Mixers

Club soda, tonic water, cola, ginger ale or ginger beer, and a citrus juice cover most classic drinks. Add simple syrup and bitters and you can build the majority of standard cocktails.

Tonic contains quinine and sugar, so it's bitter and sweet — it's a flavor, not just fizz. Club soda has added minerals for a faintly salty edge. Seltzer is plain carbonated water. Only tonic will taste like a gin and tonic.

Vodka is neutral, so it takes soda, juice or lemonade. Whiskey pairs classically with cola, ginger ale and soda. Tequila loves lime, grapefruit soda and orange juice.

Yes. Unopened tonic and soda lose carbonation over months, and once opened they go flat within a day or two. Juices and syrups spoil faster — refrigerate after opening.