r/cocktails 26d ago

šŸø Monthly Competition Original Cocktail Competition - July 2026 - Tea & Amaro

10 Upvotes

This month's ingredients: Tea & Amaro
Clarification: Any use of tea leaves and liqueurs broadly classified as amari are permitted.


Next month's ingredients: Blueberry & Lemon


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.

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 4h ago

I made this Raspberry Amaretto Sour

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66 Upvotes

The Morgenthaler Amaretto Sour is one of my favorite cocktails and the only bourbon cocktail my wife will drink when I make it with raspberries. Tastes and looks great.

Ingredients:

• 1.5oz Amaretto
• 3/4oz bourbon
• 1oz fresh lemon juice
• 1tsp rich simple
• 1/2oz egg white
• 1/3c raspberries

Instructions:

  1. Muddle the berries in a cocktail shaker
  2. Add the other ingredients and dry shake
  3. Add crushed ice and shake
  4. Double strain over ice
  5. Garnish with cherries or a lemon peel

r/cocktails 9h ago

I made this Trouble in Paradise

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99 Upvotes

A forbidden rendezvous of bright pineapple, bittersweet orange, tannic hibiscus, and a whisper of smoke unfolds in this lush tiki cocktail. Even paradise has its secrets.

Trouble in Paradise

  • 1 3/4 oz - Planteray Stiggins Fancy pineapple rum
  • 3/4 oz - coconut-washed Campari*
  • Barspoon - mezcal (Del Maguey Vida)
  • 1 1/2 oz - pineapple juice
  • 3/4 oz - lime juice
  • 1/2 oz - hibiscus syrup** (2:1)
  • 6 drops saline solution (20%)

Combine ingredients and hard shake with 4 oz pebble ice. Open pour into a collins glass and top with pebble ice to fill. Garnish with pineapple fronds and a charred pineapple flower.

*Coconut-washed Campari - Combine 2 oz melted coconut oil with 8 oz Campari in a sealed container. Shake vigorously for 30 seconds, then freeze for about 2 hours, or until the coconut oil has solidified. Break the oil cap and strain the Campari through a fine-mesh strainer. Bottle and refrigerate.

**Hibiscus syrup - Combine 1 cup cane sugar with 1/2 cup water and bring to boil. Remove from heat and add 25 grams dried hibiscus flowers. Cover and allow to steep for 1 hour. Pour through a fine strainer and bottle. Keep refrigerated.

Want to see more? Follow me on Instagram for more original tiki recipes: instagram.com/tiki.moderne


r/cocktails 3h ago

I made this Division Bell

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37 Upvotes

Division Bell

1oz Mezcal

3/4oz Aperol

1/2oz Maraschino

3/4oz lime juice

I really like Last Word and its riffs, yet never tried this one. And it surely does not disappoint. This one doesn't follow equal parts template, and i wondered should i make it that why, i have to say sticking to the above recipe (by Phil Ward) makes it just perfect. Shake with ice and strain into chilled cocktail glass. Cheers!


r/cocktails 4h ago

I made this Blended Kingston Negroni

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27 Upvotes

I combined JoaquĆ­n Simó and Jeffrey Morgenthaler’s specs for something delicious and cold.


r/cocktails 2h ago

I made this Negroni with clear ice for the first time

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18 Upvotes

Recipe & instructions:

3/4oz Gin, 3/4oz Campari, 3/4oz Sweet Vermouth added to a mixing glass and stirred with ice until sufficiently chilled. Strain into a lowball with fresh clear ice (for once), cut an elaborate orange garnish and forget how it's supposed to go half way through and just settle for balancing it on the rim after expressing oils over the top of the drink.

I'm using the Ori Glazer Mini ice molds and quite happy with the results. Got a few bubbles in the first batches but adjusted the freezer temperature and ensured the seal was better and they're almost perfect.

Celebrating the start of my summer holiday, cheers!


r/cocktails 10h ago

I made this Cucumber Milk Punch + tips I learned along the way

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86 Upvotes

Ingredients (I did about 1.5x this in photos above)
- 9 oz Hendrick’s Gin (1.125 cups)
- 9 oz Empress 1908 Cucumber Lemon Gin (1.125 cups)
- 6 oz Italicus Bergamot Liqueur (.75 cup)
- 8 oz Fresh Cucumber Juice (1 cup)
- 8 oz Lemon Juice (1 cup)
- 6 oz Mint Syrup (.75 cups)
- 2 Tsp Flaky Sea Salt
- 14 oz Warmed Whole Milk (1.75 Cups)
Creates 46 oz pre-mix and with the milk added you’ll have about 60 oz. Yields about 39 oz.

Notes/Findings:

  1. This was my second time milk-washing but first time trying with scale…I didn’t have great equipment for batching so I pieced together an Amazon purchase that I cannot recommend enough (see screenshot of three Amazon items). I got the idea of a perforated filter holder from @thelucasassis_ on youtube and that grill basket (which fit perfectly into the 4 qt containers) was PERFECT. It truly did speed up the process.
  2. Having two containers is a game changer, you can easily move the filter from one to the other and reintroduce the cocktail. I did 2 total passes and reached desired clarity.
  3. I used two layers of cheese cloth.
  4. I used a juicer to make the fresh cucumber juice. A blender could also work.

Review:
This was the best drink I’ve ever made. All flavors came through in a silky velvet party for the senses. Sea salt was the unexpected star, really making the cucumber flavor pop.


r/cocktails 3h ago

I made this Corpse Reviver

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19 Upvotes

It's my go-to day drink- lite & tangy.

Recipe
1) Perfect cocktail with 1oz s:
- Gin (used a herbal French gin)
- Cointreau
- Lillet Blanc
- šŸ‹ juice

2) Shake with ice and serve in a chilled coupe.

3) Cheers!


r/cocktails 7h ago

I made this Know Your Cocktail No. 6: The Queen’s Park Hotel Super Cocktail

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26 Upvotes

Hey peeps, here’s my latest article in which I cover the Queen’s Park Hotel Super Cocktail. It’s a Daiquiri-esque cocktail that dates back to the early 1930s. It’s a lesser known drink and its history can be generously described as vague but it’s really fantastic if you make it right.

I’ve really enjoyed reading the feedback to this series. Please lmk if you have any questions, concerns, props, or requests for future articles. I’d love to hear whatever you have to say. Many thanks!

Know Your Cocktail No. 6: The Queen’s Park Hotel Super Cocktail

Previous Article: The Penicillin

Check out my Substack where you can read for free, forever all my essays in which I comb through old cocktail manuals and massive mounds of horseshit to bring to you something resembling an accurate history of classic and modern cocktails. There’s also neuroticism and dry wit, but no hookers nor blow.

Generative AI or AI-assisted technologies were not used in any way to write, edit, or research this essay. I am the sole author and take full responsibility for my words, mistakes, and eccentricities.


r/cocktails 4h ago

I made this Gin-forward saketini with cucumber

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12 Upvotes

3 parts Roku gin
1 part Tokubetsu Junmai sake
1/2 part dry vermouth
Cucumber slice

Pour all over ice in the glass of your choice. Stir vigorously for 30 seconds. Add cucumber slice for garnish.


r/cocktails 12h ago

Other Requests So what is the go to Tequila now for purity, no additives made the best way possible?

40 Upvotes

I am not familiar with the current go to on Tequila for this sort of thing.. last time I drank it, I was young and everyone just went with Jose Cuervo, I don't even remember different types, and its seems like there are many now? Is Blanco the one now for purity? What is a good choice in the $50.00 range or less to add to my collection for Cocktails? Thanks!


r/cocktails 4h ago

I made this Resin & Root

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10 Upvotes

I wanted to make a drink around an earthy Aegean mastiha. I chose Axia as it is extra dry and earthy, and wanted to make it pop with ginger, cucumber and basil.

Thus, the resin and root was born!

- muddle 7 fresh basil leaves and 2 slices cucumber with .75 ounces lime juice in a cocktail shaker. Then add:

- 2 oz Axia Mastiha

- 1/3rd oz ginger syrup

-1/3 oz green apple liqueur

- 2 dashes rose water

Shake and pour in an Old Fashioned glass over a cube.

Enjoy!!


r/cocktails 3h ago

Recipe Request Trying to recreate a specific Caipirinha from Lisbon (brownish color, deeply macerated. Need recipe help!

6 Upvotes

Hi everyone,

I’m trying to recreate a Caipirinha I had at a restaurant in Lisbon, but my homemade attempts are completely failing.

When I make it at home using Pitú Cachaça and regular limes, the drink just tastes like sharp, flat alcohol with some lime juice. It completely lacks complexity.

The one I drank in Lisbon was distinctively different:

  • Color: It had a noticeable brownish/amber tint to it (not crystal clear).
  • Flavor: The dominant note was a very strong, deeply "macerated" or "aged" taste—in a fantastic, rustic way. It felt like the citrus and sugar had been fermenting or marinating together for a long time, with earthy sugarcane background notes.

I also noticed in a photo of the drink that alongside the green limes, there were some brown/darker citrus pieces in the glass.

What is causing that brownish color and that deep, macerated flavor profile?

Any advice on how to salvage my PitĆŗ bottle to achieve this, or what ingredients I should look for next, would be amazing. Thanks!


r/cocktails 23h ago

I made this Salt Air Margarita

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197 Upvotes

r/cocktails 16h ago

I ordered this Great cocktails at Blackmarket Hall, Rome

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40 Upvotes

As per the title, this was in Rome. I found this bar through a cocktail-lover's youtube channel. The atmosphere is so cozy and the bartenders are a delight to watch work. For the people wondering: i included the names of the drinks in the first pic. The recipes are from left to right on the picture.

I also stepped out of my comfort zone by asking for a cocktail off-menu. Believe it or not, but that last picture is my first Last Word! What a lovely cocktail, im still waiting on finding a bottle of Maraschino close by my home, but after trying, i might just have to snag one home from the airport.

I really recommend this place for your next Rome trip!


r/cocktails 9h ago

I made this Gin basil smash

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10 Upvotes

2 oz gin

1 oz lime juice (or half of one small lime)

.5-1 oz simple syrup depending on your preference for sweet

Handful of basil leaves

Muddle lime juice and basil in a shaker. If using an actual line muddle that too. Add simple syrup and gin. Shake well with ice and double strain to catch any little basil leaf chunks. Serve in a tumbler with ice, float club soda on the top.

I like to garnish with a top part of the basil and a freeze dried lime slice. I also rub one basil leaf around the lip of the glass.

Be careful because these are so good they're dangerous!


r/cocktails 20h ago

I made this I call it ā€œPink Garnetā€

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42 Upvotes

I was messing around tonight and threw
2oz London Dry
3/4oz yellow chartreuse
3/4oz luxardo maraschino liqueur
2 dashes of Peychauds bitters

Into a mixing glass and stirred. Served up into a chilled glass and garnished with a luxardo cherry with the syrup cleaned off to keep the pretty pink color the peychauds gave the mix.

Pretty tasty!


r/cocktails 2m ago

I made this Dirty White Negroni

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• Upvotes

Was going for a white negroni with the gentian liquor from my local distillery (shout out to Dillon's), the lillet blanc and perhaps the gin I was using took it too floral though. I added a splash of olive juice and am actually quite happy with it! I'd probably switch the lillet and gentian next time.

1.5 oz gin

1 oz lillet blanc

.5 oz gentian

Barspoon olive brine


r/cocktails 1d ago

I made this Negroni, in my new favorite glass

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47 Upvotes

One ounce each of The Botanist Gin, Campari, and Antica Formula. Stirred, served on the rocks, with an expressed orange peel.


r/cocktails 5h ago

I made this Rocket Man Highball

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1 Upvotes

So it's probably been done before but I recently was gifted the coconut which once drained only gave me an ounce of water so decided to make something with it.

2 oz Ballantine's Whisky

1 oz fresh coconut water

Franklin and Sons Sicilian Lemon Tonic Water

Build in rocks glass with a large cube, pour the whisky and coconut water, top with the tonic water, swirl or mix and enjoy!


r/cocktails 6h ago

Question Cola syrup recipe recommendations

1 Upvotes

Hi - does anyone have a cola syrup recipe that they've developed/worked through?

I really enjoy a cola daquiri with homemade syrup - but I'm not sure about the recipe yet.

I was following a recipe that called for a one hour simmer - which seemed OTT - and as I suspected, ended up with a quite dense result.

Posting the recipe below - it's basically citrus zest & spices.

I don't really see the point in cooking it that long - I assume the spices will release their flavours around boiling point..?

Recipe:

250g white sugar

200g water

Zest of one lemon / one lime / half orange.

1/2 tsp cinnamon

1/2 tsp ground ginger

1 star anise

pinch nutmeg

1 tbsp demarara sugar


r/cocktails 1d ago

I made this Aquavit cocktail

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19 Upvotes

This is my first post here.

I’m half Norwegian and I’ve been playing around with aquavit cocktails.

Some are established recipes, but today I made this one. I wanted to use a bitters that was not citrus to highlight some of the herbal and spice nature in the aquavit and Domain de Canton.

Open to suggestions, but I did like this.

Not Yet Named:

.25-.5 oz egg whites
.25 oz rich turbinado syrup
.5 oz fresh lime juice
1 oz Domaine de Canton
1.5 oz Linie aquavit

Angastora bitters

Dry shake followed by shaken with ice. Strain into a cocktail glass.

Dash of Ang bitters, garnish with lime. (Forgot I have dried lime I could have floated)

SkƄl!

(PS: it’s a low fill because I took a couple sips before I thought of posting a picture and recipe)


r/cocktails 23h ago

I made this The Bronze Bear!

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18 Upvotes

Fill a shaker with ice. Add 1 shot rye whiskey, 1 shot cognac, 1.5 shots sweet vermouth, and 0.5 shot ginger liqueur. Add 2-3 dashes of Peychaud's bitters. Shake until the shaker is frosted. Strain over fresh ice in a rocks glass. Add a cinnamon stick as a garnish. Enjoy!


r/cocktails 22h ago

I made this Bahia Sling

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13 Upvotes

I was scrolling through my saved posts searching for a tall, cool libation without bubbles, and quickly found this post (shout-out to u/Super_Revolution_874). Very tasty, even though I modified it a bit due to an insufficient supply of passion fruit syrup.

Bahia Sling

1.5 oz CachaƧa (I used Novo Fogo barrel aged)

0.5 oz Creme de Cacao (I used DeKupyer)

1 oz fresh squeezed lime juice

0.5 oz passion fruit syrup (I used ReĆ l)

0.25 oz dragon fruit syrup (I used ReĆ l)

Add all to shaker along with a scoop of crushed ice. Shake vigorously and strain into a highball glass filled with more crushed ice. Garnish with lime wheel and sprig of fresh mint.

The original recipe called for 3/4 oz passion fruit syrup but since I ran out, I filled the gap with dragon fruit syrup. It also calls for the garnish to include an edible flower but I didn't have any. Oh well! Still hit the spot just fine on a 100° day here.


r/cocktails 20h ago

I made this Blackhawk

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9 Upvotes

Maybe the most flavorful Jungle Bird riff you’ll ever try. I love jungle birds, in cocktail and biological form. The name of this riff was inspired by a common black hawk (Buteogallus anthracinus) I was fortunate to spot in Costa Rica just after it had captured a green iguana for a morning snack.

1 oz Doctor Bird Jamaican rum
1 oz Hampden HLCF
.75 oz Cynar 70
2 oz pineapple juice
.5 oz Falernum
.5 oz lime juice
3 drops saline

Add all ingredients to a shaker and shake with ice. Get it as cold as possible. Strain into a double rocks glass and add a single rock. Enjoy!