The Most Alcoholic Cocktails in the World

Most Alcoholic Cocktails
Most Alcoholic Cocktails

Figuring out what to order at the bar can be difficult, what with the copious amount of choices the bartender can offer you. There are hundreds of alcohols, liqueurs, and mixers that can be blended together to make some seriously delicious cocktails. But what if you just want one drink that'll really give you the kick you're looking for? That's where our list of the most alcoholic cocktails comes into play.

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We did some research to find the most alcoholic cocktails, made with some of the highest-proof alcohols in very large quantities. We looked for drinks where the alcohol isn't diluted by things like juice, vermouth, sodas, and other mixers. The drinks that stood out the most were those that had one or fewer mixers in them. They were also the ones that came recommended to us by bartenders and master mixology consultants like Giovanni Love, who has opened Bar Naná in Manhattan's West Village as well as other bars across the country. Love was kind enough to tell us, "Right off the bat, other than martini's, Manhattan's, Gibson's, and Rob Roy's, the Negroni is the first to come to mind." The Negroni is a classic cocktail, but there are others on our list that you might not know about.

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While absinthe is an obvious component of some of these high-alcohol drinks, there are others on our list made with different liquors with sky-high alcohol contents. Navy-strength gin is a real thing, and when it's added to a Negroni it can make it all the more alcoholic. The same goes for using higher-proof rums like Bacardi's 151 Rum, and of course using grain alcohols like Everclear. But try to avoid downing too many of these cocktails - they're also impeccably concocted and offer a taste of true craftsmanship. While jungle juice may be a bathtub drink for college fraternity boys, there are more sophisticated options to choose from, like Death in the Afternoon, a fantastic cocktail that uses absinthe and champagne to create a phenomenal mix of flavors with the anise-flavored absinthe and the sweetness of the champagne bubbles.

There are hundreds of cocktails out there that boast pretty heavy alcohol contents, but these drinks were the ones that made our list. If you have a heavy-hitting, highly alcoholic cocktail, let us know about it and we'll expand the list to include everything you can dream up!

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Black Russian Cocktail

A take on a White Russian but without the cream, the Black Russian is absolutely delicious served as a shot or as a cocktail on the rocks. The drink only requires coffee-flavored liqueur and vodka. To make it a little more creative, try adding vanilla-flavored vodka. Depending on what kind of vodka you use, it's possible to create an even more alcoholic cocktail than expected - the sky's the limit with Black Russians.

Long Island Ice Tea


This is probably a cocktail you've heard all about if you spent five minutes in a college town. The drink is unbelievably alcoholic, but the taste is somehow masked by the sour mix and soda that is floated on top. The drink calls for gin, vodka, tequila, rum, and triple sec. The only liquor that's missing is whiskey and we can see why it's one of the most alcoholic cocktails around when the only mixer requirement is a "float" of Coke and sour mix.

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Bone Dry Martini

A martini might not be the most exciting item on our list, but it's also one of the oldest and most widely available cocktails out there. The drink uses either gin or vodka and is traditionally diluted with vermouth, which has a lower alcohol content than most spirits because it's fortified wine. When the vermouth is removed, the drink is called a "bone dry" martini and it's one of the most alcoholic drinks you can order at a bar if you don't know whether or not your bartender has Bacardi 151 Rum, 100-proof whiskey, or absinthe stored in their wells.

Death in the Afternoon


This cocktail has an ominous name but it's actually an interesting take on a champagne cocktail - the only difference is the absinthe. It calls for a pretty solid amount of absinthe with a champagne floater. The combination of anise-flavored liqueur and the bubbles will make you forget you're drinking highly concentrated alcohol, so beware when you down one of these drinks in the afternoon…

Negroni


A Negroni is a classic Italian cocktail that has gin, Campari, and sweet vermouth. The drink is traditionally garnished with an orange, which is the only juice that hits this phenomenal cocktail. The Negroni is deliciously bitter and is incredibly drinkable. Gin can get a bad rap, but in this cocktail it's evenly balanced by the vermouth and Campari - and don't forget it's highly alcoholic.

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-Juliet Tierney, The Daily Meal