The Top 20 best selling cocktails in 2018 based on Drinks International
This is the most likely thing to drink in Bermuda (that and the Rum Swizzle) and the 20th most likely in the world’s best bars – it’s a top-10 classic in 17% of our polled bars. How did this drink come about? To cut a story’s length, British seafarers brought the ginger beer, Goslings the rum. Add lime and there you have it, the Dark ’n’ Stormy – worthy of any bloke with a beard and tatts, on or off land.
So much of pisco sales rely on the fortunes of the Pisco Sour – this year down one from 18th. This cocktail was an early explorer, finding its way to the dock of San Francisco bay in the 1930s and wasting little time before rising to popularity in New York in the 1960s. With Peruvian food now a fixture internationally, this limey cocktail is back in the limelight. 17% of bars named the Pisco Sour a top 10 classic cocktail.
The Mai Tai is down seven this year. As a bastion of tropical culture the Mai Tai has been swept along by the tiki revival and come ashore in many of the world’s best bars. A fifth of bars had it in their bar’s top ten but mostly this is part of the support act rather than a volume protagonist. A kitsch classic loved by bartenders in their less serious moments.
Named after New Orleans’ French quarter, this Manhattan-esque classic returns this year with 17% of polled bars naming it among their top 10. It was invented by Walter Bergeron, head bartender at the now Monteleone hotel bar in New Orleans, which is home to all manner of activity during Tales of the Cocktail – not least its revolving bar. Have a Vieux Carre there but don’t have too many – alone brandy, American whiskey, sweet vermouth, Benedictine, Angostura and Peychauds are enough to put you in a spin.
Up from 23 last year, the Gin Fizz has regained its sparkle. 17% of the world’s best bars have attested to its selling prowess and it’s a classic that remains popular globally. It’s gin, lime or lemon, sugar, egg (optional) and soda. This is more of a blank canvas drink, yearning for embellishment, but in the right setting, at the right time, it’s hits the right notes.
This medicinal mix is the highest-placed present-century classic. Breaking the mould, the Penicillin is our first scotch cocktail and comes courtesy of Sam Ross, ex-Milk & Honey bartender and now Attaboy co-owner. It uses blended scotch, lemon juice, honey-ginger syrup and Islay scotch and is garnished with candied ginger. As the years slip by, it seems to gain in popularity in this classics list – it’s up four this year. A legacy drink without the competition.
Bringing much to the morning economy is the Bloody Mary. As long as there are hangovers, here is a drink that will never go out of fashion. It is among the top 10-selling classics in more than a quarter of bars we polled. If you are in reach of the Connaught and in need of a Bloody Mary, go there – they do the best ones. Ago Perrone uses Ketel One vodka, fresh tomato juice, a homemade spice mix, fresh lemon juice and celery air.
Dropping three places is the Sazerac. This boozy classic remains a stalwart, with 28% of polled bars saying it was among their top 10. Purists use cognac and so did bartenders in the 1850s, until phylloxera ravaged French vineyards and the American Civil War made the sourcing of cognac something of a triviality. It was replaced by whiskey and many today prefer the double booze hit to be propelled by the grain not the grape. Rimmed with absinthe, the fumes tell you this is not a session beverage.
Take the gin out of a Negroni and replace with American whiskey and you have a Boulevardier. While this was a popular drink back in the ’20s, more than a quarter of our polled bars had it among their top 10 repertoire. If Negroni-weariness ever sets in, the Boulevardier is well-placed as an evolution. So is it rye or bourbon? We lean towards rye, but at the Everleigh they opt for bourbon, Cocchi sweet vermouth, Campari and a cherry to garnish.
Normally up around the 20th mark, the Aperol Spritz is knocking on the door of the top 10 this year. More than a third said it was in the top 10 classics they serve. The Aperol Spritz is never going to be a badge of honour for a bartender, but when they’re in the weeds, bring on the Spritz order. With wine, Aperol and soda all making friends in a glass, it is a refreshing Italian-style aperitivo perfect for the more sober occasion.
Down one to number 10, the cocktail of the indiscriminate masses is still looking pretty stable in the upper reaches of this list. Almost a third of bars said the Cuban classic is in the top 10 of their repertoire. Bacardi and Havana Club are the first choices, but Plantation gets a shout too. For authenticity the rum should be of Cuban style, the greenery is best in spearmint form and the sugar dissolved – it’s amazing how this last step is neglected. Not in the world’s best bars, of course.
Perhaps its renaissance was triggered by the sad passing of Dick Bradsell, its creator, because the Espresso Martini has been one of the most talked about drinks in the last year. Led by the UK bar industry, this after-dinner cocktail of espresso coffee, vodka and coffee liqueur is among the top-3 classics in 13% of polled bars but among the regular top-10 roster in 40%. Whichever way you play it, its back and will likely continue to rise up the charts.
Frozen in eight is the Moscow Mule. A high ranking for such a simple drink, and perhaps evidence of thawing attitudes towards vodka. The Mule is the top vodka serve this year and present as a top-10 classic in almost 40% of our polled bars, with 8% having it down as their top classic serve. It’s vodka, lime, ginger and soda – one for the less adventurous punters.
Seventh seems a little low-rise for the Manhattan – it’s only ever been placed high up in the top four. Around 9% say it’s a top-three classic in their bar but 45% count it within their top 10. The mix of peppery rye, bitters and sweet vermouth are most frequently partnered with Rittenhouse, Bulleit and Woodford Reserve. Jim Meehan of PDT has the recipe: rye whiskey, sweet vermouth and two dashes of Angostura, stirred with ice, strained into a chilled coupe and garnished with brandied cherries.
The Margarita, up one from last year, is the top tequila classic in our sample of the world’s best bars. This is the sort of drink that every bar can make, so long as they have tequila and limes. Very few made it their top classic served, but it’s in the top three in more than 10% of those polled. Let’s head to San Francisco for a Tommy’s Margarita recipe. Owner Julio Bermejo uses 100% agave tequila, plus fresh lime juice and agave syrup.
The Daiquiri is the most ordered rum drink in the world’s best bars. A surprisingly low 5% said this was their top classic, but 17% named it in their top three and more than half in their top 10. At the drink’s home, Havana’s La Floridita, they prefer the frozen version, but mostly this is lime juice, white rum and sugar syrup, shaken and served.
The Dry Martini – made with gin, not vodka – gains two places this year. This boozy yet refined favourite was the top classic in 7% of our polled bars and among the top three in 20%. Just over half said it figured in their top 10. There are many bars that might claim to make the exemplar but Barcelona’s Dry Martini (multi-time member of The World’s 50 Best Bars) is one. It uses half-and-half gin to French vermouth, a dash of orange bitters, a squeeze of lemon rind and a green olive. If it’s a Martini for bar owner Javier de la Muelas, drop the lemon.
The Whiskey Sour is up from no.5 this year, leapfrogging the Daiquiri and Manhattan. Only 5% of our poll said it was their top classic but 19% of those polled said it was a top-three serve and almost 60% made it in their top 10. That’s not too surprising as this is an everyman’s drink, hardly a house signature. The recipe is bourbon, lemon juice and a teaspoon of sugar. Egg white is optional, though this is a drink that benefits from texture.
It’s looking pretty sweet for the embittered Negroni – that’s four years in a row as the runner-up in this list. The Negroni is no longer a bartender drink – it’s now a firm consumer favourite. 16% of bars said it was their number one classic and it was among the top three served in 45% of bars. It’s ironic really, if ever there was a cocktail that could be thrown together at home, it is the Negroni – it’s a third, a third, a third of Campari, sweet vermouth and gin.
Hello old friend. That’s four years straight this vanguard drink of the classic cocktail revival has topped our poll. The Old Fashioned shows no sign of waning – indeed, this American whiskey classic is picking up pace, says our poll. Almost 30% of bars said it was their number one-selling classic. Make it with bourbon, or rye as they probably did way back when. David Wondrich says: one sugar cube wetted with three dashes of Angostura bitters and a little soda, crushed, stirred with a large ice cube and two ounces of rye.
Related Page: Best Selling 2017
Based on 100 of the world's best bars to rank their top ten best-selling classics. Here are the results
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20. Dark ’n’ Stormy
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| Cocktail Kit |
This is the most likely thing to drink in Bermuda (that and the Rum Swizzle) and the 20th most likely in the world’s best bars – it’s a top-10 classic in 17% of our polled bars. How did this drink come about? To cut a story’s length, British seafarers brought the ginger beer, Goslings the rum. Add lime and there you have it, the Dark ’n’ Stormy – worthy of any bloke with a beard and tatts, on or off land.
19. Pisco Sour
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| Cookpad |
So much of pisco sales rely on the fortunes of the Pisco Sour – this year down one from 18th. This cocktail was an early explorer, finding its way to the dock of San Francisco bay in the 1930s and wasting little time before rising to popularity in New York in the 1960s. With Peruvian food now a fixture internationally, this limey cocktail is back in the limelight. 17% of bars named the Pisco Sour a top 10 classic cocktail.
18. Mai Tai
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| Liquor |
The Mai Tai is down seven this year. As a bastion of tropical culture the Mai Tai has been swept along by the tiki revival and come ashore in many of the world’s best bars. A fifth of bars had it in their bar’s top ten but mostly this is part of the support act rather than a volume protagonist. A kitsch classic loved by bartenders in their less serious moments.
17. Vieux Carre
Named after New Orleans’ French quarter, this Manhattan-esque classic returns this year with 17% of polled bars naming it among their top 10. It was invented by Walter Bergeron, head bartender at the now Monteleone hotel bar in New Orleans, which is home to all manner of activity during Tales of the Cocktail – not least its revolving bar. Have a Vieux Carre there but don’t have too many – alone brandy, American whiskey, sweet vermouth, Benedictine, Angostura and Peychauds are enough to put you in a spin.
16. Gin Fizz
Up from 23 last year, the Gin Fizz has regained its sparkle. 17% of the world’s best bars have attested to its selling prowess and it’s a classic that remains popular globally. It’s gin, lime or lemon, sugar, egg (optional) and soda. This is more of a blank canvas drink, yearning for embellishment, but in the right setting, at the right time, it’s hits the right notes.
15. Penicillin
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| Vine Pair |
This medicinal mix is the highest-placed present-century classic. Breaking the mould, the Penicillin is our first scotch cocktail and comes courtesy of Sam Ross, ex-Milk & Honey bartender and now Attaboy co-owner. It uses blended scotch, lemon juice, honey-ginger syrup and Islay scotch and is garnished with candied ginger. As the years slip by, it seems to gain in popularity in this classics list – it’s up four this year. A legacy drink without the competition.
14. Bloody Mary
 |
Bringing much to the morning economy is the Bloody Mary. As long as there are hangovers, here is a drink that will never go out of fashion. It is among the top 10-selling classics in more than a quarter of bars we polled. If you are in reach of the Connaught and in need of a Bloody Mary, go there – they do the best ones. Ago Perrone uses Ketel One vodka, fresh tomato juice, a homemade spice mix, fresh lemon juice and celery air.
13. Sazerac
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| Liquor |
Dropping three places is the Sazerac. This boozy classic remains a stalwart, with 28% of polled bars saying it was among their top 10. Purists use cognac and so did bartenders in the 1850s, until phylloxera ravaged French vineyards and the American Civil War made the sourcing of cognac something of a triviality. It was replaced by whiskey and many today prefer the double booze hit to be propelled by the grain not the grape. Rimmed with absinthe, the fumes tell you this is not a session beverage.
12. Boulevardier
 |
Take the gin out of a Negroni and replace with American whiskey and you have a Boulevardier. While this was a popular drink back in the ’20s, more than a quarter of our polled bars had it among their top 10 repertoire. If Negroni-weariness ever sets in, the Boulevardier is well-placed as an evolution. So is it rye or bourbon? We lean towards rye, but at the Everleigh they opt for bourbon, Cocchi sweet vermouth, Campari and a cherry to garnish.
11. Aperol Spritz
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| Celebrating Sweets |
Normally up around the 20th mark, the Aperol Spritz is knocking on the door of the top 10 this year. More than a third said it was in the top 10 classics they serve. The Aperol Spritz is never going to be a badge of honour for a bartender, but when they’re in the weeds, bring on the Spritz order. With wine, Aperol and soda all making friends in a glass, it is a refreshing Italian-style aperitivo perfect for the more sober occasion.
10. Mojito
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| BBC Good Food |
Down one to number 10, the cocktail of the indiscriminate masses is still looking pretty stable in the upper reaches of this list. Almost a third of bars said the Cuban classic is in the top 10 of their repertoire. Bacardi and Havana Club are the first choices, but Plantation gets a shout too. For authenticity the rum should be of Cuban style, the greenery is best in spearmint form and the sugar dissolved – it’s amazing how this last step is neglected. Not in the world’s best bars, of course.
9. Espresso Martini
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| BASCO |
8. Moscow Mule
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| Liquor |
Frozen in eight is the Moscow Mule. A high ranking for such a simple drink, and perhaps evidence of thawing attitudes towards vodka. The Mule is the top vodka serve this year and present as a top-10 classic in almost 40% of our polled bars, with 8% having it down as their top classic serve. It’s vodka, lime, ginger and soda – one for the less adventurous punters.
7. Manhattan
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| Liquor |
Seventh seems a little low-rise for the Manhattan – it’s only ever been placed high up in the top four. Around 9% say it’s a top-three classic in their bar but 45% count it within their top 10. The mix of peppery rye, bitters and sweet vermouth are most frequently partnered with Rittenhouse, Bulleit and Woodford Reserve. Jim Meehan of PDT has the recipe: rye whiskey, sweet vermouth and two dashes of Angostura, stirred with ice, strained into a chilled coupe and garnished with brandied cherries.
6. Margarita
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| Racheal |
The Margarita, up one from last year, is the top tequila classic in our sample of the world’s best bars. This is the sort of drink that every bar can make, so long as they have tequila and limes. Very few made it their top classic served, but it’s in the top three in more than 10% of those polled. Let’s head to San Francisco for a Tommy’s Margarita recipe. Owner Julio Bermejo uses 100% agave tequila, plus fresh lime juice and agave syrup.
5. Daiquiri
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The Daiquiri is the most ordered rum drink in the world’s best bars. A surprisingly low 5% said this was their top classic, but 17% named it in their top three and more than half in their top 10. At the drink’s home, Havana’s La Floridita, they prefer the frozen version, but mostly this is lime juice, white rum and sugar syrup, shaken and served.
4. Dry Martini
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| Liquor |
The Dry Martini – made with gin, not vodka – gains two places this year. This boozy yet refined favourite was the top classic in 7% of our polled bars and among the top three in 20%. Just over half said it figured in their top 10. There are many bars that might claim to make the exemplar but Barcelona’s Dry Martini (multi-time member of The World’s 50 Best Bars) is one. It uses half-and-half gin to French vermouth, a dash of orange bitters, a squeeze of lemon rind and a green olive. If it’s a Martini for bar owner Javier de la Muelas, drop the lemon.
3. Whiskey Sour
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The Whiskey Sour is up from no.5 this year, leapfrogging the Daiquiri and Manhattan. Only 5% of our poll said it was their top classic but 19% of those polled said it was a top-three serve and almost 60% made it in their top 10. That’s not too surprising as this is an everyman’s drink, hardly a house signature. The recipe is bourbon, lemon juice and a teaspoon of sugar. Egg white is optional, though this is a drink that benefits from texture.
2. Negroni
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It’s looking pretty sweet for the embittered Negroni – that’s four years in a row as the runner-up in this list. The Negroni is no longer a bartender drink – it’s now a firm consumer favourite. 16% of bars said it was their number one classic and it was among the top three served in 45% of bars. It’s ironic really, if ever there was a cocktail that could be thrown together at home, it is the Negroni – it’s a third, a third, a third of Campari, sweet vermouth and gin.
1. Old Fashioned
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Hello old friend. That’s four years straight this vanguard drink of the classic cocktail revival has topped our poll. The Old Fashioned shows no sign of waning – indeed, this American whiskey classic is picking up pace, says our poll. Almost 30% of bars said it was their number one-selling classic. Make it with bourbon, or rye as they probably did way back when. David Wondrich says: one sugar cube wetted with three dashes of Angostura bitters and a little soda, crushed, stirred with a large ice cube and two ounces of rye.
Related Page: Best Selling 2017
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