The lineage of IBA official cocktails traces the dynamic narrative of mixology’s evolution and its impact on global cocktail culture. Originating in 1960, the International Bartenders Association (IBA) embarked on a mission to curate a compendium of the most sought-after cocktail recipes. By 1961, they unveiled the inaugural roster comprising 50 cocktails, marking the inception of a legacy.
Through subsequent years, the IBA continually refined its compilation to resonate with shifting preferences, emerging trends, and the advent of novel libations. Fast forward to 2023, and the list has burgeoned to encompass 89 cocktails, meticulously categorized into Unforgettables, Contemporary Classics, and New Era Drinks.
Within the Unforgettables domain dwell perennial favorites such as the Martini, Negroni, and Daiquiri—time-honored elixirs that transcend generational boundaries. Meanwhile, the Contemporary Classics segment boasts modern darlings like the Mojito, Cosmopolitan, and Margarita, emblematic of mixology’s ever-evolving landscape.
Lastly, the New Era Drinks enclave embodies innovation at its zenith, featuring avant-garde creations that push the envelope of flavor and presentation. These boundary-pushing libations, often imbued with unique ingredients and techniques, epitomize the vanguard of mixological artistry.
In essence, the IBA official cocktails serve as both a chronicle of cocktail culture’s rich tapestry and a testament to its enduring allure, celebrating the time-honored classics alongside the trailblazing innovations that continue to redefine the realm of mixology.
Unforgettables IBA official cocktails
Alexander
Made with cognac, cocoa liqueur (crème de cacao), and cream.
Americano
Made with Campari, sweet vermouth, and for the sparkling version, club soda and garnished with a slice of lemon.
Angel face
Made with gin, apricot brandy and calvados in equal amounts.
Aviation
Made with gin, maraschino liqueur, crème de violette, and lemon juice. Some recipes omit the crème de violette.
Between The Sheets
Made with white rum (or other light rum), cognac, triple sec, and lemon juice.
Boulevardier
Made with bourbon or rye whiskey, sweet red vermouth, and bitter Campari.
Brandy Crusta
Made with brandy, maraschino liqueur, curaçao, fresh lemon juice, sugar syrup, and Angostura bitters.
Casino
Made with gin, maraschino liqueur, orange bitters and fresh lemon juice.
Clover Club
Made with gin, lemon juice, raspberry syrup, and an egg white.
Daiquiri
Made with rum, citrus juice (typically lime juice), and sugar or other sweetener.
Dry Martini
Made with gin and white vermouth, and garnished with an olive or a lemon twist.
Gin Fizz
Made with gin, lemon juice, and sugar, which are shaken with ice, poured into a tumbler and topped with carbonated water.
Hanky Panky
Made with gin, sweet vermouth, and Fernet-Branca.
John Collins
Made from Gin, lemon juice, simple syrup and carbonated water.
Last Word
Made with equal amounts of gin, green Chartreuse, maraschino liqueur and freshly pressed lime juice, which are combined in a shaker with ice. After shaking, the mix is poured through a cocktail strainer (sieve) into the glass so that the cocktail contains no ice and is served “straight up”.
Manhattan
Made with whiskey, sweet vermouth, and bitters.
Martinez
A classic cocktail made from gin, sweet vermouth, maraschino liqueur and orange bitters that is widely regarded as the direct precursor to the Martini.
Mary Pickford
Made with white rum, fresh pineapple juice, grenadine, and maraschino liqueur. It is served shaken and chilled, often with a maraschino cherry.
Monkey Gland
Made with gin, orange juice, grenadine and absinthe. Created in the 1920s by Harry MacElhone, owner of Harry’s New York Bar in Paris, France.
Negroni
An Italian cocktail made with one part gin, one part vermouth rosso (red, semi-sweet), and one part Campari, garnished with orange peel.
Old Fashioned
Made by muddling sugar with bitters, adding whiskey or, less commonly, brandy, and garnishing with a twist of citrus rind and a cocktail cherry.
Paradise
Made with gin, apricot brandy (apricot liqueur), and orange juice in a 2:1:1 ratio, with a splash of lemon juice.
Planter’s Punch
Made with Jamaican rum, fresh lime juice, and sugar cane juice.
Porto Flip
Made with brandy, ruby port, and one egg yolk.
Ramos Fizz
Made with gin, lemon juice, lime juice, egg white, sugar, cream, orange flower water, and soda water. It is served in a large non-tapered 12 to 14 ounce Collins glass.
Rusty Nail
Made by mixing Drambuie and Scotch whisky
Sazerac
A local New Orleans variation of a cognac or whiskey cocktail, named for the Sazerac de Forge et Fils brand of cognac brandy that served as its original main ingredient. The drink is most traditionally a combination of cognac or rye whiskey, absinthe, Peychaud’s Bitters, and sugar, although bourbon whiskey is sometimes substituted for the rye and Herbsaint is sometimes substituted for the absinthe.
Sidecar
Made with cognac, orange liqueur (Cointreau, Grand Marnier, Dry Curaçao, or triple sec), plus lemon juice.
Stinger
Duo cocktail made by adding crème de menthe to brandy (although recipes vary).
Tuxedo
Made with gin, dry vermouth, orange bitters, maraschino and absinthe.
Vieux Carré
Made with rye whiskey, cognac, sweet vermouth liqueur, Bénédictine, and Peychaud’s bitters.
Whiskey Sour
Mixed drink containing whiskey (often bourbon), lemon juice, sugar, and optionally, a dash of egg white.
White Lady
Essentially a sidecar made with gin in place of brandy. What makes it different from the simple gin sour is the switching of sugar for triple sec. The cocktail sometimes also includes additional ingredients, for example egg white, sugar, or cream.
Contemporary classics IBA official cocktails
Bellini
Made with Prosecco and peach purée or nectar.
Black Russian
Made with vodka and coffee liqueur.
Bloody Mary
Made with vodka, tomato juice, and other spices and flavorings including Worcestershire sauce, hot sauces, garlic, herbs, horseradish, celery, olives, salt, black pepper, lemon juice, lime juice and celery salt.
Caipirinha
Brazil’s national cocktail, made with cachaça (sugarcane hard liquor), sugar, and lime.
Champagne cocktail
Made with sugar, Angostura bitters, Champagne, brandy and a maraschino cherry as a garnish.
Corpse Reviver #2
Consists of equal parts gin, lemon juice, orange liqueur (commonly Cointreau), Kina Lillet (now usually replaced with Cocchi Americano, as a closer match to Kina Lillet than modern Lillet Blanc), and a dash of absinthe.
Cosmopolitan
Made with vodka, triple sec, cranberry juice, and freshly squeezed or sweetened lime juice.
Cuba Libre
Made with cola, rum, and in many recipes lime juice on ice.
French 75
Made from gin, Champagne, lemon juice, and sugar.
French Connection
Made with equal parts cognac and amaretto liqueur.
Golden Dream
Made with Galliano, triple sec, orange juice and cream.
Grasshopper
Made with equal parts green crème de menthe, white crème de cacao, and cream shaken with ice and strained into a chilled cocktail glass.
Hemingway Special
Made with rum, lime juice, maraschino liqueur, and grapefruit juice and served in a double cocktail glass.
Horse’s Neck
Made with brandy (or sometimes bourbon) and ginger ale, with a long spiral of lemon peel draped over the edge of an ‘old-fashioned’ or highball glass.
Irish Coffee
Made with hot coffee, Irish whiskey, and sugar, stirred, and topped with cream. The coffee is drunk through the cream.
Kir
Made with a measure of crème de cassis (blackcurrant liqueur) topped up with white wine.
Long Island Iced Tea
Typically made with vodka, tequila, light rum, triple sec, gin, and a splash of cola, which gives the drink the same amber hue as iced tea.
Mai Tai
Based on rum, Curaçao liqueur, orgeat syrup, and lime juice, associated with Polynesian-style settings.
Margarita
Made with tequila, orange liqueur, and lime juice often served with salt on the rim of the glass.
Mimosa
Made with Champagne (or other sparkling wine) and chilled citrus juice, usually orange juice unless otherwise specified.
Mint Julep
Made primarily with bourbon, sugar, water, crushed or shaved ice, and fresh mint.
Mojito
Made with white rum, sugar (traditionally sugar cane juice), lime juice, soda water, and mint.
Moscow Mule
Made with vodka, spicy ginger beer, and lime juice, garnished with a slice or wedge of lime.
Piña Colada
Made with rum, cream of coconut or coconut milk, and pineapple juice, usually served either blended or shaken with ice.
Pisco Sour
The Peruvian pisco sour uses Peruvian pisco as the base liquor and adds freshly squeezed lemon juice, simple syrup, ice, egg white, and Angostura bitters. The Chilean version is similar, but uses Chilean pisco and pica lime, and excludes the bitters and egg white. Other variants of the cocktail include those created with fruits like pineapple or plants such as coca leaves.
Sea Breeze
Made with vodka, cranberry juice, and grapefruit juice.
Sex On The Beach
Made with vodka, peach schnapps, orange juice and cranberry juice.
Singapore Sling
A gin-based sling cocktail from Singapore.
Tequila Sunrise
Made with tequila, orange juice, and grenadine syrup.
Vesper
Originally made of gin, vodka, and Kina Lillet. The formulations of its ingredients have changed since its original publication in print, and so some modern bartenders have created new versions which attempt to more closely mimic the original taste.
Zombie
Made with fruit juices, liqueurs, and various rums.
New era drinks IBA official cocktails
Barracuda
Made with gold rum, Galliano liqueur, pineapple juice, fresh lime juice and top with Prosecco.
Bee’s Knees
Made with gin, fresh lemon juice, and honey. It is served shaken and chilled, often with a lemon twist.
Bramble
Made with dry gin, lemon juice, sugar syrup, crème de mûre (blackberry liqueur), and crushed ice.
Canchanchara
Made with Cuban aguardiente, honey, and fresh lime juice.
Dark ‘n’ Stormy
Made with Goslings Black Seal Rum (the “dark”) and ginger beer (the “stormy”) served over ice and garnished with a slice of lime.
Espresso Martini
Made with vodka, espresso coffee, coffee liqueur, and sugar syrup. It is not a true martini as it contains neither gin nor vermouth, but is one of many drinks that incorporate the term into their names.
Fernandito
A long drink of Argentine origin consisting of the Italian amaro liqueur fernet and cola, served over ice.
French Martini
The key ingredient that makes a martini “French” is Chambord, a black raspberry liqueur that has been produced in France since 1685.
Illegal
Made with mezcal, Jamaica overproof white rum, Falernum, maraschino liqueur, lime juice, simple syrup, and optionally a few drops of egg white.
Lemon Drop
A vodka-based cocktail that is prepared with the addition of lemon juice, triple sec and simple syrup.
Naked and Famous
Made with equal parts mezcal, yellow Chartreuse, Aperol, and fresh lime juice.
New York Sour
Made with whiskey (rye or bourbon), simple syrup, lemon juice, egg white, and red wine (Shiraz or Malbec).
Old Cuban
Created in 2001 by mixologist Audrey Saunders, it is made with aged rum, fresh lime juice, simple syrup, Angostura bitters, mint leaves, and topped with Champagne brut.
Paloma
Most commonly prepared by mixing tequila, lime juice, and a grapefruit-flavored soda such as Fresca, Squirt, or Jarritos and served on the rocks with a lime wedge. Adding salt to the rim of the glass is also an option.
Paper Plane
Made with equal parts bourbon, Aperol, amaro liqueur and lemon juice.
Penicillin
Made with whisky, ginger, and fresh lemon juice.
Russian Spring Punch
Made with vodka, crème de cassis, sugar syrup, and lemon juice.
Spicy Fifty
Made with vodka, elderflower cordial, honey syrup, red chili pepper, and fresh lime juice.
Spritz
Made with Prosecco, bitters and soda water.
Suffering Dastard
Name for two different mixed drinks, one being more of a standard cocktail associated with World War II and the other being more of an exotic drink associated with Tiki bars.
Tipperary
Made with Irish whiskey, sweet red Vermouth, green Chartreuse, and Angostura bitters.
Tommy’s Margarita
Made with tequila, lime juice, and agave nectar or simple syrup and orange bitters served in a cocktail glass. It is distinct from the margarita in its omission of orange liqueur and its preferred substitution of agave nectar to highlight the natural agave notes in tequila.
Trinidad Sour
Made with Angostura bitters, orgeat syrup, lemon juice, and rye whiskey.
Ve.n.to
Made with white smooth grappa, lemon juice, honey mix (made with chamomile infusion if desired), chamomile cordial, and optionally egg white.
Yellow Bird
Made with white rum, Galliano, triple sec, and lime juice.