Have you ever tried making your own cocktail?

For most people, it tends to go like this.

You decide to make a cocktail using whatever you’ve got in the house. You muster together the supplies, and against all odds you’re going to use your instincts to boldly put together a new cocktail that will exceed everyone’s expectations and become an instant classic. Right?

What you end up with is a murky mess that tastes like something you’d drink as a forfeit in a game of ring of fire.

Moral of the story? Don’t break rules until you’ve mastered them.

Here are 7 times we broke the rules to considerably awesome effect.

Cherry Mojito

CHERRY MOJITO

The Mojito is a world famous, minty Cuban classic that shouldn’t really be messed with.

Obviously, that means that we just had to mess with it. So what did we do? Well, we added a whole load of cherry to it and neatly wrapped it up in a plastic bag.

Because why the hell not when it tastes this good?

Absolut Soup

ABSOLUT SOUP

The artist Andy Warhol was a massive fan of Absolut vodka, and so are we.

That’s why we couldn’t resist using it to mix up a cocktail in his honour. But that wasn’t wild enough for us, so we went ahead a served it up in a can, designed to resemble his most iconic artwork.

Some people say that cocktails are a form of art. We prove it.

Our whole Vodkaccino range

VODKACCINOS

Our Salted Caramel Mudshake is a like a blended ice cream sundae. With vodka.

Our Cherry Woo Woo is a snowstorm of cherry, peach and cranberry with a pile of cherry laces on top.

And our Bubblegum Daiquiri? Well, it’s bright blue, tastes of bubblegum and comes piled high with flying saucers.

Somebody lock these cocktails up, because they don’t play by anyone’s rules.

Blank Canvas

BLANK CANVAS

Typically, when you go to a cocktail bar, the bartender makes your cocktail for you.

That’s standard, and it’s the way things should be. But the trouble is, we have so much fun making cocktails for you, we wanted to pass over some of the joy to you.

Hence our Blank Canvas cocktail. We start by mixing you up a beautifully simple Vodka Collins (Stoli vodka, lemon, sugar and soda). But then, we let you pick any of our 30 Vodka Flavours and let you mix it in yourself.

Essentially, we broke the most basic rule of cocktail-making and made it work. Not bad, right?

Poppin’ Espresso Martini

ESPRESSO MARTINI explosion test

Balancing the delicate flavour of coffee against the bold flavours of liquor ain’t no easy feat, but we absolutely pull it off here.

Stoli vodka, Kahlua, creme de cacao, chilled espresso coffee and chocolate popping candy are all it takes.

A cocktail so good, it’ll keep you up all night.

Sangria Sunset

SANGRIA SUNSET & FOOL'S GOLD

Sangria is a classic Spanish sharing cocktail that’s traditionally made with fruit, wine and a dash of brandy.

BOOOOORING.

We make ours with Absolut Raspberri vodka, lemon and cranberry juices, elderflower cordial, white wine and loads of real fruit pieces to turn up the refreshment to the max.

We’re not saying Spain got it wrong. We might be saying we got it better though.

Electric Margarita

CLASSIC - Electric Margarita

The Margarita is a Mexican classic made with tequila and lime. Don’t get us wrong, it’s lovely. But we thought it was a bit low voltage.

That’s why we added some Malibu and Blue Curaçao to the mix and supercharged it to the limit.

Noticing a bit of a trend, here?

We’re always striving to push the boundaries of taste, in the best way possible.

Really, it’s no surprise that we’re often the first to start nationwide cocktail trends. That’s why our latest cocktail menu is presented with all the style and glamour of a Paris catwalk.

Check out The Collection now, and discover all the other awesome ways we’ve broken the rules of cocktail-making.