Ordering hard mixed drinks at a bar or making some at home allows you to experiment with alcoholic beverages that pack a little more punch than average.
While it doesn’t always mean that a hard drink is harsh, you’ll need a mixed drink that is strong enough to give you the extra kick you want.
Sometimes, you only need a standard drink with no hard-hitting effects. Standard drinks are excellent alcoholic beverages for happy or celebratory moments when you want to enjoy yourself in moderation.
Whether you are looking for hard mixed drinks or standard drinks, we can help you find the best of both worlds. Here’s our list of hard and standard mixed drinks that require a few easily accessible ingredients, including hard liquor. The degree of ease or difficulty in making the drinks varies significantly.
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Hard Mixed Drinks
The idea of hard mixed drinks combines different alcoholic and non-alcoholic items to make the strongest cocktail you can ever taste.
Below are some interesting hard mixed drink recipes you can try at the bar or make at home.
Long Island Iced Tea
Equal amounts of rum, Triple Sec (orange liqueur), tequila, gin, and vodka with an alcohol content of 40% each are combined and then topped with cola to make Long Island Iced Tea.
Most of the drink is pure alcohol, especially if the glass is small, meaning that you add very little cola.
You would expect the taste of the cocktail of five spirits to be bland, but it surprisingly balances well to a pleasant flavor.
Sazerac
Rye whiskey or bourbon, cognac, simple syrup or a sugar cube, and Angostura bitters are mixed to make Sazerac rye whiskey, a popular choice for many strong drink lovers at bars. Some versions may skip the cognac.
Sazerac comes from New Orleans and is popular among whiskey lovers. It was invented in 1838 by Antoine Peychaud.
It may also feature Peychaud’s bitters, ice, and a lemon peel on top of the drink. You can rinse the inside of the mixing glass with some absinthe to enhance the flavor of the Sazerac.
Basic recipe:
- A dash of absinthe
- 2 splashes of Peychaud’s bitters
- ½ ounce of simple syrup
- 2 ounces of rye whiskey
Moscow Mule
Moscow Mule is one of the most potent mixed drinks you can buy or make at home.
Developed in the 1940s, the drink combines ginger beer, lime juice, and vodka. It’s highly loved for a good reason; it’s easy to make since it features only three ingredients.
Moscow Mule is served over ice and with lime slices if desired.
Basic recipe:
- ½ ounce of lime juice
- 2 ounces of vodka
- 4-6 ounces of ginger beer
Alternative recipe:
- 1¼ cups of vodka
- ⅔ cups of lime juice
- 4 cups of ginger beer
Perhaps you have seen one of those characteristic 12-18 ounce copper mugs that hold Moscow Mule. They help the drink remain cool for a long time as you sip at your pleasure.
Bloody Mary
Fernand Petiot first made the Bloody Mary in 1921 at a bar in Paris as a spur-of-the-moment thing. It was once mentioned as one of the most complicated drinks to make by the American Chemical Society.
The main ingredients of Bloody Mary are vodka and tomato juice.
To put your mixology skills to the test, you can make the Bloody Mary using tomato juice, celery salt, horseradish, ice cubes, Worcestershire sauce, black pepper, vodka, Tabasco sauce, garlic salt, and a lime wedge. Some versions may skip some of these ingredients.
To make it easier to make a Bloody Mary, it’s important to use cheap vodka, a generous amount of real tomato juice, and plenty of ice. The ice will slow down the chemical reactions of the acids found in the tomato juice and the other acidic ingredients.
A Bloody Mary is usually mixed in highball glasses and garnished with olives, a celery stalk, a red pepper, and a lime wedge.
Basic recipe:
- Ice cubes
- 2 splashes of Worcestershire sauce
- 1 teaspoon of salt
- 4 ounces of tomato juice
- 2 teaspoons of horseradish
- 1 lime wedge
- 2 ounces of vodka
- 2 splashes of Tabasco sauce
Alternative recipe:
- ⅛ tablespoon of celery salt
- Ice
- 2 ounces of vodka
- 1 tablespoon of lemon juice
- ¾ tablespoon of Worcestershire sauce
- ⅛ tablespoon of pepper
- 1 cup of tomato juice
- 1½ tablespoon of lime juice
- ⅛ tablespoon of hot pepper sauce
- ½ tablespoon of horseradish
Tequila Sunrise
Tequila Sunrise was first created and served as a cocktail by bartenders Bobby Lozoff and Billy Rice. Its popularity grew as Mick Jagger ensured the cocktail was available wherever his rock and roll band played across the US.
Tequila Sunrise features fresh lime juice, tequila, grenadine, and orange juice. Some versions may skip the lime juice.
Basic recipe:
- 1½ ounces of tequila
- 4½ ounces of orange juice
- 1½ teaspoons of grenadine
- Fresh lime juice
Mai Tai
Victor Bergeron created the Mai Tai in 1944 at an Oakland restaurant.
To make Mai Tai at home, you’ll need dark rum, amber rum, orange juice, Cointreau, fresh lime juice, almond extract, granulated sugar, grenadine, and ice cubes.
Mix all ingredients except the dark rum first in a cocktail mixer. Strain the mixture into an ice-filled glass and pour your farm rum into the mixture.
You can garnish a Mai Tai with orange slices, cherry, and pineapple slices.
Simpler versions of the Mai Tai comprise rum, almond syrup, and Triple Sec, with a little dark rum.
Basic recipe:
- 1 ounce of amber rum
- ½ ounce of Cointreau
- 1 tablespoon of fresh lime juice
- A dash of grenadine
- 1 drop of almond extract
- Ice cubes
- 1 ounce of dark rum
- 2 tablespoons of orange juice
- 1 tablespoon of granulated sugar
Standard Drinks
A standard mixed drink is less hard-hitting than a stiff mixed drink. You’ll want the drink to be moderate in alcohol content and flavor if you are to enjoy it fully during easy moments.
Pina Colada
Pina Colada features fresh lime juice, pineapple juice, coconut cream, frozen pineapple, and rum. Different restaurants may have different variations of the cocktail.
Frozen Pina Colada has become very popular, but the original 1950s version was served either over ice or straight up. You can garnish the cocktail with a pineapple wedge or Maraschino cherry.
Basic recipe:
- 1½ cups of rum
- 1 can of cream of coconut
- 2¼ cups of pineapple juice
Mimosa
Do you have a celebratory event or a brunch coming up? Classic Mimosa will serve well as a brunch drink or a celebratory cocktail at events like graduation parties and bridal showers.
Classic Mimosa features either bubbly sparkling wine or champagne. To make Mimosa, you’ll have to mix equal parts of champagne and orange juice.
Basic recipe:
- 2.5 ounces of orange juice
- 2.5 ounces of champagne
Alternative basic recipe:
- ½ ounce of champagne
- ½ ounce of Triple Sec
- 2 ounces of orange juice
Aperol Spritz
To make your own Aperol Spritz, mix equal parts of Aperol with equal amounts of Cinzano Prosecco and a dash of soda in a wine glass containing ice. Garnish the cocktail with a slice of orange.
Tom Collins
To make a Tom Collins classic cocktail at home, you’ll need simple syrup, Old Tom gin, lemon juice, and club soda to top up the mixture.
Basic recipe:
- 2 ounces of Old Tom gin
- 1 ounce of lemon juice
- ½ ounce of simple syrup
- Club soda for topping
Mix all the ingredients in a glass containing wine and stir gently. You can garnish the drink with a cherry and a lemon slice.
Enjoy!
