The Top 5 Drinks All Bartenders Should Know

Anyone who has tended bar longer than 10 minutes knows that there are a handful of drinks that get ordered over and over again. Knowing how to make the top five or ten drinks most popular cocktails should be the first thing on a new bartender’s list of things to learn. While these drinks may vary by geographical region, the following drinks represent a pretty good start on the “Top five drinks every bartender should know” list.

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Bloody Mary

The Bloody Mary cocktail might just be the most involved drink on any bartender’s top five drinks list. While all incarnations of the drink have vodka, tomato juice, and spices, it’s the jazzy stuff that’s added to these basic ingredients that give this drink its real kick.

Possible ingredients for this popular cocktail include Worchestershire sauce, Tabasco, celery salt, cayenne pepper and beef consommé to name a few. Garnished with olives and a celery stick this is one popular drink that might actually qualify as a meal.

Margarita

Ah, the Margarita. It has so many variations, but at its base it’s a tequila drink that packs plenty of punch. The most popular version of this drink includes the tequila, an orange-flavored liquor, and a lemon-lime base that looks suspiciously like Gatorade in its concentrated form.

It comes on the rocks or frozen and the more daring Margarita drinkers add other flavorful liqueurs like blue curacao or Grand Marnier.

Check Out This Video On How To Make A Margarita

Martini

The martini conjures up images of a James Bond movie. Despite its sophisticated image, this top cocktail is actually quite easy to make. Just a little gin and vermouth and an olive for a bit of taste and color. It comes on the rocks or straight up.

Although its exact origins are unknown, this drink has a long history. Versions of the drink have been seen in bar books since the 19th century.

Daiquiri

This top bar drink might be the one that most people might consider the frou frou drink on the list, but it is ever so popular. It mixes a bit of rum with sugar and lime juice in with fruits like strawberry, banana, or peach. The perfect drink for pool parties on hot summer days.

The daiquiri is most often served frozen and blended, but in its earliest form it was more of a crushed ice concoction with a bit of juice and rum poured over the top. It’s a popular drink among women—especially in the 18 to 25 age range.

Sex on the Beach

No bartender’s must-know list is complete without this drink in its various incarnations. While Tom Cruise made mention of the drink in the movie “Cocktail” by saying, “sex on the beach is made from Schnapps made of peach,” there is also a version that includes the green liquer Midori.

Generally speaking, it’s a sweet drink that in addition to the alcohol includes juices like pineapple and orange. Amaretto is a popular addition, which brings sweetness and an almondy taste to the drink and in lieu of the cranberry juice that’s often used in the cocktail, bartenders sometimes substitute Grenadine, the red stuff that turns the children’s drink the Shirley Temple pink.

Written By: Amy Brite. Amy works closely with Vegas Spot providing the latest news on Las Vegas.