter

The Bandera is a recipe (for disaster — let's be frank) that I picked up from a bartender in Mexico whose house I lived at for too long, but that's another story from another life entirely.

Bandera means "flag" in Mexico, whose flag is just what this little trio of red sangrita, white tequila, and green lime juice resembles. Whether you're looking for something to casually sip or you're aggressively aiming to wash the tumble and toil of another day inside your four walls, the Bandera serves the purpose for one and all. I like it for an aperitif, but it is, at its essence, a deconstructed Bloody Maria that flies anywhere, anytime.

What you'll need (makes two Banderas)

• 6 two-oz shooter glasses
• 1 to 2 limes, depending on juiciness
• 2 oz tomato juice
• 2 oz of orange juice
• Worcestershire or tamarind to taste
• A dash or two of your favorite brand of chile, cayenne, or chipotle hot sauce (anything will do)
• Middle-shelf Blanco tequila (some of our favorites are Casa Noble or Dano's Dangerous for sipping, Lunazul for shooting)

How to make it

Stir tomato juice, orange juice, Worcestershire or tamarind, and hot sauce in a glass or carafe. Juice 3 oz of lime juice. Fill one shooter glass with sangrita, one with lime juice, and one with tequila. Repeat as needed, or until troubles are washed away. — Owen Burke, senior reporter

I've been jetting off on a mental island vacation by making the iconic Painkiller cocktail from the British Virgin Islands. I use the Pusser's Rum that I brought back with me from my trip to the BVI, but any dark rum will work. If you really want to take your armchair getaway to the next level, set a beachy desktop background and throw on an island Spotify playlist while you drink.

• 2 oz dark (or navy) rum (Meyer's Dark Rum or Pusser's Navy Rum)
• 4 oz pineapple juice
• 1 oz orange juice
• 1 oz cream of coconut
• Nutmeg
• Maraschino cherry, pineapple slice, and mini beach umbrella to garnish (all optional)

Combine ingredients in a cocktail shaker and shake vigorously. Pour into a goblet filled with ice. Sprinkle nutmeg on top, Add optional mini beach umbrella. — Hannah Freedman, associate travel editor