10 most popular cocktails in the world! (and how to make them)

May 25, 2022

Cocktail drinking in the UK has hit an all-time high.

Britons are drinking a variety of cocktails at home at bars and now even in pubs. With their increase in popularity, people are loving having their favourite cocktails including Pornstar Martinis, Mojitos and Long Island Iced Teas as well as some classics such as the Old Fashioned and Negroni.

Cocktails are more popular than ever

After two years of lockdowns, restrictions, rising prices and anxiety have led to a resurgence in cocktail drinking and more people than ever are indulging in their favourite cocktails at home and on a night out.

Research by company AG Barr found over 7.4 million people drink cocktails when they go out now which is a huge 13% increase compared to pre covid levels. Nearly half of those cocktail drinkers indulge in their most loved cocktail around once a week.

Our range of gin gift sets are some of the most popular products on our website!

But what are some of the most popular cocktails in the world?

Pornstar Martini

Vanilla vodka, Passoa, passion fruit, lime juice, prosecco

The Pornstar Martini is sweet and outrageous. It was created by bar master Douglas Ankrah who created the sweet cocktail to be provocative in nature. As a cocktail, it was meant to be stylish and fun. It is definitely one of the best tropical cocktails.

To make a Pornstar Martini, you've got to start with a spirit base of vanilla vodka. It's then shaken on ice with passionfruit liqueur, passionfruit puree and sugar, poured into a martini glass and served up with a shot of prosecco on the side. It's then garnished with a slice of passion fruit. There really is nothing else like it.

Make your own Pornstar Martini at home

Ingredients

• 2 ripe passion fruits halved

• 60ml vanilla vodka

• 30ml passoa/ passion fruit syrup

• 1 tbsp lime juice

• 1 tbsp sugar syrup

• prosecco

Scoop the seeds from one of the passion fruits into the glass of a cocktail shaker, and add the vodka, Passoa, lime juice and sugar syrup. Add a handful of ice and shake well, strain into 2 martini glasses. Top up with prosecco or pour the prosecco into 2 shot glasses, then add half a passion fruit to each.

Mojito

Rum, mint, lime juice, sugar and soda water

The classic mojito has long been considered Cuba's national drink. This Cuban highball cocktail is the ideal mix of a few ingredients resulting in a delicious and refreshing drink that is the perfect balance of sweet and tart. This delightful cocktail uses ingredients indigenous to Cuba such as rum, lime, mint and sugar. It is a clean and refreshing drink that is the best cocktail for a hot summer's day.

Make your own mojito at home

Ingredients

• juice from 1 lime

• 1 teaspoon of sugar

• handful of mint leaves

• 60ml of white rum

• club soda

Mix the lime juice, sugar and mint leaves in a small jug. Ensure you crush the mint leaves to release the flavour. Pour the mixture into a highball glass and add a handful of ice cubes. Stir the rum into the mix. Top up with a club soda.

Long Island Iced Tea

Vodka, tequila, gin, rum, triple sec, lemon juice or lime juice, sugar syrup, coca-cola

First served in the 1970's this cocktail is not for the faint-hearted or someone in need of a brew! Do not believe its name, it does not contain any tea but numerous different spirits. The cola added gives the cocktail its tea colour. In fact, the high alcohol concentration in this cocktail makes it one of the booziest cocktails around.

Many believe it was first introduced in a cocktail contest on Long Island. The mixture of spirits it does contain should not go together but by some miracle in the right concentrations and with the mix of sour lemon juice and sweet cola make this cocktail a taste sensation. Beware of having too many or you will 100% be nursing a sore head the morning after!

Make your own Long Island Iced Tea

Ingredients

• 60ml rum

• 60ml vodka

• 60 ml tequila

• 60ml triple sec

• 60ml gin

• 120ml lemon or lime juice

• 50 ml gomme or sugar syrup

• 500ml cola

Half fill a large jug with ice. Add all the alcohol, syrup and lemon or lime juice. Mix thoroughly. Add the cola to taste.

There are many variations to this method. Some people may use orange juice or even add orange liqueur.

Daiquri

Rum, lime juice and simple syrup

One of the oldest cocktails around. Many people think of this as a girly drink due to all the deliciously fruity combinations available at many bars ( with strawberry or mango being personal favourites!) However, the classic daiquiri is anything but. It is said to have first been made in the 1900s by an American mining engineer in Cuba. This cocktail is a simple but timeless classic that you can always add your own twists to. 

How to make your own classic daiquiri

Ingredients

• 50ml white rum

• 25ml lime juice

• 10ml simple syrup

• ice

Shake all the ingredients in a cocktail shaker. Strain into a margerita glass. Simples.

The beauty with the daiquiri is you can always add your own twists to the original classic. Fancy a strawberry daiquiri? Add strawberry puree/ crushed strawberries into the cocktail. Fancy a frozen mango daiquiri which is an alcoholic version of a mango slush puppy? Add mango puree and crushed ice.

Due to the countless variations of this timeless classic the daiquiri will always be one of the most popular cocktails around.

Espresso Martini

vodka, espresso, coffee liqueur

Created by the famous bartender Dick Bradsell in the early 80s for a model who supposedly needed a drink that would help her to wake up! This espresso drink is currently having a resurgence in popularity. The cocktail consists of hot sweet coffee as well as a coffee liqueur and cool vodka; this is a cocktail for all coffee lovers. It is great as an after-dinner drink or this espresso martini promises to deliver the taste and kick needed to help dance the night away!

It is not a martini as such as it fails to contain vermouth instead it is a vodka martini and is served in the famous martini glasses.

How to make your own Espresso Martini

Ingredients

• 65ml vodka

• 75ml coffee liqueur (Kahlua or Tia Maria)

• 75ml freshly brewed espresso

• ice

• coffee beans

Chill a martini glass. Add the vodka, coffee liqueur, espresso and ice into a cocktail shaker. Shake for 30 seconds. Pour into the martini glass. Add the coffee beans to the top of the cocktail as a garnish.

Pina colada

Rum, coconut cream or coconut milk, pineapple juice

The yummy Pina Colada is popular all over the world but originated in Puerto Rico. It is a sweet, creamy drink linked closely to tiki culture. You would not be able to go to a tiki bar without seeing this tropical cocktail on the menu and is one of the few cocktails that can be obtained and drunk from a coconut. It is the ultimate cocktail to have on a hot beach. This famous tiki cocktail can be served in hurricane glasses or ultra-funky tiki glasses.

How to make your own Pina Colada

Ingredients

• 120ml pineapple juice

• 60ml light rum

• 60ml coconut cream or coconut milk

• ice

Add all the ingredients into a blender. Blend until smooth. Pour into a hurricane glass. Add a wedge of pineapple and or a cherry to the top to give off some tropical vibes.

The Pina Colada has been a part of the tropical cocktails resurgence, along with the Blue Hawaiian. The Blue Hawaiian is a Pina Colada with blue curacao added so it is a dreamy light blue colour.

Old Fashioned

Whiskey, simple syrup, angostura bitters

The Old Fashioned is one of the original 6 cocktails created and is as popular today as it was when it was first created. It has been voted the king of cocktails for seven years straight by Drinks International. It is a simple but exquisite cocktail and gets its name from when customers used to ask for a cocktail that was made the old fashioned way.

How to make your own Old Fashioned

Ingredients

• 2 teaspoons simple syrup

• 60ml Scotch whiskey/bourbon

• 1-2 dashes angostura bitters

• splash of water

• optional soda water

Add the syrup, bitters and water into a tumbler. Mix thoroughly. Place an ice cube in the glass and stir in the whiskey/bourbon. Add soda water if required. For the classic look, garnish with an orange slice and a cocktail cherry.

Negroni

Gin, sweet vermouth and Campari

The Negroni is one of the world's most popular cocktails. It is a classic Italian cocktail which captures the Italian mood of nonchalant, urban elegance. This cocktail is in perfect balance as it is equal parts gin to equal parts vermouth to equal parts Campari. This is a cocktail that is stirred, not shaken and for the serious cocktail drinkers.

How to make your own Negroni

Ingredients

• 25ml gin

• 25ml sweet vermouth

• 25ml Campari

• ice

Add the spirits to a jug with ice. Stir, until it feels cold. Add an ice cube to a tumbler, and strain the mixture of spirits over the ice cube. Garnish with a slice of orange or a lemon twist.

Manhattan

Whiskey/bourbon, sweet vermouth, angostura bitters

The Manhattan is a cocktail is a classic cocktail for whiskey lovers. It is said to have originated in the late 19th Century when Dr Iain Marshall developed the recipe for a party being held in the Manhattan Club, New York by Winston Churchill's mother.

The Manhattan has been a popular choice of cocktail since then due to its slightly bitter taste blended with herbal tones from the vermouth. This is a strong cocktail for any budding cocktail connoisseurs.

How to make your own Manhattan

Ingredients

• 50ml whiskey/bourbon

• 25ml sweet vermouth

• A few dashes of angostura bitters

• ice

Pour the whiskey/bourbon, vermouth and bitters into a cocktail shaker filled with ice. Stir well. Strain into a coupe glass. Add a couple of cocktail cherries to garnish.

Margarita

Tequila, orange liqueur, lime juice

How to make your own Margarita

Ingredients

• 50ml tequila

• 20ml orange liqueur

• 25ml lime juice

• ice

• salt

• 2 lime wedges

Add the tequila, orange liqueur and lime juice to a cocktail shaker filled with ice. Shake until the outside feels cold. Pour salt over a clean surface. Rub the rim of a margarita glass with one of the lime wedges. Roll the rim in the salt, so the tip of the rim is covered. Pour the mixture into the glass. Add the other lime wedge to garnish.

Like many of the others, different varieties of the Margarita exist such as the frozen Margarita with crushed ice and even a strawberry Margarita, with crushed strawberries or strawberry puree.

Start practising your cocktail making skills

Cocktail culture is well and truly here. With the Summer quickly approaching, now is the perfect time to start practising your cocktail making skills ready for all the summer BBQs. If none of these mouth-watering cocktails takes your fancy create your own or head to one of your local cocktail bars for inspiration!

If that fails, invest in a pre-made cocktail set with all the ingredients necessary to make the best cocktail around.

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