Skip to content
CocktailHQ

For a developed palate

Adventurous cocktails

Smoky, intensely bitter, herbal or technically demanding drinks — the ones worth working up to.

Some drinks are not entry points. Mezcal's smoke, Chartreuse's herbal intensity, an amaro's bitterness and absinthe's anise are all flavours that read as difficult until they suddenly read as the most interesting thing on the menu, and nothing about the drink changes in between.

This is the list for when the familiar ones have stopped surprising you. Several are also technically demanding — if that is the appeal, the bartender-style list is the other direction to look.

32 recipes
A Negroni in a rocks glass with a large ice cube and orange peel"Negroni served in Vancouver BC" by Geoff Peters from Vancouver, BC, Canada is licensed under CC BY 2.0. To view a copy of this license, visit https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0/.

Negroni

Equal parts gin, Campari and sweet vermouth, built over ice — bittersweet, bracing and impossible to mistake for anything else.

bitterstrongdry
easy5 mingin
A tall, reddish-pink Singapore Sling in a hurricane glass garnished with pineapple and a cherryPhoto by Dextar Studio ™ on Pexels

Singapore Sling

Gin, cherry liqueur, herbal liqueurs and juice, topped with soda — a layered, tropical classic.

fruitysweettropical
advanced8 mingin
A tall Zombie cocktail in a tiki mug with crushed ice and a mint garnishPhoto by Kiro Wang on Pexels

Zombie

Three rums, lime, spiced syrups and a rinse of absinthe — a strong, complex tiki classic.

strongtropicalfruity
advanced8 minrum
A Boulevardier in a rocks glass with a large ice cube and orange peelPhoto by Vivita Malite on Pexels

Boulevardier

Bourbon, Campari and sweet vermouth stirred over ice — a whiskey-forward cousin of the Negroni.

bitterstrongdry
medium5 minwhisky
A Corpse Reviver No. 2 in a chilled coupe glass with a lemon twistPhoto by Dextar Studio ™ on Pexels

Corpse Reviver No. 2

Gin, triple sec, Lillet Blanc and lemon juice in an absinthe-rinsed glass — a sharp, citrus-forward classic.

sourdryherbal
advanced6 mingin

Penicillin

Blended Scotch, honey-ginger syrup and lemon, topped with a peaty Islay float — smoky, spiced and citrus-sharp.

smokysourspicy
advanced6 minwhisky
Alcohol-free

Espresso Tonic

Chilled tonic water over ice with a fresh double espresso poured on top — bittersweet, fizzy and cold.

bitterrefreshingdry
easy3 minalcohol free
A Last Word cocktail in a coupe glass, pale green and clear

Last Word

Equal parts gin, green Chartreuse, maraschino liqueur and lime — a Prohibition-era puzzle that somehow balances four loud ingredients perfectly.

herbalsourstrong
medium5 mingin

Ramos Gin Fizz

Gin, citrus, cream, egg white and orange flower water, shaken at length into a tall, silky, cloud-like fizz.

creamysourfruity
advanced10 mingin
A Mezcal Negroni in a rocks glass with a large ice cube and an orange twist

Mezcal Negroni

Equal parts mezcal, Campari and sweet vermouth — the Negroni's smoky, agave-forward cousin.

bittersmokystrong
easy4 mintequila

Naked and Famous

Equal parts mezcal, Aperol, yellow Chartreuse and lime — a balanced, modern four-way tightrope walk.

smokybittersour
medium5 mintequila
A Rob Roy in a coupe glass with a maraschino cherry

Rob Roy

Scotch whisky, sweet vermouth and bitters, stirred cold — the Manhattan's smokier Scottish cousin.

strongbittersmoky
medium5 minwhisky
A Sazerac in a rocks glass with a lemon peel expressed over the top, no icePhoto by Dextar Studio ™ on Pexels

Sazerac

Rye whisky and Peychaud's bitters in an absinthe-rinsed glass — New Orleans' oldest signature cocktail.

strongbitterherbal
advanced6 minwhisky

Blood and Sand

Scotch, cherry liqueur, sweet vermouth and orange juice, shaken in perfectly equal parts.

fruitysweetsmoky
medium5 minwhisky

Paper Plane

Bourbon, Aperol, a bittersweet amaro and lemon in dead-equal parts — a modern bitter-sour classic.

bittersourherbal
medium5 minwhisky

Vieux Carré

Rye, Cognac, sweet vermouth, Bénédictine and two bitters — a dense, stirred New Orleans classic.

strongbitterherbal
advanced6 minwhisky

Rusty Nail

Scotch whisky and a honeyed Scotch liqueur, built over ice — a strong, warming two-ingredient sipper.

strongsweetsmoky
easy3 minwhisky

Brandy Crusta

Cognac, orange liqueur, maraschino and lemon in a sugar-rimmed glass lined with a long citrus spiral.

strongsourdry
advanced8 minbrandy

Bicicletta

Campari, dry white wine and soda water over ice — a lighter, everyday cousin of the Americano.

bitterrefreshingdry
easy3 minliqueur led
An Americano in a highball glass with an orange slicePhoto by Szymon Shields on Pexels

Americano

Campari and sweet vermouth topped with soda water — the bittersweet forerunner of the Negroni.

bitterrefreshingdry
easy3 minliqueur led
A Negroni Sbagliato in a rocks glass, fizzing gently, with an orange slice

Negroni Sbagliato

Equal parts Campari, sweet vermouth and sparkling wine — the 'mistaken' Negroni with the gin swapped for bubbles.

bitterrefreshingsweet
easy3 minsparkling wine

Death in the Afternoon

Absinthe topped with ice-cold Champagne — a stark two-ingredient drink credited to Ernest Hemingway.

strongherbaldry
medium3 minliqueur led

Amaro Sour

A bittersweet Italian amaro shaken with lemon and honey — a digestivo turned into a proper sour.

bittersoursweet
medium5 minliqueur led
A Cold Brew Negroni in a rocks glass, dark red-brown over a large ice cube

Cold Brew Negroni

The classic gin, Campari and sweet vermouth Negroni, joined by a measure of cold brew coffee for a roasted, bittersweet edge.

bitterstrongdry
easy5 mingin

Coffee Flip

Cognac, coffee liqueur and a whole egg, shaken hard into something silky and dessert-like — a classic flip technique with a coffee lean.

creamysweetstrong
advanced5 minbrandy
A Tom and Jerry in a heatproof punch mug with a frothy pale batter top and a dusting of nutmegPhoto by Büşra Arabacı on Pexels

Tom and Jerry

Dark rum and brandy whisked into a spiced egg batter and topped with hot water or milk — a rich, historic holiday punch.

sweetcreamystrong
advanced10 minrum

Fog Cutter

Gin, rum and brandy shaken with citrus and orgeat, finished with a sherry float — a deceptively strong tiki multi-spirit classic.

strongfruitysour
advanced7 minrum
An alcohol-free Negroni in a rocks glass with a large ice cube and orange peelPhoto by Levoqd on Pixabay
Alcohol-free

Alcohol-Free Negroni

Equal parts alcohol-free bitter aperitif, botanical spirit and red vermouth alternative — bracingly bitter, no alcohol required.

bitterstrongdry
easy4 minalcohol free
A Godfather cocktail in a rocks glass with a single large ice cubePhoto by Graham Walker on Pexels

Godfather

Scotch whisky and amaretto, built over one large cube — a simple, two-ingredient nightcap.

strongsweetsmoky
easy2 minwhisky

Brooklyn

Rye, dry vermouth, maraschino and a bitter amaro — the Manhattan's drier, more bitter relative.

strongdrybitter
medium4 minwhisky

Oaxaca Old Fashioned

Tequila and mezcal with agave and bitters, stirred over ice — an Old Fashioned built on agave rather than grain.

strongsmokysweet
medium4 mintequila
A Garibaldi in a highball glass, deep orange with a light foam on top

Garibaldi

Campari and orange juice, and the orange juice is aerated until it is almost foam — two ingredients, one technique.

bitterfruityrefreshing
easy3 minliqueur led

How this list is built

Computed from real catalogue fields: a smoky taste profile, or a bitterness score of 4 or more, or advanced difficulty, or a build using mezcal, absinthe, Chartreuse or amaro.

Nothing on this page is hand-picked or sponsored — the list comes straight from the recipe data, so it stays correct as the catalogue grows. Lists only exist once enough real recipes match; that is why some categories you might expect aren't here yet.

Keep looking

Other moods

RelaxingSophisticatedRomanticCelebratoryWarming