Bartending For Dummies lists over a thousand drink recipes; in this article, you'll find a sampling of 26 recipes, from A to Z, that will help get you started on your bartending career. Some are classic drinks that you've probably heard of; others are new and trendy. Most are quite good; some are strange concoctions that few people like.
Alabama Slammer
1 part Amaretto
1 part Sloe Gin
1 part Southern Comfort
Splash of Lemon Juice
Shake ingredients and serve in a shot glass.
One of the first popular shots. Cover with napkins or a coaster. You can also serve this one over ice in a highball glass.
Bloody Mary
1-1/4 oz. Vodka
2-1/1 oz. Tomato Juice
Dash of Worcestershire Sauce
Dash of Tabasco Sauce
Dash of Salt and Pepper
Pour Vodka over ice in a glass. Fill with Tomato Juice. Add a dash or two of Worcestershire Sauce and Tabasco Sauce. Stir and garnish with a Celery Stalk. For those who enjoy their Bloody Marys extremely spicy, add more Tabasco.
The most famous of the "Hair of the Dog" morning after cocktails.
Cosmopolitan Martini
1 part Cointreau
2 parts Vodka
Juice of 1/2 Lime
Splash of Cranberry
Shake with ice and strain.
There are many variations of the martini. This one works.
Dean Martini
2 oz. Ketel One Vodka, chilled
Olive
A Lucky (cigarette) and a book of matches.
Pour the Vodka into a cocktail glass and garnish with an Olive. Place the Cigarette and Matches on the side.
Invented at the Continental Cafe in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.
Egg Nog
1-1/4 oz. Bacardi Light or Dark Rum
1 Egg
1 tsp. Sugar
1 oz. Milk
Mix in a shaker and strain into a glass. Sprinkle with Nutmeg.
Fireball
2 oz. Cinnamon Schnapps
Dash of Tabasco
Combine in a shot glass.
Gin Fizz
2 oz. Gin
1 tsp. Sugar
Juice of 1 Lemon
Club Soda
Shake first three ingredients with ice and strain. Fill with Club Soda.
Hot Lips
1-1/2 oz. Finlandia Cranberry Vodka
1/4 oz. Goldschlager
Shake with ice and strain into a shot glass.
Not to kiss and tell.
Iguana
1/2 oz. Tequila
3/4 oz. Vodka
3/4 oz. Coffee Liqueur
Combine over ice.
James Bond Martini
3 parts Gordon's Gin
1 part Vodka
1/2 part Kina Lillet
Shake ingredients with ice until very cold. Pour into a chilled glass. Then add a large thin slice of Lemon Peel.
From the movie Casino Royale.
Kahlua & Cream
2 oz. Kahlua
1 oz. Cream/Milk
Combine in a highball glass and stir.
Long Island Iced Tea
1/2 oz. Vodka
1/2 oz. Rum
1/2 oz. Gin
1/2 oz. Triple Sec
1/2 oz. Tequila
Cola
Shake the first five ingredients over ice and strain into a glass. Fill with Cola.
There are many variations.
Mai Tai
3/4 oz. Bacardi Light Rum
1/4 oz. Bacardi 151 Rum
1/2 oz. Orange Curacao
1/2 oz. Rose's Lime Juice
1/4 oz. Orgeat Syrup
1/4 oz. Simple Syrup
Stir with ice. Garnish with Mint, Cherry, and Pineapple.
Nutty Professor
1 part Irish Cream
1 part Hazelnut Liqueur (Frangelico)
1 part Grand Marnier
Combine over ice.
You can also serve this one straight up in a shot glass.
Old Fashioned
1-1/2 oz. American or Canadian Whisk(e)y
1/4 tsp. Superfine Sugar
2 dashes Angostura Bitters
Splash Club Soda
Cherry and Orange Slice
Muddle the Cherry (without stem), Orange Slice, Sugar, and a splash of Club Soda. Add the remaining ingredients and stir.
You can also use Scotch, Brandy, or just about any other spirit in this drink.
Purple Passion
1-1/4 oz. Vodka
2 oz. Grapefruit Juice
2 oz. Grape Juice
Combine ingredients and stir. Chill and add Sugar to taste. Serve in a collins glass.
Quarter Deck
1 oz. Puerto Rican Light Rum
1/2 oz. Puerto Rican Dark Rum
1/2 oz. Cream Sherry
1/2 oz. Lime Juice
Shake with ice.
Root Beer
1 part Kahlua
1 part Galliano
1 part Cola
1 part Beer
Combine in a shot glass.
Screwdriver
1-1/4 oz. Vodka
4 oz. Orange Juice
Add Vodka to a tall glass with ice and fill with Orange Juice.
Tequila Sunrise
1-1/2 oz. Tequila
1/2 oz. Grenadine
Orange Juice
Pour Grenadine into a tall glass first. Then add Tequila and fill with ice and Orange Juice. Garnish with an Orange Slice.
Under the Volcano Martini
2 oz. Mezcal
1/2 oz. Martini & Rossi Vermouth
Stir over ice in a cocktail glass. Garnish with a Jalapeño-Stuffed Olive.
Invented at Harry Denton's in San Francisco, California.
Vulcan Mind Probe #2
1 part Irish Cream
1 part Peppermint Schnapps
1 part 151-proof Rum
Layer in a shot glass by first pouring the Rum, then the Schnapps, and then the Irish Cream. Serve with a large straw.
You drink this one by sucking the drink down through the straw in one gulp.
Wild Irish Rose
1-1/2 oz. Irish Whiskey
1-1/2 tsp. Grenadine
1/2 oz. Lime Juice
Club Soda
Fill a highball glass with ice. Add Irish Whiskey, Grenadine, and Lime Juice. Stir well. Fill with Club Soda.
Xiantha
1 part Cork Dry Gin
1 part Yellow Chartreuse
1 part Cherry Brandy
Mix with ice and strain in a cocktail glass.
Yellow Morning
1 part Crème de Banana
1 part Cherry Herring
1 part Cognac
Layer this drink in the order listed. Start with Crème de Banana on the bottom and finish with Cognac on top.
Zipperhead
1 part Stolichnaya Vodka
1 part Chambord
1 part Club Soda
Combine in a shot glass with the Club Soda on top.