A Good Cocktail Needs Only 3 Ingredients

It will come as a relief to many — particularly those with the tastes of a financially secure adult but the budget of a college student — that a New York Times cocktail columnist (what a job!) claims the best mixed drinks only require three ingredients. That's only one more ingredient than a well drink, mind you. 

Robert Simonson just released his new recipe book, 3-Ingredient Cocktails: An Opinionated Guide to the Most Enduring Drinks in the Cocktail Canon. The book follows a similarly set up recipe book by famed chef Jamie Oliver—his recipes require five ingredients. Simonson looks to simplify all of that while still maintaining sophistication. And while three ingredients makes for easy mixing, Simonson's focus is actually on stability. In the books introduction, he writes, "The triange is the most stable of shapes, so it comes as no surprise, then, that the three-ingredient cocktail is the most sturdy and lasting of cocktail constructions," adding "threes a charm."

Whether you're looking to wow your friends this holiday party season with something better than a vodka soda, or looking to surprise a mixology-loving friend, you can do no better than 3-Ingredient Cocktails. And it's only $10 on Amazon. 

Preview some recipes below.