So I have a new hire who is about to bartend her first bartending shift and I was about to e-mail her 30 drinks every bartender should know and looking for a list (so I wouldn’t have to make it) and almost every list I found was absolutely ridiculous. For example, one site listed the Bocci Ball (don’t know what it is, probably never will as in 12 years no one has ever ONCE asked me for one). Or the Freddy Fudpacker (aka The Cactus Banger) – once again NEVER HEARD anyone order either of these ever ONCE.
I’m not naming any drinks on this list where the ingredients are the name i.e. vodka tonic, amaretto sour, or gin and juice.
1. Apple Martini
2. AMF (Adios Mother Fucker)
3. B-52
4. Black/White Russian
5. Bloody Mary
6. Buttery Nipple
7. Cosmopolitan
8. Gimlet
9. Greyhound
10. Daiquiri
11. Jager Bomb
12. Kamikaze
13. Irish Car Bomb
14. Irish Coffee
15. Lemon Drop
16. Long Island Ice Tea
17. Manhattan
18. Margarita
19. Martini
20. Mojito
21. Old Fashion
22. Rusty Nail
23. Salty Dog
24. Screwdriver
25. Sex on the Beach
26. Sidecar
27. Spanish Coffee
28. Surfer on Acid
29. Tequila Sunrise
30. Redheaded Slut
How To Make the Top Cocktails Every Bartender Should Know
Apple Martini
I hate to even put this on the list, but it is a cocktail that I get an order for at least once a weekend. What I hate to admit more is that I recently re-tasted Dekuyper Apple Pucker for the first time in many years and I actually liked it as it tasted just like Sour Patch candy, which I love.
3 oz Apple Pucker, 2 oz Vodka, (can add 1 oz fresh lime sour if you happen to have something like that in your bar) shake and serve up with a bright red maraschino cherry
AMF (Adios Mother Fucker)
My close friend Erica has determined that this drink order is always proceeded by the contraction Ka’ Getta.
This is basically a Long Island Ice Tea without the coke and some blue curacao instead. I have to admit, I make Long Islands with vodka and triple sec, and I’ve found them to be undeniably more palatable.
2 oz. vodka (or more depending at the type of bar you work at), 1 oz triple sec, 1 oz blue curacao, 2 oz. Lime sour (or margarita mix or sweet and sour). Serve in a pint glass.
B-52
You should always ask if the guest wants it as a coffee drink, on the rocks or as a shot.
Equal parts Baileys, Kahlua, and Grand Marnier
Black/White Russian
The Black Russian is equal parts vodka and Kahlua (or a coffee-flavored liqueur). A White Russian is the same, except you add a little cream.
Bloody Mary
It took me years to perfect my Bloody Mary recipe and I’m not about to divulge it here on this blog. But I recommend spending some time in the kitchen with the following ingredients and seeing what you come up with – tomato juice (consider fresh squeezing – you’ve be amazed), celery salt, lemon juice, Worchester Sauce, brine, olive juice, bullion, dill, black pepper, a spicy sauce, and anything else of interest in your spice cabinet.
Buttery Nipple
A shot that is half Bailey’s and half butterscotch schnapps.
Cosmopolitan
What has become the great American female cocktail of this century is a cocktail that I really believe every bartender should have a little bit of their own flair on. This drink really depends on if your bar carries fresh lime or Rose’s lime and although I don’t personally carry Rose’s lime I’ve had a mighty tasty Cosmo made with Rose’s Lime so I don’t want to knock it.
Ingredient list: cranberry juice, vodka, orange liqueur, and Rose’s lime (or fresh lime and simple)
Gimlet
The guest should always be asked if they want a vodka or gin gimlet and if they want it up or on the rocks. This drink is just booze and limejuice, either fresh or Rose’s. I typically ask the guest how sweet they want it, as many people like the syrupy taste of Rose’s (which can be mimicked with a lot of simple syrup and fresh-squeezed lime juice) but others just want a couple squeezes of fresh lime.
Daiquiri
A daiquiri is really just a gimlet made with rum.
Greyhound
Vodka and grapefruit
Jager Bomb
One shot of Jägermeister dropped into half a pint glass of Red Bull.
Kamikaze
You should ask the guest if they want this drink as a shot, up, or on the rocks. Typically, they want it as a shot – but it never hurts to ask.
Equal parts lime juice, simple, vodka, and triple sec
Irish Car Bomb
A shot which is composed of half Jameson and half Baileys dropped into half of a pint glass of Guinness Irish Stout.
Irish Coffee
Unfortunately, many guests don’t know what an Irish Coffee is and I often times have a guest order Irish Coffee thinking that they are going to get Bailey’s and coffee. I would recommend always clarifying with the guest if they meant Jameson or Bailey’s in their coffee.
An Irish Coffee should be a shot of Irish Whiskey and coffee (some people add a hint of sugar). I also like to add a hint of Angostura bitters. I once worked at a restaurant that poured a little splash of green crème de menthe over the top of the whipped cream, but I’ve heard conflicted viewpoints concerning this garnish.
Lemon Drop
You should ask the guest if they want it as a shot or a cocktail (or it might just be apparently obvious as to what time of the night it is or the atmosphere where you work.)
Equal parts Vodka (can use a flavor or citrus to change the flavor), fresh squeezed lemon, and simple syrup. The rim is typically sugared on this cocktail.
Long Island Ice Tea
As I earlier said, I like to make my Long Islands using only vodka and triple sec, I’ve found them to be undeniably more palatable.
2 oz. vodka (or more depending at the type of bar you work at), 1 oz triple sec, 2 oz. Lime sour (or margarita mix or sweet and sour) and a splash of Coke for color. Serve in a pint glass with a lemon wedge.
Manhattan
I don’t personally like a lot of sweet vermouth in my Manhattan, so I make them one part sweet vermouth and five parts bourbon with a couple of splashes of Angostura bitters. Make sure to ask up or on the rocks and it is traditionally served with a maraschino cherry. I although I get more and more people who say they don’t want the cherry.
Margarita
I would recommend either making a good lime sour or buying a good fresh pack margarita mix. Then it is just two parts tequila, one part orange liqueur, and three parts lime sour or mix. Serve on the rocks or blended with the guest’s preference of salt.
Martini
Although traditionally gin – one should now ask if the guest prefers vodka or gin. Probably 70% of the time the guest wants vodka with olives, but the garnish should also be discussed. Extra Dry means no vermouth. Dry means almost no vermouth. Wet means vermouth. Served up or on the rocks – this drink is all gin or vodka with perhaps a tiny splash of vermouth.
Mojito
The mojito has taken the U.S. by storm in the last ten years. Start with some fresh mint leaves, muddle them. Add 2 ounces of rum, two teaspoons sugar, and 1 ounce of lime. Shake, serve over ice with soda water.
Old Fashion
This is the cocktail that turned me into a whiskey drinker, which is still my spirit of choice, so there is a very special place in my heart for this cocktail. Muddle a piece of orange and a maraschino cherry with Angostura bitters and a sugar cube. Add two ounces of whiskey and ice. Top with your choice of soda or water.
Rusty Nail
Equal parts Drambuie and Scotch. (If you are wondering what Drambuie is, it is a liqueur made from Scotch whiskey and heather honey which contains a secret blend of herbs and botanicals – a couple of good guesses are saffron, anise, and nutmeg.)
Salty Dog
This is just a greyhound (vodka and grapefruit) with a salted rim.
Screwdriver
Vodka and orange juice. (Screw in the title of a drink typically denotes that there will be oj in it.)
Sex on the Beach
I think many believe that this drink went out in the mid 80s, but I still get quite a few orders for it. It is vodka, peach schnapps, and oj.
Sidecar
The Sidecar can be thought of as a margarita made with brandy instead of tequila. It is typically served up with a sugar rim.
Spanish Coffee
Every bartender has their own little flair on the Spanish coffee – but the gist of it is a sugar rim that is caramelized by lighting Bicardi 151 and allowing the flame to flicker on the rim of the glass. While the fire is still lit, add cinnamon and nutmeg which will spark and add a bit of show to the presentation. Tia Maria (or another coffee liqueur) and brandy finish the drink off. Should ask if the guest wants whipped cream.
Surfer on Acid
I never can remember what this is and I although I don’t get a lot of orders for it, I do think it is something that every bartender should know. It is one of the most cliché shots and it is probably just a sign of my snobbery that I refuse to remember its simple ingredients. Equal parts Jägermeister, Malibu (coconut) rum, and pineapple juice.
Tequila Sunrise
Tequila, orange juice, served on the rocks with a small drizzle of grenadine to make it look like a sunrise.
Redheaded Slut
Another shot (although I have a fair amount of people order this like a cocktail) that I often times have to look up – but once again I think you should probably know what is in it. Equal parts Jägermeister, peach schnapps, and cranberry juice.
What do you think is missing from the list?
*******Bonus material for the aspiring bartender to know*******
Rocks – you only say rocks for a spirit that will be served with no mixer. Vodka tonic always gets rocks – but if you someone orders a whiskey, you should find out if the guest wants it rocks or neat.
Press - half soda water and half seven-up. (I recently heard the term sonic for half soda water and half tonic)
Up – to be served shaken and strained into a cocktail glass.
Neat - no ice. Typically in reference to whiskey.
Perfect – a splash of sweet vermouth and dry vermouth.
Dry – very little or no vermouth
With a Twist – using a channeler 
to remove part of the skin from a lemon so that the oils spray into the drink. The twist is then used to rim the outside of the glass.
Dirty – with olive juice
Back - a small drink to go behind a neat pour or a shot. I.e. a beer back would be a little beer or a coke back with be a small glass of Coke. Typically, the guest doesn’t pay for the back, it’s a little bonus tagged onto their drink.
- Columbine QuillenI am a mixologist bartender and this is my blog.
{ 31 comments… read them below or add one }
Just curious about your lime sour mix. Do you just mix two parts fresh lime juice with one part simple syrup, or do you use another recipe?
To make lime sour I use 2 cups warm water, 1 cup sugar, 14 ounces of fresh squeezed lime juice, and 2 ounces of oj. Makes a mighty tasty margarita!
What about a Rob Roy? Or does only my Dad ever talk about those?
I agree, Rob Roy should be on the list. Not because a lot of people order them – but any bartender should be able to. (It is a Manhattan made with Scotch whisky instead of a different type of whiskey – typically bourbon.)
I thought vodka, peach schnapps and oj was a hairy navel. Leave out the vodka and you have a fuzzy navel. Add Cranberry and you have sex on the beach.
Of course this dates back to the late 80′s early 90′s
Hey ah, i think u left the cranberry juice out of the Sex on the beach recipe…
Nice comprehensive list. I must question your Long Island Iced Tea recipe though. It kind of misses the point and would probably upset anyone that ordered it. When made correctly (with gin, rum, and with or without tequila or bourbon) it is surprisingly tasty. Your recipe is a Kamikaze with coke. Just my 2 cents:)
what about the pearl harbor? i can never remember if it is coconut rum or vodka with midori (melon liquor) and pineapple juice. usually garnished with a cherry.
I think you left the VODKA out of the BLOODY MARY if I am not mistaken, otherwise I think you’d have something close to a store bought V-8. Anyhow, thanks! =)
Old Fashioneds shouldn’t have any water added to them. Muddled orange & cherry, 3 dashes of Angostura, 2 ounces of rye whiskey, ice. If you need to add water to the glass to fill your glass, I suggest you use a smaller glass.
Your AMF recipe is wrong u fool! It’s Gin, Tequila, Vodka, Rum, THEN a shot of 151 and the blue stuff.
Best no non-sense “how to make cocktails” I have seen, I have been bar tending for 18 years, and I especially like the honest “this is a very common drink, but I sometimes have to look it up” so true, me too.
If I got a Long Island with only vodka and triple sec I would send it back. If somebody orders a lemon drop, but you think that it’s “more palatable” with schnapps instead of vodka, or actually you think Manhattans are way better, do you just make them whatever you want and expect them to pay?
A Long Island is a STANDARD cocktail. Leaving out three of the five main ingredients isn’t a twist, it’s just cheap and flat-out wrong.
I understand that every bartender has its own way of making a drink but I agree with the comments above adios mother fucker And long iceland have to have gin rum vodka and tequila as a main ingredients.
It is fairly apparent that the dude who wrote this knows nothing about cocktails and i’m sorry to say it, is probably american. I have lived on both sides of ‘the pond’ and americans are as bad at making drinks as they are at ‘holdin’ there liquor’.
No Tom Collins? I get it all the time….It’s a classic
I agree that there are many ingredients missing in these recipes, most notably the long island and sex. Other drinks I serve regularly are tom collins, blue lagoons, caipirinhas, negronis
There is no way you can be a coherent bartender with your shoddy list. An AMF (adios mother fucker) is a long island (gin,vodka,tequila,rum, triple sec) with blue caracao instead of coke.
You not knowing, (or rather, “refusing”) to know what is in simple shots such as surfer on acid or having to look up the recipe for a red headed slut just goes to show how incompetent you really are.
Clearly you don’t work at a high volume bar, otherwise you would have known these recipes and shortcuts on how to make them taste better or correct pours.
You fail to point out that some things require layering for the proper taste (b-52 should be khalua, bailey’s, grand mariner layered accordingly).
All in all, I would not use this list if you are a bartender, let alone an amateur.
Who the hell shakes a Mojito? You need to go back to bar school mate
You’re AMF is also known as a Walk Me Down. (We make it with the five white liquors (rum, triple sec, tequila, vodka, and gin), sweet & sour mix, blue curacao, garnished with a cherry.)
I am sorry but I have to agree with Callie, Tiffany, Jay, Simon, Allie, Roger and Rodney. I would also like to add that an old fashioned should really be made as whiskey “the old fashioned way” meaning with little sugar, water/soda and bitters. (no muddled orange or cherry) maybe with a twist. What you are making might be nice but it is not the classic.
A shaken Mojito? Fail. A LIIT without Gin, Rum and Tequila? Fail. Your AMF? Uber Fail. No Caipirinha on this list? Fail. My final grade for your bartending skills? Fail.
Reading this list of responses has been like watching a political debate about religion. Even after being a bartender for only 1 year I have noticed that every single bartender has the “proper” way to make a drink and that if you’re not following the original recipe to a T than you’re an incompetent bartender. In my opinion knowledge of the classic cocktails is crucial of course, but, they just like any other art form, have changed throughout time. They also vary according to region. Learn the ingredients to the classics, find your own flair to those that aren’t ‘sacred’ cocktails, and third of all, don’t let a stranger tell you how to make a drink (unless that’s how they want it). Taste is sacred and if a drink has all the flavors and complexities needed per respective drink, they should be ordering a second in a second.
Be Well
p.s. the classic old fashioned was pretty close to what Quillen listed, none of us are old enough to have ever had the original so the debate is superfluous.
You misspelled more than a couple words on this entry, so I don’t know what you’re trying to say in some places. It’s like a super-bad-typo
I think this may be the worst list ever. Bartender’s job’s are to use spirits for their natural flavoring and make drinks that people can drink and enjoy. Unless you are 17 at the club and want the worst hangover you ever had, you should avoid drinking 90% of the drinks listed.
pick up the”the joy of mixology” or “the craft of the cocktail” and learn what bartending is really about. you fucking idiots.
Good List. What about the Cape Codder?
My family makes the best margaritas I’ve ever had and I was a little disappointed when I saw that you recommend using a pack. For good, fresh margaritas we use one part triple sec, one part tequila, one part apple juice. Add a splash of sprite and squeeze lime juice in to your liking. Make sure the rim is salted and enjoy.
TO ALL YOUNG BARTENDERS OUT THERE…DO NOT TAKE ANY NOTICE OF ANYTHING ON THIS PAGE… TO THE PERSON WHO HAS WRITTEN THIS… PLEASE STOP WRITING ABOUT THINGS YOU HAVE NOW IDEA ABOUT…this has to be the most stupid thing i have read in a long time…
skimmed through this quickly and a few things were wrong. a sex on the beach also has cranberry in it.
the term “press” is equal parts soda and ginger ale, NOT 7up.
At B-52 is not everything just splashed together, Its layering each liquor according to density .
I wont continue on what else is wrong for this. But new bartenders DO NOT use this a an accurate guide.
You’re Old Fashioned recipe should really be switched over to the Wisconsin Style Old Fashioned. It’s a lot tastier, and you’ll probably get more requests for it. Equal parts SoCo and 7up, splash of bitters, cinnamon stick, maraschino cherries. Serve on rocks.
Also, since when is a Jager Bomb done with that much Red Bull? It’s supposed to be a double shot, equal parts.
And why do you have Irish Car Bomb listed but not Boilermaker?
End rant.
Wow the responses on here clearly show how immature and uneducated most readers are. Old Fashioned recipes commonly include either water or the option to add a splash of water. It’s similar to the splash of water some people ask for with their scotch or bourbon. We’re not filling the glass, just a splash to dissipate and blend flavors. Next, get off this author’s butt about trying to make an LIT taste like anything other than pure crap. This drink is an excuse for trashy people to squeeze every drop of alcohol into a piss-tasting drink to get F-ed up. Most of my customers ask me to leave out the tequila because it’s a horrible addition to the drink to start with. I’d still include all the clear liquor if I was going to deviate from the traditional recipe but definitely leave out the tequila (you can just ask the customer which way they prefer too). Finally, are we really pitching a fit over shaking a mojito? We’re muddling a bunch of plant matter and mixing with alcohol. A quick shake, a turn from two cups or whatever else you want to use is perfectly fine because how you mix a mojito isn’t going to change it nearly as much as what you put in it. I prefer my mojitos shaken and then strained into a new glass with fresh ice. I’ve had too many mojitos full of pulp and mint leaves in my day. I don’t want to chew my cocktail. If you guys make better cocktails, then congratulations. Go drink a few of them instead of acting like snarky little brats.