The Ultimate Cocktail Category Cheat Sheet
Hey, dear geeks.
We’ve come a long way together – from ancient wine-based mixes to blender-powered tiki creations.
Now it’s time to put everything into one handy cheat sheet you can save on your phone or pin to your bar board
Timeline of Eras
- Antiquity (up to mid-17th century)
- Eggnog – spirit/beer/fortified wine + soft + whole egg
- Sangria – wine + citrus + soft
- Posset – hot wine + starch + sugar + yolk + dried fruit
- Punch Era (mid-17th to late 18th century)
- Toddy – spirit + sweet + sour + soft + citrus peel
- Sling – spirit + sweet + soft + spice (later + sour + bitters)
- Sour – spirit + citrus + sugar (+ egg white from 1922)
- Flip – spirit + beer + sweet + egg + cream
- Julep – spirit + sweet + soft + herb + crushed ice
- Smash – julep + sour
- Cocktail Era (late 18th to mid-19th century)
- Cocktail – spirit + sweet + spice + water
- Collins – spirit + sweet + sour + filler
- Cobbler – spirit + sweet + fruit + crushed ice
- Scafa – spirit + maraschino + herbal liqueur + bitters
- Pousse Café – layered
- Knickebein – layered egg + liqueurs + nutmeg
- Golden Age (late 19th to early 20th century)
- Highball – spirit + filler
- Rickey – spirit + lime juice + soda
- Fizz – spirit + sweet + sour + soda (+ egg white = Silver Fizz)
- Daisy – spirit + sweet + sour + crushed ice + soda
- Prohibition (first half of 20th century)
- Bucks – spirit + sour + ginger lemonade
- Snappers – spirit + tomato juice + spice
- Creamy – cocktail + cream
- New Wave (mid-20th century)
- Frozen – any cocktail + blender + ice
- Zoom – creamy + honey
- Lassie – spirit + yogurt + spice + filler
Techniques worth remembering
- Throwing – pouring between two tins from a height → adds air, softens, and opens up aroma.
- Swizzle – mixing ice + ingredients with a swizzle stick or bar spoon rolled between your palms.
- Dry shake – shaking without ice to create stable foam.
- Shake – classic shake with ice
- Tempering (for eggs) – slowly streaming hot liquid into cold while whisking constantly.
How to work with formulas
- Formula ≠ recipe
- It’s a set of variables you can change.
- You can split one variable into multiple parts (e.g., two base spirits).
- Adjust ratios to suit taste, strength, ice, and temperature.
- Any category can be “modernised” – new syrups, spices, techniques.
Mini examples of formula upgrades
- Becherovka (spirit + sweet + spice) + tonic (filler + acid) → ready-to-serve punch.
- Mint Julep (spirit + sweet + weak + herb + ice) → swap mint for basil + splash of strawberry liqueur → Basil Berry Julep.
- Daiquiri (spirit + sour + sugar) → replace lime with yuzu, sugar with honey, rum with sake + gin → New Asian Sour.
Why this matters
When you know the formula, you’re no longer chained to a recipe. You can:
- React to a guest’s request on the spot.
- Adapt to whatever ingredients you have.
- Build seasonal menus without endless prep.
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Stay boozy. Stay nerds
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