70s Retro Drinks
Mixed drinks from the 1970s exude a unique and enduring awesomeness that has stood the test of time. This era was a golden age of cocktails, characterized by creativity and innovation in mixology. Iconic concoctions like the Tequila Sunrise, Piña Colada, and the Harvey Wallbanger were born in the '70s, each sporting vibrant colors and tantalizing flavors that continue to tantalize taste buds today. These drinks embodied the carefree spirit of the disco era, bringing a sense of fun and indulgence to social gatherings.
The '70s cocktail scene celebrated the fusion of various ingredients and spirits, creating a harmonious symphony of flavors that captured the essence of the times. Whether sipping a classic Moscow Mule or a funky Blue Lagoon, mixed drinks from the 1970s evoke nostalgia and a sense of timeless coolness, making them a beloved part of cocktail culture.
Here are ten favorites...
Brandy Alexander
Cuba Libre
Grasshopper
Harvey Wallbanger
Manhattan
Old Fashioned
Pink Lady
Rob Roy
Singapore Sling
Tequila Sunrise
Brandy Alexander
1 - Brandy Alexander
A Brandy Alexander is a brandy-based cocktail consisting of cognac, crème de cacao, and cream that became popular during the early 20th century. It is a variation of an earlier, gin-based cocktail called simply an Alexander. The cocktail known as Alexander today may contain gin or brandy.
Main alcohol: Brandy
Ingredients: 1 oz (1 part) Fresh cream, 1 oz (1 part) Cognac, 1 oz (1 part) Crème de cacao
Preparation: Shake and strain into a chilled cocktail glass. Sprinkle with fresh ground nutmeg.
Served: Straight up; without ice
Standard garnish: Grated nutmeg
Drinkware: Cocktail glass
Cuba Libre
2 - Cuba Libre
Rum and Coke, or the Cuba Libre, is a highball cocktail consisting of cola, rum, and in many recipes lime juice on ice. Traditionally, the cola ingredient is Coca-Cola, and the alcohol is a Cuban light rum such as Bacardi.
Main alcohol: Rum
Ingredients: 4 oz Cola, 1/3 oz Fresh lime juice, 1 2/3 oz White rum
Preparation: Build all ingredients in a highball glass filled with ice. Garnish with lime wedge.
Served: On the rocks; poured over ice
Standard garnish: Lime wedge
Drinkware: Highball glass
Grasshopper
3 - Grasshopper
A Grasshopper is a sweet, mint-flavored, after-dinner drink. The name of the drink derives from its green color, which comes from crème de menthe. The drink reputedly originated at Tujague's, a bar in the French Quarter of New Orleans, Louisiana in 1918, and was invented by its owner, Philip Guichet.
Main alcohol: Crème de menthe, creme de cacao
Ingredients: 1 oz (1 part) Fresh cream en, 1 oz (1 part) Crème de menthe (green), 1 oz (1 part) Crème de cacao (white)
Preparation: Pour ingredients into a cocktail shaker with ice. Shake briskly and then strain into a chilled cocktail glass.
Served: Straight up; without ice.
Drinkware: Cocktail glass
Primary alcohol by volume: Crème de cacao; Crème de menthe
Harvey Wallbanger
4 - Harvey Wallbanger
The Harvey Wallbanger is a mixed drink made with vodka, Galliano, and orange juice.
Main alcohol: Vodka
Ingredients: 1 1/2 oz (3 parts) Vodka, 3 oz (6 parts) Fresh orange juice, 1/2 oz (1 part) Galliano
Preparation: Stir the vodka and orange juice with ice in the glass, then float the Galliano on top. Garnish and serve.
Served: On the rocks; poured over ice
Standard garnish: Maraschino cherry, Orange slice
Drinkware: Highball glass
Manhattan
5 - Manhattan
A Manhattan is a cocktail made with whiskey, sweet vermouth and bitters. While rye is the traditional whiskey of choice, other commonly used whiskeys include Canadian whisky, bourbon, blended whiskey and Tennessee whiskey.
Main alcohol: Whiskey
Ingredients: Maraschino cherry (Garnish), Dash Angostura bitters, 2 oz Rye or Canadian whisky, 3/4 oz Sweet red vermouth
Preparation: Stirred over ice, strained into a chilled glass, garnished, and served straight up.
Served: Straight up; without ice
Standard garnish: Cherry
Drinkware: Cocktail glass
Old Fashioned
6 - Old Fashioned
The Old Fashioned is a cocktail made by muddling sugar with bitters, then adding alcohol, originally whiskey but now sometimes brandy and finally a twist of citrus rind. It is traditionally served in a short, round, tumbler-like glass, which is called an Old Fashioned glass, after the drink.
Main alcohol: Whiskey
Ingredients: 1 1/2 oz Bourbon or Rye whiskey, 2 dashes Angostura bitters, 1 Sugar cube, Few dashes plain water
Preparation: Place sugar cube in old fashioned glass and saturate with bitters, add a dash of plain water. Muddle until dissolved. Fill the glass with ice cubes and add whiskey. Garnish with orange slice, and a cocktail cherry.
Served: On the rocks; poured over ice
Standard garnish: Orange slice, Cocktail cherry
Drinkware: Old Fashioned glass
Pink Lady
7 - Pink Lady
The Pink Lady is a classic gin-based cocktail with a long history. Its pink color is due to adding grenadine. Wikipedia
Main alcohol: Gin
Ingredients: 1.5 oz. Gin, 1 Egg White, 4 dashes Grenadine
Preparation: Shake ingredients very well with ice and strain into cocktail glass. Garnish with a cherry.
Standard garnish: Cherry
Drinkware: Cocktail glass
Commonly used ingredients: 1.5 oz. gin; 4 dashes grenadine; 1 egg white
Served: Straight up; without ice
Rob Roy
8 - Rob Roy
The Rob Roy is a cocktail consisting primarily of whisky and vermouth, created in 1894 by a bartender at the Waldorf Astoria in Manhattan, New York City.
Main alcohol: Scotch whisky
Ingredients: 5/6 oz Sweet Vermouth, 1 1/2 oz Scotch Whisky, Dash Angostura Bitters
Preparation: Add ingredients to a mixing glass and stir over ice, strain into a chilled glass, garnish and serve straight up, or mix in rocks glass, filled with ice.
Served: Choice of "straight up" or "On the rocks"
Standard garnish: Maraschino cherry or lemon twist
Drinkware: Cocktail glass
Singapore Sling
9 - Singapore Sling
The Singapore Sling is a gin-based cocktail from Singapore. This long drink was developed sometime before 1915 by Ngiam Tong Boon, a Hainanese bartender working at the Long Bar in Raffles Hotel, Singapore.
Main alcohol: Gin
Ingredients: 1/4 oz Cointreau, 4 oz (16 parts) Pineapple juice, MORE
Preparation: Pour all ingredients into cocktail shaker filled with ice cubes. Shake well. Strain into highball glass. Garnish with pineapple and cocktail cherry.
Served: Well shaken, with ice
Standard garnish: Maraschino cherry, Pineapple slice
Drinkware: Highball glass
Tequila Sunrise
10 - Tequila Sunrise
The Tequila Sunrise is a cocktail made of tequila, orange juice, and grenadine syrup and served unmixed in a tall glass. The modern drink originates from Sausalito in the early 1970s, after an earlier one created in the 1930s in Phoenix, near Scottsdale.
Main alcohol: Tequila
Ingredients: 3 oz (6 parts) Orange juice, 1 1/2 oz (3 parts) Tequila, 1/2 oz (1 part) Grenadine syrup
Preparation: Pour the tequila and orange juice into glass over ice. Add the grenadine, which will sink to the bottom. Do not stir. Garnish and serve.
Standard garnish: Orange slice, Cherry
Drinkware: Collins glass