Editorial
Most people default to ordering the same two or three drinks because nobody ever taught them to explore. This guide changes that. The secret isn't complicated: start with what you already know you like in food and flavour, and work backwards. That same instinct that makes you reach for dark chocolate over vanilla, or fresh citrus over caramel, can become your compass for discovering cocktails you'll actually love. Stop settling for familiar drinks ordered out of habit. Drink with curiosity instead.
Your taste in food and drink is your best starting point. If you naturally reach for dark chocolate, bitter greens, or espresso, you're probably someone who enjoys complexity and richness. Drinks like an Espresso Martini (vodka, coffee liqueur, espresso) or a Negroni (equal parts gin, Campari, sweet vermouth) will speak to you. Both are bittersweet, sophisticated, and rewarding for someone with a taste for depth.
If you prefer brightness, sweetness, and acidity in food, look toward Daiquiris (light rum, fresh lime, simple syrup) or an Aperol Spritz (Aperol, prosecco, soda). These are crisp, easy to drink, and let individual flavours shine without heavy layering. Someone who loves fruit, citrus, and refreshment will find these infinitely more rewarding than a heavy, spirit-forward cocktail.
This isn't about being limited. It's about having a starting line. Once you know which direction resonates, the bartender becomes a guide rather than a mystery to solve.
Every cocktail sits somewhere on four spectrums, and understanding these axes will transform how you navigate any menu.
Sweet vs. Dry: A Daiquiri is bright and dry (despite the sugar, it's balanced by lime). A Manhattan is warm and sweet. A Martini is bone-dry. A Sidecar is richly sweet. Know which end of this spectrum you prefer, and entire categories of drinks will make sense.
Bitter vs. Fruity: Campari, Fernet, and vermouth bring bitterness. Fruit juices, liqueurs, and fresh citrus bring fruity brightness. A Negroni leans bitter. A Margarita leans fruity. An Amaretto Sour is fruity. A Sazerac is austere and bitter.
Spirit-Forward vs. Light: Some drinks are built to showcase whisky or gin (Old Fashioned, Martini, Negroni). Others are longer, softer, built around mixers and dilution (Spritz, Mojito, Colada). Do you want to taste the spirit, or do you want something sessionable and easy?
Shaken vs. Stirred: Shaken cocktails (Margarita, Daiquiri, Sour) tend to be colder, lighter, more aeriated. Stirred cocktails (Manhattan, Martini, Negroni) are silkier, more concentrated. Both matter.
Once you know where you land on these four axes, you can navigate almost any bar confidently.
If you're still uncertain, choose a spirit first. Your favourite spirit will often guide you toward your favourite drinks.
Whisky drinkers should explore the Old Fashioned (the foundation), the Manhattan (smooth and warm), and the Whiskey Sour (bright and balanced). These will teach you the range of what whisky can do in a glass.
Gin fans have the broadest palette. Start with the Martini (bone-dry, spirit-forward), the Negroni (complex, bitter-sweet), and the Gin & Tonic (crisp, botanical). Move to a Gimlet (fresh lime) or a Tom Collins (light, refreshing) to explore gin's range.
Rum drinkers are in for a treat. Light rum makes the Daiquiri (one of the greatest cocktails ever made). Aged rum shines in a Dark & Stormy (rum, spiced ginger beer, lime). Try a Mojito (light rum, mint, lime, soda) for something in between. Rum's range is staggering.
Tequila and mezcal lovers need to know the Margarita (tequila's most famous drink, and for good reason), the Paloma (tequila, grapefruit, lime—often better than a Margarita), and an Oaxacan Old Fashioned (mezcal, bitter, slow). Mezcal especially rewards sipping and exploration.
Vodka drinkers: Vodka is a blank canvas. It's perfect for flavoured Martinis, for mixing with fruit juices and soft flavours, and for letting other ingredients shine. If you like vodka, you're probably someone who loves a clean base for other flavours to emerge. Trust that instinct.
The phrase "surprise me" should be banned from bars. It puts all the work on the bartender and usually results in something forgettable. Instead, give them language to work with.
Say: "I like things dry and spirit-forward. I'm not a fan of sweetness. Something short and bold?" Or: "Give me something bright and refreshing. I love citrus and fruit." Or: "I want to understand gin better. What's educational?"
A great bartender becomes a translator. They're not reading your mind—they're building a drink based on real information. The better your question, the better the answer. And if a bartender seems dismissive of this approach, you're in the wrong bar.
You can also ask: "What's your house Martini style?" or "What spirit are you excited about right now?" These questions often uncover gems that aren't on the menu.
When you're at a bar with a bartender who gets it, order a sequence. Three drinks across an evening, designed to teach you something.
Start lighter and crisper: a Sazerac (rye, absinthe, bitters—austere and herbal). Move to something more layered: a Negroni (equal parts gin, Campari, sweet vermouth—bittersweet and complex). End with something warm and spirit-forward: an Old Fashioned (whisky, sugar, bitters—the template for everything).
Each drink teaches you something about balance, technique, and flavour. You'll taste how spirit forward affects intensity. How sweetness layers with bitterness. How temperature and dilution matter. By the end of the night, you'll understand more about what you like than you would have from a single drink.
Take notes. Seriously. "Dry, herbal, loved it" is worth writing down. The next time you're at a bar, you'll know where to start.
There are about ten cocktails that everyone should try once. Not because they're trendy, but because they're educational. They're the foundation of modern bartending. Once you've tasted them, you have a framework for understanding everything else.
The Negroni is probably the single most important drink you can learn. It teaches balance (equal parts), the relationship between spirit and ingredient, bitterness, smoothness, and sophistication. If you understand a Negroni, you understand cocktails.
The others: Martini (technique and minimalism), Daiquiri (balance and freshness), Old Fashioned (simplicity and depth), Manhattan (warmth and richness), Margarita (tartness and strength), Sazerac (herbal complexity), Gimlet (fresh citrus), Tom Collins (refreshment), Mojito (herbs and brightness).
Order these methodically across a few visits. Each one will reveal something about your palate. See our full ranking of the best classic cocktails for a deeper look at why these matter.
Not all bars treat their menu as an invitation to explore. Some have a fixed list and a closed attitude. Look for bars that feel different.
Seasonal menus signal that the bar is thinking. If the menu changes with the season, ingredients matter. They're being intentional. Learn how to read a cocktail menu to spot quality signals.
Bartender-led tasting programmes are gold. Some bars offer "discovery flights"—three small cocktails designed to show range. This is exactly what you want. You get to explore without commitment.
Depth of spirit selection matters. If they have three gins on the shelf and five bottles of vodka, they're not serious about exploration. Look for bars with ten different gins, or a whole wall dedicated to rum. That signals confidence and knowledge.
Look for cocktail bars in New York and London if you want to see this done exceptionally well. These cities have bars that treat the menu as a journey.
The goal isn't to settle on one drink forever. It's to drink with curiosity, to let your palate evolve, and to find bartenders who get it. Every season will bring new favourite bars. Every year, your tastes will shift slightly.
Some people will drink Martinis for life. Others will bounce between Negronis and Daiquiris depending on mood and season. Some will fall in love with an obscure mezcal-based drink and chase it across cities. All of these are valid.
What matters is intention. The best cocktail drinkers aren't loyal to one drink—they're loyal to the practice of asking good questions, trusting their bartender, and tasting with genuine curiosity. Drink that way, and every bar becomes a place of discovery.
Sofia Reeves has been writing about bars and nightlife across Europe for nine years. Based between London and Paris, she covers date night, cocktail culture, and the art of finding the right atmosphere for every occasion.
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