We’ve compiled a list of the 30 best Bartender drink recipes. We divided the cocktails into four different categories. From classics, modern and tiki cocktails to signature cocktails from world-renowned Bartenders, we include the best alcoholic cocktails for everyone’s taste.
Classic Cocktail Recipes
Did you know that most cocktails are based on seven classic cocktails? That’s right! Once you’ve learned how to make these cocktails you’ll learn how to make almost any cocktail.
1. Manhattan
Ingredients:
- 1 1/2 oz rye whiskey
- 1/2 oz sweet red vermouth
- 1 dash Angostura bitters
How it’s made:
Pour all of the ingredients into a shaker or mixing glass filled with ice cubes. Then, stir it and strain it into a chilled cocktail glass. Finish off by garnishing with a cherry.
2. Negroni
Ingredients:
- 1 oz gin
- 1 oz Campari bitter
- 1 oz sweet red vermouth
How it’s made:
Pour the ingredients into a chilled old fashioned glass with ice and stir gently.
3. Martini
Ingredients:
- 2 oz gin
- 1/2 oz dry vermouth
How it’s made:
Pour ingredients into a shaker or mixing glass filled with ice cubes. Stir well and pour them into a chilled martini glass. Garnish with green olives or squeeze oil from lemon peel onto the drink.
4. The Old Fashioned
Ingredients:
- 1 1/2 bourbon or rye whiskey
- 1 sugar cube
- 1-2 dashes Angostura bitters
- Splash of plain water
How it’s made:
Put a sugar cube in an old fashioned glass and saturate it with bitter. Add a couple of dashes of plain water, and muddle until dissolved.
Then, fill the glass with ice cubes, add whiskey and stir gently. Garnish it with a cocktail cherry and an orange zest or slice.
5. Margarita
Ingredients:
- 1 1/2 oz tequila (100% agave)
- 1/2 oz triple sec
- 1/2 oz freshly squeezed lime juice
How it’s made
Pour ingredients into a shaker with ice. Shake and strain into a chilled cocktail glass.
Garnish half the glass rim with salt (optional).
6. Daiquiri
Ingredients:
- 2 oz white Cuban rum
- 1/2 oz fresh lime juice
- 2 bar spoons superfine sugar
How it’s made:
Put all of the ingredients in a shaker. Stir to dissolve the sugar. Then, add ice to the shaker, shake well and strain into a chilled cocktail glass.
7. Mai-Tai
Ingredients:
- 1 oz Jamaican amber rum
- 1 oz dark rum
- 1/2 oz orange Curacao
- 1/2 oz orgeat syrup (almond)
- 1 oz fresh lime juice
- 1/4 oz simple syrup
- Mint leaves, lime peel, pineapple sugar (for garnish)
How it’s made:
Pour all ingredients into an ice-filled shaker. Shake and pour into a highball glass or a double rocks glass. Garnish with mint leaves, lime peel and pineapple spear.
Popular Modern Cocktails
Most cocktails you see on today’s menus were invented in the ’90s and early 2000s. Here are some of the most popular contemporary cocktails:
8. Sex on the Beach
Ingredients:
- 1 1/2 oz vodka
- 1/2 oz peach schnapps
- 1 1/2 oz fresh orange juice
- 1 1/2 oz cranberry juice
How it’s made:
Pour all ingredients into an ice-filled highball glass and garnish with a half orange slice.
9. Cosmopolitan
Ingredients:
- 1 1/2 oz citron vodka
- 1/2 oz Cointreau
- 1/2 oz fresh lime juice
- 1 oz cranberry juice
How it’s made:
Pour all ingredients into an ice-filled shaker. Shake and strain into a large cocktail glass. Garnish with a lemon twist.
10. Bloody Mary
Ingredients:
- 1 1/2 oz vodka
- 3 oz tomato juice
- 1/2 oz fresh lemon juice
- 2 dashes of Worcestershire sauce
- Tabasco, celery salt, pepper (up to taste)
How it’s made:
Pour ingredients into a mixing glass or shaker filled with ice. Stir gently and pour into a rocks glass. Garnish with celery and a lemon wedge.
11. Long Island Ice Tea
Ingredients:
- 1/2 oz vodka
- 1/2 oz tequila
- 1/2 oz white rum
- 1/2 oz gin
- 1/2 oz Cointreau
- 1 oz lemon juice
- 1/2 oz simple syrup
- Splash of cola
How it’s made:
Pour all ingredients into an ice-filled highball glass and stir gently. Garnish with a lemon slice.
12. Mojito
Ingredients:
- 1 1/2 oz white Cuban rum
- 1/2 oz fresh lime juice
- 6 pcs mint sprigs
- 2 tsp white cane sugar
- Soda water
How it’s made:
Mix mint springs with lime juice and sugar. Pour a splash of soda water and fill the glass with ice.
Pour the white rum and top the glass with soda water. Stir gently to mix all ingredients.
Finish off by garnishing with a slice of lime and springs of mint.
13. Moscow Mule
Ingredients:
- 1 1/2 oz Smirnoff vodka
- 4 oz ginger beer
- 1/2 oz fresh lime juice
How it’s made:
Combine the vodka and ginger beer in a rocks glass or mule cup. Then, add the lime juice and gently stir. Finish off with a lime slice garnish.
14. Piña Colada
Ingredients:
- 1 1/2 oz white rum
- 1 oz coconut cream
- 1 1/2 oz fresh pineapple juice
How it’s made:
Place all of the ingredients plus ice in a blender. Pour into a large glass and serve with two straws. Garnish with a cocktail cherry and a slice of pineapple.
15. Tequila Sunrise
Ingredients:
- 1 1/2 oz tequila
- 3 oz fresh orange juice
- 1/2 oz grenadine syrup
How it’s made:
Pour the tequila and orange juice into an ice-filled highball glass. Add the grenadine slowly to create the “sunrise” effect. Garnish with orange zest or half orange slice.
16. Sea Breeze
Ingredients:
- 1 1/2 oz vodka
- 4 oz cranberry juice
- 1 oz grapefruit juice
How it’s made:
Pour all ingredients into an ice-filled highball glass. Garnish with a cherry and orange zest.
17. Cuba Libre
Ingredients:
- 1 1/2 oz white rum
- 4 oz Coca Cola
- 1/2 oz fresh lime juice
How it’s made:
Pour ingredients into an ice-filled highball glass and garnish with a lime wedge.
18. Amaretto Sour Mix
Ingredients:
- 2 oz amaretto
- 1 oz lemon juice
- 1/2 oz simple syrup
- 1/2 oz egg white
How it’s made:
Add the amaretto liquor, lemon juice and simple syrup in a shaker and shake them well. Then, add the egg white and shake some more.
Fill the shake with ice and shake until chilled. Strain into an ice-filled old fashioned glass.
Garnish with a lemon wedge.
19. Caipirinha
Ingredients:
- 2 oz cachaça
- 1 lime cut into small wedges
- 4 tsp white cane sugar
How it’s made:
Place sugar and lime in a double old fashioned glass. Muddle it gently, and fill the glass with cracked ice. Add the cachaça and stir gently to mix the ingredients.
20. Black Russian
Ingredients:
- 1 1/2 oz vodka
- 1/2 oz coffee liqueur
Pour both ingredients into an old fashioned glass filled with ice and stir gently.
Tiki Cocktail Recipes
Tiki cocktails are usually made with rum as the base alcohol. They’re also usually fruity, colorful and heavily garnished with pineapples, umbrellas, swizzle sticks or flowers.
21. Rum Runner
Ingredients:
- 1 oz dark rum
- 1 oz light rum
- 1 oz banana liqueur
- 1 oz blackberry liqueur
- 1 1/2 oz pineapple juice
- 1/2 oz lime juice
- Splash of grenadine
How it’s made:
In an ice-filled shaker, pour the rum, liqueurs, juices and the grenadine. Shake until chilled and strain in a glass full of ice. Garnish with blackberries and pineapple.
22. Blue Hawaii
Ingredients:
- 3/4 oz vodka
- 3/4 oz light rum
- 1/2 oz blue curaçao
- 3 oz pineapple juice
- 1 oz sweet and sour mix
How it’s made:
Add all of the ingredients in a shaker with ice and shake them. Alternatively, you can blend the ingredients with the ice in a blender.
Strain into a hurricane glass filled with crushed ice. Garnish with a cocktail umbrella and pineapple wedge.
23. Hurricane
Ingredients:
- 2 oz light rum
- 3 oz dark rum
- 6 oz passion fruit juice
- 6 oz orange juice
- 2 tbsp grenadine
How it’s made:
Pour all the ingredients into a hurricane glass and stir gently. Garnish with orange slice and maraschino cherries.
24. Lava Flow
Ingredients:
- 2 oz light rum
- 2 oz coconut rum
- 1/2 cup frozen strawberries
- 2 bananas, sliced into 1/2-inch coins
- 4 oz coconut cream
- Pineapple juice
How it’s made:
Combine the two rum and strawberries in a blender and blend them until they become smooth. Pour the mixture into a glass. Then, rinse the blender and blend the coconut cream, bananas and pineapple juice with some ice until they also become smooth.
Pour the second mixture slowly on top of the first one in the glass to achieve the lava effect. Garnish with a slice of pineapple.
25. Bahama Mama
Ingredients:
- 2 oz orange juice
- 1 oz pineapple juice
- 1 oz dark rum
- 1/2 oz coconut rum
- 1/2 oz lime juice
- Splash of grenadine
How it’s made:
Pour all the ingredients into an ice-filled glass. Make sure to add the grenadine last, slowly. Garnish with maraschino cherries and a slice of pineapple.
Signature Drinks From Famous Bartenders
Lastly, we list five cocktails made by some of the most famous cocktail masters in the world. Keep in mind that some of the ingredients used in these cocktails can be difficult to find.
26. Dale DeGroff’s Grapefruit Julep
Ingredients:
- 2 mint sprigs
- 1/2 oz freshly squeezed lime juice
- 1/2 oz honey syrup
- 1/2 oz agave syrup
- 1 1/2 oz vodka, preferably Finlandia Grapefruit
- 1 1/2 oz freshly squeezed grapefruit juice
- 1 oz POM Wonderful pomegranate juice
How it’s made:
Bruise a mint sprig at the bottom of a mixing glass. Add the agave syrup, honey syrup and the lime juice first. Then, add the grapefruit juice, vodka, pomegranate juice and ice.
Shake everything and strain it in a highball glass filled with crushed ice. Stir to frost, then garnish with the other mint sprig.
27. Dale DeGroff’s Copa Verde
- 6 oz Tequila Ocho Reposado
- One avocado (ripe, but not too soft; skinned with the pit removed)
- 2 oz fresh squeezed lemon juice
- 2 oz fresh lime juice
- 4 oz agave nectar
- 4 oz water
How it’s made:
Place all the ingredients in a blender to make a puree. Strain into a pitcher. Pour everything into a mixing glass with ice. Shake them well, and serve in shot glasses.
You can frost the rim of the glasses with a blend of kosher salt and chili powder to spice ascent.
28. Jeff Bell’s Royal Court
Ingredients:
- 1 oz Bertoux Brandy
- 1/2 oz lemon juice
- 1/2 oz ITALICUS Rosolio di Bergamotto
- 1/2 oz simple syrup
- 2 dashes Miracle Mile Yuzu Bitters
- 1 oz Moët Impérial Champagne
How it’s made:
Pour all of the ingredients but the champagne in a shaker with ice. Shake it well, and strain into a chilled cocktail coupe.
Top it off with champagne, then garnish with a sprig of lavender at the rim.
29. Jeff Bell’s El Grito
Ingredients:
- 2 oz Casa Dragones Barrel Blend
- 1/2 oz Vanilla Agave Syrup
- 2 dashes Bittermens Mole Bitters
How it’s made:
Pour all ingredients into a mixing glass with ice and shake. Strain into a chilled rocks glass with a large cube and garnish with a long mandarin orange twist.
30. Natasha Mesa’s Mocking Bird
Ingredients:
- 3 oz Krogstad Aquavit
- 1/2 oz Campari
- 1/2 oz lime juice
- 1/2 oz pineapple syrup
- 1/2 oz cane syrup 1:1
How it’s made:
Pour all of the ingredients into a shaker filled with ice. Shake it, and strain in a Collins glass with fresh ice. Garnish with a lime wheel or pineapple leaf.
Non-Alcoholic Cocktails (Mocktails)
Catering to guests who prefer non-alcoholic options is essential in modern bartending. Here are some popular mocktail recipes to consider:
- Virgin Mojito: Combines fresh mint leaves, lime juice, simple syrup, and soda water for a refreshing beverage.
- Shirley Temple: A classic mix of ginger ale, grenadine, and a maraschino cherry garnish.
- Cucumber Cooler: Blends cucumber slices, lemon juice, simple syrup, and tonic water for a crisp, revitalizing drink.
Seasonal and Themed Cocktails
Incorporating seasonal ingredients and themes can keep your cocktail menu exciting:
- Winter Warmer: A hot toddy variation with whiskey, honey, lemon, and cloves, perfect for cold evenings.
- Summer Berry Smash: Muddled fresh berries with vodka, lemon juice, and a splash of soda water for a refreshing summer drink.
- Autumn Spiced Mule: A twist on the classic Moscow Mule, adding apple cider and cinnamon to ginger beer and vodka.
Where To Find Bartender Jobs
Are you interested in making cocktails for a living? Or are you already in the industry but are looking for your next bartending gig? Check out our respective Bartender job listings for New York City and Miami.
FAQ
Focus on pre-batching mixers, using efficient tools, and simplifying garnish prep to ensure you can make drinks quickly without compromising quality.
Practice multi-tasking by preparing ingredients and garnishes in advance. Set up your bar area to minimize unnecessary movement and use the “shake and stir” method efficiently.
Offer a selection of syrups, juices, or garnishes as customizable options for customers. For example, substitute different spirits in a Margarita or offer non-alcoholic versions like a “Virgin Mojito.”
Start with the basics by teaching them the classic drinks first. Create a cocktail recipe guide they can refer to during service and do regular practice runs during quieter hours.
Use precise measuring tools and standard recipes. Regularly check the quality of ingredients, and train all bartenders to use the same techniques for mixing and presentation.
Written by Mitko Terziev
With over eight years of experience in the field, Mitko is a seasoned content specialist who has penned thousands of articles covering a wide array of topics. Before writing, he spent a few months working as a Bartender in one of the best bars in his hometown. In his free time, Mitko enjoys immersing himself in the worlds of gaming and nature.
Reviewed by Marcy Miniano
Marcy is an editor and writer with a background in public relations and brand marketing. Throughout her nearly decade-long career, she has honed her skills in crafting content and helping build brands across various industries — including restaurant and hospitality, travel, tech, fashion and entertainment.
