20 unusual cocktails you need to try

Are you tired of ordering the same popular cocktails every time you go out? Or, maybe you’re looking for something new to excite your taste buds when making cocktails (or mocktails) at home?

From forgotten classics like the herbaceous Bijou to more experimental serves like the Cotton Candy Margarita and Hendrick’s Coconut, we’ve rounded up 20 unusual cocktails worth trying. Each cocktail comes with an ingredients list and method, so you can easily recreate these masterpieces at home, or pass the recipe over to our inmate mixologists when you’re next serving time at Alcotraz.

Whether you’re a seasoned cocktail connoisseur or simply looking to discover your new favourite drink, there’s something here for every taste. Let’s dive into these innovative concoctions and shake up your cocktail repertoire.

1. Coffee & Coke

Looking for something a little different to your usual espresso martini? Try a Coffee and Coke! This energising cocktail will certainly give you the inspiration you need to outwit the Warden at Alcotraz…

Ingredients

• 25 ml of rye whisky
• 5 ml of bitter liqueur
• 5 ml of sweet vermouth
• 25 ml of espresso
• 1 dash of chocolate bitters
• 25 ml of Coca-Cola, to top

Method

Add all of your ingredients, minus the Coca-Cola, to a shaker tin. Shake hard for 10 seconds, before double-straining into a rocks glass with ice. Top the drink with cold Coke and garnish with an orange slice.

2. Bijou

Sometimes, we need to head back to the classics to find a new favourite cocktail. Channel the pre-prohibition era with a herbaceous Bijou. A sophisticated choice for anyone looking to move beyond the usual cocktail menu.

Ingredients

• 25 ml of London dry gin
• 25 ml of sweet vermouth
• 25 ml of Green Chartreuse
• 1 dash of orange bitters
• Lemon peel, to garnish

Method

Combine all of the ingredients in a mixing glass and fill with cracked ice. Stir well for 20 seconds and then strain the cocktail into a chilled cocktail glass. Twist a piece of lemon peel over the drink to express, and then use it as a garnish.

3. Earl Grey Tea

Ever thought of ordering a brew at the bar behind bars? Now you can with an Earl Grey Tea… though do remind your inmate bartender at Alcotraz that you want a cocktail!

Ingredients

• 150 ml of cold Earl Grey tea
• 30 ml of gin
• 5 ml of honey simple syrup
• 5 ml of fresh-squeezed lemon juice
• 2 sprigs of lavender

Method

Start by brewing 4 cups of Earl Grey tea (this will give you enough to make a few cocktails) and then store in the refrigerator to keep cold. Add all of the ingredients into a cocktail shaker, with 2 sprigs of lavender and ice. Shake well and then strain the cocktail into a glass over one large ice cube. Garnish with the sprigs of lavender.

4. Anna Banana

Searching for a fruity cocktail that packs a punch? Look no further than the Anna Banana! This is one for anyone who likes their cocktails a little richer and more indulgent.

Ingredients

• 40 ml malt scotch whisky
• 15 ml of sherry
• 10 ml of banana cream liqueur
• 1 bar spoon of Drambuie
• A lemon twist

Method

Stir all of the ingredients together before pouring the liquid over a large piece of ice. Express a lemon twist over the drink, then drop it in as a garnish.

5. Death In The Gulf Stream

Whilst we can’t guarantee you’ll write as well as Hemingway after this drink, you’ll certainly feel like you’re following in his footsteps after trying his favoured Death In The Gulf Stream cocktail!

Ingredients

• Peeled zest and 1 tablespoon of juice from 1 lime
• 4 dashes of aromatic bitters
• 1 teaspoon of simple syrup
• 75ml of Genever

Method

Fill a tall chimney-style glass, nearly full, with crushed ice. Add the lime zest, lime juice, bitters, and simple syrup. Top the cocktail with Genever and stir, then serve immediately.

6. Cotton Candy Margarita

Looking for a statement drink for your hen do? We fully believe that cocktails are meant to be fun, and nothing says that more than a Cotton Candy Margarita!

Ingredients

• 25 ml of tequila
• 10 ml of triple sec
• 15 ml of lime juice
• 25 ml of cream soda
• Cotton candy
• Corn syrup
• Pink sugar
• 1 lime wheel, to garnish

Method

Start by rimming the edge of the margarita glass in corn syrup and pink sugar, and then place a piece of cotton candy in the glass. Next, in an ice-filled glass, combine the tequila, triple sec, lime juice and cream soda. Stir, before transferring the cocktail over to the margarita glass. Garnish the drink with a lime wheel to serve.

7. Hendrick’s Coconut

Ever imagined sipping gin on a tropical beach? We hadn’t, either, before trying Hendrick’s Coconut! This unusual serve is a delicious and indulgent twist on your usual gin cocktail.

Ingredients

• 35 ml of Hendrick’s Gin
• 75ml of coconut water
• 25 ml of cold brew coffee
• 2 dashes of chocolate bitters

Method

Add all of the ingredients to a shaker and shake hard with ice. Then, finely strain the cocktail into a chilled coupe glass. Garnish with grated nutmeg and mint.

8. Hanky Panky

This classic has been part of London’s cocktail history for more than a century. It’s a sophisticated, herbal serve with plenty of character, and with a name like Hanky Panky, it’s the perfect cheeky choice for a date night in London.

Ingredients

• 35 ml of gin
• 35 ml of sweet vermouth
• 2 dashes of herbal liqueur
• Orange peel, to garnish

Method

Combine all of the ingredients in a mixing glass and fill it with ice. Stir well for 20 seconds, before straining it into a chilled cocktail glass. Twist a piece of orange peel over the drink to express and then use it as a garnish.

9. The Phoenix

Need a new pink, Instagram-able drink that also tastes good too? Try The Phoenix!

Ingredients

• 25 ml of coconut rum
• 50 ml of pineapple mango juice
• 25 ml of pomegranate liqueur
• Freshly sliced pineapple, to garnish

Method

Combine the coconut rum with the pineapple mango juice into a cocktail shaker filled with ice, and shake well. Prepare a glass by pouring in the pomegranate liquor first, and then finely strain the shaken mixture on top. Finish with a garnish of freshly sliced pineapple to serve.

10. Redhead

Want a Moscow Mule with more of a kick? Try a Redhead, instead! Made with vodka, carrot juice, lemon, honey and ginger beer, this is a fresh and unusual twist on the classic mule.

Ingredients

• 75ml of copper crafted vodka
• 50 ml of carrot juice
• 25 ml of lemon juice
• 25 ml of honey
• 2 sprigs of coriander
• Ginger beer, to top
• Carrot slices, garnish

Method

Shake all of the ingredients with cubed ice, and then strain over crushed ice in a copper mule cup. Top with ginger beer, more ice, and garnish with carrot slices.

11. Monkey Gland

With a drink named after an unusual ‘rejuvenation’ treatment from the Prohibition era, the Monkey Gland has certainly earned its place on this list. Combining gin, fresh orange juice, grenadine and absinthe, it’s a unique cocktail with a colourful history.

Ingredients

• 35 ml of gin
• 35 ml of fresh orange juice
• 1 teaspoon of grenadine
• 1 teaspoon of absinthe

Method

Pour all of the ingredients into a cocktail shaker and fill it with ice. Shake well for 10 seconds and then finely strain the drink into a chilled cocktail glass to serve.

12. Beach Blossom

If you’re bored of your usual Pina Colada, try something a little different with a Beach Blossom! This tropical, fruity cocktail is perfect for shaking up at home or passing to the mixologists at Alcotraz on your next night out.

Ingredients

• 50 ml of white rum
• 35 ml lemon juice
• 15 ml of cream of coconut
• 10 ml of guava syrup
• 10 ml of pineapple juice
• 2 dashes of orange flower water
• Sliced coconut, to garnish
• Mint, to garnish

Method

Add all of your ingredients to a cocktail shaker, fill three-quarters of the way with ice, and shake well. Then, strain the cocktail into a glass filled with more ice and garnish with coconut and mint, for a tropical flair!

13. Lambrini Spritz

Looking for something fruity and fizzy for your cocktail night? Give a classic Liverpool-born drink a mixology makeover with a Lambrini Spritz. Lambrini’s light, fruity sparkle makes it an easy base for a refreshing cocktail.

Ingredients

• 100ml Lambrini
• 25ml gin
• 25ml fresh lemon juice
• 15ml elderflower cordial
• Ice
• Lemon wedge and fresh mint, to garnish

Method

Fill a large wine glass with ice. Add the gin, lemon juice and elderflower cordial. Stir gently to combine. Top with Lambrini and give it another gentle stir. Garnish with a lemon wedge and fresh mint.

14. Pink Lady

Looking for a classic cocktail with a little colour? The Pink Lady combines gin, apple brandy, lemon and grenadine for a sweet, tart and beautifully pink serve. A simple-looking cocktail with plenty going on beneath the surface, it’s perfect for anyone who wants to try something a little different.

Ingredients

• 35 ml of dry gin
• 10 ml of apple brandy
• Juice of half a lemon
• 4 dashes of grenadine
• 1 large egg white (will suffice for two drinks)
• Cherry, for garnish

Method

Combine all of the ingredients in a cocktail shaker and shake very hard, without ice, for at least 10 seconds. This will help to emulsify the egg white. Then, fill the shaker with ice and shake again for at least 10 seconds, before straining the drink into a chilled cocktail glass. Finally, garnish with a cherry to serve.

15. Honey Paloma

If you’re a tequila fan, you’ll love a Paloma. But if you want to try something a bit more off the beaten track, why not take it a step further and indulge in a succulent Honey Paloma on your next night out?

Ingredients

• 50 ml of fresh-squeezed grapefruit juice
• 1 tablespoon of fresh lime juice
• 2 teaspoons of honey syrup
• 50 ml of club soda
• 50 ml of tequila
• Grapefruit wedges, to garnish
• Grapefruit salt rim

Method

Start by rimming the glass in a grapefruit salt mixture. Then, fill the glass half full of ice and pour in all of your ingredients. Stir well to combine, add more ice, and garnish the finished cocktail with a grapefruit wedge.

16. Dill Pickle Martini

You either hate pickles or you love them. If you’re the latter, a Dill Pickle Martini could be just the thing for you. This unusually savoury cocktail is certainly not for the faint-hearted: the perfect choice for your next stint as a hardened inmate at Alcotraz.

Ingredients

• 50ml of vodka
• 10 ml to 25 ml of kosher pickle brine
• Dry vermouth, as rinse
• 10 mustard seeds
• Kosher dill pickle, to garnish
• Sprig of dill, to garnish

Method

Combine all of the ingredients in a shaker with ice. Shake the cocktail, strain it into an up glass, and garnish with a dill pickle and sprig of dill.

17. White Lady

If you’re a fan of gin but looking for something a little different to your everyday gin and tonic, try a White Lady. This classic citrusy cocktail is simple, smooth and elegant.

Ingredients

• 50 ml of dry gin
• 10 ml of Cointreau
• 10 ml of fresh lemon juice

Method

Add all of the ingredients into a cocktail shaker filled with ice. Shake well for 10 seconds, before finely straining the drink into a cocktail glass to serve.

18. Lavender Collins

Tom Collins called: he’s bored of his own cocktail, and you are too! Switch it up next time you’re out and ask for a Lavender Collins instead. A floral twist on a well-loved classic, it offers something distinctly unique.

Ingredients

• Lavender in ice cubes
• 150 ml of Collins mix
• 50 ml of gin
• 2 maraschino cherries, to garnish
• Lavender sprigs, to garnish

Method

Start by filling a glass with your lavender ice cubes. Pour the Collins mix and gin over the ice, and stir well. Finish by garnishing the glass with a sprig of lavender and 2 maraschino cherries, to serve.

19. Diamondback

Looking for something different to your usual Manhattan? Discover the Diamondback: a bold and boozy cocktail that’s perfect for fans of spirit-forward serves.

Ingredients

• 35 ml of rye whiskey
• 15 ml of apple brandy
• 15 ml of Green Chartreuse
• Brandied cherry, to garnish

Method

Combine all of your ingredients in a mixing glass with ice. Stir the cocktail, and then finely strain it into a martini glass. Garnish with a brandied cherry.

20. Blood and Sand

A cocktail with a name as dramatic as its ingredients; what could be more fitting when you’re serving your sentence at Alcotraz? This unusual cocktail is fruity and bittersweet with a gentle smoky edge.

Ingredients

• 25ml Scotch whisky
• 25ml cherry liqueur
• 25ml sweet vermouth
• 25ml freshly-squeezed orange juice
• Orange peel, to garnish

Method

Add the Scotch whisky, cherry liqueur, sweet vermouth and orange juice to a cocktail shaker filled with ice. Shake well until chilled, then strain into a chilled cocktail glass. Finish by garnishing with an orange peel.