Whether you're looking to refresh your repertoire or find new signature drinks to impress your patrons, having a collection of top-notch cocktail recipes at your fingertips is essential. In this article, we’ve curated the top 12 best cocktail recipes that every bartender should know.
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Margarita - One of Popular Cocktail Recipes
Margaritas are one of the most popular drinks in America and Mexico. Margaritas has some variations. For instance, many people prefer to replace the salt on the rim of the margarita glass with sugar to make their drink sweeter. Others like adding fruits like peaches, mangos, or pineapples to give their drinks a more tropical feel.
Recipe
- 2 oz tequila
- 1 oz lime juice
- 1 oz orange liqueur (such as triple sec or Cointreau)
- Salt (for rimming the glass)
- Lime wedge (for garnish)
Glassware: Margarita glass or rocks glass
Garnish: Rim the glass with salt, and garnish with a lime wedge.
Espresso Martini
Espresso martini uses freshly brewed espresso and a dash of coffee liqueur for a real flavor hit. This drink impresses with its distinctive.
Recipe:
- 2 oz vodka
- 1 oz coffee liqueur (such as Kahlua)
- 1 shot of espresso
- 1/2 oz simple syrup (optional, if you prefer it sweeter)
- Coffee beans (for garnish)
Glassware: Martini glass
Garnish: Float a few coffee beans on top as a garnish.
Mojito
Mojitos is one of the most common cocktails in the world, and it began to gain popularity in Havana, Cuba in the 1900s.
Recipe
- 2 ounces of white rum
- ½ ounce of lime juice
- 1 teaspoon of sugar
- 3 mint leaves
- Cracked ice
- Club soda or seltzer
- ½ ounce of simple syrup
How to make: First of all, you need to muddle lime juice, simple syrup, and sugar in a Collins glass. Then, you add mint leaves and mush them to the side of the glass. Fill the glass with cracked ice. Pour rum and club soda or seltzer. Finally, you stir the ingredients and serve.
Glassware: Highball glass or Collins glass
Garnish: Garnish with a lime wedge and a sprig of fresh mint.
Piña Colada
Piña colada blend of creamy coconut, smooth white rum, and tangy pineapple. This is a retro classic and perfect for anyone with a sweet tooth. You can use garnish with as many kitsch umbrellas, colorful straws, and pineapple slices as possible.
Recipe
- 2 oz rum
- 2 oz pineapple juice
- 2 oz coconut cream
- Pineapple wedge and cherry (for garnish)
Glassware: Hurricane glass or Collins glass
Garnish: Garnish with a pineapple wedge and a cherry on a cocktail pick.
Old Fashioned
James E. Pepper created the Old Fashioned in 1880. He brought his recipe to New York City, where he worked as a bartender in Louisville, Kentucky, and the drink started to become well-known. In the modern era, the Old Fashioned has become one of the most well-liked cocktails in the US, and Louisville has designated it as its official cocktail.
Recipe
- 2 ounces of bourbon or rye
- 2 dashes of Angostura bitters
- 1 sugar cube
- Ice cubes
- Few dashes of plain water
How to make: First, you place one sugar cube in an old-fashioned glass. And then, saturate with dashes of Angostura bitters and plain water. Muddle until dissolved. After that, you fill the glass with ice cubes. Finally, pour bourbon or rye, stir and serve.
Glassware: Old Fashioned glass or rocks glass
Garnish: Garnish with an orange peel twist and a cherry.
Moscow Mule
In Russia, Sophie Berezinski owned a copper factory with her father. Although she designed the copper mugs for the company, she was having problems selling them. To see if there was a market for her more than 2,000 solid copper mugs, she made the decision to relocate to the US. She went into the Cock 'n' Bull pub in 1941 and ran into Jack Morgan and John Martin there. Morgan was attempting to introduce his ginger beer to the American market, and Martin owned the Smirnoff Vodka distillery. Together, the three of them invented the Moscow Mule, a drink that combines vodka and ginger beer and is served in a copper mug.
Recipe:
- 2 ounces of vodka
- ½-ounce of lime juice
- 6 ounces of ginger beer
- Ice cubes
How to make: Fill an old-fashioned glass with ice cubes. After that, pour gin, Campari, and sweet red vermouth into the glass. And then, stir the drink.
Glassware: Copper mug
Garnish: Garnish with a lime wheel.
Negroni
In 1919, the Negroni was created in Florence, Italy, at Caffe Casoni. Fosco Scarselli, the bartender, was asked by Count Camillo Negroni to make the Americano stronger. Negroni instructed Scarselli to swap out the soda water in his Americano for gin and to add an orange garnish in place of the lemon one.
Recipe:
- 1 oz gin
- 1 oz Campari
- 1 oz sweet vermouth
- Orange peel (for garnish)
Glassware: Old Fashioned glass or rocks glass
Garnish: Garnish with an orange peel twist.
Whiskey Sour
In the eighteenth century, English Vice Admiral Edward Vernon invented the whiskey sour. In order to aid his crew in recovering from scurvy and other seasicknesses, he blended ingredients. He used limes and lemons to help prevent scurvy and diluted the alcohol to keep the crew from becoming tipsy.
Recipe
- 2 ounces of bourbon
- ¾ ounce of lemon juice
- ¾ ounce of simple syrup
- ½ part egg white (optional)
How to make: First of all, you pour ice and all of the ingredients into a shaker. Then shake for about 20 seconds to chill the ingredients. Finally, you train the mix into a glass filled with ice.
Glassware: Old Fashioned glass or rocks glass
Garnish: Garnish with a lemon wheel and a cherry on a cocktail pick.
Daiquiri
During the Spanish-American War, American mining engineer Jennings Cox invented the daiquiri because he thought lime and alcohol would keep his employees from contracting yellow fever.
Recipe:
- ½ ounce of white rum
- ½ ounce of simple syrup
- 1 ounce of lime juice
- Ice cubes
How to make: You just need to pour all the ingredients into a shaker and shake well. Then strain the ingredients into a cocktail glass.
Glassware: Martini glass or coupe glass
Garnish: Garnish with a lime wheel.
Mai Tai
In 1944, Victor Bergeron invented the Mai Tai at his Oakland restaurant. He thought of creating a new drink for his Tahitian friends who were visiting the city. After tasting Bergeron's creation, one of his friends declared it to be very good. The word "excellent" in Tahitian is equivalent to "Mai Tai," which is how the drink got its name.
Recipe:
- 1 ounce of dark rum
- 1 ounce of amber rum
- 2 tablespoons of orange juice
- ½ ounce of Cointreau
- 1 tablespoon of fresh lime juice
- 1 drop of almond extract
- 1 teaspoon of granulated sugar
- Dash of grenadine
- Ice cubes
How to make: First, you pour all ingredients except dark rum into a cocktail mixer with ice. Then, strain into a glass highball glass that’s filled with ice. And then, pour dark rum into the glass.
Glassware: Tiki glass or Collins glass
Garnish: Garnish with a mint sprig and a lime wheel.
Bloody Mary
In 1921, Fernand Petiot created the Bloody Mary. He invented the drink on the spot while working at a bar in Paris. Seeing that he had vodka and tomato juice, he made the decision to combine them. Because Petiot and the other bargoers enjoyed the drink, they decided to christen it "Bloody Marry."
Recipe:
- 1 teaspoon of salt
- 1 lime wedge
- 4 ounces of tomato juice
- 2 dashes of Tabasco sauce
- 2 teaspoons of horseradish
- 2 dashes of Worcestershire sauce
- Ice cubes
How to make: First of all, you put some salt on a plate. Then, rub a lime wedge along the lip of the highball glass and roll the outer edge of the glass into the salt until it’s fully coated. After that, you fill the glass with ice and set it aside. Add your ingredients to the shaker and shake well. Finally, strain it into your prepared glass.
Glassware: Highball glass or Collins glass
Garnish: Garnish with a celery stalk, a lemon wedge, and an olive on a cocktail pick.
Manhattan
The identity of the person who invented the Manhattan cocktail has never been proven. There is a widespread perception, though, that Dr. Iain Marshall invented the beverage for a dinner honoring presidential contender Samuel J. Tilden. By the end of the evening, the drink was so popular that patrons from the banquet started to order it at other bars and clubs. The club where the banquet was held was called the "Manhattan," and they would ask servers for it.
Recipe:
- 2 ounces of rye whiskey
- 1 ounce of Italian vermouth
- 2 dashes of Angostura bitters
- Ice cubes
How to make: You lace all the ingredients in a cocktail shaker and shake well. Then strain the drink into a cocktail glass.
Glassware: Martini glass or coupe glass
Garnish: Garnish with a cherry on a cocktail pick.
Conclusion
With these top 12 cocktail recipes in your arsenal, you’re well-equipped to impress your guests and elevate your bartending game. Each recipe offers a unique blend of flavors and techniques that can enhance your skills and expand your menu options. Whether you’re shaking up classic favorites or experimenting with new concoctions, these cocktails are sure to become staples in your repertoire.
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