21 Cocktails with American Roots

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Discover 21 cocktails that were born in the USA. These American cocktails are ideal to drink at home or your favorite local bar.

1. Sazerac

Sazerac Cocktail with Black Background 2
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The Sazerac may be one of the oldest cocktails in America, but the classic New Orleans drink is as relevant today as ever. Follow the Sazerac cocktail recipe and sip the sophisticated cocktail at home.

Sazerac Recipe

2. Old Fashioned

Old Fashioned with Ice Cube
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The Old Fashioned is one of the most classic of classic cocktails. Follow its easy recipe and craft the all-American bourbon cocktail like a pro.

Old Fashioned Recipe

3. Manhattan

Bourbon Manhattan with 3 Cherries
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Crafting a Manhattan at home is both easy and rewarding. You’ll feel like you’re at your favorite New York City bar at 1:00 a.m., but without the drama.

Manhattan Recipe

4. Mint Julep

Mint Julep Next to Hat and Yellow Flowers
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Millions of people drink Mint Juleps while they watch the Kentucky Derby. However, the sweet bourbon smash cocktail tastes great throughout spring and during the other three seasons too.

Mint Julep Recipe

5. Brooklyn

Brooklyn Cocktail with White Background
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Brooklyn isn’t just the most populated borough in New York City. It’s also a pre-Prohibition cocktail that sips like a dream. When you sip a Brooklyn, you’ll forget about the other four boroughs before you get to the bottom of the glass.

Brooklyn Recipe

6. Ward 8

Ward 8 Cocktail from Above with Black Background
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The Ward 8 cocktail isn’t as famous as its cousin, the Whiskey Sour, but it should be. Simultaneously sweet and spicy, this pre-Prohibition potent potable is a Boston beverage with va-va-voom.

Ward 8 Recipe

7. Clover Club

Clover Club Cocktail on Ledge
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Philadelphia’s Clover Club cocktail is delightfully sweet yet tart. Learn how to make the frothy pre-Prohibition cocktail at home in just five minutes.

Clover Club Recipe

8. Long Island Iced Tea

Long Island Iced Tea with Yellow Background from Above
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Leave your jaded impressions of Long Island Iced Tea behind. Not only is the potent potable popular with 20-somethings looking for a quick buzz, but it’s great if you’re in your 30s or beyond.

Long Island Iced Tea Recipe

9. Mai Tai

Mai Tai Cocktail from Above
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The Mai Tai cocktail isn’t just the most iconic tiki drink. It’s also a classic rum cocktail that calls Oakland, California home.

Mai Tai Recipe

10. Hurricane

Hurricane Cocktail with Blue Background

Drinking a Hurricane cocktail at Pat O’Brien’s is a rite of passage for first-time visitors to New Orleans. However, you can craft a better version of the fruity cocktail at home, no matter where you live.

Hurricane Recipe

11. Aviation

Aviation Cocktail Next to Colored Tiles
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Don’t be confused by its deep blue color. The Aviation cocktail is a serious cocktail for serious drinkers. First crafted in New York, this sophisticated sipper has no limit when it comes to sipping this sophisticated sipper.

Aviation Recipe

12. Bronx

Bronx Cocktail with White Background from Above
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Move over Manhattan and Brooklyn! The Bronx isn’t just one of New York City’s most culturally diverse boroughs. It’s also a drink that blends gin with orange juice and two different vermouths. The result is a classic gin cocktail that’s as easy to sip as it is to craft.

Bronx Recipe

13. Gold Rush

Crafted Gold Rush Cocktail with White Background
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The Gold Rush glitters bright in the cocktail galaxy. Follow this easy recipe and craft the tasty bourbon cocktail at home in just five minutes.

Gold Rush Recipe

14. Revolver

Revolver Cocktail with Orange Twist and White Background
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The Revolver cocktail is a boozy bourbon bombshell with a caffeine kick. Why not pull the trigger and give the three-ingredient potent potable a try?

Revolver Recipe

15. Brown Derby

Brown Derby Cocktail with Grapefruit
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Easy to craft and a pleasure to imbibe, the Brown Derby cocktail is ideal for a lazy brunch or a cozy night by the campfire. The addition of maple syrup makes this Los Angeles cocktail simply impossible to resist.

Brown Derby Recipe

16. Kentucky Mule

Kentucky Mule with White Background
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The Kentucky Mule is our favorite mule. The sweet and spicy cocktail is an ideal spring sipper for bourbon drinkers.

Kentucky Mule Recipe

17. Army and Navy

Army and Navy Cocktail
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The Army and Navy cocktail is a classic sipper that’s simultaneously sweet, sour and herbaceous. It’s as easy today as when it debuted in Washington, DC, almost a century ago.

Army and Navy Recipe

18. Cosmopolitan

Cosmopolitan Cocktail with Lime Wheel
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The Cosmo is a serious vodka cocktail that’s easy to craft and even easier to sip. Plus, its pink color and easy recipe make the Cosmo ideal for any spring fling.

Cosmopolitan Recipe

19. Grasshopper

Grasshopper Cocktail from Above with Peach Background
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The Grasshopper is as green as the leaves that grow on the trees each spring. The New Orleans cocktail is also creamy, dreamy and delicious.

Grasshopper Recipe

20. Ranch Water

Ranch Water Up Close
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Ranch Water may not be on your cocktail radar unless you live in Texas. However, this tequila cocktail is so easy to craft and refreshing to drink that it may become your favorite summer sipper.

Ranch Water Recipe

21. Moscow Mule

Moscow Mule with Straw on Ledge
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One of the most popular cocktails across America, the Moscow Mule is having a moment more than 80 years after it was invented in Los Angeles. Yes, the Moscow Mule is indeed a cocktail with American roots.

Moscow Mule Recipe

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We purchased the ingredients and tools used to craft these cocktails.

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Daryl and Mindi Hirsch
Daryl and Mindi Hirsch

Saveur Magazine’s BEST TRAVEL BLOG award winners Daryl and Mindi Hirsch share their culinary travel experiences and recipes on their website 2foodtrippers. Since launching the site in 2012, they’ve traveled to over 40 countries in their quest to bring readers a unique taste of the world.