All Episodes

46 of 100 episodes published

46
Jungle Bird

This drink was invented at a hotel in 1970s Kuala Lumpur -- not the Caribbean.

Dark Rum
45
Gin Basil Smash

A 2000s bartender muddles fresh basil with gin and proved herbs belong in more than mojitos.

Gin
44
Tequila Sunrise

The 1970s hotel bar invented this grenadine-heavy drink to literally watch the sunrise.

Tequila
43
Zombie

A 1930s tiki bartender warned customers: drink two and you'll behave like a zombie.

Rum (blend)
42
Oaxaca Old Fashioned

Mezcal bartenders finally got permission to mess with the Old Fashioned -- and everyone agreed it worked.

Mezcal/Tequila
41
Bramble

A 1984 London gin drink proved you could layer spirits in a rocks glass and people would order it.

Gin
40
Corpse Reviver #2

The 'revival' cocktail literally has absinthe in it -- and still somehow tastes alive.

Gin
39
Last Word

This four-equal-parts cocktail is mathematically perfect -- and almost impossible to balance.

Green Chartreuse
38
Paper Plane

A 2007 Brooklyn cocktail proved amaro liqueurs deserved their own moment at the bar.

Bourbon
37
Gin Fizz

New Orleans bartenders shook this fizz drink for hours -- some literally all night.

Gin
36
Vodka Martini

James Bond ruined the martini by ordering vodka instead of gin -- and bartenders still argue.

Vodka
35
Clover Club

A speakeasy gin drink was named for a Philadelphia men's club -- but became a woman's cocktail.

Gin
34
Americano

This four-ingredient aperitif has no spirits -- just bitters, vermouth, and soda.

Campari/Vermouth
33
Bee's Knees

Prohibition-era bartenders invented this to mask the taste of bathtub gin -- now it's canonical.

Gin
32
Aviation

This forgotten 1910s gin cocktail tastes like flowers, proved people hated it, then came back.

Gin
31
Mint Julep

The Kentucky Derby's official drink is more ritual than recipe -- and that's the entire point.

Bourbon
30
Pisco Sour

Peru and Chile have spent centuries fighting over this drink -- and both claims are legitimate.

Pisco
29
Tom Collins

This gin drink is basically the template every bartender uses to build cocktails.

Gin
28
Penicillin

A 2000s London cocktail proved you could reinvent Scotch whisky for the modern era.

Scotch
27
Sazerac

New Orleans' signature cocktail is barely a cocktail at all -- just absinthe and rye on ice.

Rye
26
Gimlet

This three-ingredient gin drink started as a way to prevent scurvy at sea.

Gin
25
Dark 'n' Stormy

Bermuda trademarked their national drink -- and only one rum brand can legally make it.

Dark Rum
24
Sidecar

Paris' most elegant drink is named after a motorcycle attachment -- and that's the real story.

Cognac
23
Caipirinha

Brazil's national drink is technically a mojito made wrong -- and that's exactly the point.

Cachaca
22
Pornstar Martini

This 2000s club banger became a legitimate cocktail by leaning into exactly what it sounds like.

Vodka/Passionfruit
21
Long Island Iced Tea

One drink contains more alcohol than most people order in a night -- and tastes like lemonade.

Multi-spirit
20
Amaretto Sour

The Amaretto Sour proves that almond liqueur can anchor a real drink, not just a shot.

Amaretto
19
Boulevardier

The Boulevardier is a Manhattan's sophisticated European cousin -- same bones, different soul.

Bourbon
18
Gin & Tonic

A gin and tonic is two ingredients -- so why do most bartenders make it taste like sadness.

Gin
17
French 75

The French 75 is gin, sugar, and champagne -- a drink that tastes like it cost twice as much.

Gin/Champagne
16
Mai Tai

The Mai Tai needs two rums and almond liqueur -- skip either and you've killed the drink.

Rum (blend)
15
Bloody Mary

A Bloody Mary is technically a cocktail but really it's a vehicle for whatever the bartender wants.

Vodka
14
Pina Colada

The Pina Colada was invented to hide bad rum -- but with good rum it's legitimately smooth.

White Rum
13
Cosmopolitan

The Cosmo became a punchline but it's actually a perfectly balanced cranberry-citrus sour.

Vodka
12
Paloma

The Paloma is what happens when you replace margarita lime with fresh grapefruit and salt.

Tequila
11
Aperol Spritz

The Aperol Spritz is three ingredients and an Italian sunset -- there's no room to hide.

Aperol/Prosecco
10
Moscow Mule

The Moscow Mule is vodka marketing genius disguised as a cocktail -- but it actually works.

Vodka
09
Manhattan

The Manhattan is dead in most bars because bartenders keep vermouth in the sun like it's decorative.

Rye/Bourbon
08
Mojito

Mojitos look like lemonade but they pack the punch of a serious spirit-forward drink.

White Rum
07
Martini (Dry)

The martini is where bartenders either build trust or lose it -- temperature beats technique.

Gin
06
Whiskey Sour

Whiskey sours with egg white are silk; without it, they're just sour whiskey in a glass.

Bourbon
05
Daiquiri

The daiquiri invented the sour formula -- every citrus cocktail you've ever made owes it rent.

White Rum
04
Espresso Martini

It's a martini in name only -- this is basically liquid caffeine dressed in a tuxedo.

Vodka
03
Negroni

Equal parts. Three ingredients. No skill required. Yet most bartenders still nail it wrong.

Gin
02
Old Fashioned

The Old Fashioned is a three-ingredient argument about what whiskey cocktails should taste like.

Bourbon/Rye
01
Margarita

Most margaritas you've had are wrong -- they're sour bombs drowning in triple sec.

Tequila