A big takeaway from the newly released list is: Tropical cocktails are always in season. Three of the seven newcomers feature bright flavors and fruity ingredients — including the Jungle Bird, El Diablo, and the Zombie. Perhaps almost a raspberry lime tequila cocktail of staying at home has inspired imbibers to experience their beach vacations in a glass. On another note, the Long Island Iced Tea has found its way onto the year’s ranking, proving that these days, we should always expect the unexpected.
Here are the year’s top 50 cocktails. Get the latest in beer, wine, and cocktail culture sent straight to your inbox. Long Island Iced Tea New to the list in 2020, the Long Island Iced Tea combines four spirits: light rum, vodka, tequila, and gin. It’s the ultimate cocktail for indecisive imbibers.
Love it or hate it, the sickly sweet cocktail is back. Gin Gin Mule You might do a double-take when you see the Gin Gin Mule on the list of the world’s most popular cocktails. Moscow Mule and a Mojito, with gin as the star of the show. White Lady This cocktail originating in the 1920s was reimagined with a dash of egg whites by Peter Dorelli, former manager of The American Bar in London. Its base is gin, mixed with fresh lemon juice and either Cointreau or Combier. El Diablo An underrated tequila Highball and yet another example of tiki’s increasing popularity, the El Diablo combines reposado with ginger beer, lime juice, and crème de cassis. Zombie Fruity, bright, and crushable, this tiki cocktail was first invented in Hollywood, Calif.
Hanky Panky Bartenders around the world are increasingly showing their love for amari, pushing the category into the mainstream. This cocktail is a simple combination of Fernet-Branca, gin, and vermouth. Vodka Martini The Vodka Martini spiked in popularity in 2017, dropping four spots since its peak. It’s pretty basic — a shot of chilled vodka mixed with a little dry vermouth — but is somehow still in demand at the world’s best cocktail bars. Caipirinha Brazil’s national cocktail, the Caipirinha, had its moment in the spotlight during the 2016 Olympics in Rio. The following year, it claimed the No. The cocktail is made with Brazil’s national spirit, cachaça, along with sugar and lime.
Bamboo We may have sherry’s resurgence to thank for the Bamboo, a cocktail made with one-and-a-half parts sherry, one-and-a-half parts dry vermouth, two dashes Angostura bitters, and two dashes orange bitters. Tommy’s Margarita Developed by bartender Julio Bermejo of San Francisco’s Tommy’s Mexican Restaurant in the 1990s, the Tommy’s Margarita doubles the amount of agave present in the traditional Margarita by swapping out the orange liqueur for agave syrup. You’ve probably had your share of Tommy’s Margaritas without even realizing it. Last Word A drink from the days of Prohibition, the revival of the Last Word — which combines gin, green chartreuse, Maraschino liqueur, and lime juice — has been credited to bartender Murray Stenson, who came across the drink in an old bar manual while working at Seattle’s Zig Zag Café in 2004. Irish Coffee The Irish Coffee was pioneered by Irish Chef Joe Sheridan in the 1940s.
Sidecar Brandy, tragically underrepresented on this list, earns a well-deserved moment in the worldwide spotlight as one of the world’s most ordered cocktails. Pornstar Martini A newcomer to the list, this passionfruit and vanilla vodka cocktail is traditionally served with a shot of Prosecco on the side. Piña Colada Another nod to the tropical cocktails resurgence, this 1970s-era Puerto Rican slushie pleasure is made with white rum, coconut cream, and pineapple juice. Bellini This famous Prosecco-based brunch staple was invented by Giuseppe Cipriani at Harry’s Bar in Venice, Italy. The two-ingredient cocktail simply combines the Italian bubbly with peach puree in a flute glass.
It also includes gin, lemon, simple syrup, and plenty of crushed ice. Gin Fizz A delicious craft gin can make the Gin Fizz shine. The simple drink is a mix of gin, lemon, sugar, egg, and soda. Rum Old Fashioned Rum has grown out of its rum-and-Coke banality to world-class cocktail mixer. The Rum Old Fashioned is simply an Old Fashioned made with rum.