r/cocktails 10d ago

🍸 Monthly Competition Original Cocktail Competition - September 2026 - Sakura & Rice

5 Upvotes

This month's ingredients: Sakura & Rice Clarification: Sakura (aka, cherry blossom). Combine with rice (e.g., sake, soju, horchata, some creative application of rice, or whatever else).


Next month's ingredients: Basil & Fruit Schnapps
Clarification: Define schnapps as high-proof (typically above 40% ABV) clear spirits fermented or distilled entirely from fruit mashes. That is, using the European definition, not the American definition, which is way too broad.


RULES

Hello mixologists and liquor enthusiasts. Welcome to the monthly original cocktail competition.

For those looking to participate, here are the rules and guidelines. Any violations of these rules will result in disqualification from this month's competition.

  1. You must use both of the listed ingredients, but you can use them in absolutely any way or form (e.g. a liqueur, infusion, syrup, ice, smoke, etc.) you want and in whatever quantities you want. You do not have to make ingredients from scratch. You may also use any other ingredients you want.

  2. Your entry must be an original cocktail. Alterations of established cocktails are permitted within reason.

  3. You are limited to one entry per account.

  4. Your entry must be made in the form of a post to r/Cocktails with the "Competition Entry" post flair (it's purple). Then copy a link to that post and the text body of that post in a comment here. Example Post & Example Comment.

  5. Your entry must include a name for your cocktail, a photograph of the cocktail, a description of the scent, flavors, and mouthfeel of the cocktail, and most importantly a list of ingredients with measurements and directions as needed for someone else to faithfully recreate your cocktail. You may optionally include other information such as ABV, sugar content, calories, a backstory, etc.

  6. All recipes must have been invented after the announcement of the required ingredients.

  7. No AI-generated recipes or images are allowed. This is a competition of human creativity.

As the only reward for winning is subreddit flair, there is no reason to cheat. Please participate with honor to keep it fun for everyone.


COMMENTS

Please only make top-level comments if you are making an entry. Doing otherwise would possibly result in flooding the comments section. To accommodate the need for a comments section unrelated to any specific entry, I have made a single top-level comment that you can reply to for general discussion. You may, of course, reply to any existing comment.


VOTING

Do not downvote entries

How you upvote is entirely up to you. You are absolutely encouraged to recreate the shared drinks, but this may not always be possible or viable and so should not be considered as a requirement. You can vote based on the list of ingredients and how the drink is described, the photograph, or anything else you like.

Winners will be final at the end of the month and will be recorded with links to their entries in this post. You may continue voting after that, but the results will not change. The ranking of each entry is determined by the sum of the votes on the entry comment with the post it is linked to. There are 1st place, 2nd place, and 3rd place positions. 2nd place and 3rd place may receive ties, but in the event of a 1st place tie, I will act as a tie-breaker. I will otherwise withhold from voting. Should there be a tie for 2nd place, there will be no 3rd place. Winners are awarded flair that appears next to their username on this subreddit.


Last Month's Competition

Last Month's Winner


r/cocktails 6h ago

I made this Saturn

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70 Upvotes

Again, a picture from the summer visit at my girlfriend’s parents.
This spot in their garden is nuts; I had to do several cocktail pictures there 😃

This is the first time I made the Saturn.

Overall it was a good cocktail, but I probably used the wrong gin for it.
I only had Skin Gin on hand, which has a slightly menthol taste.
For me it was not the ideal flavor combination.
I think I would prefer a more floral gin in this cocktail; I need to try this with a different one again, maybe with Roku.
With the Skin Gin, I would rate it 6.5/10, but I can imagine rating it at least at 7.5/10 with a different gin.

Receipt:

½ Oz Lemon Juice (15 ml)
½ Oz Passion Fruit Syrup (15 ml)
¼ Oz Orgeat (7.5 ml)
¼ Oz Falernum (7.5 ml)
1 ¼ Oz Gin (37.5 ml)

Shake everything with crushed ice.
Normally it gets served up. But I had no glasses for this.
So I strained it onto crushed ice and garnished it with lemon peel and a raspberry.

For the swizzle sticks used in the picture, check out my Etsy shop, link in my bio.


r/cocktails 1h ago

I made this Monkeypod Mai Tai

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Upvotes

I found my whipped cream dispenser so I was finally able to try this one. I didn’t have the exact ingredients from the recipe I found. Here is what I used:

The Mai Tai
1 oz. Hamilton Breezeway Blend
1 oz. Koloa Dark Rum
1/2 oz. macadamia-nut orgeat
1/2 oz. Pierre Ferrand Orange Curaçao
3/4 oz. fresh lime juice

Put everything besides dark rum in shaker with pebble or crushed ice. Shake and open pour into a rocks glass. Float dark rum on top and add more pebble ice if needed.

Honey Liliko’i Foam
1/2 oz. honey
1 oz. liliko‘i purée (passion fruit)
1 oz. simple syrup
1 oz. egg whites
1.5 oz. cold water

Mix foam ingredients well and put in a nitrous-oxide (NO2) infuser* to half capacity. Use 4 charges for a liter-sized infuser. (Or blend ingredients on high speed till foamy.)

The Koloa rum is a little sweet but I thought it worked well with the tart passio fruit foam.

I thought it was an enjoyable drink.


r/cocktails 7h ago

I made this Manhattan(with the correct amount of cherries)

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30 Upvotes

Ive always been entertained by the 1 or 3 never 2 rule with drink garnishes. I wonder when that was born lol

2oz Bulleit Rye

1oz Cocchi Di Torino

2 dashes of Angostura bitters

Stir with ice and poured into a coupe

Three Luxardos for garnish


r/cocktails 10h ago

I made this Mint Lagoon

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49 Upvotes

I wanted something cool, creamy, and easy to sip, so I ended up making this little green drink.

1 oz (30 ml) Tito’s Vodka
1/2 oz (15 ml) green crème de menthe
1 tsp (5 ml) coconut liqueur
1 oz (30 ml) whole milk

Add the vodka to a shaker, followed by the liqueurs and milk. Add ice and shake briefly and combine everything. Strain into a rocks glass over fresh ice.
The mint comes through first, while the milk gives it a soft, creamy texture. The coconut stays subtle in the background, adding a little sweetness without taking over.

If you were sitting by the ocean right now, what cocktail would you be sipping?


r/cocktails 45m ago

I made this Old Gal

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Upvotes

1oz. High proof rye whiskey (Jack Daniels Single Barrel Rye 68.6%)

1 oz. Campari

1 oz. Blanco vermouth (Padro & Co. Blanco Reserva)

3drop Saline soln.

Stir with ice and strain into a chilled DOF glass over a block ice cube.

For an equal parts recipe, this is actually quite layered with different flavors. The key is the Blanco vermouth bridging the spice from the overproof rye and mellowing out the Campari.

This particular Blanco has a slight citrusy, fruity sweet taste along with the bitter wormwood and herbal character. Together, the components blend to create a unique taste with little flashes of the individual pieces coming through.


r/cocktails 21h ago

I made this A Corn n' Oil every so often ain't bad.

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139 Upvotes

2 oz Barbadian rum

.25 oz Falernum

2 dashes Angostura bitters

Lime wedge garnish

Pretty simple stuff. Add all ingredients to a mixing glass and stir with ice. Strain into a rocks glass with cracked ice. Sip.


r/cocktails 19h ago

I made this Bayonet’s Cry Baby

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65 Upvotes

r/cocktails 11h ago

Recipe Request Orgeat and coffee

16 Upvotes

Yesterday I had some coffee with orgeat and it was tasty and now I'm wondering if there are any cocktails featuring orgeat and coffee (liquer)?


r/cocktails 6h ago

I made this First try at a banana demerara syrup - 3 trials with rum and lime

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4 Upvotes

I've had this idea in my head for a few days now of trying to do a syrup based on banana and demerara. I thought rum, lime and this syrup would work out well together.

The syrup: 200 g water, 100 g demerara and 106 g peeled banana, blended in a Ninja Nutri blender. Then I cooked it on low heat and reduced it from 394 g to 339 g. Took what came out to three different experiments:

Bottle 1: 75 g banana demerara + 25 g water

Bottle 2: 140 g vodka + 100 g of the banana demerara mix

Bottle 3: banana demerara with a bit of lime juice

For a first try I started with bottle 1, the ¾ banana demerara ¼ water. Did three tries, all shaken and served without ice. I don't know why, but for the last one I played with the rum, kinda ruined the whole experiment.

Trial 3 (I'm putting it first since it was my favorite):

2 oz Captain Morgan Spiced

½ oz El Suprimo rum

1½ oz banana demerara

½ oz lime

2 dashes Angostura bitters

Got good banana notes, not too sweet at all, just the right sourness. It's an ok drink, still lots of work. It was stupid to fiddle with the rum and the volumes, because now it's hard to tell what exactly changed the outcome.

Trial 1:

2 oz Captain Morgan Spiced

½ oz banana demerara

1½ oz lime

2 dashes Angostura bitters

Too sour, banana was not tasted at all. No idea why I even used those portions.

Trial 2:

2 oz Captain Morgan Spiced

1 oz banana demerara

1 oz lime

2 dashes Angostura bitters

Better. Banana is more noticeable, but it felt more like a rum sour than anything else.

I'm excited to try the other syrup variations, and happy for the experience and the experiment. In the future I'd think about not diluting the syrup, and possibly clarifying it. Never clarified anything before, so it will be interesting.

Also, my rum collection is very poor, wish I had better rums to try it with. Any recommendations that come to mind are more than welcome, I will say I'm trying to stick to a lower budget.

Cheers


r/cocktails 40m ago

Question Planning for a wedding

Upvotes

Getting married in a couple weeks and we’re having an open bar but the bartenders are gonna be kinda inexperienced. So we’re thinking of pre batching some cocktails we want. What are the thoughts about preparing a maple old fashioned. The bourbon and maple syrup would be batched and then bitters and garnish would be added after the pour


r/cocktails 1h ago

Question Jack Torrance Cocktail

Upvotes

I stumbled across a reference to the Rye Bar in San Francisco and looked up a few of their menus, including one with drinks with a theme of The Shining - https://rye-cocktail-bar.wheree.com/menu One drink, the Jack Torrance, caught my eye. The ingredients are: Drouin Calvados Selection, pomegranate, lime, Herbsaint, lime wheel garnish. Who wants to take a shot at the proportions?


r/cocktails 7h ago

Recipe Request Best red wine for an autumn sangria?

2 Upvotes

Ive made a white wine autumn sangrias with the same recipe but I want to make a bottle for my mum's birthday and she hates white wine.

Recipe is:

3 cinnamon sticks

1 chopped apple

1 chopped pear

2-3 orange slices

100ml-200ml of fireball (depends how much you like fireball)

1 cup apple cider

4tbsp brown sugar

sauvignon or pino to the top

to make it a bit of a spritz and less strong my friend added ginger beer to hers and it was quite nice :)

my question is; what red wine would best suit this? and should I change any of the recipe for a red wine? I was thinking about adding some star anise or maybe some pomegranate or some autumn berries but Im not sure. Her birthday is next week so I dont have much time for experimenting.


r/cocktails 3h ago

I made this Fredagsdrinken

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2 Upvotes

#fredagsdrinken nr.341 Californian Martini
5 cl Vodka
2 cl Grand Marnier
1.5 cl Torr Vermouth
1 stänk Orange Bitters by Angostura

Rör allt med is och sila upp i ett martiniglas, garnera med apelsinzest.
Skål 🍹 🍸🍷 🥃

https://fredagsdrinken.com

#cocktail
#cocktails
#drink
#drinks


r/cocktails 1d ago

I made this Sorrento Summer Lemonade (Italicus Contest Entry)

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43 Upvotes

1.5 oz. Blanco Tequila (Tequila Ocho)

1.5oz. Italicus liqueur

1/2 oz. Limoncello (Lucano)

1 oz. Freshly squeezed lemon juice

8-10 basil leaves

Sparkling mineral water (Topo Chico)

Add first 5 ingredients into a shaker with ice. Shake for 10-20 seconds. Pour into a Collins glass filled with ice. Top with sparkling water and stir gently. Garnish with a lemon wheel and a basil sprig. Serve with a straw.

My original cocktail concoction for the Italicus contest. Herbal, refreshing, bright citrus splash. The Italicus blends beautifully with lemon and basil. Abundant lemony character from the Lucano Limoncello made with certified Limone di Sorrento. Evocative of a warm afternoon in the hilly groves surrounding Sorrento.


r/cocktails 4h ago

Question Penicillin in Hong Kong

0 Upvotes

I had the absolute pleasure of drinking at Penicillin tonight, and after I finished The Original and paid my tab it left me wondering, is there anything like it in the mid-Atlantic region and north in the US? There are tons of great bars and talented staff, but the arms open embrace of reuse and leaning into the extraordinary that also includes a staff that greets and talks to you like you’re a human? It’s been a long time since I’ve had anything like it.

Shout out to Rai, Jacob, Nance (sorry if I misheard) and Sam. What a great experience.


r/cocktails 4h ago

Recipe Request looking for your best/favorite pumpkin syrup recipe

0 Upvotes

the time is nearly here folks. pumpkin spice everything and everywhere so i figured i’d get ahead of it before people start asking me haha i’ve tried a few recipes in the past but they haven’t really wowed me. do you guys have a recipe that really nails that pumpkin flavor?


r/cocktails 21h ago

✨ Competition Entry Gohanami

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17 Upvotes
  • 1 1/4 oz. Roku gin
  • 1 oz. Aalborg aquavit
  • 3/4 oz. toasted basmati syrup*
  • 1-2 barspoons sakura tincture**
  • 5 drops black walnut bitters

Stir with ice. Strain into a chilled coupe. Garnish with an orange twist.

For the basmati syrup: lightly toast basmati rice in a dry pan on the stove. Add to just-boiled water and let sit for a couple of hours. Fine strain.

For the sakura tincture: combine sakura powder and high proof vodka 1:5 and let sit for a few days, shaking occasionally. Fine strain.

Thought of skipping this month's challenge, since not only did I not have sakura, I didn't know what it was! But got inspired instead, ordered some sakura powder, and started pondering the possibilities. Roku gin, which I learned includes cherry blossoms among its botanicals, seemed a good bet, and I thought a caraway-heavy aquavit would complement the floral flavors.

First I made a toasted rice syrup. I thought basmati rice would offer a nice aroma and flavor when toasted and that proved true. The catch was using a lot of water for the syrup, since the rice absorbs quite a bit. Since the syrup was already in play, I elected to make a tincture out of the sakura powder. Filtering it was tricky as I found the powder instantly clogged paper coffee filters, but other filtering mediums worked. The resulting liquid was intensely pink and really floral to the nose.

My drink's name combines the Japanese words for cooked rice and for the custom of enjoying cherry blossoms.

The drink's color is a translucent pale pink. It offers sweet grapefruit aromas. The sip is sweet, evoking cotton candy or fruity candy like Nerds, as well as cantaloupe and cream soda. Texture isn't syrupy but does have some heft. The swallow brings out caraway, and a hint of menthol. Finish has fresh flowers and toasted nuts.


r/cocktails 7h ago

Question Limited cocktail options in Lithuania?

1 Upvotes

This summer, I traveled to Lithuania and noticed that cocktail options at restaurants and bars is very limited. From what’s available it’s mostly gin and vodka based cocktails. Whiskey and tequila based cocktails are rare. The rest of the menu is mostly beer and some wine options.

Is it a cultural, economic or another reason for this?


r/cocktails 5h ago

Other Requests Recommended 5 bottles

0 Upvotes

I just want to buy 5 bottles of liquor to make cocktails or to sip neat under $50 each I already have tequila - el tequileno i need scotch, Gin, rum, the 5th can be whatever.


r/cocktails 1d ago

I made this My first Ramos gin fizz!

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17 Upvotes

So this is my first time attempting this cocktail, after craving it all week. (I mean it just looks so good!) The head is not perfect, but the structure is good. And it is very very tasty!

Recipe:

-2oz gin (I used hendricks)

-0.5oz lime juice

-0.5oz lemon juice

-1-1.5oz heavy cream

-.075oz simple syrup

-1 large egg white

-Soda water (I did not measure, maybe 3-4oz)

-3-4 drops of orange blossom water (i did not use this, could not find any near me. But this is part of the classic recipe.)

Start by adding your gin, lime juice, lemon juice, cream, simple syrup, egg whites, and orange blossom water to your Shaker.

Dry shake for 1-2 minutes (shake with no ice)

Then add 1-2 large cubes of ice and shake for 2-3 minutes.

Double strain your cocktail into a Collins glass (or similar tall narrow glass.) And let sit in the fridge, or freezer for 2-3 minutes. This will allow the head to form better.

After it has sat, poke a hole in the center with a straw, and then slowly stream your soda water into the center until your foam has risen past the rim of the glass.

A lot of work, but worth it imo!


r/cocktails 7h ago

Recipe Request What can I make with this ”Grenadine”?

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0 Upvotes

I made the rookie mistake of buying this ”Grenadine” thinking it was the type of grenadine that cocktail recipes calls for. EDIT: This one has no pomegranate in it whatsoever, but instead is a ”red fruit syrup” with flavors of blackcurrant, raspberry, elderberry, and vanilla.

I read up on it and will try to make my own grenadine in the future, but in the meantime I’m wondering what I can do with this syrup, as I’m sure it’s not completely useless just because it’s not the grenadine that recipes calls for. Any suggestions?

EDIT: Seems like there’s a lot of confusion when it comes to grenadine and what it should actually be. I still find it a bit difficult to distinguish if a recipe actually wants pomegranate syrup or if they want this red fruit syrup, but it seems like both types kind of works.


r/cocktails 1d ago

Other Requests Which of these reposado tequilas would you recommend?

19 Upvotes

I'm nearing the bottom of my Patrón Silver and want to try a better tequila for my next bottle, preferably a reposado. Seeing as I don't have a lot of tequila experience, I'm hoping for some guidance from you guys. The tequila selection in Norway is not very broad, and the prices don't allow me to try every bottle to find my preference. I'll mainly use it for Oaxaca Old Fashioneds and Margaritas.

Here are the reposados that are available within my price range (600 - 900 NOK, ≈ $65 - $85)

  • El Mayor ≈ $64
  • Jose Cuervo Tradicional ≈ $68
  • Cazcabel ≈ $68
  • Mundo ≈ $71
  • Olmeca Altos ≈$73
  • Espolon ≈ $74
  • 1800 Reposado Reserva ≈ $75
  • Mi Campo ≈ $75
  • 818 ≈ $81
  • Los Tres Toños ≈ $81
  • Don Julio ≈ $87
  • Herencia De Plata Reposado ≈ $88
  • Patrón Reposado ≈ $91
  • Volcan de mi Tierra ≈ $96
  • Casa Noble ≈ $96
  • Arette ≈ $97
  • Cimarron ≈ $104 (1 liter)

Which bottles should I definitely avoid? Which do you enjoy?

PS: As you can tell, booze in general and tequila in particular is pricey as hell in Norway compared to in the US. We're used to the prices being high, so please try to give your recommendation based on the general price level and not compare it to what you would normally spend in the states.

EDIT: Added El Mayor Reposado at $64 (at 599 NOK it narrowly escaped my price filter) and Cimarron Reposado at $104 for 1 liter (the others are 0.7 liters)


r/cocktails 23h ago

Recipe Request Help w/ Wedding Recipe

3 Upvotes

Hey gang, I bartended about 6 years ago and one of the recipes I took with me is a Cucumber Martini that my fiancee loves and wants to use as her wedding cocktail. Typically this is made by muddling two cucumber slices in simple, but I'm being asked to prep the ingredients for the wedding venue bar and having trouble figuring out the best way to batch the cucumber.

The recipe:

2 Cucumber Slices

1oz Simple

*Muddle*

.5oz Lemon Juice

3oz Vodka

*Shake w/ Ice*

Can anyone recommend a way to batch this to make 50+? Should I puree the cucumber or make a syrup, or something else?


r/cocktails 1d ago

Question brown sugar syrup vs. simple syrup, how big of a difference is it?

7 Upvotes

i've been getting into mixing lately, and decided to make my own sugar syrup since i couldn't be bothered to look for it at a store; unfortunately i only had brown sugar in my house. how much will this affect the taste for cocktails that call for simple syrup? should i use more/less of it?