What comes to mind when you hear “mixed drinks” are cocktails. Interestingly, mixed drinks are a perfect blend of liqueurs, spirits, syrups, bitters, and juices. The harmonization of these liquids provides for a sensational and jaw-dropping drinking experience. Mixed drinks give your taste buds that versatile, sweet drink refreshing and unforgettable feeling. It also effortlessly captures the essence of historical moments.
The art of mixology is usually beautiful and creative, especially in harmonizing various unique liquids to form one top-tier drink. Hence, mixed drinks take any gathering a notch higher. The versatility of mixed drinks has made it easier for both the older and younger generations to add to their drinking experience. Interestingly, mixed drinks serve as a social catalyst via their innovative, all-inclusive, and majestically pleasing nature that helps in fostering relationships between people of different spheres of life. We take delve into the intriguing world of mixology as we explore the 10 top mixed drinks.
10 Top Mixed Drinks
Margarita
Think Margarita; think fun! It is a cocktail that has tequila as its main ingredient. Margarita is a delicious cocktail that is peculiar to beach parties, fun gatherings, celebrations, and social moments. It is known for its refreshing and spicy taste.
Ingredients and How to Make a Margarita
60 ml of tequila, 30 ml of freshly squeezed lime juice, Salt or sugar, 30 ml of orange liqueur or triple sec, Ice.
Moisturize the rim of the margarita glasses with a lime wedge. Dip the lime wedge into the sugar or salt and use it to cost the salt-rimmed glass rim. Combine the key ingredients in a shaker filled with ice. Add tequila, squeezed lime juice, and triple sec in the shaker.
Next, close and shake the shaker intensely to allow for thorough mixing. Strain the tasty Margarita into the sugar or salt-rimmed chilled glass. The last step is to add ice and garnish it with a lime wedge or wheel.
Variations of Margarita
There are various innovative variations of the popular Margarita
Fruit-infused Margarita consists of the infuse of fresh fruits such as watermelon and strawberries, which give a fruity taste.
Frozen Margarita: it consists of Margarita ingredients blended with ice to give it that slushy feel and frosty taste.
Spicy Margarita consists of harmonizing chili powder or jalapeno slices with normal ingredients to give it that fiery spicy taste with a touch of heat.
Martini
Think, Martini; think sophistication! It is a cocktail that is known for its refined taste. Martini is a blend of elegance and the classic mixed drink culture. As a classic cocktail, the Martini is preferred by seasoned enthusiasts and people with fresh taste buds In the world of mixed drinks.
Ingredients and How to Make Martini
90ml Gin or Vodka, Ice, Splash of Dry Vermouth.
Fill the martini glass with ice or water, or Put the glass in the freezer. The next step is to add ice to the preferred cocktail shaker to be used to keep the ingredients chilled. Measure the ingredients into the shaker and stir with a cocktail spoon. Shake the shaker moderately and stain the mixed drink into the chilled glass. Garnish the tasty Martini with a twist of lemon, green olive, or an orange peel.
Variations of the Martini
When it comes to Martini as a mixed drink, there are numerous variations that have survived the test of time. The popular varieties include:
Vesper Martini is a combination of vodka, gin, and the Lillet Blanc, giving vodka martini a bold and unique taste.
Gibson Martini includes cocktail onion as part of the martini ingredients, giving the refreshing drink a sweet and slightly flavored taste.
Dirty Martini is a blend of key ingredients and olive brine, thus giving it a salty and savory taste.
Espresso Martini is a creative and fresh variant of the Martini as it is the harmonization of fresh espresso, vodka, and coffee liqueur, providing a caffeinated taste.
Mojito
Think Mojito; think refreshing taste! Mojito, as a mixed drink, is popular in the mixology world. The cocktail is loved for its invigorating and fresh taste. Mojito is preferred during vacations, beach situations, and moments involving tropical drinks enjoyment
Ingredients and How to Make Mojito
60ml White Rum, 7 Fresh Mint Leaves, one mid-sized Lime bulb, 30ml sugar or simple syrup, 60ml Club Soda, Ice cubes or crushed ice, Mint sprig, and lime wheel.
Cut the lime into half, squeeze the juice, and place the fresh mint leaves into a glass. Release the aroma and flavor from the mint leaves by crushing them slightly. Add the simple syrup or sugar to the mint and lime mixture in the glass cup. Add ice to the mojito glass and pour the white rum on it. Top up the mixture with club soda and stir gently. For the best taste of freshness, garnish with a lime wheel and mint.
Variations of the Mojito:
When it comes to a classic mojito, a lot of creative variants are available. Mixologists have twerked it into various popular cocktails and common varieties of mojito and popular cocktail recipes.
Various spirits Mojito- consists of a blend of various spirits, such as vodka, gin, and tequila, which provides a unique and strong taste.
Coconut mojitos – consist of a blend of the key mojito ingredients and coconut rum or cream and thus gives it an exotic and creamy taste.
Fruit mojitos are the composition of fresh and succulent fruits such as mangoes, strawberries, watermelon, and blueberries, in addition to the key mojito ingredients. The mixture provides a flavored and fruity taste.
Manhattan
The Manhattan mixed drink is associated with elegance. It is a fine blend producing an outburst of rich flavors. The Manhattan cocktail is associated with the bustling and hustling of urban society as a form of refinement.
Ingredients and How to Make Manhattan
60 ml Rye whiskey or Bourbon, 2 dashes of Angostura bitters, 30 ml sweet vermouth, orange twist for garnish or Maraschino cherry, Ice cubes.
Get a cocktail shaker with ice cubes. Add all the key ingredients to the shaker. Stir the Manhattan ingredients in the shaker lightly and prevent too much dilution. Strain the mixture from the shaker into a chilled cocktail glass. For the perfect aroma and color, garnish the Manhattan with the orange twist or maraschino cherry for the final touch.
Variations of the Manhattan
Classic Manhattan is good, but intriguing variants are better. The newer variants are suitable for different taste bud palates. Here are the top variants:
Rob Roy Manhattan – it consists of the use of scorch whisky in place of the typical Bourbon or rye. It provides a smoky taste.
Perfect Manhattan is the blend of whiskey and dry vermouth in perfect amounts. It gives off a sweet sensation to the taste buds.
Black Manhattan consists of Averna’s composition and other key ingredients except the Bourbon or rye. The end result is a unique and versatile taste.
Pina Colada
Pina Colada is an expression Of exotic paradise as a mixed drink. It is the perfect blend of creamy sweetness and tropical freshness best suited for summer. The Pina Colada is popular among vacationers, cocktails, and beach enthusiasts, especially on sun-soaked islands.
Ingredients and How to Make the Luscious Piña Colada
60 ml white rum, 90 ml pineapple juice, 30 ml coconut cream, Ice cubes.
Blend ice cubes into a frosty and smooth texture. Add the pineapple juice, white rum, and coconut cream into the blender used to blend the ice. Blend all the ingredients into a consistent, smooth abs frosty texture. Pour the perfect blend of flavors mixture into a chilled glass. To top it up as a means to give it the tropical vibe, garnish it with a paper umbrella, pineapple slice, and a touch of a maraschino cherry.
Variations of the Pina Colada
There are numerous variants of the timeless classic Pina Colada. These variants have been perfected to cater for unique taste buds.
Coconut water Pina Colada consists of using coconut water instead of coconut cream paired with the other key ingredients. It provides that coconutty taste.
Strawberry Pina Colada consisted of the perfect blend of frozen or succulent fresh strawberries. The end result of this blend is a burst of delightful taste abs vibrant color associated with the cocktail.
Frozen Pina Colada: it consists of more ice and frozen ingredients. It provides a beachside experience as a type of chilled mixed drink.
Old Fashioned
Think Old fashioned; think timeless! The old-fashioned cock tail is one of the oldest mixed drinks and has survived the test of time. It is sophisticated, refreshing, and simple. The classic cocktails are popular drinks preferred by those with high taste and sophisticated cocktail enthusiasts.
Ingredients and To make a classic Old Fashioned
60 ml bourbon or rye whiskey, 15 ml simple syrup or 1 sugar cube, 2-3 dashes of Angostura bitters, a few water dashes for the sugar, an Orange slice, Ice cubes, and maraschino cherry.
Add the simple syrup brown sugar to a short tumbler or put the cube of sugar in the glass; add a few dashes of water to dissolve the sugar. Add the dashes of Angostura bitters to the sweet solutions in the tumbler. Proceed to pour the rye or Bourbon into the tumbler while adding ice cubes. Stir the mixture lightly for proper harmonizing of the flavors. For the perfect color and unavoidable taste of sweetness, garnish the drink with the maraschino cherry or orange slice.
Variations of the Old Fashioned
The classic old-fashioned cocktail is loved for its timeless simplicity. Interestingly, various sophisticated variants are suited for several taste buds’ palates.
Tequila Old Fashioned consists of replacing the normal whiskey with tequila as part of the key ingredients. It gives off a hot flavor.
Smokey old-fashioned – it consists of including a smoky essence known as part of your ingredients. For the perfect smoky taste, smoked salt or smoky whiskey is used.
Brandy Old Fashioned consists of using Brandy instead of rye or Bourbon for that unique, sophisticated taste.
Fruit old fashioned – for the perfect fruity taste or flavor, muddled fruit such as peaches and berries
Negroni
Negroni proves that bitter and sweet flavors can exist as a drink. It harmonizes herbal, sweet, and bitter flavors. It is the perfect cocktail before a meal or after a meal. Negroni is a recognized classic in the world of mixed drinks.
Ingredients and How to Make Negroni
30ml of Gin, 30ml of Campari, Sweet Vermouth.
Get the shaker with ice, or get a chilled shaker. Add equal amounts of the Campari, gin, and sweet vermouth into the shaker. Stir lightly for a few seconds to prevent the ingredients from diluting. Strain the contents into a chilled glass or a glass filled with ice. Finish off by garnishing the drink with an orange slice or orange peel.
Variations of the Negroni
There are quite a number of twists added to the normal Negroni. These variants enhance the Negroni cocktail game.
Negroni Sbagliato – it provides for the replacement of the gin with prosecco or sparkling wine for that light but noticeable taste.
Boulevardier consists of using gin as a key ingredient instead of rye or Bourbon, thus providing a sweet, rich taste.
White Negroni is the use of white vermouth instead of the popular red vermouth, which adds other key herbal liqueurs to the mix. The end taste is a rich herbaceous mixed drink.
Cosmopolitan
The Cosmopolitan cocktail is associated with vibrancy as it is quite popular. The pink hue color is a key source of traction, and its taste tops up the list. It is a really sophisticated and classy cocktail.
Ingredients and How to Make the Cosmopolitan
45ml of vodka, 30ml of orange liqueur, 15ml of cranberry juice, 15ml of freshly squeezed lime juice, Ice, Twist, or Lime wheel.
Get a shaker, and abs fill it with ice. Add all the key ingredients abs shake seriously for 15mins to properly mix the ingredients. Pour the mixed content into a chilled glass or a tall glass filled with ice. Finish it off by garnishing with the lemon twist or Lime wheel.
Variations of the Cosmopolitan
Flavored Vodka Cosmo: it consists of a lot of flavored vodkas such as cranberry, citrus, or raspberry vodkas to give it a unique taste.
Classic Cosmo consists of using all the key ingredients with a little adjustable to make it sweeter than the normal sweetness.
Cosmo with Cointreau consists of using Cointreau with other key ingredients instead of the orange liqueur. The end result is a meticulous and refined taste.
Daiquiri
Daiquiri is a cocktail inspired by history. It is a simple yet classic and pleasant cocktail. It is suitable for various situations and moments as it has cocktail enthusiasts in a chokehold.
Ingredients and How to Make Daiquiri
60ml of white rum, 120ml of freshly squeezed lime juice, 15ml of simple syrup.
Add ice to the cocktail shaker. Pour all the key ingredients into the shaker. Shake seriously with energy and strength for a proper mixture of the ingredients. Strain the properly mixed contents into a glass filled with ice or a chilled glass. Garnish it with a twist or Lime wheel.
Variations of Daiquiri
Since the Daiquiri is classic, it takes just a few experiments to get several tasty variants of the Daiquiri.
Hemingway Daiquiri – it consists of the replacement of the simple syrup as part of the key ingredients with grapefruit juice and a little maraschino liqueur for that unique taste.
Strawberry Daiquiri: adding fresh or frozen succulent strawberries to the key ingredients to provide a vibrant fruity taste.
Frozen Daiquiri: this variant is perfect for the summer as it consists of adding a larger quantity of ice to the key ingredients before blending to give it a consistent frosty texture.
Moscow Mule
The Moscow Mule is associated with that distinctive and refreshing taste. It is a trendy mixed drink perfect for every and any occasion. It is popular among cocktail lovers and mixologists.
Ingredients and How to Make Moscow Mule
60ml of vodka. 150 ml of ginger beer. 10mL of freshly squeezed lime or lemon juice. Ice mint sprig or Lime wedge
Get a chilled glass or fill it with ice cubes. Pour the vodka mix over the ice, then add the freshly squeezed lime juice. Next, add the ginger beer and stir consistently with a mixing spoon. Finish it up by garnishing the mixing glass with fresh mints or a Lime wedge.
Variations of the Tasty Moscow Mule
Mexican Mule – it consists of the substitution of vodka with tequila for a hotter taste.
Kentucky Mule – this variant consists of the replacement of the typical vodka with Bourbon to provide a richer flavor.
London Mule – it caters to the use of gin as a key ingredient in place of vodka with the purpose of adding a herbal twist.
Irish Mule – to get perfect ginger and whiskey flavors, whiskey is used as the key ingredient instead of regular vodka.
Hawaiian Mule – this variant adds pineapple juice to the key ingredients to give it a tropical vibe.