25. Gin Fizz
A venerable classic, this non-Ramos Gin Fizz has consistently outranked that famously labour-intensive variant on this list over the years, the latter not cracking the top 50 at all this year – a well-deserved respite for bartenders’ arms, if nothing else. Requiring comparatively less shaking, the original dates all the way back to the mid-1800s. The Jerry Thomas version from the late 1880s, with Holland gin, lemon juice, sugar and soda water, is not only a fine drink, but an excellent base for twists and variations of all sorts. Many consider egg white to be an essential component, but if we’re being pedantic, that’s a Silver Fizz.
24. Jungle Bird
Refreshingly, this tiki classic’s origins aren’t disputed, or lost to the mists of time. Believe it or not, we know with relative certainty when it was invented, and who by. Considered to be Malaysia’s only widely-recognised classic, the Jungle Bird was created by Jeffrey Ong, beverage manager for Kuala Lumpur Hilton when it opened in 1973. Served at the hotel’s opening that year, the drink was presented in a ceramic bird-shaped vessel, all in keeping with the hotel bar’s avian theme. The addition of Campari offers a welcome twist to the drink’s tropical ingredients of dark rum and pineapple juice.
23. Amaretto Sour
If there’s one cocktail that has only become better with age, it’s the mass-appeal Amaretto Sour. When it was making its first appearances, likely around the year 1974, it was little more than a combination of Amaretto and lemon juice, the latter quickly turning into sour mix – thanks very much, ’80s bartending. That original formulation has evolved and improved since then, taking cues from the far more established Whiskey Sour. Portland bartender Jeffrey Morgenthaler has done much to bring honour to the Amaretto Sour with his version from around 2012, combining the liqueur with cask-strength bourbon, lemon juice, sugar syrup and egg white.
22. Clover Club
Like the group of businessmen who would meet at Philadelphia’s Bellevue-Stratford Hotel in the early 1900s, whose club gave this classic its name, the Clover Club had something of a fleeting heyday. This delightful blend of gin, vermouth, lemon juice, raspberry syrup and egg white went from pre-Prohibition acclaim to outright mockery in just a few decades. Unlike the original club, the drink has thankfully made a comeback, and deservedly so. This is a beautifully structured drink, simultaneously light and indulgent, bright and silky, with balanced complexity from its various components, not to mention its wonderful pink hue which is, like, so in right now.
21. Gimlet
Born out of necessity – that being scurvy prevention – this deceptively simple combination of gin and lime cordial has survived relatively intact since the late 1800s. Whether named for the Royal Navy’s Sir Thomas Desmond Gimlette or the sharp tool used to tap barrels on ships, the Gimlet is inextricably linked with Rose’s Lime Cordial. The first-ever fruit concentrate, it was patented in 1867, the same year that the Navy began requiring ships to carry lime or lemon juice. Many modern takes have moved on from Rose’s, with other cordials or fresh juice taking its place, but the spirit of the drink remains.