Most Popular Cocktails: 24 Of The Best

With so many types, varieties and variations of cocktails, it can be hard to know which to try next.  So, here's an A-Z of the most popular cocktails around. All 24 of them. Now all you need to do is pick one…

Americano

A 19th century Italian cocktail of Campari, sweet vermouth and soda that was so-named due to its popularity with Americans during the prohibition. 

 

Bramble

Created in London in the 1980s, the Bramble uses gin, lemon juice, crème de mûre and sugar syrup, garnished with a lemon and served in an old-fashioned glass.

Caipirinha

Brazil's national drink, this combines cachaça (a sugarcane spirit), lime and sugar, and is served in a highball glass with ice.

Daiquiri

A Caribbean classic cocktail of white rum, fresh lime juice and sugar, shaken and strained into a cocktail glass. Most famous for the strawberry variety.

English Garden

A cocktail of the English summer that is made with dry gin, elderflower liqueur, apple juice, and lime juice, shaken and strained into a Collins glass.

French Martini

A relatively recent cocktail from New York. The French Martini is made with vodka, raspberry liqueur (such as Chambord) and fresh pineapple juice, shaken and strained into a martini glass.

Gin Fizz

From the fizz family, this cocktail takes gin, fresh lemon and sugar syrup, shaken and strained into a highball glass with ice and topped with soda. Alternatively, you could try the Gimlet which is also a popular cocktail.

Hurricane

A sweet cocktail that hails from New Orleans, this is made with two types of rum, orange juice, grenadine and lime juice, shaken and strained into an ice-filled hurricane glass.

Irish Coffee

A cocktail with its own glass and a long history throughout Europe, hot coffee, Irish whiskey and sugar are combined in a glass and whipped cream is floated on the top.

Japanese Slipper

Hailing from Melbourne, Australia, this is made with melon liqueur (such as Midori), orange liqueur and lemon juice, shaken and strained into a martini glass.

 

Kamikaze

Made with vodka, triple sec and lime juice in equal proportions, the ingredients are shaken and strained into a martini glass and garnished with a wedge of lime.

Last Word

A prohibition-era cocktail, the Last Word uses gin, green Chartreuse, maraschino liqueur and lime juice, shaken and strained into a martini glass.

 

Margarita

This classic tequila cocktail is made with tequila, orange liqueur and lime juice shaken and strained into a margarita glass with a salt rim and lime garnish.

Negroni

An Italian cocktail with a long history that is made with equal parts gin, Campari and sweet vermouth poured into an old-fashioned glass with ice and garnished with orange peel. Take a look at our classic Negroni recipe.

Old Fashioned

Often made with whisky, though other spirits are also used, this uses sugar and bitters muddled together before adding the spirit, ice and a garnish of orange peel.

Pisco Sour

Made with Pisco, a Peruvian spirit distilled from grapes, this cocktail also uses lime juice, egg white and sugar, mixed together and served with ice.

 

 

Queen Mother

Named after the royal with a penchant for gin, the Queen Mother cocktail is made with London dry gin, Dubonnet, Aperol, rum and a lemon peel garnish.

 

Rusty Nail

This New York cocktail is made by stirring Scotch whisky and Drambuie with ice then straining into an ice-filled old-fashioned glass.

Sazerac

Made in many different ways, this cocktail from New Orleans usually comprises Cognac or rye whiskey with absinthe, bitters and sugar.

 

Tom Collins

Tracing back to the legendary 19th century bartender, Jerry Thomas, this is made with gin, lemon juice, sugar and soda, served on the rocks in a Collins glass with a lemon slice.

Vodka Martini

There are many types of martini, but James Bond’s favourite cocktail is made with vodka and dry vermouth shaken or  stirred with ice and strained into a martini glass with a lemon or olive garnish.

Whisky Sour

Another 19th century classic, this sour can be made with Bourbon or other whisky types, lemon juice, sugar, bitters and an egg white.

Xante Mojito

A variation of the famous original mojito cocktail recipe, this twist takes Xante Cognac for some extra pear flavour, along with lime juice, sugar syrup, mint and crushed ice. 

Yellow Bird

Named after a Haitian song, this fruit cocktail combines white rum with Galiano, triple sec and lime juice for a tropical tipple.

Zombie

The last of our popular cocktails is a tiki that can be made from rum, fruit liqueurs, fruit juices, fruit purees and bitters, though the recipes vary considerably. 

And that’s it. Unfortunately, when it comes to cocktails, the letters of the alphabet don’t begin to cover the enormous range on offer. In fact, this is just the beginning… So, if you want to know more about their history and other cocktail types, have a look at our guide to what is a cocktail.