20 Popular Classic Cocktails to Try

One of the most classic whiskey cocktails of them all: the whiskey sour! This perfectly sweet tart, balanced whiskey drink dates back to the 1870’s. It's simple to make, featuring whiskey, lemon and simple syrup. Serve it with an egg white foam topping and it's a Boston Sour. A must try!

Related Cocktails: New York Sour, Amaretto Sour, Vodka Sour, Tequila Sour, Pisco Sour

One of the most classic gin cocktails is the gin fizz! The first mention of a fizz was back in 1876, and they became popular in America in the 1900's to 1940's. The gin fizz is tart and classy, featuring lemon, gin, simple syrup, and an egg white foam topping.

Related Cocktails: Tom Collins, Southside, Bees Knees, Gin Sour, Clover Club

The most classic tequila cocktail of them all: the margarita! Likely originating in the 1930's, the margarita is one of the most classic sour cocktails: drinks that feature liquor, sweetener and citrus. The classic recipe is tequila, lime, and Cointreau, and it's perfect in its simplicity.

Related Cocktails: Mezcal Margarita, Jalapeño Margarita, Skinny Margarita, Cadillac Margarita, Paloma

The most classic rum cocktail is the daiquiri! This perfectly balanced cocktail stars lime juice, rum, and simple syrup. A classic daiquiri is not frozen at all: it's served straight up in a cocktail glass and thought to have been invented in the 1800’s in Cuba.

Related Cocktails: Hemingway Daiquiri, Strawberry Daiquiri, Lime Frozen Daiquiri

The most classic vodka cocktail: the Moscow mule! This classic cocktail was born in the 1940’s: made with vodka, ginger beer, and lime and always served up in a copper mug. Why the mug? The coolness of the glass when you sip makes it taste ice cold. Try all the great Moscow Mule variations!

Related Cocktails: Mexican Mule, Watermelon Mule, Cider Mule, Mezcal Mule, Kentucky Mule, Gin Gin Mule, Dark and Stormy

Here's the other most classic rum cocktail: the Mojito! The origins of the Mojito are cloudy: some say it was invented in the 1500s, others in the 1800's with the birth of the Bacardi rum company. In any case, its place as an iconic Cuban cocktail was solidified by the 1930's when Ernest Hemingway helped to popularize the drink. It's perfectly. balanced with lime, rum and fresh mint and equally as popular today (if not more so).

Related Cocktails: Classic Mint Julep, Caipirinha, Southside Cocktail, Classic Daiquiri

Another classic gin cocktail is the gimlet! While it became popular in the 1950’s, a recipe was included in a 1930’s cocktail book, so it stems back to at least that far! This classic cocktail features lime juice, gin and simple syrup.

Related Cocktails: Vodka Gimlet, French Gimlet, Basil Gimlet, Cosmopolitan

One of the most classic sour cocktails of them all is the Sidecar! The story is that it was invented around 1918 by an army captain who drove around in a motorcycle sidecar. It’s a complex, layered drink: warm, crisp, dry, and rich all at once! It features Cognac, lemon juice, and Cointreau and a sugar rim.

Related Cocktails: Vodka Sidecar, Bourbon Sidecar, White Lady, Between the Sheets, Corpse Reviver

Here's one of the most famous classic cocktails there is: the Old Fashioned! This classic whiskey cocktail dates to the early 1800’s, before the words classic and cocktail were even said next to each other. It's quick and simple, using a sugar cube, bitters, and bourbon whiskey for a truly timeless drink.

Related Cocktails: Sazerac

Another classic gin cocktail is the Negroni! This 1920's Italian cocktail is equal parts refreshing, bitter, and complex: a drink that you’ll want to sit with and savor a while. Made with Campari, gin, and sweet vermouth, the flavor can be polarizing. We prefer it as the Boulevardier (whiskey instead of gin) or the Negroni Sbagliato (Prosecco instead of gin), both of which are a more balanced drink.

Related Cocktails: Boulevardier, Old Pal, Americano, Mezcal Negroni, or Negroni Sbagliato

The martini is one of the most iconic cocktails of all time. People have been drinking it for a century. With one sip it announces itself: crisp, cool, searing, and spirit-forward. It’s seeped in tradition, and there’s no cocktail that has the amount of variations. The classic is simple: just gin and dry vermouth. But there are lots of famous spins (see below).

Related Cocktails: Dirty Martini, Vesper Martini, Lemon Drop Martini, Cucumber Martini, Pomegranate Martini, Watermelon Martini, Espresso Martini, French Martini

Here's another classic gin cocktail: the Tom Collins! The first mention of this tall highball drink was in an 1882 cocktail book. It's a essentially gin sour, a sweet and sour drink made with gin. A cousin of the gin fizz, it’s refreshing and bubbly, impressively loaded with ice in a highball glass.

Related Cocktails: Southside Fizz

Here's a classic champagne cocktail: the French 75! A drink born in the 1920's, it's got a mysterious name and is tangy, bubbly, and a bit botanical. Simply made of lemon, simple syrup and champagne, it's almost like a Tom Collins that replaces the soda water with sparkling wine.

Related Cocktails: The Classic Champagne Cocktail

This classic whiskey cocktail has a long history and has come back into style: the Manhattan! It goes all the way back to the 1870’s, so it’s older than most cocktails (which sprung up in the 1920’s and 30’s). It's got a lot going on: vanilla, oak and caramel notes from the bourbon, sweet and spicy from the vermouth, and bitter and herby from the bitters.

Related Cocktails: Try the classic Martinez: like a gin version of a Manhattan! This version is a little smoother and more balanced.

Here's a classic cocktail that's bubbly, citrusy, herbal, subtly bitter and lightly sweet…the Aperol spritz! Also called the spritz veneziano, it's an Italian aperitif: a drink for before a meal. The spritz was invented back in the 1800’s in Italy, but it wasn’t until the 1950’s that the Aperol spritz took the form it has today.

Related Cocktails: Americano, Amaro Spritz, Campari Spritz

Here’s a classic cocktail that’s as unique as its name…the Corpse Reviver No 2! It turns out that the Corpse Reviver has nothing scary or ghoulish about it. In fact, it’s damn good. It’s a classic gin sour cocktail that’s tart and zingy from lemon juice and orange liqueur, with a hint of licorice on the finish.

Related Cocktails: Margarita, Sidecar, Gin Sour

 The Gin and Tonic was invented in the 1850’s by British soldiers, who mixed gin with their tonic water as a way to drink quinine (which was thought to cure malaria). Its crisp, botanical flavor is straightforward but at the same time intriguing: a feat using only 2 ingredients! It’s no wonder that this is one of the world’s popular easy cocktails.

Related Cocktails: Vodka Tonic, Whiskey Tonic

Cousin of the classic margarita, this easy cocktail recipe features tequila with grapefruit instead of lime! The Paloma is traditionally made with grapefruit soda, but our spin uses grapefruit juice and soda water. The history around the drink is a bit murky, though many believe it to have originated in the 1950’s. 

The piña colada is a popular classic cocktail invented in Puerto Rico made with pineapple juice, rum, and coconut, served blended or with crushed ice. The name means “strained pineapple” in Spanish. The original drink was invented in San Juan in 1954 by a bartender named Ramón “Monchito” Marrero. It became an instant favorite and was declared the official drink of Puerto Rico in 1978.

Related Cocktails: Chi Chi, Painkiller

Here’s a drink for the adventurous home bartender: the Last Word cocktail! This pale green gin sour is a classic cocktail from 1916 that was all but lost to history. But with the revival of cocktail culture, this one’s come back strong! It’s equal parts sharp, sweet, and sour: full of intrigue and nuance from a few special ingredients.