Every cocktail
- Amaretto SourA splash of bourbon stops it turning into marzipan.
- AmericanoThe Negroni’s daytime cousin. Bond ordered it first.
- Aperol SpritzThree, two, one: prosecco, Aperol, soda. Fill the glass with ice first.
- AviationViolette turns it sky-grey. Skip it and the drink still flies.
- Bee’s KneesProhibition-era cover-up for bad gin. Excellent with good gin.
- BelliniHarry’s Bar, Venice. White peaches if you can get them.
- Black RussianThe White Russian before the dairy arrives.
- Bloody MaryRoll it between two glasses. Shaking flattens the tomato juice.
- BoulevardierA Negroni that spent the winter in Kentucky.
- BrambleDick Bradsell, London, 1980s. Drizzle the liqueur so it bleeds down the ice.
- Brandy AlexanderPudding in a glass, and unapologetic about it.
- CaipirinhaMuddle the lime with sugar in the glass. No shaker required.
- Corpse Reviver #2A breakfast drink, historically. Use your judgement.
- CosmopolitanUnfairly maligned. Made properly it is a very good drink.
- Cuba LibreRum and coke plus lime, which is the entire difference.
- DaiquiriRum, lime, sugar. Nothing else, and nothing missing.
- Dark ’n’ StormyFloat the rum so the first sip is a storm cloud.
- Dry MartiniTwo ingredients, nowhere to hide. Get everything painfully cold.
- El DiabloTequila and cassis is a stranger pairing than it has any right to be.
- Espresso MartiniOnly works with a fresh shot. Cold coffee will not foam.
- French 75Named after a field gun. It hits about that hard.
- French MartiniShake hard enough and the pineapple builds its own foam.
- GimletSharper and colder than you remember.
- Gin & TonicMore ice than you think. Warm tonic is the enemy.
- Ginger Lime CoolerThe one to hand someone who is driving.
- GodfatherTwo ingredients, no tools, twenty seconds.
- GrasshopperBright green and completely shameless.
- Hot ToddyHot but never boiling — boiling water scalds the whisky.
- Kir RoyaleTwo ingredients and a dinner party rescued.
- Last WordFour equal parts that should not work together, and absolutely do.
- Lemon DropSherbet for adults, sugar rim mandatory.
- Long Island Iced TeaFive spirits and no tea. Proceed with respect.
- Mai TaiNo pineapple juice. The real one is rum, lime, orange and almond.
- ManhattanRye and sweet vermouth in a wool overcoat.
- MargaritaSalt on half the rim, so you get a choice with every sip.
- Mezcal MargaritaSame shape as a margarita, twice the personality.
- MimosaJuice first, then fizz, or it foams over the table.
- Mint JulepCrushed ice, packed to a dome, until the cup frosts over.
- MojitoPress the mint, do not shred it. Bruised mint tastes like a lawn.
- Moscow MuleCopper mug optional. Cold ginger beer is not.
- NegroniEqual parts, bitter and beautiful. The one you learn first and drink forever.
- Negroni SbagliatoThe "mistaken" Negroni — prosecco where the gin should be.
- NogroniBitter, orange-led and adult. Grapefruit does the Campari’s job.
- Oaxaca Old FashionedSmoke and agave. Flame the orange peel if you want the full show.
- Old FashionedSpirit, sugar, bitters, ice. The original definition of the word cocktail.
- PainkillerGrate the nutmeg over the top. It is the whole trick.
- PalomaWhat Mexico actually drinks while tourists queue for margaritas.
- Paper PlaneFour equal parts, invented in 2008 and already a classic.
- PenicillinModern classic. The ginger and honey do the heavy lifting.
- Piña ColadaBlend it or shake it — just do not skimp on the coconut.
- Planter’s PunchOne of sour, two of sweet, three of strong, four of weak.
- Pornstar MartiniBritain’s most-ordered cocktail. The prosecco goes beside it, not in it.
- Rusty NailScotch with the heather-honey dial turned up.
- SazeracRinse the glass, discard the absinthe. The ghost of it is the point.
- ScrewdriverFresh oranges make this a genuinely good drink. Cartons do not.
- Sea BreezeThe grapefruit is what keeps it from being squash.
- Sex on the BeachOrder it anyway.
- Shirley TempleNamed after the actor, who reportedly hated it.
- SidecarSugar rim if you like. Paris, roughly a century ago.
- SouthsideA mojito that went to a nicer school.
- Tequila SunrisePour the grenadine last and do not stir. That is the sunrise.
- Tom CollinsA gin sour, stretched long with soda.
- Tommy’s MargaritaAgave instead of orange liqueur — cleaner, and the tequila actually speaks.
- Vieux CarréNew Orleans in a glass — rye and cognac sharing the driving.
- Virgin MojitoAll of the ritual, none of the rum.
- Whiskey SourThe template every other sour is a remix of.
- Whisky HighballJapan perfected this. Cold glass, cold soda, one stir.
- White LadyA sidecar in gin, with a silk collar of egg white.
- White RussianFloat the cream and let the drinker stir it in.
- Woo WooThree ingredients, zero pretension.