The best classic cocktails of all time
The top 3 according to 257 votes from people: Dry Martini · Old Fashioned · Negroni. (Updated Jul 29, 2025.)
The timeless cocktails every good bartender knows, mostly from the International Bartenders Association's 'Unforgettables' and 'Contemporary Classics', ordered by how often they top best-cocktail lists.
Top 25
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1
Dry Martini
Gin and dry vermouth stirred and served with an olive or lemon twist.
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2
Old Fashioned
Bourbon or rye with sugar, Angostura bitters and orange peel; for years the world's best-selling classic cocktail.
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3
Negroni
Equal parts gin, Campari and sweet vermouth, born in Florence around 1919 for Count Camillo Negroni.
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4
Tom Collins
Gin, lemon, sugar and soda water in a tall glass.
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5
Aperol Spritz
Aperol, prosecco and soda; the Venetian aperitivo that conquered every terrace.
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6
Daiquiri
White rum, lime and sugar shaken; Hemingway's favourite at El Floridita in Havana.
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7
Margarita
Tequila, triple sec and lime juice in a salt-rimmed glass.
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8
Espresso Martini
Vodka, coffee liqueur and fresh espresso, created by Dick Bradsell in London in the 1980s.
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9
Gimlet
Gin and lime cordial, a sailor's drink against scurvy.
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10
Cosmopolitan
Vodka, triple sec, cranberry and lime; made famous by Sex and the City.
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11
Mojito
Cuban highball of white rum, mint, lime, sugar and soda water.
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12
French 75
Gin, lemon, sugar and champagne, named after a First World War field gun.
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13
Bloody Mary
Vodka, tomato juice, lemon, Worcestershire sauce and spice; the brunch cocktail.
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14
Pisco Sour
Pisco, lime, sugar, egg white and Angostura bitters; national drink of Peru and Chile.
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15
Whiskey Sour
Whiskey, lemon, sugar and often egg white, shaken to a silky foam.
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16
Sazerac
Rye or cognac, Peychaud's bitters and an absinthe rinse; New Orleans' official cocktail.
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17
Manhattan
Rye whiskey, sweet vermouth and bitters, garnished with a cherry.
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18
Moscow Mule
Vodka, ginger beer and lime served in a copper mug, created in the US in the 1940s.
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19
Last Word
Gin, green Chartreuse, maraschino and lime in equal parts, a Prohibition-era Detroit drink revived in the 2000s.
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20
Piña Colada
Rum, pineapple juice and coconut cream; Puerto Rico's national drink since 1978.
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21
Caipirinha
Brazil's national cocktail: cachaça, muddled lime and sugar.
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22
Paloma
Tequila with grapefruit soda and lime, the most popular tequila cocktail in Mexico.
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23
Boulevardier
A Negroni with bourbon instead of gin, from 1920s Paris.
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24
Paper Plane
Bourbon, Aperol, Amaro Nonino and lemon in equal parts, created by Sam Ross in 2008.
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25
Mai Tai
Rum, orange curaçao, orgeat and lime; the tiki classic of Trader Vic's (1944).
Candidates
They don't make it into the top 25… yet. Vote for them to move them up.
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26
Penicillin
Blended Scotch, lemon, honey-ginger syrup and a float of Islay whisky, created by Sam Ross in New York in 2005.
How is this ranking ordered? By people's votes: each ▲ adds a point and each ▼ takes one away. Anyone can vote and add what is missing.
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Comments (3)
Penicillin and Paper Plane are modern classics but I'm glad they made it here
aperol spritz is not a classic cocktail its a summer drink for instagram lol
Negroni at #2 is correct. Equal parts, stirred, orange peel. Perfect drink.