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50 Pisco Punch
Made famous by San Francisco’s Bank Exchange bar, the Pisco Punch came on the coat-tails of trade and immigration to the Californian city. The recipe was never written down, instead romantically handed down from one Bank Exchange bartender to another, which hundreds of years later really isn’t helpful. Students of newspapers and books of the time suggest you won’t go too far wrong with pisco, pineapple, gum syrup and lemon juice.
49 Sidecar
Probably the most famous brandy drink, the Sidecar is looking a little beaten down these days. Many bartenders say that the original recipe is unbalanced, but this brandy, triple sec and lemon drink can be tweaked to taste. It has Parisian roots but the original creator has never come forward – or at least not in the singular.
48 Corpse Reviver #2
Featuring gin, Lillet blanc, orange liqueur and lemon, this classic cocktail, which dates to the 19th century, was returned to life by curious bartenders in the 21st century peeling back the pages of cocktail tomes to find inspiration. It most famously features in Harry Craddock’s The Savoy Cocktail Book from 1930, but is still found on occasion in the world’s best bars – some, rightly, prefer it to the Corpse Reviver #1.
47 Blood & Sand
Originating from 1922, the Blood & Sand was inspired by the eponymous film. A century later and this scotch, cherry brandy (the blood), sweet vermouth, and orange juice (the sand) cocktail is still an occasional mix at the world’s best bars. It’s one of three scotch cocktails in this year’s list of 50.
46 Tommy’s Margarita
This simple but logical twist on the Margarita by Julio Bermejo of Tommy’s in San Francisco, sees agave syrup replacing orange liqueur – and always 100% agave tequila. It’s become the bartender’s preferred Margarita method, made around the world, sometimes under the guise of the original.
45 Irish Coffee
For those that do it well – think Dead Rabbit, Swift and Homeboy – the Irish Coffee is approached forensically, with temperature and viscosity honed to perfection. The drink is thought to have been created by Joe Sheridan, the head chef of Foynes flying boat terminal, Ireland, but head to Dead Rabbit for the recipe: 1½ parts Irish whiskey, ¾ parts demerara syrup, four parts hot brewed coffee and heavy cream, lightly whipped.
44 Bobby Burns
Making its debut in our list this year, the Bobby Burns is something of an occasional cocktail, though a little more frequent than on Burn’s Night once a year. In structure it’s a Manhattan, just with scotch and a few dashes of Benedictine. It was part of the top-10 repertoire in 10% of our sample.
43 Last Word
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In the list for a third time, this gin, Green Chartreuse, maraschino and lime gem was first published in Ted Saucier’s 1951 cocktail book Bottoms Up. Lost for half a century, it was unearthed in 2004 at Zig Zag Café in Seattle and has been a common sight behind the stick ever since.
42 Painkiller
Trademarked by Pusser’s, the Painkiller was the drink of the Soggy Dollar Bar, on the BVIs, to which seafarers would swim for refreshment. The bar serving the rum, coconut cream, pineapple and orange juice liquid would take sodden money for the drinks, but the cocktail would only delay the pain of having to swim, inebriated, home.
41 Ti’ Punch
This drink of Martinique and Guadeloupe is a sort of downsized Daiquiri/Caipirinha affair of rum and lime juice and, for a true rendition, says David Wondrich, you need cane syrup, the raw juice of the cane boiled down until thick. The Ti’ Punch is back in our list for the first time since 2017.
40 Hanky Panky
The famous American Bar classic Hanky Panky was invented by Ada Coleman, who supposedly served the drink to actor Charles Hawtrey, one of the “best cocktail judges” she knew. She said: “He sipped it and, draining the glass, he said, ‘By Jove! That is the real hanky-panky!’” While the phrase also refers to sexual dalliance, in the language of cocktails, it’s a bone fide classic and gains two places in our list.
39 Cosmopolitan
The Cosmo’s years as the bartender’s punch bag are long into the past, and now there’s a sort of indifference warming to affection. It helps that Sex and the City isn’t on the telly and that everyone who grew to hate it has mellowed in their middle age. If you need reminding, the Cosmo is vodka, triple sec, cranberry and lime. A little tweak here and there and it’s not such a bad drink at all.
38 Ramos Gin Fizz
This half milkshake, half Gin Fizz concoction was named after the New Orleans bartender who created it in 1888 – Henry Charles Ramos. The original saw silky-smooth cream and orange flower put a new spin on the Fizz. It takes a long time to make, so don’t be that person who orders it on a busy night. Though do try one – done right, they are worth the work. Particularly if it’s not yours.
37 Bellini
This peachy sparkler invented by Giuseppe Cipriani, founder of Harry’s Bar in Venice, was once a seasonal serve, but eventually became a permanent fixture on the menu in both Venice and New York. It has a wider and less discerning audience these days and was found to be a top tipple in 5% of the bars we polled.
36 Bee’s Knees
Re-entering the list this year after a two-year absence, this lemon and honey classic is, as it says, the Bee’s Knees. Created in the Prohibition era, it’s suggested the honey and lemon distracted from the roughness of the spirits. The recipe is quite simply two parts gin, ¾ lemon juice and ¾ honey. Best with a cold.
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35 Long Island Ice Tea
Yes, really. The Long Island Iced Tea is now up to the dizzying heights of 35. Little is known about the origins of this indiscriminate bucket of booze, but one finger is pejoratively pointed at Robert ‘Rosebud’ Butt from the Oak Beach Inn, Long Island. The recipe is essentially every spirit you can think of, orange liqueur, citrus and cola. It’s only a top-10 tipple in 5% of the bars we polled and, one imagines, they employ a lot of artistic licence.
34 Aviation
Gaining height this year – if only by one place – is the Aviation, which is a top-10 classic in 7% of bars polled. The recipe first appeared in Hugo Ensslin’s 1916 Recipes for Mixed Drinks, where crème de violette provided an extra floral dimension. This point of difference, the crème de violette, is the reason people love it, and hate it.
33 Vesper
This cocktail’s story is one for the raconteurs, but the drink is less the talk of the town. That said, this vodka-gin-Lillet Martini pulls a chord for some punters, particularly those who like James Bond, a character from which the cocktail was named. Ian Fleming calls for: “Three measures of Gordon’s; one of vodka; half a measure of Kina Lillet. Shake it over ice, and add a thin slice of lemon peel.” It’s among our sample’s top 10 in 7% of cases.
32 Old Cuban
The Old Cuban didn’t feature last year – it’s a young classic, so still has to work hard to play with the big kids of this list. But it has pedigree: invented by New York legend Audrey Saunders in 2004, the Old Cuban is something of a cross between a Mojito and a French 75, taking in aged rum, lime juice, mint leaves, Angostura bitters and sparkling wine.
31 Vodka Martini
Perhaps not as popular as its gin equivalent, the Vodka Martini remains the best way to get your vodka fix – if that’s your poison – as here it comes only with a little vermouth for company. Run-of-the-mill vodkas don’t work here – you’ll need something sturdy. In this martini glass, there’s no hiding. Up 11 places, the drink that also goes by the name Kangaroo, is a top-10 classic in 10% of our bars.
30 Corpse Reviver
Harry Craddock’s Corpse Reviver might need some of its own medicine, having sunk 14 places this year. The original recipe, known as Corpse Reviver #1, uses cognac, calvados and vermouth and Craddock recommends you drink one before 11am for optimal revival.
29 Sazerac
Down nine is the Sazerac, which may be suffering from a move away from boozy, stirred-down drinks. Purists use cognac for the Sazerac and so did bartenders in the 1850s, until phylloxera ravaged French vineyards and the American Civil War made cognac importation something of a second thought. In came whiskey and many today prefer the booze hit to be propelled by the grain, not the grape. Rimmed with absinthe, the aromas are ominous alone.
28 Zombie
This tiki drink of the living dead is still in fine fettle, gaining 16 places this year. Make it by emptying all of your bar’s rum into a large glass along with apricot brandy, lime and pineapple juice. More refined recipes are available, particularly at the world’s best bars, where the Zombie is one of the 10 most-made in 10% of bars.
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27 Vieux Carré
The Vieux Carré was invented by Walter Bergeron, head bartender at the now Hotel Monteleone bar in New Orleans, where bartenders flock annually, only to be disappointed by the Vieux Carrés. It’s made with American whiskey, sweet vermouth, Benedictine, Angostura and Peychaud’s. Down three places this year, made well, it’s a lovely riff on a Manhattan.
26 Amaretto Sour
A fixture at No.26 – and in many of the world’s best bars – the Amaretto Sour is among the top-10 in 12% of those we polled. The recipe? It’s two shots of amaretto, lemon juice and egg white, while Angostura bitters is optional. It can be too sweet, so adjust the lemon, or drink something else.
25 Piña Colada
If you like Piña Coladas – as the song goes – you’re in good company, because they like them in the world’s best bars too. Though the modern breed often sees embellishment, with the likes of absinthe or champagne, the foundation of pineapple, coconut and rum normally remains. This year the ’70s kitsch classic – in rebooted form or not – is up seven places from last year.
24 Caipirinha
As our survey continues to call on more voices from South America – as the region’s bar scenes develop – we’ve seen a logical jump for Brazil’s national cocktail, the Caipirinha. While it’s hard to say the Caipirinha is on-trend, it’s never really off-trend and the advent of craft cachaças has certainly cemented its credibility in the best bars. Essentially, it’s a mint-less, short Mojito and it’s served among the top-10 classics in 13% of bars we polled.
23 Gin Fizz
The Gin Fizz continues to effervesce, climbing five places this year. ‘Fizz’ was first referenced in the Jerry Thomas Bartenders Guide 1887 edition, which included six recipes – this is the most famous. Simply, it’s gin, lemon juice and sugar, topped with carbonated water. It’s fizzy, citrussy and gin-y, so there’s little to not like.
22 Dark ’n’ Stormy
This Bermuda-originated highball is no stranger to the upper half of this list. Essentially, it’s rum’s Moscow Mule with a better story. It goes that British seafarers brought the ginger beer and local distiller Gosling the rum. They threw in some lime, and there you have it, the Dark ’n’ Stormy, still a classic you’ll find as a regular at the world’s best bars.
21 Clover Club
This pink pre-Prohibition classic is the cocktail legacy of Philadelphia, having been named after a gentlemen’s club in the city, but today has suitors of all types, in all corners of the world. It is a top-10 tipple in about 15% of bars we polled, but also the top classic in few too. In Julie Reiner’s New York bar, Clover Club, it’s made with gin, dry vermouth, raspberry, lemon juice and egg white.
20 Pisco Sour
Supposedly invented by Victor Vaughen Morris, an American bartender, who opened his bar in Lima in 1916, the Pisco Sour was an early explorer, finding its way to the dock of the San Francisco bay in the 1930s and wasting little time before rising to popularity in New York in the 1960s. The basic recipe is three parts pisco, one part simple syrup, one part lime juice, egg whites and a dash of Angostura bitters. A top-10 classic in 17% of bars we polled.
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19 Mai Tai
When Trader Vic’s brand of Polynesian restaurants globally proliferated, so did founder Victor Jules Bergeron’s Mai Tai, which years on is still a presence in bars globally (18% make it as part of their top-10 repetoire) – and possibly even in Polynesia. As a bastion of tropical culture this rum, orgeat, orange liqueur and lime cocktail is a kitsch classic loved by bartenders in flowery shirts and people who wish they were somewhere warmer.
18 Gimlet
This gin-lime cocktail has quite the story. Swiftly speaking: lime juice protected the British navy against scurvy, alcohol against mutiny. The two came together in wondrous alchemy – though in the upper decks, officers drank gin, which made it a Gimlet. When sugar was found to preserve lime juice, Rose’s lime cordial was born and this was mixed 50-50 with gin. These days, you’re more likely to find Gimlets made from fresh lime and sugar syrup because, well, they’re better. Down a few places but still in our top 20, The Gimlet is a top-10 classic in 19% of polled bars.
17 French 75
Up four places, the French 75 was created by Harry MacElhone in what became Harry’s New York Bar in Paris, documented by The Savoy Cocktail Book and popularised in the Stork Club, New York. Its adopted home is Arnaud’s in New Orleans, but there is an excellent rendition at Three Sheets in London. Our sample of bars suggest Bombay, Tanqueray or Beefeater gin, but over at Arnaud’s in New Orleans the French 75 is made even Frencher with the use of cognac.
16 Americano
The Americano is a sort of sensible Negroni – and if legend is correct, predated it. Simply sub the gin for soda in your Negroni spec and you have it – the Americano, or, as was once known, the Milano-Torino. It’s up nine places in our ranking, with a fifth of bars suggesting it was part of their top-10 repertoire.
15 Bloody Mary
This tomato and vodka classic is not for everyone – particularly those who like their tomatoes hot – but does allow for acceptable morning drinking, responsibly. It is among the top-10 selling classics in just over a fifth of polled bars. If you are in crawling distance of the current world’s best bar – Connaught Bar in London – its Bloody Mary is the best you’ll ever try. It’ll even turn those who don’t like them.
14 Paloma
In essence this is a two-piece cocktail, with grapefruit soda and tequila. With that simple marriage alone, the Paloma sings like a bird, but bartenders do like to take things up a notch. With freshly squeezed grapefruit, lime juice and agave syrup, topped with grapefruit soda, it really takes flight. The Paloma continues to scale our league of classics and this year is up eight places and a top-10 classic in just under a quarter of bars.
13 Penicillin
Invented by Attaboy owner Sam Ross, the Penicillin is a neo-classic made throughout the world. Combining scotch, lemon, honey-ginger syrup and peated scotch, it was a top-10 classic in just under a quarter of polled bars. It says a lot that this is the highest-placed scotch classic – ahead of the Bobby Burns in 44th and Blood & Sand in 47th. One wonders whether the scotch industry realises how indebted it is to the Penicillin’s Australian creator. Probably not.
12 Boulevardier
Up six places, the Boulevardier is a Negroni with bourbon and created by Erskine Gwynne, an American writer in the 1920s, who named it after his Parisian monthly magazine. The Boulevardier is still on the regular roll call in almost a quarter of our polled bars. Say it softly and check who is listening, but this might be an improvement on the Negroni.
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11 Moscow Mule
More of a crowd-pleaser in the US than anywhere else, our poll suggests the Moscow Mule is a top-10 classic in a quarter of the best bars around. Frozen in 11th position from last year, this vodka, lime, ginger and soda drink is something of an every-person drink, prized for its simplicity on both sides of the bar. Essentially, this is vodka’s answer to the Dark ’n’ Stormy and is housed in the kind of copper mugs that make vodka, lime, ginger and soda a happy marriage, even outside of happy hour.
10 Whiskey Sour
While at one time it was brandy that was mingled most with lemon juice for the Sour, the Whiskey Sour has for some time been the most notable among them. Indeed, in the world’s best bars, the Whiskey Sour is part of the top-10 repertoire in just under a third of our sample. Don’t forget the egg white for added mouthfeel. Vegan alternatives are available and in some bars feel like a safer option.
9 Mojito
When the Mojito became the drink of the holidaying auntie, it lost a little of its street cred in the world’s best bars, but now the Pornstar Martini has taken on the mantel, we see the Cuban classic restore some of its reputation. Let’s not forget the Mojito is a bone fide classic that will be here long after our aunties are gone – it’s a top-10 classic in a third of bars we polled. The trick here is a light-style Cuban rum, the greenery is best in muddled Cuban apple mint or spearmint form and the sugar dissolved (it might need some persuasion).
8 Manhattan
It’s eighth for a third time on the spin for whiskey classic the Manhattan, with a third of polled bars making it among their top 10. This whiskey drink may play second fiddle to the Old Fashioned, but it is an age-old favourite that has given birth to a family of classical spins. While some persist with the notion that the dry (with dry vermouth) and perfect (with dry and sweet vermouth) are of merit, this is not true – Manhattans should come sweet (that’s with sweet vermouth). Let’s head to Manhattan and PDT where Jim Meehan used to make his with rye whiskey, sweet vermouth and two dashes of Angostura, stirred with ice, strained into a chilled coupe and garnished with brandied cherries.
7 Espresso Martini
When we first started polling bartenders, this coffee-vodka classic was at No.23 – a familiar drink, but not one you’d find too often in the world’s best bars. But Dick Bradsell’s London-born recipe gathered momentum after the legendary bartender’s untimely death in late 2016. The story goes that it was first made for a customer to “wake her up and fuck her up”, which, as a lot of the best yarns, probably involves a little creative licence. Regardless, the neo-classic, once known as the Vodka Espresso and Pharmaceutical Stimulant, is a top-10 serve in almost 40% of bars polled.
6 Aperol Spritz
In at six, it’s a spritz. Not five years ago, the Aperol Spritz was a mid-table drink in our list, but times have changed – people want light and effervescent and they want to drink all day and still feel OK. All that adds up to a spirit-free spritz. This particular brand-centric bitter-sweet sparkler was named a top-five classic in a quarter of bars, which will please the Barbieri brothers, who invented it in the 1900s, though are now dead. Aperol is obviously the key to this mix, which includes prosecco and a splash of soda.
5 Daiquiri
The Daiquiri is the most ordered rum drink in the world’s best bars – it’s a top-five classic in a fifth of them – yet to this day, no one outside of Spanish-speaking nations has been able to pronounce it. It’s dy-key-ree, not dak-er-ree. In Cuba, where they can say it, you’ll find it made all over (where there is lime and rum, there be Daiquiris), though it has to be said, not always well. Take lime juice, white rum and sugar syrup; shake, serve and repeat – few are able to consume a Daiquiri in the singular: they slip down like a slug on a slide. One last thing: strawberry is a modifying prefix, and has little to do with the classic.
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4 Margarita
Since we’ve been polling top bars globally, the Margarita has always been a top 10-classic, but fourth is a new high. It’s one of the top-three classic serves in 18% of bars from our sample, but only top dog in 5%. Margarita is Spanish for daisy, which is cocktail for a sour-based drink, so that gives you an idea where the recipe is headed. It’s tequila, orange liqueur and lime – the salt is optional. Or else, the cool kids make it Tommy’s style – 100% agave tequila and swap agave syrup for the orange liqueur.
3 Dry Martini
Up one to third in the ranking this year is the Dry Martini, which was the most-made classic in only 6% of bars polled, but one of the five most-frequent serves in almost a quarter. This boozy yet refined gin classic can be thrown or stirred in a mixing glass – sorry Bond – while proportions of gin to dry vermouth are down to personal taste, and what you’re doing the next day. At London’s Duke’s it’s nearly all gin, while at Barcelona’s Dry Martini (formerly of The World’s 50 Best Bars) it’s a half and half. The dash of orange bitters, a squeeze of lemon or a green olive are, to many, preferable embellishments.
2 Old Fashioned
The Old Fashioned may not be the most ordered classic in the world’s elite bars this year, but it’s still the most likely cocktail to find its way into a glass in 20% of bars polled and was among the top-two classics in a third. It was close enough to think the Old Fashioned could once again top our list, after all, this cocktail has been around forever – traced to 1833 by historian David Wondrich – and remains a timeless classic. In its infancy it would have been made with genever, rum or brandy (whiskey wasn’t what it is now), but these days make it with bourbon (or rye), sugar, Angostura bitters and an orange twist. Don’t forget to forget the cherries.
1 Negroni
The king is dead, long live the Negroni. Finally, after eight years as best supporting cocktail, the Negroni tops our list ahead of the vanguard tipple of the cocktail renaissance, the Old Fashioned. This bitter ruby serve has ridden the wave of the classic cocktail trend, the bitter-drinks trend, the gin trend, the aperitivo trend, the Italian bartenders taking over the best bars trend – everything was carrying it forward. More than a quarter of our sample of the world’s best bars said this was their number one classic and over half said it was among their top-two serves. Traditionally, it’s made with thirds of gin, Campari and sweet vermouth, but is adjusted to taste.
