From a flawless French 75 to a "no notes" Negroni, these classic cocktails never go out of style. Most of them are made with just a few simple ingredients, and these recipes are easy to memorize so you can impress everyone when you're hosting.
The herbaceous, juniper-forward flavor of botanical London Dry Gin is perfectly carried by tonic water's sweetness. Active Time: 5 mins Total Time: 5 mins 1 drink The Gin and Tonic is one of Todd Thrasher's favorite cocktails, but with two conditions: The ice must be large enough to melt slowly, and the …
While a White Russian can be made with milk or half and half, heavy cream adds unmatched flavor and texture in this simple cocktail. 1 drink Rich and creamy, the White Russian is the Espresso Martini’s delicious older cousin — but unlike the trendy cocktail, the White Russian leans on heavy cream for …
The Paper Plane has just enough sweetness to counteract its bitter and sour notes, and its signature orange hue comes from Aperol. 1 drink The Paper Plane—a straightforward box-step of a recipe made with precisely equal proportion of four ingredients—may be the best bourbon cocktail that you're not …
Floral violet liqueur is balanced by acidic lemon juice in this vibrantly hued classic cocktail. Total Time: 5 mins This gorgeous, light-purple-hued gin cocktail actually tastes as good as it looks. Served in an elegant coupe glass, this cocktail dates all the way back to the early 20th century, where …
Channel the decadence and debauchery of Prohibition-era New Orleans with a classic Vieux Carré recipe from Neal Bodenheimer. 1 drink Stanley Clisby Arthur's 1937 Famous New Orleans Drinks and How to Mix 'Em attributes the Vieux Carré cocktail to Walter Bergeron, head bartender at the Hotel Monteleone …
What drink is bright orange, bittersweet, and beloved all over the world? 1 drink What Is an Aperol Spritz? The past century has been a busy one for the iconic orange aperitif, Aperol. First created in 1919 Silvio and Luigi Barbieri, two brothers who wanted to make an aperitif unique to their hometown …
1 drink This Prohibition-era cocktail comes together with just a few ingredients and manages to pack a seriously boozy punch while maintaining balance. It’s a magical combination of gin, Chartreuse, maraschino liqueur and lime juice that boasts both sweet and sour notes, as well as a deeply complex …
Served in a vessel aptly named after the inventor of the cocktail, the Tom Collins is a towering, icy drink served in a thin-walled Collins glass. With likeness to a Gin Sling or Gin Fizz, the Tom Collins is a refreshing cocktail made with gin, freshly squeezed lemon juice, a bit of sugar, and …
What cocktail is bright green, boozy, and creamy at the same time? Born in New Orleans around the roaring twenties, the Grasshopper is one of those pre-prohibition cocktails that have made an exciting modern day comeback, in part because it’s absolutely delicious, but also because its signature …
The Mint Julep has been the iconic drink of the Kentucky Derby since 1939, but references to the cocktail go as far back as the year 900, when it was sipped for medicinal purposes. When New Orleans bartender Chris McMillian was at Bar UnCommon, he recited an ode while mixing Mint Juleps, written in …
Don't be fooled by the inherent simplicity of the drink — there is room for creativity and personalization when it comes to making an Old Fashioned. Total Time: 5 mins Whether you prefer to use rye, bourbon, or a less traditional base spirit in an Old Fashioned, this classic cocktail is dependably …
Grab your spirit of choice and make this classic, creamy milk punch. If you've ever watched the 1950 musical, Guys and Dolls, you'll remember that protagonists Jean Simmons and Marlon Brando drank their milk punch by Havana moonlight, but nowadays, this cocktail is more commonly served at brunch or …
If the only Mai Tai you've ever had was pink, then you've never had a Mai Tai. Perhaps the most well-known Tiki cocktail, the Mai Tai is a true celebration of rum. The pale yellow cocktail topped with a classic rum float elegantly marries citrus flavors with just the right amount of sweetness. While …
Smoky Scotch meets bracing ginger and sweet honey in a classic Penicillin cocktail. 1 1 If you’re a lover of a classic Whiskey Sour, the Penicillin will quickly become your go-to. Unlike the frothy, slightly creamy Whiskey Sour that gets its texture from an egg white, the Penicillin is a lighter …
This luxurious, delicious combination of gin and Champagne can be easily scaled up for a crowd. Total Time: 5 mins You'd never guess that this celebratory gin and Champagne cocktail (served with a fancy lemon twist, no less) had its start as a wartime cocktail, and has a name inspired by powerful …
The Irish Coffee walked so the Espresso Martini could run. The best Irish Coffee I've ever had was at the Slane Distillery, about an hour north of Dublin, in what was once a stable for horses and is now a snug bar with spacious booths. Irish Coffee often means a haphazard mixture of booze, cream, …
This honey-sweetened Prohibition-era cocktail makes Lynnette Marrero think of spring: “It’s simple, clean and refreshing—like a winter toddy that’s gotten a spring makeover,” she says. Slideshow: More Classic Cocktail Recipes 1 drink 2 ounces gin ¾ ounce lemon juice (freshly squeezed) ¾ ounce honey …
This low-alcohol cocktail with show-stopping garnishes is a delicious summer staple for a reason. Active Time: 5 mins Total Time: 5 mins Perhaps most well-known for being the signature cocktail of Wimbledon, the annual British tennis tournament, the Pimm’s Cup is a delicious, creatively garnished …
With four spirits and one liqueur, the Long Island Iced Tea is not a cocktail for the faint of heart. Despite its name, the Long Island Iced Tea doesn’t actually have any tea in it. Rather, the notoriously high-ABV cocktail is named after its likeness to the non-alcoholic lunch-time sipper (iced …
Fresh lime juice, vodka and spicy ginger beer are the hallmarks of an iconic Moscow Mule. Total Time: 5 mins Have you ever wondered if the Moscow Mule has anything to do with Russia's largest city? Or even mules (the shoes, or the animal) for that matter? And, why is the spicy and fresh drink served …
The best Negroni recipe is sweet, earthy, and booze-forward. Total Time: 5 mins In case you missed it: This simple Italian cocktail has taken over bar menus across the United States. Award-winning bar programs like that of New York City's iconic Dante boast entire Negroni menus filled with creative, …
It's never the wrong time for this booze-forward classic cocktail. Active Time: 5 mins Total Time: 5 mins 1 drink Few booze-forward cocktails are as famous as the Manhattan, whose origin story (like so many other pre-Prohibition classics) is unclear at best. Historians and mixologists generally agree …
What makes the three-ingredient classic Daiquiri so delicious and enduring is ultimately its simplicity. 1 drink Regardless of how delicious it may be, the iconic vat of brightly colored, strawberry or pineapple flavored frozen Daiquiri churning in a slushy machine behind the bar at your …
This recipe from Simon Sebbah, beverage director at NYC's American Bar, gets you a perfectly frothy, caffeinated cocktail every time. Total Time: 5 mins While it’s clear to anyone who’s stepped foot inside of a bar or restaurant lately that creative takes — from adding pasta water to MSG — on the …
How do you make a great classic cocktail even better? Add a jalapeño pepper. The classic Margarita is endlessly flexible, shapeshifting for any season and occasion. Hosting a pool party? Just grab a blender. Need a batch-friendly Marg for a crowd? This punch packs a pleasant kick of spice, and is …
This pre-Prohibition era cocktail is back in style — here's how to make one at home. Drinks so strong they could revive your hungover corpse, the Corpse Reviver is just one recipe in a group of drinks with the same name that were conceived as a jump-start to a very hungover day. Made with a blend of …
The simplicity of the Mojito allows high-quality ingredients to shine. Choose a high quality rum, like Ten to One, that is thoughtfully made and pair it with freshly squeezed lime juice, and all-natural simple syrup to elevate this drink. Plus, a splash of bubbly water to top off the drink helps …
