Classic Cocktails
726 recipes. The recipes everything else is a variation on.
A classic earns the label by outliving the fashion that produced it. Most of the drinks here were written between about 1860 and 1935, and they survive because their proportions are right rather than because anyone is being nostalgic.
They are also the most useful thing to learn, because modern drinks are overwhelmingly variations on them. Know the Old Fashioned, the Martini, the Manhattan, the Daiquiri and the sour template and you can reverse-engineer most cocktail menus.
Start with one and make it three times, changing one thing each time. That teaches more than making three different drinks once.
Start here
The ones worth knowing before the rest.
Add one more bottle
What a second bottle opens up.
All 726 recipes
Page 1 of 16.
- Negroni Gin, Campari(R) Bitter, Cinzano(R) Rosso Vermouth
- Amaretto Sour Amaretto Liqueur, Sour Mix
- Mint Julep Blended Bourbon Whiskey, Mint Sprigs, Confectioners' Sugar
- Singapore Sling Gin, Luxardo(R) Maraschino Liqueur, Cointreau(R) Orange Liqueur
- Sazerac Cognac, Absinthe, Sugar
- Margarita Patrón(R) Silver Tequila, Bols(R) Triple Sec Liqueur, Lime Juice
- Moscow Mule Vodka, Ginger Beer, Lime Juice
- Irish Coffee Irish Whiskey, Coffee, Sweet Cream
- Sidecar Cognac, Bols(R) Triple Sec Liqueur, Lemon Juice
- Mai-Tai Jamaican Gold Rum, Martinique Rum, Cointreau(R) Orange Liqueur
- Old Fashioned Blended Bourbon Whiskey, Sugar, Angostura(R) Bitters
- Cuba Libre White Rum, Cola, Lime Juice
- Aviation Gin, Luxardo(R) Maraschino Liqueur, Lemon Juice
- Mulled Wine Water, Granulated Sugar, Clove
- Bloody Mary Vodka, Tomato Juice, Lemon Juice
- Gin Fizz Gin, Lemon Juice, Simple Syrup
- Tequila Sunrise Tequila, Orange Juice, Cortas(R) Grenadine Syrup
- Screwdriver Vodka, Orange Juice
- Gimlet Gin, Rose's(R) Lime Juice
- Black Russian Vodka, Coffee Liqueur
- Caipirinha Cachaça, Lime, Caster Sugar
- Gin And Tonic Gin, Tonic Water
- Mojito Aged White Rum, Lime Juice, Mint Sprigs
- Whiskey Sour Blended Bourbon Whiskey, Lemon Juice, Sugar Syrup
- Pina Colada White Rum, Coconut Cream, Pineapple Juice
- Tom Collins Gin, Lemon Juice, Caster Sugar
- Mimosa Orange Juice, Prosecco
- Long Island Iced Tea Vodka, Tequila, White Rum
- Manhattan Rye Whiskey, Cinzano(R) Rosso Vermouth, Angostura(R) Bitters
- Daiquiri Aged White Rum, Lime Juice, Superfine Sugar
- French 75 Gin, Lemon Juice, Sugar Syrup
- White Russian Vodka, Coffee Liqueur, Cream
- Bellini Prosecco, Peach Puree
- Dark 'N' Stormy Gosling's(R) Black Seal Rum, Ginger Beer
- Paloma Patrón(R) Silver Tequila, Lime, Salt
- Vodka Greyhound Vodka, Grapefruit Juice
- Addington Dry Vermouth, Sweet Vermouth, Soda Water
- Bobby Burns Cocktail Sweet Vermouth, Scotch, Bénédictine(R) Herbal Liqueur
- Brandy Sling Caster Sugar, Water, Lemon Juice
- Bronx Terrace Cocktail Dry Vermouth, Gin, Lime Juice
- Maiden's Prayer Gin, Triple Sec Liqueur, Lemon Juice
- New York Flip Tawny Port, Bourbon, Cream
- Prince Edward Martini Gin, Drambuie(R) Liqueur
- Queens Gin, Dry Vermouth, Sweet Vermouth
- Rum Sour Light Rum, Lemon Juice, Caster Sugar
- Adam and Eve Forbidden Fruit(R) Liqueur, Gin, Brandy
- Alexander Cognac, Crème de Cacao Brun Liqueur, Sweet Cream
- Bob Dandy Dubonnet(R) Rouge, Brandy
Worth reading
- Shake or Stir? The Rule and Its Exceptions Shake anything cloudy, stir anything clear. The rule takes one line, and knowing why it works tells you what to do with the drinks it does not cover.
- The Sour Formula: One Ratio, Twenty Drinks Two parts spirit, one part citrus, one part sweet. Learn the shape and the Daiquiri, the Margarita, the Gimlet and the Whiskey Sour come free.
