10 Cocktails Every New Bartender Should Learn First
The drinks that come up most often behind the bar. Learn these recipes and you'll handle the majority of orders without hesitation.
Your first week behind the bar, someone will order one of these. Knowing the recipe cold means you're making the drink, not searching for it.
This list isn't about personal favorites or cocktail history. It's the ten drinks that show up most often in real service across bars of all types.
1. Old Fashioned
Bourbon, sugar, bitters, orange peel. The most-ordered classic cocktail in the country. You'll make this multiple times per shift. Get the ratio locked in: 2 oz bourbon, 0.25 oz simple syrup, 2-3 dashes Angostura.
2. Margarita
Tequila, lime, triple sec. Comes up constantly, especially at restaurants. The standard spec: 2 oz blanco tequila, 1 oz lime, 0.75 oz triple sec. Know how to salt a rim quickly.
3. Whiskey Sour
Whiskey, lemon, simple syrup. The template for an entire cocktail family. Once you have this down, you can make a Daiquiri, a Gimlet, and a dozen other sours by swapping the base spirit.
4. Negroni
Gin, sweet vermouth, Campari. Equal parts. One of the easiest recipes to memorize, one of the hardest to get wrong. Stir, don't shake.
5. Mojito
Rum, lime, sugar, mint, soda. Takes longer to make than most drinks on this list, which is why you need to be efficient. Muddle the mint gently. Bruise, don't shred.
6. Espresso Martini
Vodka, coffee liqueur, espresso. The drink that took over. Every bar gets asked for this now. The challenge is speed: you need fresh espresso ready, and it needs to be shaken hard for the foam.
7. Daiquiri
Rum, lime, simple syrup. Three ingredients, no room to hide. This is the drink that shows your technique. If your Daiquiri is balanced, you can make anything.
8. Moscow Mule
Vodka, ginger beer, lime. Built in the glass, no shaker needed. Fast to make during rush. The copper mug is traditional but not required.
9. Manhattan
Rye, sweet vermouth, bitters. The Old Fashioned's dressed-up cousin. Stirred, served up. Know the difference between rye and bourbon for this one.
10. Paloma
Tequila, grapefruit soda, lime, salt. Outsells the Margarita in Mexico and gaining fast everywhere else. Simple build, hard to mess up.
What to do next
Practice these ten until you don't need to think. Then branch out. Pourit has the full recipe for each of these, searchable in under 4 seconds, with the option to scale ingredients and read in Rush Mode during service.
Browse the full cocktail database free on the web.