20 cocktails everyone should try once in their life

Martinis come in many different forms. Before you try all the variations, take it back to basics and have a dry martini. Tasting a dry martini will help you understand the anatomy of a martini and be a better judge of drinks moving forward.  

Make sure you try a dirty martini, too. Having a dirty martini will help you better determine what best suits your palate. You’ll feel classy as heck ordering one, too. 

A Manhattan is a classic cocktail with whiskey and sweet vermouth, and many other cocktails have been made using a Manhattan as the formula. Having a Manhattan is essential for your alcoholic education, especially if you like whiskey.  

An old fashioned is called an old fashioned for a reason. It’s a classic cocktail and a masterclass in bartending as it’s made with mostly alcohol. If you have a good old fashioned, you’ll understand just how much science goes into bartending. 

Try a daiquiri while you’re on vacation. Even if the flavors aren’t exactly what you’re looking for in a drink, a daiquiri will put you in a tropical spirit. 

A sidecar is another classic cocktail. It’s fruity and bouncy and is just as fun to drink as it is to order. It’s a good classic cocktail to try when you first start drinking alcohol or are looking to venture outside your normal order. 

A Jack Rose cocktail is another one of the six classic cocktails, and that alone should be an impetus to try it. But if you need more convincing, the drink tastes strongly of apples. 

Every person of age should take a sip of a margarita at a Mexican restaurant at least once in their life. It's a rite of passage. You don't have to continue drinking them if you're not a fan, but you need to at least give it a go. 

Try a Moscow mule for no other reason than getting to drink out of the copper cups. Any drink that comes in a signature cup is worth ordering at least once. 

You'll sound cool and mysterious when you order a whiskey sour. You might not like the combination of bourbon, lemon juice, simple syrup, and egg white, but at least you'll sound cool and mysterious. 

Mint juleps aren’t just cocktails to have at a horse race. They’re a refreshing splash that people enjoy throughout spring and summer. 

Mojitos are as fun to drink as they are to say. If you don't like mint, you probably won't like a mojito. But since most people like mint, you probably don't have an excuse not to try one. 

Gin, lemon juice, sugar, club soda — it's hard for a cocktail to get any more straightforward than that. You might not love Tom Collins, but you'll respect it. 

An egg white in a cocktail isn't for everyone, but how are you going to know that you don't like it unless you try it? Give it a go with a good ol' gin fizz. 

A Bloody Mary is the ultimate morning cocktail, and it’s an easy one to check off the list of cocktails that everyone should try because just about every brunch restaurant on the planet serves one. Even if you don’t like tomatoes, a Bloody Mary is worth trying.

A French 75 is just an elevated mimosa. However, even if you’ve had a mimosa, it’s still important that you try a French 75. And who knows, you might never want a mimosa again after having one. 

After Negronis became internet famous, lots of people tried the classic cocktail. Not everyone liked it, but at least they tried it. And you should, too, if you haven't already. 

Everybody needs to try a Brandy Alexander because it opens them up to the world of dessert cocktails. You might not like Brandy Alexander, but you’ll have a good idea of whether putting alcohol in ice cream suits you.

It's hard not to enjoy a Gimlet. Between the herby, spicy flavors from the gin, the citrus from the lime, and the sweetness of the sugar, it's both simple and complex. It's a cocktail that defies logic. 

An Aperol spritz might sound like a girly, fruity drink. And it might even be one. But who cares? Embrace the femininity of the cocktail and enjoy it.