Famous Cocktails Quiz
Margaritas, Negronis and Martinis: do you really know the classics?
Which spirit is the base of a classic Margarita?
Got a hunch? Pick the answer that feels right.
Tequila
A Margarita is tequila, orange liqueur and lime juice, usually served with a salted rim, and the tequila gives it its distinctive agave backbone.
Mezcal is also made from agave, but a Margarita built on it is sold as a smoky mezcal Margarita rather than the classic.
A classic Mojito originates from which country?
Got a hunch? Pick the answer that feels right.
Cuba
The Mojito grew out of Havana's rum, lime, mint and sugar drinks, and Ernest Hemingway helped make the bar La Bodeguita del Medio famous for it.
Its likely ancestor is El Draque, a 16th-century remedy of aguardiente, lime, mint and sugar named after Sir Francis Drake.
What ingredient gives a Bloody Mary its distinctive red color?
Got a hunch? Pick the answer that feels right.
Tomato juice
Tomato juice fills most of the glass, with vodka, Worcestershire sauce, hot sauce, lemon and seasoning giving the drink its savory kick.
Fernand Petiot claimed to have invented it at Harry's New York Bar in Paris in the 1920s, and Canada's spicier version with clam juice is the Caesar.
Which cocktail is traditionally made with bourbon, sugar, bitters, and an orange peel?
Got a hunch? Pick the answer that feels right.
Old Fashioned
The Old Fashioned is spirit, sugar, bitters and a citrus twist, the original 1806 definition of a cocktail, which is exactly how it got its name.
Louisville's Pendennis Club claims the drink, and bourbon-loving Kentucky named it the official state cocktail in 2015.
The word "spritz" comes from a German verb meaning what?
Got a hunch? Pick the answer that feels right.
Splash (or spray)
Spritzen means to splash or spray, a nod to 19th-century Austrian soldiers in the Veneto who splashed water into local wines they found too strong.
The modern Aperol Spritz of prosecco, Aperol and soda dates from the 1950s and went global after Campari bought Aperol in 2003.
Which cocktail traditionally uses Champagne and orange juice?
Got a hunch? Pick the answer that feels right.
Mimosa
The Mimosa is roughly equal parts Champagne and orange juice, reportedly created at the Ritz Paris in 1925 and named for the yellow mimosa flower.
The Buck's Fizz, invented at London's Buck's Club in 1921, is the same idea with a heavier pour of Champagne.
The Negroni cocktail was invented in which country?
Got a hunch? Pick the answer that feels right.
Italy
Count Camillo Negroni asked bartender Fosco Scarselli at Caffe Casoni in Florence to strengthen his usual Americano, and the drink took his name around 1919.
Negroni Week, launched by Imbibe magazine in 2013, now raises money for charity in bars across dozens of countries every September.
What are the three ingredients in a classic Negroni?
Got a hunch? Pick the answer that feels right.
Gin, Campari, sweet vermouth
The classic recipe is equal parts gin, Campari and sweet red vermouth, stirred over ice and finished with an orange slice or twist.
Swap the gin for bourbon and you have a Boulevardier; swap it for prosecco and you get the lighter Negroni Sbagliato.
Which cocktail is famously associated with James Bond and his preference for it "shaken, not stirred"?
Got a hunch? Pick the answer that feels right.
Vodka Martini
Bond's vodka martini is first served shaken, not stirred, in Dr. No in 1962, and Sean Connery says the line himself in Goldfinger two years later.
Ian Fleming's Bond invented the Vesper in Casino Royale, made with gin, vodka and Kina Lillet, and named it after Vesper Lynd.
Angostura bitters, a key cocktail ingredient, originated in which country?
Got a hunch? Pick the answer that feels right.
Venezuela
German doctor Johann Siegert created the bitters in 1824 in the Venezuelan town of Angostura, now Ciudad Bolivar, as a stomach remedy for Simon Bolivar's troops.
The company moved to Trinidad in 1875, where the bitters are still made in Port of Spain with a famously oversized label.
What type of glass is a traditional Martini served in?
Got a hunch? Pick the answer that feels right.
V-shaped cocktail glass (Martini glass)
The stemmed, V-shaped glass keeps warm hands away from the drink and shows off its clarity, which is why it has carried the Martini's name since the 1920s.
Many modern bars serve Martinis in a smaller coupe instead, because the wide V spills easily and lets the drink warm faster.
Which tropical cocktail is made with rum, coconut cream, and pineapple juice?
Got a hunch? Pick the answer that feels right.
Piña Colada
Piña Colada means strained pineapple in Spanish, and Puerto Rico, where the Caribe Hilton claims its 1954 invention, made it the national drink in 1978.
Rupert Holmes' 1979 hit Escape (The Piña Colada Song) reached number one in the US and gave the drink a second life.
What is the French liqueur made from elderflowers that became popular in modern cocktails?
Got a hunch? Pick the answer that feels right.
St-Germain
St-Germain launched in 2007, made from fresh elderflowers picked in the French Alps each spring, and bartenders nicknamed it bartender's ketchup.
Chartreuse, another French liqueur, is made by Carthusian monks from a secret recipe of 130 plants.
In bartending, what does "muddling" refer to?
Got a hunch? Pick the answer that feels right.
Crushing ingredients to release flavors
Muddling uses a wooden or plastic pestle to press mint, fruit or sugar in the glass, releasing oils and juice before the spirit goes in.
Over-muddling mint releases bitter chlorophyll, so good bartenders press the leaves gently rather than grinding them.
The Daiquiri cocktail is named after a place in which country?
Got a hunch? Pick the answer that feels right.
Cuba
American engineer Jennings Cox is credited with mixing rum, lime and sugar at the Daiquiri iron mines near Santiago de Cuba around 1898.
Hemingway's version at Havana's El Floridita, the Papa Doble, doubled the rum and swapped the sugar for grapefruit and maraschino.
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All Food and Drink quizzes →About the Famous Cocktails Quiz
Every classic cocktail carries a story. The Sazerac of New Orleans dates to the 1830s and calls for an absinthe-rinsed glass. The Espresso Martini was invented in London in 1983 by Dick Bradsell for a customer who wanted a drink that would wake her up. Trader Vic claimed the Mai Tai in 1944, and bartenders still argue about who invented the Margarita, which is exactly why cocktail trivia is such fun.
These 15 questions cover base spirits, signature ingredients, the countries where famous drinks were created, glassware and a couple of bar techniques. Most are answerable by anyone who has ordered a few rounds; a handful will test people who take their home bar seriously. It works well as a cocktail party icebreaker, a hospitality training warm-up or a rainy afternoon with a well-stocked drinks cabinet.
You will find 15 multiple choice questions here, each with four options. Difficulty: Easy. Most people finish in about 6 minutes, and every answer comes with a short explanation and one extra fact worth keeping.
How to play
Read the question and pick one of the four answers. The correct answer is revealed straight away with a short explanation, then press Next question to keep going. At the end you get your score out of 15 and a full review of your round. Play again any time and the questions arrive in a fresh order. There is no timer and no account.
Good to know before you play
What is the oldest known cocktail?
The word cocktail was first defined in print in 1806 as spirits, sugar, water and bitters. The Sazerac from New Orleans, dating to the 1830s, is often called the oldest named cocktail still served.
Which cocktail is the most popular in the world?
Drinks International's annual bar surveys have placed the Old Fashioned and the Negroni at the top of the best-selling classics for most of the past decade.
What is the difference between shaking and stirring a cocktail?
Shaking chills and dilutes a drink quickly and adds air, which suits cocktails with juice or egg white. Stirring keeps spirit-only drinks like the Martini and Manhattan clear and silky.
Answer key: all 15 questions with explanations
- Which spirit is the base of a classic Margarita?
Tequila A Margarita is tequila, orange liqueur and lime juice, usually served with a salted rim, and the tequila gives it its distinctive agave backbone. Mezcal is also made from agave, but a Margarita built on it is sold as a smoky mezcal Margarita rather than the classic. - A classic Mojito originates from which country?
Cuba The Mojito grew out of Havana's rum, lime, mint and sugar drinks, and Ernest Hemingway helped make the bar La Bodeguita del Medio famous for it. Its likely ancestor is El Draque, a 16th-century remedy of aguardiente, lime, mint and sugar named after Sir Francis Drake. - What ingredient gives a Bloody Mary its distinctive red color?
Tomato juice Tomato juice fills most of the glass, with vodka, Worcestershire sauce, hot sauce, lemon and seasoning giving the drink its savory kick. Fernand Petiot claimed to have invented it at Harry's New York Bar in Paris in the 1920s, and Canada's spicier version with clam juice is the Caesar. - Which cocktail is traditionally made with bourbon, sugar, bitters, and an orange peel?
Old Fashioned The Old Fashioned is spirit, sugar, bitters and a citrus twist, the original 1806 definition of a cocktail, which is exactly how it got its name. Louisville's Pendennis Club claims the drink, and bourbon-loving Kentucky named it the official state cocktail in 2015. - The word "spritz" comes from a German verb meaning what?
Splash (or spray) Spritzen means to splash or spray, a nod to 19th-century Austrian soldiers in the Veneto who splashed water into local wines they found too strong. The modern Aperol Spritz of prosecco, Aperol and soda dates from the 1950s and went global after Campari bought Aperol in 2003. - Which cocktail traditionally uses Champagne and orange juice?
Mimosa The Mimosa is roughly equal parts Champagne and orange juice, reportedly created at the Ritz Paris in 1925 and named for the yellow mimosa flower. The Buck's Fizz, invented at London's Buck's Club in 1921, is the same idea with a heavier pour of Champagne. - The Negroni cocktail was invented in which country?
Italy Count Camillo Negroni asked bartender Fosco Scarselli at Caffe Casoni in Florence to strengthen his usual Americano, and the drink took his name around 1919. Negroni Week, launched by Imbibe magazine in 2013, now raises money for charity in bars across dozens of countries every September. - What are the three ingredients in a classic Negroni?
Gin, Campari, sweet vermouth The classic recipe is equal parts gin, Campari and sweet red vermouth, stirred over ice and finished with an orange slice or twist. Swap the gin for bourbon and you have a Boulevardier; swap it for prosecco and you get the lighter Negroni Sbagliato. - Which cocktail is famously associated with James Bond and his preference for it "shaken, not stirred"?
Vodka Martini Bond's vodka martini is first served shaken, not stirred, in Dr. No in 1962, and Sean Connery says the line himself in Goldfinger two years later. Ian Fleming's Bond invented the Vesper in Casino Royale, made with gin, vodka and Kina Lillet, and named it after Vesper Lynd. - Angostura bitters, a key cocktail ingredient, originated in which country?
Venezuela German doctor Johann Siegert created the bitters in 1824 in the Venezuelan town of Angostura, now Ciudad Bolivar, as a stomach remedy for Simon Bolivar's troops. The company moved to Trinidad in 1875, where the bitters are still made in Port of Spain with a famously oversized label. - What type of glass is a traditional Martini served in?
V-shaped cocktail glass (Martini glass) The stemmed, V-shaped glass keeps warm hands away from the drink and shows off its clarity, which is why it has carried the Martini's name since the 1920s. Many modern bars serve Martinis in a smaller coupe instead, because the wide V spills easily and lets the drink warm faster. - Which tropical cocktail is made with rum, coconut cream, and pineapple juice?
Piña Colada Piña Colada means strained pineapple in Spanish, and Puerto Rico, where the Caribe Hilton claims its 1954 invention, made it the national drink in 1978. Rupert Holmes' 1979 hit Escape (The Piña Colada Song) reached number one in the US and gave the drink a second life. - What is the French liqueur made from elderflowers that became popular in modern cocktails?
St-Germain St-Germain launched in 2007, made from fresh elderflowers picked in the French Alps each spring, and bartenders nicknamed it bartender's ketchup. Chartreuse, another French liqueur, is made by Carthusian monks from a secret recipe of 130 plants. - In bartending, what does "muddling" refer to?
Crushing ingredients to release flavors Muddling uses a wooden or plastic pestle to press mint, fruit or sugar in the glass, releasing oils and juice before the spirit goes in. Over-muddling mint releases bitter chlorophyll, so good bartenders press the leaves gently rather than grinding them. - The Daiquiri cocktail is named after a place in which country?
Cuba American engineer Jennings Cox is credited with mixing rum, lime and sugar at the Daiquiri iron mines near Santiago de Cuba around 1898. Hemingway's version at Havana's El Floridita, the Papa Doble, doubled the rum and swapped the sugar for grapefruit and maraschino.
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