10 All-time Popular Cocktails

Singer and song writer Tom Waits once famously said – “I don’t have a drinking problem, except when I can’t get a drink.”

Raise your glass if you are nodding your head in agreement too. :) So, next time when you are having those drinking troubles, make sure you know what options you have, so you don’t have to wait for someone to get you a drink!

Wicked Spoon Confessions brings you a list of easy-to-make, most popular cocktails that you can get in your next door bar. In fact, with a little effort, you can make them in the comfort of your home—even before the bars open up or after they close down (depending on how severe your drinking problem is :D ) 

1. Daiquiri: 

One of the simplest cocktail is also the most popular! This cocktail originated in Cuba in the late 19th century. Preparing this cocktail does not require you to be an expert mixologist and has the main ingredients that include rum, lime juice and sugar syrup; you just need to have the inclination towards a good cocktail and these 3 ingredients. Just shake them in a cocktail mixer to the point of frothiness and pour it in a glass with shaved ice. Garnish with a slice of lime and mint leaves. Click here for the recipe of a Passion fruit daiquiri. 

2. Mojito:

Second on the chart is ever so popular Mojito (məʊˈhiːtəʊ). This summer special is a favorite of many and because of its popularity, it also finds reference in our list of 10  most popular rum cocktails. There are many recipes to making this drink, but the main ingredients include white rum, sugar, lime, club soda, and mint. To prepare the best tasting Mojito, we recommend muddling a few fresh mint leaves with sugar and lime juice in a glass with ice cubes and topping this mix with rum and club soda. Mint leaves and a small strawberry slice (for a bit of sweet aftertaste) garnishing suggested. Take a sip, you are in Hawaii already!

3. Vodkatini:

This popular cocktail is a hit with vodka lovers. It’s a mix of vodka and dry vermouth, which is a fortified wine. This drink is best left to be prepared by the expert hands of a bartender. A mixologist would usually shake 6 parts vodka and 1 part dry vermouth with ice cubes in a mixing glass and pour it in a Martini glass. It’s garnished with an olive and a peel of lemon. At a bar, insist for a vodkatini with Absolut or Grey Goose vodka for that premium taste. 

4. Americano:

Another very popular cocktail is the Americano. This is also one of the IBA (International Bartenders’ Association) official cocktails and requires Campari, sweet vermouth and soda to prepare. Just pour the Campari and vermouth over ice into glass. Top the mixture with a splash of soda. Suggested garnishing—slice of orange. 

5. Brown Cow:

So, how many days has it been since you had a glass of milk? Worried about your lack of nutrition and ever-increasing intake of alcohol? Don’t be! Next in the list is a cocktail that you don’t have to feel guilty about. The Brown Cow cocktail is a mix of coffee liqueur and yes, you guessed it right—milk! Just pour a glass of milk in a champagne flute and float the coffee liqueur (30 ml Kahlua for a stronger taste or Bailey’s Irish Cream for a lighter taste) by pouring it on the back of a spoon placed over the flute. So, the next time you are having this wonderful cocktail and your wife calls up to know what you are up to, you can simply tell her that you are having a glass of milk. :) 

Image Source - Chewy Chua - Creative Commons

6. Dry Martini: 

Martini is a popular cocktail with a lot of Hollywood celebrities and the fad is catching on in India as well. Dry martini is prepared by using 30 ml gin and 10 ml dry vermouth. Stir these ingredients in a wine glass with ice and remove the ice. There you go—simple to make yet classy and popular! 

7. Bloody Mary:

Well, if a glass of milk in a cocktail (Brown Cow) is not your thing and you still want a nutritional cocktail for a brunch, just go for a Bloody Mary. This cocktail not only is awesomely popular, but is as much nutritional. Hold your breath and count the ingredients—chilled tomato juice, fresh lime juice, Worcestershire sauce (mind it, this is a non-veg sauce as it contains anchovy, which is a type of small fish), salt, pepper, sugar (optional), tabasco sauce, slice of lemon and celery leaves for garnishing and of course, your favorite vodka! If you have all these ingredients, preparing this cocktail is a matter of minutes. Just fill three quarters of a cocktail glass with ice cubes, and pour 30 ml of vodka and 60 ml of tomato juice in the glass. Add a tablespoon of lemon juice and Worcestershire sauce. Sprinkle a pinch each of sugar, salt, and black pepper and a dash of tabasco sauce and stir. Drop a slice of lemon and garnish with a celery stick. There, go ahead and enjoy your brunch with a refreshing and nutritious cocktail! 

8. Tom Collins:

Who doesn’t want a refreshing kick to the senses on a hot summer day (or evening!). While most people around you would be reeling under the heat wave, you can sit back, relax and make yourself an all-time classic cocktail—Tom Collins. Every sip of this cocktail is going to refresh and relax your body. The ingredients for this cocktail are 30 ml Gin, sugar syrup, and fresh lemon juice. Just add these in a shaker filled with ice and shake well. Strain the concoction in a highball or Collins glass filled with ice. Splash some club soda on top and garnish with a slice of lemon and a cherry. 

9. Manhattan Dry:

This cocktail is made with 60 ml of bourbon, dry vermouth, and Angostura or orange bitters. Just shake the bourbon, vermouth, and bitters in an ice-filled cocktail shaker and strain in a cocktail glass. Twist a peel of lemon on the drink and drop it in the glass for that tangy flavor. 

10. Margarita:

So many cocktails, and no mention of tequila yet? That’s totally unfair and uncalled for! So, at no. 10 we list a tequila-based cocktail, Margarita. This cocktail requires three basic ingredients, namely, tequila, triple sec and lime juice. This is very easy to make and gives a good refreshing jolt to the senses. Just shake 45 ml of tequila, 30 ml of triple sec and 30 ml of fresh lime juice in a cocktail shaker with ice. After a good shake, pour the contents into a cocktail glass. Don’t forget to salt the rim of the glass and garnish with a slice of lime.

Who doesn’t love happy hours!? Yes, we all do! So as a token of respect to the concept of happy hours (hic!), we bring to you an additional cocktail that if not mentioned here will not bring a closure to the list. This bonus cocktail is named Cosmopolitan. Considered as the ladies’ favorite drink, Cosmopolitan is made with vodka, triple sec, cranberry juice and fresh lime juice.  Just take a cocktail shaker with ice and pour 60 ml vodka, 15 ml triple sec, 20 ml of cranberry juice and 10 ml of fresh lime juice in the shaker. Shake the cocktail well (for around 20-30 seconds) and pour the contents into a martini glass. Garnish the drink with a twist of orange peel for a fruity tangy flavor.

So, we come to the end of the list. Selecting these cocktails was not an easy job, but someone had to do it! We hope that you would like what’s listed here and would also try your hand at a few. Do let us know your favorites from these and your experience in making them! Till then, happy binging!

Disclaimer: This post caters to audience above 25 years of age. Alcohol consumption is injurious to health, drink responsibly, don't drink and drive.