16 Cocktails To Celebrate National Cocktail Day In Style

National Cocktail Day (March 24) is here, and we’ve got another roundup packed with options and featuring brands we love and brands we’re getting to know. In this National Cocktail Day roundup, we’ve got an array of drinks, including some canned ready-to-drink options, along with a creation from D.L. Chandler.

National Cocktail Day’s origins are hard to nail down, and as I said last year, I began the Spirit.Ed column because of my love for cocktails, their history, and learning how to create my own. This year, I was cramming for ideas, and I think I stumbled into a drink that will really have its moment to shine as the warmer months come into view.

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The working name for the cocktail I created is the Spicy Siren, inspired in part by my late mother and my late grandmother. The women couldn’t have been more different in their attitudes and temperament, but their love and devotion to me, my siblings, and all who knew them was undeniable. I thought of my mother’s fiery, firm, but loyal nature, and my Nana’s sweet, patient, and guiding hand. I miss them both dearly.

The Spicy Siren (Or should I call it Siren’s Sting?) is a tequila-based shaken cocktail meant to be served in a martini or coupe glass over ice. I used 21 Seeds’ cucumber and jalapeno-infused tequila, Chinola passion fruit liqueur, pineapple juice, and a touch of demerara rich simple syrup. The recipe is below.

1. The Spicy Siren (or Siren’s Sting)

Ingredients:
2 oz 21 Seeds Cucumber Jalapeno Tequila
1 oz Chinola Passion Fruit Liqueur
1 oz Pineapple Juice
1 bar spoon or 1/4 of rich simple syrup (optional)

Method:
Place all ingredients in an ice-filled cocktail shaker. Chill a martini or coupe glass with ice and water as you prepare the drink. Mix the ingredients in the covered shaker for 10-15 seconds. Toss the ice and water from the chilled glass and fill with a bit of ice, then pour the shaken cocktail. Garnish with a couple of de-seeded jalapenos.

Now, I think this drink doesn’t exactly need the simple, but I find it helps tamp down some of the cucumber notes. If I were to make this drink again, I’d try to find some Ghost Tequila for a spicier kick, but as it stands, this drink wins for me.

Check out the rest of our National Cocktail Day offerings below. I’ll be updating this post until 6 PM ET.

2. Aromatic K

Ingredients
2 oz KHEE Soju 22
.5 oz Ylang Ylang Cordial*
.25 oz lime juice
KHEE Ylang Ylang Edible Fragrance

Method: In a shaker, mix ingredients, garnish with a spritz of Ylang Ylang Edible Fragrance, and serve in a wine or martini glass.

*Ylang Ylang Cordial Instructions
Simmer 2 bags green tea in 550ml hot water. Add 1000g pure cane sugar. Let simmer then add 60g citric acid. Let it cool and add in 7-8 drops Ylang Ylang oil. Once all mixed in, continue to let it cool then strain out tea. Refrigerate for several hours or overnight.

3. Blanco Blueberry Ranch Water

Ingredients:
2 oz Dulce Vida Organic Blanco Tequila
1 oz Fresh Lime Juice
6 oz Topo Chico
Muddled Blueberries
Muddled Lime

Directions: Run a lime wedge around the edges of a preferred glass, immediately followed by dipping into salt. Place four to five blueberries and one to two lime wedges at the bottom of the glass and muddle. Then add ice, lime juice and tequila. Top with Topo Chico and garnish with a blueberry skewer.

4. Bramble

Ingredients:
2 oz Devil’s Grin Texas Gin
1 oz Fresh Lemon Juice
0.5 oz Simple Syrup
0.5 oz Blackberry Liqueur (Crème de Mûre)
Garnish: Lemon Wheel & Fresh Blackberry

Method: Shake the gin, lemon juice, and simple syrup with ice. Strain into a rocks glass filled with crushed ice. Slowly pour the blackberry liqueur over the top so it “bleeds” through the ice. Garnish with a lemon wheel and a blackberry.

5. Daiquiri

Ingredients
1.5 oz Crown Royal Marquis
1 oz Pineapple Juice
0.5 oz Lime Juice
0.5 oz Simple Syrup
Garnish: Dehydrated lime wheel
Glassware: Coupe

Method: Add all ingredients into a cocktail shaker with ice. Shake vigorously and strain into a coupe glass. Garnish with a dehydrated lime wheel.

6. Espresso Martini

Ingredients
1.5oz Baileys Original Irish Cream
1oz of espresso
1oz of vodka
Glassware: Martini Glass
Garnish: Three Espresso Beans

Method: Add Baileys Original Irish Cream, Espresso, and Vodka to a cocktail shaker. Shake and fine strain into a martini glass. Garnish with espresso beans and enjoy.

7. Firecracker

Ingredients:
0.85oz Dubliner Fiery Irish
0.35oz Crème de Fraise
0.5oz Aperol
3 dashes Peychaud’s Bitters
Top-up 3oz Ginger Beer
Garnish: Fresh strawberry slices

Method:
Build it all in a rocks glass over ice — no shaking, no fuss. Add sliced strawberries on top — the fresher, the better. Let the layers mix, but don’t rush it — it’s got attitude.

8. French 75

Ingredients
1 oz DELEÓN Reposado
0.5 oz Agave Syrup
0.5 oz Fresh lemon juice
0.5 oz Champagne or Prosecco
Garnish: Lemon, Mint, and Green Grape
Glassware: Wine glass

Method: Add all ingredients into a shaker except the Champagne, fill completely with ice and shake vigorously. Strain into a wine glass and top off with Champagne, give a gentle stir and garnish.

9. Golden Hour

Ingredients:
1.5 oz Brown-Butter & Apple Washed OYO American Character Vodka
0.75 oz Fino Sherry
0.5 oz Honey Simple Syrup
0.5 oz Dry Vermouth
3 dashes Toasted Pecan Bitters
1 oz Aquafaba

Directions:
Shake all ingredients vigorously with ice, then double strain into a chilled double old fashioned glass. Garnish with a thin fan of green apple slices on a cocktail pick.

10. Highland Park Penicillin

Ingredients:
2 oz Highland Park Whisky 12YO
¾ oz lemon juice
½ oz honey syrup (2:1 honey  to water)
½ oz ginger syrup
Garnish: candied ginger

Directions:
Add all ingredients to a cocktail shaker. Shake until well-chilled. Strain into chilled cocktail glass and garnish.

11. Margarita

Ingredients:
1.5oz Tequila Don Julio Blanco
0.75oz Fresh Lime Juice
0.75oz Simple Syrup or Agave Nectar
1 Lime Wedge
Glass: Rocks Glass

Method: Combine Tequila Don Julio Blanco, fresh lime juice, simple syrup/agave nectar into a cocktail shaker with ice. Shake well and strain into a rocks glass over ice. Garnish with a lime wedge.

12. Malibu Pink Lemonade

Ingredients
One part Malibu Pink
Two Parts Lemonade
Lemon wedge for garnish

Method
Pour in a glass over ice, garnish with a lemon slice & enjoy!

13. Negroni

Ingredients:
1 oz Fords Gin
1 oz Sweet Red Vermouth
1 oz Bitter Aperitif
Glassware: Double Rocks Glass
Garnish: Orange Twist

Method: Stir all ingredients over ice, then strain into a double rocks glass over new ice.

14. Non-Alcoholic Cosmopolitan

Ingredients:
2 oz Seedlip Grove 42
1 oz Cranberry Juice
½ oz Fresh Lime Juice
½ oz Simple Syrup
Garnish: Lemon Peel
Glassware: Coupe

Directions:
Add all ingredients to a cocktail shaker with ice. Shake & strain into a coupe glass. Garnish with a lemon peel.

15. Old Fashioned

Ingredients:
1.5 oz. Bulleit Bourbon
0.75 oz. Simple Syrup
3 dashes aromatic bitters
Garnish: orange swath
Glassware: Rocks glass

Method: Combine Bulleit bourbon, simple syrup, and bitters in a stirring glass with ice and stir until well chilled. Strain into a rocks glass and garnish with an orange swath.

16. Old Fashioned Port of Entry

Ingredients:
1.5 oz Johnnie Walker Black Cask
0.25 oz rich honey syrup (4:1 honey to water)
1 dash almond bitters
1 dash orange bitters
Garnish: Orange peel
Glassware: Rocks

Method: Pour all ingredients into a rocks glass over ice and stir. Garnish with an orange peel.

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