Evidenced, not ranked
The cocktails everything else is measured against
Four kinds of influence, each with a test you can check and receipts you can follow.
Every list of the twenty most influential cocktails is an opinion wearing a number. The tempting way to build one — score each drink on how often the site links to it, then sort — produces a ranking of this website's own editorial habits, presented as a fact about drinking history.
So there is no score on this page and no order that claims to be importance. There are four separate kinds of influence, each with a specific test, and each collection is listed alphabetically. A drink can qualify under several; 6 qualify under three or more, which is about as close to a "most influential" list as the evidence honestly gets.
Drinks that qualify on three or more counts
Not a top six. Simply the drinks for which the most independent kinds of evidence exist.
4 drinks
The drinks a family is named after
The drink shares its name with one of the cocktail families on this site, and that family has enough members to have its own page.
What this does not prove
Being the namesake does not always mean being first. Several families are named after a well-known member rather than the original, and the family pages say so where the record is disputed.
- ManhattanPre-Prohibition
A whole family of drinks is named after this one. 8 recipes on this site are built to the same structure: 2 parts aged spirit · 1 part sweet vermouth · 2 dashes bitters — stirred, served up or over a large cube.
- MartiniPre-Prohibition
A whole family of drinks is named after this one. 10 recipes on this site are built to the same structure: Spirit · dry or sweet vermouth · optional bitters — stirred, strained, served up.
A whole family of drinks is named after this one. 5 recipes on this site are built to the same structure: 1 part gin · 1 part bitter aperitif · 1 part sweet vermouth — stirred over ice.
- Old FashionedPre-Prohibition
A whole family of drinks is named after this one. 5 recipes on this site are built to the same structure: Spirit · a little sugar · a couple of dashes of bitters · dilution from stirring — no citrus juice.
17 drinks
The drinks other drinks came from
At least one other recipe in this catalogue records this drink as its parent.
What this does not prove
This measures descent inside a 179-recipe catalogue, not descent in the world. A drink with many real descendants that this site happens not to hold will not appear.
- BelliniMid-century
1 other recipe on this site is recorded as descending from it.
- CosmopolitanModern classics
1 other recipe on this site is recorded as descending from it.
- Espresso MartiniModern classics
1 other recipe on this site is recorded as descending from it.
- Hot ToddyPre-Prohibition
1 other recipe on this site is recorded as descending from it.
- Irish CoffeeMid-century
1 other recipe on this site is recorded as descending from it.
- MargaritaMid-century
1 other recipe on this site is recorded as descending from it, and 1 more name it as a variation of their own.
3 other recipes on this site are recorded as descending from it, and 3 more name it as a variation of their own.
- Old FashionedPre-Prohibition
1 other recipe on this site is recorded as descending from it.
- PainkillerMid-century
1 other recipe on this site is recorded as descending from it.
- Tequila SunriseMid-century
1 other recipe on this site is recorded as descending from it.
26 drinks
The drinks the history actually names
The drink is named by one or more of the evidence-graded history topics.
What this does not prove
Appearing in a history topic means the drink is part of a documented story — not that every claim about it is documented. Each topic grades its own claims as documented, widely reported, disputed or folklore.
Named by 1 of the history topics on this site, where every claim carries its own evidence grade — so you can check how well the story behind it is actually established.
- AmericanoPre-Prohibition
Named by 1 of the history topics on this site, where every claim carries its own evidence grade — so you can check how well the story behind it is actually established.
Named by 1 of the history topics on this site, where every claim carries its own evidence grade — so you can check how well the story behind it is actually established.
- AviationPre-Prohibition
Named by 1 of the history topics on this site, where every claim carries its own evidence grade — so you can check how well the story behind it is actually established.
- Corpse Reviver No. 2Prohibition era
Named by 2 of the history topics on this site, where every claim carries its own evidence grade — so you can check how well the story behind it is actually established.
- DaiquiriPre-Prohibition
Named by 2 of the history topics on this site, where every claim carries its own evidence grade — so you can check how well the story behind it is actually established.
- French 75Prohibition era
Named by 1 of the history topics on this site, where every claim carries its own evidence grade — so you can check how well the story behind it is actually established.
- Last WordProhibition era
Named by 1 of the history topics on this site, where every claim carries its own evidence grade — so you can check how well the story behind it is actually established.
Named by 2 of the history topics on this site, where every claim carries its own evidence grade — so you can check how well the story behind it is actually established.
- MargaritaMid-century
Named by 1 of the history topics on this site, where every claim carries its own evidence grade — so you can check how well the story behind it is actually established.
- MartiniPre-Prohibition
Named by 2 of the history topics on this site, where every claim carries its own evidence grade — so you can check how well the story behind it is actually established.
- Mezcal NegroniModern classics
Named by 1 of the history topics on this site, where every claim carries its own evidence grade — so you can check how well the story behind it is actually established.
- Mint JulepPre-Prohibition
Named by 1 of the history topics on this site, where every claim carries its own evidence grade — so you can check how well the story behind it is actually established.
Named by 1 of the history topics on this site, where every claim carries its own evidence grade — so you can check how well the story behind it is actually established.
Named by 1 of the history topics on this site, where every claim carries its own evidence grade — so you can check how well the story behind it is actually established.
- Old FashionedPre-Prohibition
Named by 2 of the history topics on this site, where every claim carries its own evidence grade — so you can check how well the story behind it is actually established.
- PainkillerMid-century
Named by 1 of the history topics on this site, where every claim carries its own evidence grade — so you can check how well the story behind it is actually established.
Named by 1 of the history topics on this site, where every claim carries its own evidence grade — so you can check how well the story behind it is actually established.
- Planters PunchPre-Prohibition
Named by 1 of the history topics on this site, where every claim carries its own evidence grade — so you can check how well the story behind it is actually established.
- SazeracPre-Prohibition
Named by 2 of the history topics on this site, where every claim carries its own evidence grade — so you can check how well the story behind it is actually established.
- SidecarProhibition era
Named by 1 of the history topics on this site, where every claim carries its own evidence grade — so you can check how well the story behind it is actually established.
- Tommy's MargaritaModern classics
Named by 1 of the history topics on this site, where every claim carries its own evidence grade — so you can check how well the story behind it is actually established.
Named by 1 of the history topics on this site, where every claim carries its own evidence grade — so you can check how well the story behind it is actually established.
Named by 1 of the history topics on this site, where every claim carries its own evidence grade — so you can check how well the story behind it is actually established.
- White LadyProhibition era
Named by 1 of the history topics on this site, where every claim carries its own evidence grade — so you can check how well the story behind it is actually established.
- ZombieMid-century
Named by 1 of the history topics on this site, where every claim carries its own evidence grade — so you can check how well the story behind it is actually established.
22 drinks
The drinks the rest of the catalogue keeps pointing at
Ten or more other recipes link back to this one.
What this does not prove
This is a fact about this website, not about drinking history. It reflects which drinks are the most useful reference points when explaining others, and editorial habit is part of that. It is included because it is a real signal and excluded from any claim of importance.
15 other recipes on this site link back to it — usually because it is the drink they are most usefully compared to.
- BelliniMid-century
10 other recipes on this site link back to it — usually because it is the drink they are most usefully compared to.
12 other recipes on this site link back to it — usually because it is the drink they are most usefully compared to.
11 other recipes on this site link back to it — usually because it is the drink they are most usefully compared to.
- CosmopolitanModern classics
11 other recipes on this site link back to it — usually because it is the drink they are most usefully compared to.
- DaiquiriPre-Prohibition
17 other recipes on this site link back to it — usually because it is the drink they are most usefully compared to.
11 other recipes on this site link back to it — usually because it is the drink they are most usefully compared to.
- French 75Prohibition era
11 other recipes on this site link back to it — usually because it is the drink they are most usefully compared to.
10 other recipes on this site link back to it — usually because it is the drink they are most usefully compared to.
- Hot ToddyPre-Prohibition
10 other recipes on this site link back to it — usually because it is the drink they are most usefully compared to.
- Irish CoffeeMid-century
11 other recipes on this site link back to it — usually because it is the drink they are most usefully compared to.
19 other recipes on this site link back to it — usually because it is the drink they are most usefully compared to.
- ManhattanPre-Prohibition
14 other recipes on this site link back to it — usually because it is the drink they are most usefully compared to.
- MargaritaMid-century
11 other recipes on this site link back to it — usually because it is the drink they are most usefully compared to.
- MartiniPre-Prohibition
13 other recipes on this site link back to it — usually because it is the drink they are most usefully compared to.
11 other recipes on this site link back to it — usually because it is the drink they are most usefully compared to.
- Moscow MuleMid-century
11 other recipes on this site link back to it — usually because it is the drink they are most usefully compared to.
15 other recipes on this site link back to it — usually because it is the drink they are most usefully compared to.
- Old FashionedPre-Prohibition
15 other recipes on this site link back to it — usually because it is the drink they are most usefully compared to.
12 other recipes on this site link back to it — usually because it is the drink they are most usefully compared to.
- Whiskey SourPre-Prohibition
16 other recipes on this site link back to it — usually because it is the drink they are most usefully compared to.
- White RussianMid-century
10 other recipes on this site link back to it — usually because it is the drink they are most usefully compared to.
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