Top 20 Mixed Drink and Cocktail Recipes

Many of you adults are familiar with some mixed drinks and cocktails. You know how to order them in a bar, and you watch the bartender make them. But if needed, could you make them for yourself? A comprehensive list of cocktail recipes in existence would take far too long and make me far too thirsty. Instead, I have created a list of recipes for the top 20 mixed drinks and cocktails; an essential lesson in mixology, if you will. These popular drinks will be grouped into one of four categories: mixed drinks, martinis and manhattans, two liquor drinks, and holiday drinks. I hope you can use this hub as a tool to impress your friends, or at least give you and that salty bar-fly you've always admired something to talk about. Cheers.

These drinks are the building blocks of life for any true alcoholic. They make up the majority of drinks ordered in a bar, and they are incredibly simple to make. Usually consisting of one liquor and one mixer. Here is a list of some of the most popular mixed drinks to quench your thirst:

Cuba Libre

Highball glass, ice

- 1 oz light rum

- fill w/ coke

- garnish w/ lime

Presbyterian

Highball glass, ice

- 1 oz whiskey

- 1/2 fill w/ ginerale

- 1/2 fill w/ soda

- garnish w/ lemon twist

Salty Dog

Highball glass, ice, salted rim

- 1 oz vodka

- fill w/ grapefruit juice

Tequila Sunrise

Collins glass, ice

- 1 oz tequila

- fill w/ orange juice

- top w/ 1/2 oz of grenadine

- garnish w/ cherry

Hairy Navel

Collins glass, ice

- 1/2 oz vodka

- 1 oz peach schnapps

- fill w/ cranberry juice

Although containing two parts, these are also very simple. You will want to pour the ingredients in the order given. Whenever you use a liquor and a liqueur, you will want to pour the heavier liqueur last. This way, it will slowly fall to the bottom and mix itself. The first three are more traditional drinks. The final three are considered shooters, which are shaken and poured like a martini. More or less, drinks for the younger crowd.

White Russian

Rocks glass

- 1 1/2 oz vodka

- 1/2 oz kahlua

- float cream on top

Vodka or Gin Gimlet

Rocks glass

- 1 1/2 oz vodka or gin

- 1/2 oz lime juice

- garnish w/ lime

.357 (Colorado Bull Dog)

Rocks glass

- 1 1/2 oz vodka

- 1/2 oz kahlua

- splash of cream

- splash of coke

- floater of vodka

Kamikaze

Shooter glass

- 1 1/2 oz vodka

- splash of triple sec

- splash of lime juice

- splash of sweet & sour

Red Headed Slut

Shooter glass

- 1/2 oz jagermeister

- 1/2 oz peach schnapps

- 1/2 oz cranberry juice

Oatmeal Cookie

Shooter glass

- 1/2 oz goldschlager

- 1/2 oz baileys

- 1/2 oz kahlua

I only wish I was classy enough to drink either of these classic cocktails. Bartender: "Straight-up or on the rocks young sir?" Me: "Um, yeah, no ice please, it makes my gums hurt." Regardless, the ability to make a good martini is an important life skill that will never be overlooked and appreciated by all. As Frank Sinatra once said, "If it wasn't for the olives, I'd starve to death."

Remember this simple advice:

Don't bruise the martini by letting it sit. Once you pour your ingredients into the shaker, shake, and pour out immediately.

Use a quality liquor.

Vermouth is always poured first

Martini

Stemmed glass

- dash of dry vermouth

- 1 3/4 oz vodka or gin

- garnish w/ olive

Lemon Drop

Stemmed glass, sugared rim

- 1 1/2 oz lemon vodka

- splash of sweet & sour

- 1/2 oz triple sec or cointreau

- lemon wedge and sugar into shaker is optional

- garnish w/ lemon

Cosmopolitan

Stemmed glass

- 1 oz vodka

- 1/2 oz triple sec or cointreau

- splash of lime juice

- splash of cranberry juice for color

- garnish w/ lime or lemon twist

Manhattan

Stemmed glass

- 1/4 oz sweet vermouth

- 1 3/4 oz whiskey

- garnish w/ cherry

These are the drinks that everyone likes to drink when they're on vacation. These are also the drinks that everyone likes to drink when they aren't on vacation, because it reminds them of being on vacation. They are more complicated to make, but taste great, and usually involve more alcohol, which means funny funny times. Who doesn't want to be like Tom Cruise in the movie Cocktail? Just me eh? Well at any rate, in order to do that, you must learn these drinks.

Long Island Ice Tea

Collins glass, ice

- 1/2 oz vodka

- 1/2 oz gin

- 1/2 oz tequila

- 1/2 oz triple sec

- 1/2 oz rum

- 1 1/2 oz sweet & sour

- splash of coke

- garnish w/ lemon

Electric Ice Tea (double all the alcohol for an Adios MF)

Collins glass, ice

- 1/2 oz vodka

- 1/2 oz gin

- 1/2 oz tequila

- 1/2 oz light rum

- 1/2 oz blue curacao

- 1 1/2 oz sweet & sour

- fill w/ 7up

- garnish w/ lemon

Mai Tai

Collins glass, ice

- 1 oz light rum

- 1 oz dark rum

- 1/2 oz creme de almond

- Fill with pineapple and orange juice

- top w/ Myers rum

- garnish w/ cherry and pineapple

Cadillac Margarita

Margarita glass and shot glass

- salt rim (optional)

- 1 oz premium tequila

- 1/2 oz cointreau

- 1 1/2 oz sweet & sour

- a shot of grand marnier on the side

- garnish w/ lime

Strawberry Daiquiri

Hurricane glass

- 1/2 oz light rum

- 1 1/2 oz sweet & sour

- 1 cup of strawberries

- scoop of ice

- blend

Pina Colada

Hurricane glass

- 1 oz light rum

- 3 oz pina colada mix

- garnish w/ pineapple or cherry

Well kids, there it is, my beginners guide to bartending. Essentials in mixology lesson one of who knows how many. But first, before you invite your friends over for presbyterians and poker, you will need a few more things besides liquor and mixers in your arsenal.