List of Popular Cocktails

Whether you are planning for a party or simply wondering what to order during your next night out on the town, you should review a list of popular cocktails. Cocktails typically contain one or more types of liquor along with several mixers, such as fruit juice, honey, bitters, soda or cream.

List of Popular Cocktails by Liquor

Note: All liquors and their corresponding cocktails are listed in alphabetical order and not ranked by popularity.

Gin Cocktails

Gin has an earthy, almost medicinal flavor since it is made from juniper berries. It is an acquired taste for some, but many traditional cocktails are made with this spirit.

• Gimlet (with lime juice)
• Gin Fizz (with lemon juice, sugar and carbonated water)
• Gin Sour (with sweet and sour mix)
• Gin and tonic
• Lime Rickey (with lime juice and carbonated water)
• Martini (the traditional martini, with or without bitters)
• Pimm’s Cup No. 1 (with Pimm’s liqueur, fruit juices and spices)
• Singapore Sling (with brandy, fruit juices and liqueurs)
• Tom Collins (similar to the Gin Fizz)

Rum Cocktails

Rum is a crowd-pleaser due to its smoky sweetness, and it’s a staple in tropical-themed drinks.

• Blue Hawaii (with pineapple juice, sweet and sour mix and blue Curacao)
• Cuba Libre (with cola and lime)
• Dark and Stormy (dark rum with ginger beer)
• Daiquiri (traditionally with lime juice and sugar, but variations include other fruit juices)
• Hurricane (classic New Orleans cocktail with lime juice and passion fruit syrup)
• Mai-Tai (tiki drink with many variations that contain fruit juices, syrups and liqueurs)
• Mojito (with mint, sparkling water and simple syrup)
• Pina Colada (with pineapple juice and coconut cream)
• Planter’s Punch (mixed with various fruit and fruit juices)

Tequila Cocktails

This popular liquor flavors many festive drinks.

• Bloody Maria (a variation on the Bloody Mary)
• Margarita, variations include:
  • Frozen margarita
  • Fruit flavored margaritas (such as peach, strawberry or mango)
  • Habanero margarita (an extra spicy version)
• Tequila Sunrise (with orange juice and grenadine)
• Tequila Sunset (similar to the Sunrise, but with grenadine on top)

Vodka Cocktails

Many of the most popular cocktails include vodka. This clear liquor has a subtle taste and mixes well with other ingredients, especially fruit juice.

• Appletini (with apple liqueur or juices)
• Bloody Mary (with tomato juice and various spices)
• Cape Cod (with cranberry juice)
• Cosmopolitan (with cranberry juice, triple sec and lime juice)
• Greyhound (with grapefruit juice)
• Sex on the Beach (with peach schnapps, orange and cranberry juices)
• Vodka and tonic
• Vodka Martini (with or without vermouth)
• Vodka Gimlet (with lime juice)
• White Russian (with coffee liqueur and cream)

Whiskey Cocktails

Popular in the Prohibition Era, whiskey cocktails have experienced a resurgence in many modern speak-easy theme bars. Its sophisticated flavor blends well with sweet as well as bitter mixers.

• Irish Coffee (Irish whiskey with coffee, sugar and cream)
• Jack and Coke (Jack Daniel’s whiskey with cola)
• Manhattan (rye whiskey with sweet vermouth and bitters)
• Mint Julep (bourbon with mint, sugar and water)
• Old Fashioned (bourbon with simple syrup and bitters)
• Seven and Seven (Seagram’s Seven with 7up)
• Whiskey Sour (with sweet and sour mix)

Once you have studied this list of popular cocktails and are familiar your options depending on your liquor of preference, deciding what to order is much simpler. If you still can’t decide, choose a liquor and ask the bartender to come up with his or her own concoction. You may just discover a new favorite.