Transport yourself straight to your favorite global hot spot by playing mixologist at home. We’ve curated a collection of the it international cocktails, inspired by the spirit of these worth traveling for destinations.
If you’re a new hand at cocktail making, this 10 piece mixology kit will help you turn pro and given presentation is everything, don’t forget the glasses.
Cuba: The Mojito
The celebrity seal of approval that shot the refreshing rum and mint-infused mojito to instant fame came from Ernest Hemingway. It goes without saying, the better the rum, the better the drink. Get yourself a great muddler to make mojitos like a master.
INGREDIENTS (Recipe: Bacardi)
2 parts BACARDÍ Superior rum
4 lime wedges
12 fresh mint leaves
2 tsp extra-fine sugar
1 part soda water/club soda
A sprig of fresh mint
SHAKE IT UP
Squeeze the lime wedges into the glass and gently press them together with the sugar. Bruise the mint leaves by clapping them between your palms, rub them on the rim of the glass and drop them in. Next, half fill the glass with crushed ice, add BACARDÍ Superior rum, and stir. Top with crushed ice, a sprig of mint, and club soda.
Nigeria: The Chapman
The Chapman is the signature cocktail at most bars and restaurants in Nigeria. Fruity and sweet with a black currant and red liqueur base, what really makes the Chapman a Chapman is the bitters. It’s also best shared with friends so make a big batch and get busy.
INGREDIENTS (Recipe: Global Table Adventure)
Ice
4 lime Slices
4 orange Slices
3 ounces cassis or grenadine
1 cup orange soda
1 cup lemon-lime soda
A few drops of bitters
Gin to taste
SHAKE IT UP
Add the cassis black currant syrup liquor, lime, and orange slices to a glass with ice. Next, add equal parts orange soda and lime soda. Finish with a few splashes of bitter to taste.
Brazil: The Caipirinha
Caipirinha is the national drink of Brazil and according to legend was created as a remedy for the Spanish Flu. Infused with Cachaça, a distilled liquor made from sugarcane juice, it will have you instantly channeling a beach at sunset in Rio.
INGREDIENTS (Recipe: Wanderlust Kitchen)
1 lime, chopped into small pieces
2 (heaping) tablespoons brown sugar
3 ounces Cachaça
1 cup ice
SHAKE IT UP
Place the lime pieces in a glass, add brown sugar, and muddle until it’s completely dissolved into a syrup. Add Cachaça, stir, then top with ice.
Peru: The Pisco Sour
Chile and Peru continue to argue over who is the rightful owner of the Pisco Sour, though its said American ex-pat Victor Morris dreamed up this concoction in his Lima bar. A South American classic, the egg whites are responsible for the froth, while syrup and lime create the perfect balance between a sweet and sour balance. In The Pisco Book, you’ll find 50 plus recipes to experiment with and permission granted to get creative with fruity and floral flavors.
INGREDIENTS (Recipe: The Spruce Eats)
2 ounces pisco
1-ounce simple syrup
¾ ounce key lime juice
One egg white
2-3 dashes of Angostura bitters
SHAKE IT UP
Mix the pisco, lime juice, simple syrup, and egg white in a cocktail shaker. Add ice to fill, and shake vigorously. Strain into an old-fashioned glass, and sprinkle the Angostura bitters on top of the foam.
Puerto Rico: The Piña Colada
If you like ‘Piña Coladas and getting caught in the rain’, you’ll find this rum, coconut cream, and pineapple tropical cocktail on the menu at every beach bar around the world. The OG however was created by a bartender at the Caribe Hilton in San Juan, Puerto Rico back in 1954.
INGREDIENTS (Recipe: Caribe Hilton)
2 ounces rum
1 ounce coconut cream
1 ounce heavy cream
6 ounces fresh pineapple juice
1/2 cup crushed ice
SHAKE IT UP
Mix the rum, cream of coconut, heavy cream, and pineapple juice in a blender. Add ice and mix for 15 seconds. Serve in a 12-oz. glass and garnish with fresh pineapple and a cherry on top.
Singapore: The Singapore Sling
The Singapore Sling came to life in 1915 when Raffles Hotel bartender Ngiam Tong Boon discovered he could mix up a gin cocktail that masqueraded as juice (this was back in the days when it was frowned upon for women to drink). The sweet mixture of fruit juice and gin quickly became the national drink of Singapore and a hit around the globe.
INGREDIENTS (Recipe: Raffles Hotel, Singapore)
1 1/2 ounces gin
1/2 ounce Cherry Heering
1/4 ounce Cointreau
1/4 ounce Benedictine
1/4 ounce lime juice
1/3 ounce grenadine
SHAKE IT UP
Combine all ingredients and shake with ice. Strain into a tall glass tumbler, add a dash of bitters and garnish with a cherry and pineapple slice.
Italy: Negroni
The Negroni, inspired by that other popular Italian cocktail the Americano, is the perfect aperitif. Don’t be fooled by its sweet ruby red charm, the Negroni, which is traditionally shaken not stirred, is strong and bitter.
INGREDIENTS (Recipe: Gin Foundry)
20 ml gin
20 ml Sweet Vermouth
20 ml bitters (almost always Campari)
1 fresh orange peel
SHAKE IT UP
Combine all ingredients into a mixer and shake. Add over ice to an old-fashioned or rocks glass and garnish with a slice of orange
Canada: The Caesar
The Caesar might take its cue from the classic Bloody Mary but Canadians swear the subtle differences make it worthy of its place on the best international cocktail list. The trick is the use of Clamato juice, a tomato and clam juice mixture, rather than traditional tomato for a thinner consistency. Don’t forget to add the bite by rimming the glass with Montreal steak seasoning, salt, pepper, and a hint of garlic powder.
INGREDIENTS (Recipe: Food Network Canada)
Ice
3 dashes Worcestershire
3 ounces Clamato Juice
1-3 dashes hot sauce
1-ounce vodka
Salt and pepper
*garnishes like celery, pickles, olives, and bacon encouraged
SHAKE IT UP
In a rimmed glass filled with ice, add the Worcestershire sauce, Clamato juice, hot sauce, vodka, season with salt and pepper, and stir.
Bermuda: Dark ‘N’ Stormy
The Bermuda-born Dark ‘N’ Stormy was apparently named by a sailor who compared the dark rum-based cocktail to storm clouds. Made from just two ingredients, the choice of rum counts.
INGREDIENTS (Recipe: Gosling’s)
1.5 ounces Gosling’s Black Seal Rum
4-5 ounces Gosling’s ginger beer
SHAKE IT UP
In a tall glass filled with ice, add 4 – 5 oz of Gosling’s Stormy Ginger Beer and top with Gosling’s Black Seal Rum. Garnish with a lime wedge (optional).
United Kingdom: Pimm’s Cup
Pimm’s is the quintessential summer drink in cool Britannia. Sweet, light, and refreshing, around nearly 200,000 are served up every year during Wimbledon. If you’re feeling adventurous spice things up with a ginger beer or sprite base instead of lemonade.
INGREDIENTS (Recipe: Pimms)
2 ounces Pimm’s No.1
5 ounces of lemonade
1 sliced strawberry, orange, and cucumber
Mint sprig to garnish
SHAKE IT UP
Add all ingredients into a glass over ice and stir to combine. Garnish with a mint sprig.
Mexico: The Paloma
Let the record show, The Paloma is more popular in its hometown of Mexico than the margarita. While there are many variations of this tequila-based cocktail, the most traditional recipe uses Jarritos-Toronja grapefruit soda.
INGREDIENTS (Recipe: Don Julio)
1 1/2 ounces tequila reposado
1-ounce grapefruit juice
1/2 ounce lime juice
1/2 agave nectar
1 tablespoon kosher salt
1 splash soda water
Lime wedge to garnish
SHAKE IT UP
Combine tequila reposado, grapefruit juice, lime juice, and agave nectar into a cocktail shaker with ice. Shake well and strain into a glass over ice. Add a splash of soda water and garnish with a lime wedge.
