What mixed drink should i order at the bar

Rum is frequently poured in bars, and the rum and Coke is among the most common drink orders. It's a very easy drink to make and a great option when you simply don't know what you want. To add a little more spice to the rum-soda routine, give the dark and stormy a try. It replaces the cola with ginger beer and is rum's answer to the Moscow mule. Tequila makes an appearance in a handful of highballs.

The best-known is the tequila sunrise orange juice and grenadine and the paloma lime and grapefruit soda. There are a few popular tall drinks that are a little more complicated but key to rounding off your bartending knowledge in this category:. Just as easy to memorize, lowballs pair a liquor with one or two mixers. These short drinks are served in a lowball, rocks, or old-fashioned glass , and ice is almost always involved. Lowballs tend to include a liqueur , such as amaretto or coffee liqueur for extra flavor.

Due to the lower volume and additional alcohol, you will also find these to be just a bit stronger, but it's not significant, and they're meant to be sipped slowly. Memorizing most of these drinks should be quite easy because many are related to one another. With a simple switch of ingredients or an addition here and there, a new drink is created. Kahlua is not the only coffee liqueur, but it is the most popular in the bar.

It is the brand that many drinkers associate with drinks like the vodka-based black Russian and its creamy companion, the white Russian. These two mixed drinks form the foundation for other recipes:.

When it comes to delicious lowballs, amaretto falls right behind coffee liqueur comes amaretto in popularity. This collection begins with the toasted almond , a simple mix of amaretto and coffee liqueurs with cream. If you're looking for a delicious and easy mixed drink to serve on a moment's notice, the nutty Irishman is a fantastic option.

It is a flavorful mix of Irish whiskey, Irish cream, and Frangelico, and there are a few ways to serve it. For something considerably sweeter, the peppermint patty is a favorite. Should something fruity sound good, give the nuts and berries Frangelico, Chambord, and cream a try. For drinkers who want something short and flavorful without the sweetness, the California surfer is an excellent choice. A category of their own, " stick drinks " require a muddler to mix a few of the ingredients.

It's a slightly more advanced bartending skill, though it's easy once you get the hang of it. These drinks are typically served over ice and can be either tall or short:.

Party shots come and go, though a few remain favorites. This is where things get very crazy because shooter recipes can vary greatly for the same drinks, and there are many local favorites.

There are many ways to take a shot of tequila. You can drink it straight or do the customary tequila shot with salt and a lemon or lime. You might also want to serve up the two-part shot known as a sangrita , which can be made in two entirely different ways. Whiskey shooters are often a bit more interactive than a straight shot of whiskey. Try a two-part drink like the popular pickleback Jameson's Irish Whiskey, pickle juice , for instance.

The dropped shots, such as the Irish slammer formerly the Irish car bomb or the boilermaker blended whiskey, draft beer are also quite popular.

The fun does not stop there, and if you're pouring whiskey, you should really try some of these popular shots:. Vodka frequently makes it into a shot glass as well. Among the longtime favorites are the interactive lemon drop lemon wedge, sugar and mind eraser coffee liqueur, soda. Some people dig its citrusy, piney flavor and aroma while others find drinking it to be akin to chewing on a handful of pine needles.

If you're not a gin fan, you'll want to skip right past this drink; there's really no covering up gin's assertive flavor by mixing it with the eclectic flavors in tonic water. You could always order a vodka tonic, but the gin and tonic is one of our favorite cheap mixed drinks to order at a bar. There are some great gin brands out there, and most of them won't break the bank like tequila or whiskey.

Many bars use New Amsterdam as their well gin, which is not only super inexpensive but it's also an award-winning gin. Mix a gin like this with the bitter-sweet flavors of tonic water, add in a spritz of fresh lime, and you'll be drinking on the cheap all night long.

If you notice any copper mugs behind the bar, you should do yourself a favor and order up a Moscow mule. Believe it or not, the mug itself is actually an integral ingredient in this inexpensive cocktail.

When it's not served in copper, a Moscow Mule is just a refreshing combination of vodka, ginger beer, and lime. Put it all together in a copper mug with crushed ice, and this drink becomes legendary. The copper keeps the drink extra cold , chilling your lips from the moment you take a sip. It also keeps the ginger beer as fizzy as possible, as cold temps help carbon dioxide bubbles stay in suspension.

Like other inexpensive vodka drinks, the flavor of the ginger beer can cover up the lackluster flavor of cheap vodka, so sip away without blowing your budget. The other great thing about a Moscow mule is it's often featured during happy hour, so this inexpensive drink can become even more affordable if you time it out right. Margaritas might be featured at Mexican restaurants, but almost every bar you visit has everything they need to whip up this classic drink. You don't need to be drinking top-shelf tequila with fancy additions like Grand Marnier to make a margarita taste great, either.

There are a ton of cheap tequilas out there. If you choose one that's made with percent agave like Milagro or Sauza , you'll save a ton of money and still get a great tasting drink. Keep in mind that many people find that "mixto" tequilas that aren't made with pure agave like Jose Cuervo Gold can lead to headaches the next day, so you'll have to decide for yourself if it's really worth it to go super cheap here.

If you happen to be at a bar with fresh lime juice, all the better. Margaritas are often made with sours mix , a concoction made from sugar and citrus juice. Unfortunately, commercial sours mix also has a ton of additives and preservatives, and it can taste cloyingly sweet.

If your bartender mixes up your margarita with real lime juice and a splash of simple syrup, that cheap marg will taste so much better. A Cosmopolitan cocktail sounds fancy, and it definitely looks the part, too. It contains a splash of cranberry juice that turns the drink a vibrant pink color, and it looks super elegant served up in a martini glass. You would think a drink like this would only be affordable for socialites, but we'll let you in on a little secret: it's not that expensive to make.

Bars can get away with using inexpensive vodka because you can't taste the difference, so you may as well order it with the well vodka. We can almost guarantee that Samantha was drinking top-shelf liquor in her cosmo, but that doesn't mean you have to!

Ask the bartender to make the drink with well vodka instead of the expensive citrus varieties, and use triple-sec instead of Cointreau. By the time it's mixed with lime and cranberry juices, you won't be able to tell the difference.

When you think of a daiquiri, you probably think of the frozen slushy varieties served up poolside at exotic beach resorts. The classic version of this cocktail couldn't be further from the frozen variety, and it can be made on the cheap, too. Most drinks that use rum as their base are a great target for budget cocktails. A delicious craft gin can make the Gin Fizz shine. The simple drink is a mix of gin, lemon, sugar, egg, and soda. Rum has grown out of its rum-and-Coke banality to world-class cocktail mixer.

Its simplicity seems to work in its favor, as the Rum Old Fashioned rose 10 places in popularity since last year. This Campari, vermouth, and soda water drink is quickly rising in popularity. The Pisco Sour , made with the Peruvian and Chilean national spirit pisco , along with lime, syrup and an optional egg white, is appropriate for any occasion.

The Paloma is among the most-loved tequila drinks at VinePair. It entered this list for the first time in , and it has not only stuck around, but raised in rank — moving up 14 spaces since last year. The Paloma mixes tequila and grapefruit — we think Avion, Spindrift grapefruit soda, and a squeeze of fresh lime work best — or you can switch it up with seasonal ingredients , or substitute tequila or slightly smoky mezcal.

The French 75 calls for gin, lemon juice, sugar, and Champagne. The Sazerac has slipped from its former top 10 status, but its staying power is clear. The drink originated in the s in New Orleans, and remains deeply entwined with Crescent City culture. Its recipe typically includes different varieties of rum, orange juice, triple sec, and several sweeteners.

The bright pink drink contains gin, lemon juice, raspberry syrup, and an egg white. Talk about a revival. This drink rises eight spots this year, and has an interesting twist: There are two versions. Good god, how we miss bars.

But in the meantime, it's good to get some practice in, whether that means making cocktails for yourself at home—with your enviable bar cart setup , that is—or strategizing about the first cocktail you'll order when it's safe to settle down on that barstool once again.

Either way, it's always a cool skill to know a few cocktails backwards and forwards and sideways, so when the time comes to make or order them, you don't look like, heaven forbid, a bar novice. Here, you'll find 15 of the most popular drinks that folks request from bartenders, as tallied by Drinks International and cross-referenced with our own library of classic cocktail recipes. Choose a few or more than a few; we're no skimps ourselves to master. Here's hoping they do their part to help you cope with the calamity and confusion that is Sweet and sharp, the Dark and Stormy climbed out of the Bermuda Triangle to become one the most popular Caribbean rum cocktails you can make.

Directions Fill a tall glass with ice cubes. Add rum, then pour in ginger beer and lime juice. Stir with a barspoon. Garnish with a lime wedge. Read More Rum Guide. It looks like bubbly effervescence, but looks deceive. The French 75, with gin and champagne, packs a wallop, made all the more dangerous by how delightful it is to drink.

Brut champagne. Directions Shake gin, sugar, and lemon juice well with cracked ice in a chilled cocktail shaker. Strain into a Collins glass half-full of cracked ice. Top off with champagne. Read More Gin Guide. The Negroni's wintery counterpart is the Boulevardier, a whiskey cocktail invented for expat Americans bumming around Paris in the early 20th century. Directions Stir ingredients with ice in a mixing glass until chilled. Strain into a coupe glass. Garnish with an orange twist.

Oh yeah, you can and should make your own Bloody Mary mix. It's labor intensive, sure, but it's highly customizable. You can decide just how you want the horseradish to play off the citrus that plays off the hot sauce heat.

Bloody Mary mix. Directions Blend tomato juice, horseradish, Worcestershire, and celery seeds until smooth. Add hot sauce, lemon juice, lime juice, salt, and pepper, then blend. Adjust the mix depending on how spicy, salty, or citrusy you like it.