Skip happy hour. These cocktail-inspired pizzas bring the bar to your kitchen

The sort that start late afternoon and amble into the evening but still see me in bed by 10pm. I can pretend (momentarily) I have a life while still being fresh enough for the kids’ sporting assault that faces me every day for the remainder of the weekend.

These pizza toppings are inspired by my go-to Friday night – and occasionally late-night – drinks, from a spicy marg to a midnight Negroni. They’re good for the nights when not even one drink seems feasible (or wise).

Below is my reliable home-made base, but feel free to grab a good store-bought option if you want to skip the proving and stretching altogether – no judgment here.

Ol’ faithful pizza dough

Making pizza dough at home carries an undeserved reputation for high drama – supposedly requiring a wood-fired oven, a sourdough starter with its own name and hours of thankless toil. It really does not.

A great dough needs little more than a handful of basic ingredients, a bit of time and the discipline to leave it alone. The reward is a base that is crisp underneath, pleasantly chewy at the edges and sturdy enough to safely house an indecent amount of cheese.

This is my old faithful: simple, trick-free and completely dependable.

INGREDIENTS

• 625g (4 cups) pizza flour
• 3 tsp fine salt
• 1 x 7g sachet instant dried yeast
• small pinch sugar
• 375ml (1½ cups) warm water
• 60ml (3 tbsp) olive oil

METHOD

• Combine the flour and salt in a large bowl and make a well in the centre.
• In a separate small bowl, dissolve yeast and sugar in the warm water, stir with a fork and set aside until foaming – up to 10 minutes.
• Add half of the foaming yeast liquid into the well, mix with hands to combine, then squeeze the dough between the fingers until well combined.
• Add the remaining yeast liquid and the oil, and continue to knead until well combined.
• If using a stand mixer fitted with a dough hook, knead on medium speed for 5-7 minutes. If you don’t have a stand mixer, turn the dough onto a lightly floured surface and knead by hand for 8-10 minutes. Whichever method you use, you’re looking for a smooth and elastic texture.
• Transfer the dough to a large container, cover with a lid or a tea towel, and set aside to rest in a warm place until it has doubled in size.
• Divide the dough into 4 even pieces, then shape each piece into a ball.
• Place the balls in a large, deep container with at least 5cm between each, cover with a lid or tea towel, and rest in a warm place until doubled in size or refrigerate for 2-3 days to prove slowly.
• Coat 1 dough ball in flour and place it on a sheet of baking paper. Then, with your hands, stretch the ball from the centre and lifting the edges to make a 30cm round, leaving a thick 1cm edge.

Dirty martini pizza

Some cocktails are destined to become desserts – espresso martinis turn into tiramisu, pina coladas into upside-down cake. But the dirty martini has always had bigger, saltier ambitions.

Before you roll your eyes into another postcode, hear me out: briny olives, a splash of vodka, salty anchovies and a whisper of garlic. It is everything you love about a dirty martini – just wearing carbs instead of crystal. The only thing missing is the tiny toothpick.

INGREDIENTS

• 1 portion pizza dough (about 250g) or store-bought pizza base

Briny tomato sauce

• 100g (about ½ cup) tomato paste (1-2 sachets)
• 60ml (3 tbsp) vodka
• 60ml (3 tbsp) olive brine
• 1 garlic clove, finely grated
• 1 hefty pinch dried oregano
• 2-3 anchovies, chopped

Pizza toppings

• 100g (1 cup) shredded mozzarella
• 1 x 125g ball fresh buffalo mozzarella, coarsely torn
• 100g (¾ cup) pitted Sicilian olives, sliced
• smoked olive oil to finish, optional

METHOD

• Preheat the oven to 230C fan-forced (250C conventional). Preheat a large, heavy oven tray in the oven.
• To make the pizza sauce, add the tomato paste, vodka, olive brine, garlic, dried oregano and chopped anchovies to a small saucepan and place it over low heat. Simmer for 5 minutes, stirring regularly, until the ingredients are fully combined and the sauce is flavoursome. Tomato pastes can differ in density so if your sauce seems a little thin, continue to cook slightly longer until it reduces to a spreadable consistency.
• On a sheet of baking paper, roll or stretch 1 dough ball to a 30cm round, if using. Otherwise, place the store-bought base on the baking paper.
• Spread the sauce across the pizza base, leaving a 1.5-2cm edge. Top with as much shredded mozzarella, torn buffalo mozzarella and slices of olive as you like.
• Using a rimless baking sheet or flat tray, lift the baking paper with the assembled pizza and slide both paper and pizza directly onto the preheated tray in the oven. Bake until golden and bubbling – about 15 minutes.
• Finish with a drizzle of smoked olive oil to serve.

Spicy marg pizza

The spicy margarita is practically mandatory on modern drink menus.

Somewhere along the way, we collectively decided that tequila hits best when paired with a chilli burn and a bright kick of lime – so turning those iconic flavours into a hot, crispy pizza was the natural next step.

INGREDIENTS

• 1 pizza dough ball or 1 store-bought pizza base

White sauce base

• 40g (2 tbsp) butter
• 2 garlic cloves, minced
• 25g (2 tbsp) plain flour
• 250ml (1 cup) milk
• 60ml (3 tbsp) tequila
• 50g (½ cup) grated parmesan
• pinch dried chilli flakes

Pizza toppings

• 100g grated mozzarella
• 1-2 fresh jalapeno chillies, finely sliced
• 35g (¼ cup) sliced pickled red onions
• pinch sea salt flakes
• 1 x 125g ball burrata, optional

METHOD

• Preheat the oven to 230C fan-forced (250C conventional). Preheat a large, heavy oven tray in the oven.
• Melt the butter in a medium saucepan over medium heat. Add the minced garlic and cook for about 30 seconds until fragrant but not taking on any colour. Whisk in the flour – it will clump immediately. Gradually pour in the milk, whisking constantly. Allow to simmer until it thickens. Remove from the heat and stir in the tequila, grated parmesan and dried chilli flakes.
• On a sheet of baking paper, roll or stretch 1 dough ball to a 30cm round, if using. Otherwise, place the store-bought base on the baking paper.
• Spread the sauce across the base of the pizza, leaving a 1.5-2cm edge. Top with the grated mozzarella, sliced jalapenos and pickled red onions. Sprinkle over more chilli flakes to taste and a smattering of sea salt flakes.
• Using a rimless baking sheet or flat tray, lift the baking paper with the assembled pizza and slide both paper and pizza directly onto the preheated tray in the oven. Bake until golden and bubbling – about 15 minutes.
• Top with burrata, if using, and a few extra slices of fresh jalapenos. Serve piping hot.

Negroni pizza

I have been told in no uncertain terms that fruit has no business going anywhere near a pizza. Pineapple has already pushed society to its limits – we do not need another global incident.

So I cannot go near this base with orange peel, but we can infuse the tomato sauce with the deep botanical profile of gin, vermouth and Campari. For negroni diehards looking for the citrus, you could grate some orange using a Microplane over the pizza just before serving.

Highly controversial given the divided camps of pineapple on pizza, but this is your pizza and your life. Do as you will.

You could also top this pizza with bitter radicchio to echoes that signature negroni punch. Mind you, I have been informed that any kind of leafy green was ruined by the rocket-on-pizza movement of the early ’90s.

But if the bitter contrast floats your boat (it certainly does mine), I strongly encourage a few dressed leaves on top or served alongside.

INGREDIENTS

• 1 pizza dough ball or 1 store-bought pizza base

Boozy tomato base

• 100g (about ½ cup) tomato paste (1-2 sachets)
• 40ml (2 tbsp) gin
• 40ml (2 tbsp) vermouth
• 40ml (2 tbsp) Campari
• 2 tsp ground coriander seeds

Pizza toppings

• 1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
• 350g (3-4) pork and fennel sausages, skins removed and meat roughly chopped
• 100g (1 cup) grated mozzarella
• 120g fresh buffalo mozzarella, roughly torn
• 1 tbsp olive oil (smoked if you have it), extra to drizzle
• 1 tbsp balsamic glaze, to drizzle
• pinch sea salt flakes
• pinch freshly cracked black pepper
• ¼ cup tarragon leaves, picked, to serve (optional)

METHOD

• Preheat the oven to 230C fan-forced (250C conventional). Preheat a large heavy oven tray in the oven.
• To make the pizza sauce, add the tomato paste, gin, vermouth, Campari and ground coriander to a small saucepan and place over low heat. Stir regularly until fully incorporated and slightly reduced. Tomato pastes can differ in density, so if your sauce seems a little thin, continue to cook slightly longer until it reduces to a spreadable consistency. Set aside while you cook the sausages.
• Place a frying pan over medium heat. Add the oil and once hot, fry the sausage meat until it is golden, crisp and cooked through.
• On a sheet of baking paper, roll or stretch the dough ball to a 30cm round, if using. Otherwise, place the store-bought base on the baking paper.
• Spread the sauce across the base of the pizza, leaving a 1.5-2cm edge. Top with the grated mozzarella and buffalo mozzarella and finish with the sausage.
• Using a rimless baking sheet or flat tray, lift the baking paper with the assembled pizza and slide both paper and pizza directly onto the preheated tray in the oven. Bake until golden and bubbling – about 15 minutes.
• Drizzle with a little extra olive oil (smoked, if you have it) and the lightest trickle of balsamic glaze. Season generously with sea salt flakes and freshly cracked black pepper. Scatter over tarragon leaves and serve piping hot.