Annually May 13 is bookmarked as World Cocktail Day. A cocktail is a thing of beauty. Whether you like something delicate and floral, sweet and fruity, or strong and bitter, there’s a drink for you. Discover our most popular recipes, our insider tips, and mixology tricks to create the very best cocktails at home. Crack open the cocktail cabinet, dust off the martini glasses, and get some friends over for a round of truly spectacular tipples. We have gathered a handful of recipes for you so that you can enjoy this World Cocktail Day.

Five drinks recipes to celebrate World Cocktail Day

Apple Martini

The Apple Martini or “Appletini” adds a twist to the typical dry martini. Vodka is used as opposed to gin as the basis of the cocktail and apple schnapps is added for a sweet but slightly sour twist. The cocktail is usually finished with lemon juice and garnished with a slice of apple, simple but tasty.

Ingredients;

2 oz vodka
1 oz apple Schnapps splash of Cointreau thin apple piece for garnish sour apple martini
2 oz vodka
1 oz Apple Schnapps with a big squeeze of fresh lime juice thin apple slice for garnish

Long Island Iced Tea

A cocktail that never seems to go out of style. The potent concoction of rum, tequila, vodka, gin, and triple sec is finished with a mixture of sweet and sour cola and lemon juice. Tea isn’t actually an addition to the drink, but the ingredients used predominantly the cola, provide the profile of tea with much more flavor.

Ingredients;

1/2 oz vodka
1/2 oz gin
1/2 oz light rum
1/4 oz tequila
1/2 oz triple sec
1 Tbsp. fresh lemon juice or possibly to taste
6 oz cola or potentially to fill broken ice

Californication

Californication as used by the Red Hot Chili Peppers means the mixing of different cultures. The cocktail reflects this with the various spirits used within the cocktail from all over the world. A mixture of rum, vodka, tequila, and gin is finished with orange liqueur, lemon juice, and orange juice to mask the various spirits used throughout. Strong and yet sweet. The cocktail is finished with either a slice of orange or a twisted peel of orange rind.

Ingredients;

1/2 oz of vodka, gin, white rum and tequila
Freshly squeezed lemon juice
1 oz Orange liqueur
3 oz’s fresh-squeezed orange juice
Garnish with a slice of fresh-cut orange

Pina Colada

The classic tropical cocktail, with a distinctive look and taste. More of a smoothie as opposed to an alcoholic beverage. The modest yet perfect blend of coconut milk, rum, and pineapple juice has been a firm favorite throughout the years.

Ingredients;

2 oz Captain Morgan Original Spiced Rum
1 Maraschino cherries
6 oz pina colada mix
2 oz pineapple juice
1 pineapple quartered and sliced

Margarita

The simple mixture of tequila, triple sec, and lime juice is often blended with ice but is traditionally served on the rocks. The cocktail is generally presented in a salt-rimmed glass. Various fruity versions have been adapted from the traditional lime, such as raspberry, peach, and strawberry.

Ingredients;

1 (6 ounces) can freeze limeade concentrate
6 fluid ounces of tequila
1 oz Cointreau orange liqueur
2 fluid ounces triple sec

Caipirinha

Originally based on a remedy to cure Spanish flu, the national drink of Brazil is made with cachaca (spirit from a sugar cane) or white rum/vodka, brown sugar, and lime juice.

Ingredients;

2 oz Cachaca (Rum)
1 lime
1 tsp sugar