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The Ultimates

The Ultimate Classics

November 24, 2023

Story: Punch Staff

photo: Lizzie Munro

The Ultimates

The Ultimate Classics

November 24, 2023

Story: Punch Staff

photo: Lizzie Munro

We've conducted blind tastings of 50 different classic cocktails to find the best recipe for each. Here are our favorites.

Since 2016, we’ve set the lofty goal of finding the ultimate expression of every classic cocktail. After asking dozens of America’s best bartenders to submit their finest recipes for Rob Roys, Jungle Birds, Martinis and beyond, we blind tasted them all with a panel of experts to crown a winner. In search of the platonic ideal, we’ve discovered that some first place winners strictly adhere to traditional recipes (the case for the Manhattan and the Bamboo), while others look to unorthodox and potentially controversial methods—such as orange juice in a Whiskey Sour or a Negroni that forgoes an equal parts construction. Here, we’ve rounded up the best of the best classic cocktail recipes.

Espresso Martini Recipe
Recipes

Patrick Smith’s Espresso Martini

Vanilla liqueur adds a fulsome, candied quality to this version.

Recipes

Dante’s Negroni

A more gin-forward take on the classic.

Last Word Cocktail Recipe
Recipes

Paddy O’Brien’s Last Word

A New York craft gin stars in this take on the classic.

Best Frozen Martini
Recipes

Bobby Heugel’s Freezer Martini

An archetypal London dry–style Martini.

best pina colada cocktail recipe
Recipes

Fanny Chu’s Piña Colada

The winner of our Piña Colada blind tasting.

Best Rum Old Fashioned Recipe
Recipes

Jelani Johnson’s Rum Old-Fashioned

Three rums and two types of bitters come together in this winning recipe.

best rob roy cocktail recipe
Recipes

Tom Macy’s Rob Roy

A true exemplar of a modern Rob Roy, with good body and a touch of smoke.

best mai tai cocktail recipe
Recipes

Garret Richard’s Mai Tai

Saline is the secret to this winning Mai Tai.

Recipes

Harrison Ginsberg’s White Negroni

A winning recipe that adds a splash of verjus for extra brightness.

Recipes

Joe Campanale’s Negroni Sbagliato

A Sbagliato with endless layers of piquant, herbal and savory flavors.

Recipes

Haley Traub’s Frozen Margarita

An icy take that adds an unexpected splash of orange juice.

Little Italy Cocktail Recipe
Recipes

Richie Boccato’s Manhattan

A winning, archetypal recipe for the classic.

Recipes

Anton Kinloch’s Zombie

A winning Zombie recipe built on a trio of rums.

Best Martini recipe
Recipes

Harrison Ginsberg’s Martini

In this winning Martini recipe, a few simple ingredients come together in precisely the right proportions.

Most Popular Cocktail Recipes Boulevardier
Recipes

Abigail Gullo’s Boulevardier

A near-perfect example of the cocktail.

Recipes

Leanne Favre’s Oaxaca Old-Fashioned

A winning take on the modern classic adds dimension with two reposado tequilas and saline solution.

Best Paloma Recipe
Recipes

Shannon Tebay’s Paloma

An unfussy example of a fresh-grapefruit Paloma.

Recipes

Anthony Schmidt’s Kingston Negroni

A winning take on the modern classic made with the unexpected addition of oloroso sherry.

Recipes

Jen Akin’s Ti’ Punch

A textbook example of the classic Caribbean cocktail.

Recipes

Brian Evans’ Pornstar Martini

A well-integrated take on the modern classic calls for a homemade vanilla bean syrup.

Best 50 50 Martini Recipe
Recipes

Javelle Taft’s 50/50 Martini

A structured 50/50 Martini thanks to overproof gin.

Best Jungle Bird Cocktail Recipe
Recipes

Giuseppe González’s Jungle Bird

The first place winner of our recent tasting balances bitter, juicy and boozy.

Recipes

Alex Anderson’s Sherry Cobbler

An archetypal, winning recipe for the 19th-century classic.

Frozen Fruit Ice Cubes
Recipes

Sarah Morrissey’s Cosmopolitan

A textbook example of the citrusy classic.

Best Vieux Carre Recipe
Recipes

Chip Tyndale’s Vieux Carré

A winning Vieux Carré that dials back the sweet vermouth, letting the spirits shine.

best Sidecar cocktail recipe
Recipes

Chip Tyndale’s Sidecar

A refined, subtle revision of the Cognac classic.

whiskey sour cocktail recipe dan sabo
Recipes

Dan Sabo’s Whiskey Sour

An unorthodox half-ounce of orange juice amps up the classic Whiskey Sour blueprint.

Best Daiquiri Recipe
Recipes

Pietro Collina’s Daiquiri

The winning recipe in our blind tasting of 20 Daiquiri recipes.

Recipes

Tim Miner’s French 75

This Cognac-based rendition was the winner in a blind tasting of a dozen French 75 recipes.

dale degroff best grasshopper cocktail recipe
Recipes

Dale DeGroff’s Grasshopper

A textbook example of the New Orleans cocktail.

Best Mojito Cocktail Recipe
Recipes

Jelani Johnson’s Mojito

Jelani Johnson's take on the classic took the top spot in our recent blind Mojito tasting.

Recipes

Tom Macy’s Gimlet

The winning formula in our Gimlet blind tasting.

Dirty Martini Recipe
Recipes

Gage & Tollner’s Dirty Gin Martini

House-made brine—without actual olives—stars in this winning recipe.

Recipes

St. John Frizell’s Hemingway Daiquiri

Shaking with a swath of grapefruit peel adds brightness to this winning recipe.

Recipes

Bobby Heugel’s Margarita

A winning recipe for the classic.

Recipes

Chip Tyndale’s Bamboo

A traditional build showcasing both bitter and dry notes with a finish that doesn't fade.

spritz cocktail recipe
Recipes

Doppio Spritz

Two types of Italian aperitivo are the key to this winning recipe.

Little Italy Cocktail Recipe
Recipes

Richie Boccato’s Manhattan

A winning, archetypal recipe for the classic.

Recipes

Matthew Belanger’s Painkiller

A winning recipe built on a trio of rums.

Toby Cecchini Gin Tonic Cocktail Recipe
Recipes

Toby Cecchini’s Gin and Tonic

A winning G&T recipe, made with a slightly unorthodox method.

sazerac cocktail st john frizell
Recipes

St. John Frizell’s Sazerac

This straight-shooting recipe calls on an atomizer for the absinthe rinse to enhance the drink's aromatics.

Chris McMillian Mint Julep Cocktail Recipe
Recipes

Jeffrey Morgenthaler’s Mint Julep

Calling on mint leaves, rich simple syrup and Woodford Reserve bourbon, Jeffrey Morgenthaler favors simplicity in his julep recipe.

Recipes

St. John Frizell’s Irish Coffee

This recipe calls on fresh espresso in place of regular coffee.

Recipes

Maison Premiere’s Ramos Gin Fizz

A winning recipe for the New Orleans classic.

Corpse Reviver No. 2
Recipes

Alicia Perry’s Corpse Reviver No. 2

A pastis rinse completes this perfected take on the classic.

Best Pineapple Daiquiri Recipe
Recipes

Nico de Soto’s Pineapple Daiquiri

A winning recipe built on a base of three rums.

Old Fashioned Cocktail Recipe
Recipes

Tom Macy’s Old-Fashioned

The winner in our blind-tasting.

Best Eggnog Recipe
Recipes

Max Overstrom-Coleman’s Eggnog

An archetypal example of a traditional eggnog.

Champagne Cocktail
Recipes

Dan Sabo’s Champagne Cocktail

A Champagne Cocktail with a little something extra.

Recipes

Nonalcoholic Negroni

A winning zero-proof take on the Italian classic.

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