Classic alcoholic cocktail recipes from around the world

Practice making these basic classic cocktails and you'll be a true pro when it comes to making drinks for family and friends.

How to Make - Classic Cocktail Recipes from Around the World

Classic Martini cocktail

This classic, elegant cocktail never goes out of style. Traditionally made with gin and vermouth, you can also use your favorite brand of vodka.

Recipe: Classic Martini cocktail

White Russian Cocktail

The White Russian is sometimes called a milkshake for adults. It's a classic cocktail made with cream, vodka, and coffee liqueur. It has a velvety texture and a pleasant flavor. When preparing the drink, the heavy cream is added last. It's carefully poured over the back of a spoon to prevent it from mixing with the coffee liqueur and vodka and to ensure it forms an even layer on the surface. Enjoy this wonderful cocktail after lunch or dinner, in place of dessert.

Recipe: White Russian Cocktail

Old Fashioned Cocktail

The Old Fashioned is perhaps the most popular whiskey cocktail. It's simple: whiskey, a couple dashes of Angostura, a dash of sugar, and ice. A traditional Old Fashioned is garnished with a cherry and an orange slice, but you can go a step further and freeze ice cubes with orange zest frozen in each cube specifically for this cocktail.

Recipe: Old Fashioned Cocktail

Bloody Mary tomato juice cocktail

This classic cocktail contains tomato juice, vodka, lemon juice, Worcestershire sauce, celery salt, Tabasco, horseradish, and grated onion. All the ingredients are perfectly balanced, resulting in a rich and complex flavor. This recipe makes a pitcher of Bloody Mary, serving six. Serve very chilled with a celery stick. A perfect treat for Sunday brunch and an effective hangover cure!

Recipe: Bloody Mary tomato juice cocktail

Moscow Mule Cocktail

Garnish the classic Moscow Mule with these unique ice cubes, tipped with lime zest curls and ginger slices. If you don't have a copper mug specifically designed for this cocktail and are preparing it in regular glass glasses, this ice cube will be especially helpful.

Recipe: Moscow Mule Cocktail

Cosmopolitan cocktail

The light and balanced tart-sweet taste of the Cosmopolitan cocktail, its name itself, and the TV series "Sex and the City" have earned it the reputation of being a drink exclusively for women. It's quite simple to make: just the right proportions of vodka, triple sec, cranberry juice, and lime juice, all shaken in a shaker. For a large group, you can prepare a pitcher of Cosmopolitan, keep it in the refrigerator, and pour it into glasses. Beautiful and vibrant, served in an elegant martini glass, the Cosmopolitan will be a great addition to any bachelorette party and will quickly lift everyone's spirits.

Recipe: Cosmopolitan cocktail

Classic Manhattan cocktail

The classic Manhattan is one of the most popular cocktails in the world. It combines whiskey, sweet vermouth, and Angostura bitters. All the ingredients work perfectly together, creating a truly enjoyable drink. The Manhattan is traditionally served with orange zest and a maraschino cherry, and for a more refreshing taste, rub the rim of the glass with orange peel. The recipe also includes a method for preparing real maraschino cherries. They can be refrigerated for a long time and used in cocktails and desserts. They will become more delicious with each passing day.

Recipe: Classic Manhattan cocktail

Classic Mojito

The classic mojito originates from Havana, Cuba, and is rumored to be Ernest Hemingway's favorite drink. It's typically made with lime, mint, cane sugar, and rum—ingredients native to the Caribbean island.

Recipe: Classic Mojito

Cocktail “Ramos Gin Fiz”

The Ramos Fizz is a type of fizzy cocktail, invented by Henry Ramos in New Orleans in 1888. Its key ingredients are cream and orange blossom water.

Recipe: Cocktail “Ramos Gin Fiz”

Rob Roy Cocktail

The cocktail was created in 1894 by a bartender at the Waldorf Hotel in New York City, during the premiere of an opera called "Rob Roy." It can be made with dry or sweet vermouth, or both, but Scotch whisky is always used.

Recipe: Rob Roy Cocktail

Hemingway Daiquiri

This daiquiri, also known as the "Papa Doble," is named after the writer Ernest Hemingway, who was said to have frequently drunk it while living in Havana. The drink is unlike the frozen cocktails made in a special machine. It's slightly sweet and quite strong, so it should be consumed with caution.

Recipe: Hemingway Daiquiri

Margarita with Cointreau and Chipotle

Guy Fieri's Margarita can be garnished with salt or simply an orange slice. The juice from a can of chipotle peppers adds a tangy note to the citrus base.

Recipe: Margarita with Cointreau and Chipotle

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Darkness and Storm with Ginger

The original Darkness and Storm cocktail recipe calls for ginger beer. But if you can't find it, this variation, which combines homemade ginger syrup with seltzer water, will do the trick. Pour dark rum over the ginger soda, making sure the layers don't mix, and serve. Stir the cocktail with a skewer before drinking.

Recipe: Darkness and Storm with Ginger

Sazerac cocktail

This rye whiskey drink is often called the world's first cocktail. In 1838, New Orleans drugstore owner Antoine Amédée Pescheux began mixing drinks for friends. He used a double-sided egg cup, called a coquetier, as a measuring cup—hence the word "cocktail." Pescheux's bitters are still used in the recipe to this day.

Recipe: Sazerac cocktail

Bittersweet Negroni aperitif

Enjoy the pure, complex flavor of the classic Negroni, a blend of equal parts gin, Campari bitters, and sweet vermouth. Another essential ingredient is a piece of orange peel. Squeeze it to release the aroma and toss it into the glass.

Recipe: Bittersweet Negroni aperitif

Pimm's with lemon and cucumber

Pimm's cocktails are a truly English pleasure, accessible to everyone. A very affordable low-alcohol drink, enjoyed by both royalty and ordinary folk alike as a refreshing drink on a summer day. Cocktails, or so-called Pimm's fruit bowls, are made with the aromatic Pimm's No. 1 liqueur, along with various fruits, berries, herbs, and sparkling water. The simplest recipe for a fruit bowl is to mix lemon and cucumber wedges, lemonade, and Pimm's No. 1 liqueur itself. This amazing drink is pleasantly refreshing and uplifting with its spicy, moderately sweet flavor, unlike anything you've ever tried.

Recipe: Pimm's with lemon and cucumber

Classic Gimlet Cocktail

The Gimlet cocktail supposedly got its name from its ability to leave holes in one's memory the morning after drinking it. Another theory is that the drink was named after Sir Thomas Gimlett, a Royal Navy surgeon who recommended the cocktail to sailors to prevent vitamin deficiency and scurvy. Whatever the case, the Gimlet is the perfect addition to a fun party.

Recipe: Classic Gimlet Cocktail

Boulevardier Cocktail with Grilled Orange

The classic Boulevardier cocktail is the perfect combination of bourbon, Campari bitters, and vermouth. This recipe uses all ingredients in equal proportions, but adds an unexpected twist: grilled orange, which imparts a rugged, smoky note.

Recipe: Boulevardier Cocktail with Grilled Orange

Dirty Shirley Cocktail

The little American movie star has become all grown up! The non-alcoholic children's cocktail named after her, the "Shirley Temple," has also been transformed into a treat for adults: a shot of vodka was added to a mixture of grenadine and soda water, creating the "Dirty Shirley." For this cocktail, use high-quality vodka for a smooth, sweet, and slightly intoxicating flavor. And don't forget the finishing touch: a cherry on top.

Recipe: Dirty Shirley Cocktail

Little Italy Cocktail (Manhattan with Aperol)

Cocktail photo - Little Italy (Manhattan with Aperol)

Rye whiskey and vermouth are the signature ingredients of the classic Manhattan cocktail. This version adds a splash of Aperol, an aperitif flavored with bitter orange, gentian, and rhubarb.

Recipe: Little Italy Cocktail (Manhattan with Aperol)

Italian Manhattan Cocktail

This version of the classic cocktail uses an Italian bitters like Campari and a maraschino cherry for garnish.

Recipe: Italian Manhattan Cocktail

Mint lemonade with rum

Save time by using store-bought lemonade for this dark rum drink.

Recipe: Mint lemonade with rum

Hot Ginger Toddy

For this whiskey cocktail, prepare a fresh ginger syrup. It can be made in advance and kept in the refrigerator for up to a week.

Recipe: Hot Ginger Toddy

Ruby Smash Cocktail

Add a splash of fizzy ginger ale to this classic bourbon cocktail.

Recipe: Ruby Smash Cocktail

Southern Driver Cocktail

Sandra Lee serves her cocktail in a classic way - in a traditional glass garnished with a maraschino cherry and an orange slice.

Recipe: Southern Driver Cocktail

Mint Julep

Bobby Flay crushes fresh mint leaves with sugar for the base of his favorite bourbon cocktail.

Recipe: Mint Julep

Sparkling lemonade with bourbon

Cocktail photo - Sparkling Bourbon Lemonade

Bobby makes homemade lemonade with simple syrup, freshly squeezed lemon and orange juice, and club soda, then adds bourbon.

Recipe: Sparkling lemonade with bourbon

Southside Cocktail

Geoffrey Zakarian's beautiful gin and lime cocktail is quick and easy to make in a shaker with just a few ingredients. Garnish with fragrant fresh mint.

Recipe: Southside Cocktail