All cocktails

81 drinks, from the 1806 cocktail to the modern classics of the 2000s. Each has a precise recipe, its documented history and the variations worth knowing.

Amaretto Sour Almond liqueur, lemon and a little bourbon, shaken with egg white. Sweet and nutty, made balanced by plenty of lemon. Sours · Shaken · ~9%

Americano Red bitter aperitivo and sweet vermouth lengthened with soda. Bittersweet, low in alcohol and made for the hour before dinner. Highballs · Built · ~8%

Aviation Gin, lemon, maraschino and a touch of violet liqueur. Tart, floral and pale lilac-grey in the glass. Sours · Shaken · ~19%

Bamboo Dry sherry and dry vermouth stirred with orange and aromatic bitters. Low in alcohol, dry, nutty and quietly complex. Spirit and vermouth · Stirred · ~12%

Bee's Knees Gin, lemon and honey shaken cold. A gin sour where honey's floral roundness replaces plain sugar. Sours · Shaken · ~16%

Bellini White peach purée topped with cold prosecco. Soft, fragrant and pale pink, from Harry's Bar in Venice. Sparkling and spritzes · Built · ~7%

Between the Sheets Cognac, white rum, orange liqueur and lemon. A Sidecar with rum in it, and stronger than it tastes. Sours · Shaken · ~21%

Blood and Sand Scotch, cherry liqueur, sweet vermouth and orange juice in equal parts. Fruity and round, with a whisky backbone. Sours · Shaken · ~13%

Bloody Mary Vodka and tomato juice seasoned with lemon, Worcestershire, hot sauce, celery salt and pepper. Savoury, spicy and endlessly adjusted. Highballs · Built · ~11%

Boulevardier Bourbon, sweet vermouth and red bitter aperitivo, stirred. A warmer, rounder Negroni for whiskey drinkers. Spirit and vermouth · Stirred · ~22%

Bramble Gin, lemon and sugar over crushed ice with blackberry liqueur bleeding through. A modern London classic. Sours · Built · ~16%

Brandy Alexander Cognac, crème de cacao and cream shaken cold, with nutmeg on top. An after-dinner drink that tastes like a liquid dessert. Cream and dessert drinks · Shaken · ~16%

Brandy Crusta Cognac, curaçao, maraschino, lemon and bitters in a sugar-crusted glass lined with lemon peel. New Orleans, 1850s. Sours · Shaken · ~19%

Caipirinha Cachaça, muddled lime and sugar over crushed ice. Brazil's national cocktail, rough-edged and refreshing. Sours · Built · ~24%

Champagne Cocktail A bitters-soaked sugar cube in a flute of cold sparkling wine. A slowly changing, gently spiced old celebration drink. Sparkling and spritzes · Built · ~13%

Clover Club Gin, lemon, raspberry and egg white under a pink foam. Tart, fruity and silky rather than sweet. Sours · Shaken · ~12%

Corpse Reviver No. 2 Equal parts gin, quinquina, orange liqueur and lemon with a breath of absinthe. Bright, citrusy and lightly bitter. Sours · Shaken · ~16%

Cosmopolitan Citrus vodka, orange liqueur, lime and a splash of cranberry. Tart, pale pink and a defining drink of the 1990s. Sours · Shaken · ~15%

Cuba Libre Rum and cola with a real squeeze of lime. The lime is what turns a simple mixer into a drink with a name. Highballs · Built · ~12%

Daiquiri White rum, fresh lime and sugar, shaken hard and served straight up. Three ingredients with nowhere to hide. Sours · Shaken · ~15%

Dry Martini Gin and dry vermouth stirred very cold. A short, clean, aromatic drink whose dryness is set by how much vermouth you use. Spirit and vermouth · Stirred · ~26%

El Diablo Tequila, lime, blackcurrant liqueur and ginger beer over ice. Fruity, spicy and deep purple. Highballs · Built · ~12%

El Presidente Rum stirred with blanc vermouth, orange curaçao and a touch of grenadine. Havana's elegant answer to the Manhattan. Spirit and vermouth · Stirred · ~22%

Espresso Martini Vodka, coffee liqueur and fresh espresso shaken to a thick crema. Bitter-sweet, cold and wide awake. Cream and dessert drinks · Shaken · ~15%

French 75 Gin, lemon and sugar topped with dry sparkling wine. Bright and festive, and stronger than it tastes. Sparkling and spritzes · Shaken · ~13%

Gimlet Gin and lime, sweetened just enough. Sharp, cold and simple; originally made with preserved lime cordial rather than fresh juice. Sours · Shaken · ~17%

Gin and Tonic Gin and quinine tonic over plenty of ice. Bitter, bright and dry, and only as good as its ice and tonic. Highballs · Built · ~11%

Gin Fizz Gin, lemon and sugar shaken hard and lifted with soda, served short with no ice. Brisk and quickly drunk. Fizzes and Collinses · Shaken · ~11%

Gin Rickey Gin, fresh lime and soda over ice, with no sugar at all. Bone-dry, sharp and very refreshing in heat. Highballs · Built · ~13%

Gold Rush Bourbon, lemon and honey, shaken and served over a large cube. A whiskey sour made rounder and richer by honey. Sours · Shaken · ~17%

Grasshopper Mint liqueur, chocolate liqueur and cream, shaken. A pale green after-dinner drink that tastes like a mint chocolate. Cream and dessert drinks · Shaken · ~11%

Hanky Panky Gin and sweet vermouth with a sharp edge of bitter, minty amaro. A Savoy classic created by Ada Coleman. Spirit and vermouth · Stirred · ~21%

Hemingway Daiquiri A Daiquiri reworked with grapefruit and maraschino in place of most of the sugar. Tart, dry and faintly bitter. Sours · Shaken · ~16%

Hot Toddy Whisky, honey, lemon and hot water, with a little spice. The old winter remedy, and a good drink in its own right. Hot drinks · Hot · ~9%

Irish Coffee Hot coffee, Irish whiskey and brown sugar under a layer of lightly whipped cream. Drunk through the cream, never stirred. Hot drinks · Hot · ~9%

Jack Rose Apple brandy, lemon and grenadine shaken and served up. A rosy pink American classic from the early 1900s. Sours · Shaken · ~18%

Jungle Bird Dark rum, a red bitter aperitivo, pineapple and lime. A tiki drink with a bitter Italian streak, from 1970s Kuala Lumpur. Tiki and tropical · Shaken · ~11%

Kir Royale Blackcurrant liqueur topped with dry sparkling wine. Simple, festive and deep pink, from Burgundy. Sparkling and spritzes · Built · ~12%

Last Word Equal parts gin, green Chartreuse, maraschino and lime. Herbal, sweet-sour and much more than the sum of its parts. Sours · Shaken · ~20%

Mai Tai Two rums, lime, orange curaçao and almond orgeat over crushed ice. The tiki classic is dry, nutty and rum-forward, not a fruit punch. Tiki and tropical · Shaken · ~16%

Manhattan Rye or bourbon, sweet vermouth and bitters, stirred and served up. Rich, spiced and the model for a whole family of drinks. Spirit and vermouth · Stirred · ~26%

Margarita Tequila, orange liqueur and lime, with salt on the rim. The most popular tequila cocktail, at its best fresh and simple. Sours · Shaken · ~19%

Martinez Old Tom gin, sweet vermouth, a little maraschino and bitters. The rich, rounded forerunner of the Martini. Spirit and vermouth · Stirred · ~21%

Mimosa Fresh orange juice and dry sparkling wine in equal parts. Light, fruity and the standard brunch drink. Sparkling and spritzes · Built · ~6%

Mint Julep Bourbon, sugar and mint over a mound of crushed ice. Cold, strong and fragrant, and the drink of the Kentucky Derby. Juleps and smashes · Built · ~25%

Mojito Rum, lime, mint and sugar over crushed ice with a splash of soda. Havana's long, cool answer to a hot afternoon. Juleps and smashes · Built · ~12%

Moscow Mule Vodka, lime and spicy ginger beer over ice, traditionally in a copper mug. Simple, zingy and easy to drink. Highballs · Built · ~10%

Naked and Famous Equal parts mezcal, yellow Chartreuse, light orange aperitivo and lime. Smoky, herbal and bittersweet, all at once. Sours · Shaken · ~16%

Negroni Equal parts gin, sweet vermouth and red bitter aperitivo. Bittersweet, strong and easy to remember. Spirit and vermouth · Stirred · ~20%

Oaxaca Old Fashioned Reposado tequila and mezcal stirred with agave syrup and bitters. The drink that put mezcal on American back bars. Old Fashioneds · Stirred · ~26%

Old Fashioned Whiskey, a little sugar, bitters and ice. The oldest cocktail formula, and still the clearest test of a bartender's balance. Old Fashioneds · Stirred · ~29%

Paloma Tequila, lime and grapefruit soda over ice with a pinch of salt. Mexico's everyday tequila highball. Highballs · Built · ~12%

Paper Plane Equal parts bourbon, bittersweet amaro, light orange aperitivo and lemon. Tart, gently bitter and easy to remember. Sours · Shaken · ~15%

Pegu Club Gin, orange curaçao, lime and two kinds of bitters. Dry, citrusy and spiced; a colonial-era club drink. Sours · Shaken · ~22%

Penicillin Blended Scotch, lemon and honey-ginger, with a float of smoky Islay malt. A modern classic from New York. Sours · Shaken · ~16%

Pisco Sour Pisco, lime, sugar and egg white, shaken to a thick foam and dotted with bitters. Peru's national drink. Sours · Shaken · ~12%

Piña Colada Rum, sweetened coconut cream and pineapple blended with ice into a thick, cold, tropical shake. Puerto Rico's official drink. Tiki and tropical · Blended · ~7%

Planter's Punch Jamaican rum, lime, sugar and bitters, lengthened with water and ice. A single serve of the old Caribbean punch formula. Punches and swizzles · Shaken · ~14%

Queen's Park Swizzle Aged rum, lime, mint and sugar, swizzled on crushed ice and capped with a heavy dose of bitters. Trinidad's showpiece. Juleps and smashes · Swizzled · ~16%

Ramos Gin Fizz Gin, citrus, cream, egg white and orange flower water shaken long and topped with soda. A tall, silky, floral New Orleans fizz. Fizzes and Collinses · Shaken · ~9%

Rob Roy Blended Scotch, sweet vermouth and bitters, stirred and served up. The Manhattan with a Scottish accent. Spirit and vermouth · Stirred · ~23%

Rusty Nail Blended Scotch and Drambuie over ice. Honeyed, herbal and warming, and as simple as a cocktail gets. Old Fashioneds · Built · ~36%

Sazerac Rye, sugar and anise-scented bitters in an absinthe-rinsed glass, served without ice. New Orleans's own Old Fashioned. Old Fashioneds · Stirred · ~29%

Sherry Cobbler Sherry, sugar and orange shaken and poured over crushed ice. Light, fruity and cold; a craze of 1840s America. Juleps and smashes · Shaken · ~10%

Sidecar Cognac, orange liqueur and lemon, shaken and served up. The classic brandy sour of 1920s London and Paris. Sours · Shaken · ~19%

Singapore Sling Gin, cherry liqueur, pineapple, lime and a few spiced liqueurs. Long, fruity and pink, in the Raffles Hotel style. Fizzes and Collinses · Shaken · ~9%

Southside Gin, citrus, sugar and fresh mint, shaken and fine-strained. Like a Gimlet that has walked through a herb garden. Sours · Shaken · ~16%

Spritz Prosecco, a light orange aperitivo and a splash of soda over ice. Bittersweet, bright orange and low in alcohol. Sparkling and spritzes · Built · ~8%

Stinger Cognac and white crème de menthe, stirred very cold. A two-ingredient after-dinner drink that tastes cleaner than it sounds. Spirit and vermouth · Stirred · ~25%

Tequila Sunrise Tequila and orange juice with grenadine sunk to the bottom. Simple, sweet, and famous for its red-to-gold layers. Highballs · Built · ~11%

Ti' Punch Rhum agricole, a squeeze of lime and a little cane syrup, built in the glass. The everyday drink of Martinique and Guadeloupe. Old Fashioneds · Built · ~44%

Tom Collins Gin, lemon, sugar and soda over ice in a tall glass. A long, sharp-sweet lemonade for adults. Fizzes and Collinses · Shaken · ~8%

Tommy's Margarita Tequila, lime and agave syrup on the rocks. A Margarita without orange liqueur, built to taste of agave. Sours · Shaken · ~15%

Vesper Gin, vodka and a quinine aperitif wine, shaken. James Bond's own Martini, strong and lightly bitter. Spirit and vermouth · Shaken · ~24%

Vieux Carré Rye, cognac, sweet vermouth, a spoon of Bénédictine and two bitters. Rich, spiced and very New Orleans. Spirit and vermouth · Stirred · ~24%

Ward Eight Rye, lemon, a little orange and real grenadine, shaken. A rosy Boston whiskey sour with a political name. Sours · Shaken · ~16%

Whiskey Sour Whiskey, lemon and sugar, shaken, often with egg white for a soft foam. The simplest balance of strong, sour and sweet. Sours · Shaken · ~16%

Whisky Highball Whisky and very cold soda water over plenty of ice. Light, dry and refreshing; simple to make, harder to make well. Highballs · Built · ~10%

White Lady Gin, orange liqueur and lemon, often with egg white. A gin Sidecar with a pale, silky finish. Sours · Shaken · ~20%

White Russian Vodka and coffee liqueur over ice with a layer of cream. Sweet, soft and dessert-like. Cream and dessert drinks · Built · ~21%

Zombie Three rums, lime, grapefruit, cinnamon and falernum. Don the Beachcomber's famously strong tiki drink, now decoded. Tiki and tropical · Blended · ~19%

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