Cocktail recipes

Find the cocktail that suits you

This page isn’t an encyclopedia. It’s a list to inspire Canadians to choose a cocktail by two simple things: the taste they want in the glass, and how much alcohol they want in it. Each recipe shows its flavour profile and an estimated ABV for the drink as served, dilution included. Filter, compare, then step behind your own bar.

Four alcohol levels, none better than another

Alcohol-free (under 0.5%). Complete cocktails built with alcohol-free spirits, syrups and bitter aperitifs. Some recipes add a few dashes of bitters and show 0.2 or 0.4%, and we always say so. If you want absolute zero, pick a recipe at 0%.

Light (0.5 to 10%). Highballs, spritzes and drinks lengthened with soda or bubbles, made for slow sipping on a patio or early in the evening. Bad Blood, a strawberry gin sour, sits around 7%.

Medium (10 to 20%). Most shaken sours and classics served up: Margarita, Gimlet, Whiskey Sour. This is the heart of the list.

Strong (20% and up). Manhattan, Old Fashioned, Negroni, Martini. Stirred and served without a mixer, they’re made to be savoured slowly.

A useful reminder: ABV measures concentration, not quantity. A tall highball can hold as much alcohol as a small Martini. In Canada, a standard drink contains 13.45 g of alcohol, so check the size of the glass too.

The main cocktail families

Sours. A spirit, citrus, sugar, and often a silky foam. Bright and tart: Whiskey Sour, Pisco Sour, Gimlet, Margarita. Most land in the medium range.

Spirit-forward classics. Martini, Manhattan, Old Fashioned, Negroni, Boulevardier. Aromatic and often bitter, they put the spirit centre stage.

Highballs and long drinks. Gin & tonic, Paloma, Moscow Mule, Dark & Stormy and, of course, the Caesar, the Canadian classic born in Calgary in 1969. Refreshing, easy to make, often light.

Spritzes and bubbles. Bellini, elderflower spritz, spritz lemonade. The aperitif format, with fizz and gentle bitterness.

Tiki and tropical. Mai Tai, Jungle Bird. Rum, fruit and spice, layered.

Silky and indulgent. Espresso Martini, banana-chocolate cocktails, a grown-up hot chocolate: a sweet way to end the evening.

Alcohol-free. “No ABV” versions of great classics (Negroni, Cosmopolitan, Jungle Bird, Espresso Martini) and house creations like the Spicy Soberita and the grapefruit PaNOma.

Choose by flavour profile

• Fruity: strawberry, mango, passion fruit, blueberry. Round, generous, easy to love.
• Citrus: grapefruit, orange, yuzu. For anyone who likes bright and thirst-quenching.
• Herbal and floral: basil, mint, lavender, elderflower, cucumber. Fresh and aromatic.
• Spiced: ginger, chili, pepper, saffron. Warmth that wakes up the glass.
• Indulgent: coffee, chocolate, vanilla, orgeat. Cocktails as dessert.
• Bitter: Campari, amaro, quinine. Before or after dinner.
• Savoury: clam juice, olive, brine. Caesar and Dirty Martini territory.

How to use the list

Combine filters to fit the moment. Light and citrus for a summer patio. Strong and bitter after dinner. Alcohol-free and spiced when you want character without the alcohol. Every search creates a link you can share with guests before the party.

Every recipe here was tested behind our own bar. The syrups, bitters, glassware and tools they call for are available at alambika.ca and in our Montréal and Québec City stores.