If you’re hosting an upscale get-together or brunch, the rum and simple drinks will not do. Reach for the top shelf and impress your guests with these 36 sophisticated and tasty Upscale Cocktails.

In early adulthood, most of us are enjoying simple, inexpensive mixed drinks like Jungle Juice or rum and Coke. While they get the job done, they’re certainly lacking when it comes to providing a memorable experience. As your palate improves, you’ll find yourself yearning for more complex flavors, better-tasting liquor and Instagram-worthy glasses and garnishes. Some popular ingredients we use include tequila, vodka, gin, whiskey, and so much more.

Fancy cocktails are a great way to practice your bartending skills and acquaint yourself with new ingredients. Instead of sodas or bottled juices, these classy drinks are made with aromatic bitters, absinthe and green chartreuse. Instead of your standard lime wedge, get ready to garnish with fresh herbs, berries and spices. It’s an elevated experience every step of the way. 

Top Upscale Cocktail Recipes

Strawberry Hennessy

Add some berries to your Henny for an unexpected fruity concoction! The irresistible combo of cognac, champagne, and strawberries is sure to set the mood.

Ingredients: hennessy, champagne, strawberry syrup, ice, lemon, strawberries, sugar, water

Pisco Sour

Show them how worldly you are with this exotic cocktail! The Pisco Sour is the national drink of Peru and features a delicious brandy made from muscat grapes.

Ingredients: pure pisco, angostura bitters, simple syrup, lime juice, egg white, ice cubes

Corpse Reviver No. 2

With a tantalizing mix of orange liqueur, French apertif wine and absinthe, Corpse Reviver No. 2 isn’t your everyday cocktail.

The spooky drink makes an excellent welcome drink at a Halloween party or murder mystery night.

Ingredients: gin, cointreau, lillet, lemon juice

Boulevardier

A boulevardier is a name given to a wealthy, fashionable socialite. You’ll definitely feel the part after a sip of this classic cocktail. 

Ingredients: bourbon whiskey, rosso/rogue (sweet) vermouth, Italian red bitter liqueur

Moscow Mule

Show off your fancy bartending skills with this deceptively simple cocktail.

Served in a traditional copper mug, it’s truly something special.

Ingredients: vodka, lime juice, ginger beer, ice cubes, mint sprig

French Martini

Everybody knows that French things are the fanciest. This classic vodka martini is no exception.

Ingredients: premium vodka, pineapple juice, chambord liqueur, fine grain sea salt, ice

Pegu Club

This delightfully tangy cocktail transports you to an exclusive Victorian-style bar.

You’ll love the refreshing combo of gin and freshly squeezed lime juice, spiced with aromatic bitters.

Ingredients: London dry gin, triple sec, Pierre Ferrand Curaçao or Cointreau, lime juice, simple syrup, aromatic bitters, orange bitters

Ramos Gin Fizz

This creamy cocktail ought to be served in your very tallest glass.

Orange blossom water, fresh citrus juices, and bubbly seltzer make this drink a real treat.

Ingredients: gin, simple syrup,  lemon juice, lime juice, cream, egg white, orange blossom water, soda water

Hemingway Daiquiri

Take a trip to Havana with this refreshing medley. Legend has it that this was the famous author’s preferred cocktail when he stayed in Cuba.

Ingredients: white rum, agave syrup or simple syrup, grapefruit juice, luxardo maraschino liqueur, lime juice, crushed ice, lime slices

Sazerac

This iconic cocktail is said to be the first one ever invented. Impress your guests with its smooth taste and fascinating history.

Ingredients: sugar, sazerac rye whiskey or buffalo trace bourbon, herbsaint, peychaud’s bitters, lemon peel

French 75 Cocktail

We know you’re going to love this bubbly Parisian cocktail. If you like it sweet, add an extra dash of Meyer lemon simple syrup.

Ingredients: meyer lemon, superfine sugar, gin, meyer lemon simple syrup, champagne

Dark & Stormy

The dark & stormy looks like it was prepared by a pro, but it can be made by just about anyone.

Combine spiced rum, ginger beer, and lime for a refreshing summertime cocktail.

Ingredients: ice, spicy ginger beer,  lime juice, lime slices, spiced rum

Martinez

We hope you’ve got fancy enough glass for this sophisticated variation of the Manhattan. Be sure to garnish with a lemon twist to complete the look.

Ingredients: gin, sweet vermouth, maraschino liqueur, angostura bitters, lemon twist

Golden Cadillac

This cocktail is just as fancy as it sounds. You’ll love the decadent combination of vanilla anise liqueur, sweet cream and crème de cacao.

Ingredients: light crème de cacao, vanilla anise liqueur, sweet cream

Siesta Cocktail

This is the drink Hemingway would have had if he went to Spain instead of Cuba. Though it’s a relatively new recipe, many would argue that it’s already a classic.

Ingredients: tequila, Campari, lime juice, grapefruit juice, simple syrup, grapefruit twist

Vesper Martini

Gin martini or vodka martini? The vesper gives you the best of both worlds because you deserve it. 

Ingredients: Hayman’s London dry gin, ketel one vodka, kina aromatised wine, lillet blanc

White Russian

This sweet, comforting drink is made with coffee liqueur, vodka and fresh cream. Serve it in an old-fashioned glass for an elevated experience.

Ingredients: vodka, Kahlua or another similar coffee liqueur, cream

Armand de Brigac Champagne

You’ve probably heard this French champagne being called by its more popular name – Ace of Spades.

This fancy bubbly brand is owned by Jay-Z and comes in impressive gold bottles.

Ingredients: Pinot Noir, Pinot Meunier, and Chardonnay

Gin and Dubonnet

The Queen of England is rumored to request this colorful cocktail at royal events. Enjoy it as a nightcap or as a themed drink for a watch party.

Ingredients: dubonnet, gin, lemon wedge, ice

Ice Wine

Icewine is produced when grapes are left on the vine to freeze. The frozen grapes are then pressed into a concentrated, flavorful wine.

Ingredients: grapes, vine, sugars

Margarita

In just five minutes, you can prepare a tasty margarita that’s even better than the one at the Mexican restaurant. Made with fresh citrus juices and premium tequila, it may just be the best margarita you’ve ever had.

Ingredients: hot water, honey or agave, lime juice, tequila, Cointreau or Grand Marnier, orange juice, Ice

Last Word

This refreshing Prohibition-era recipe has equal parts gin, freshly squeezed lime juice and a dash of sweet cherry liqueur.

The pièce de résistance is the minty, herbaceous taste of Green Chartreuse.

Ingredients: gin, green Chartreuse, Maraschino liqueur, fresh lime juice

Gin and Tonic

The recipe’s in the name for this timeless medley. To make it extra fancy, use premium ingredients and garnishes like fresh herbs, fruit or spices.

Ingredients: gin,lime or lemon juice, premium tonic water

Ward 8 Cocktail

Your party guests will be coming back for a second glass of this old-fashioned whiskey cocktail. The Ward 8 originated in Boston at the turn of the 20^th century and combines fresh citrus flavors with rye whiskey and juicy pomegranate syrup.

Ingredients: rye whiskey, lemon juice, orange juice – or tangerine, grenadine

Whiskey Sour

The whiskey sour is a simple cocktail that always gets the job done. The secret is to use bourbon (not Scotch) and top it off with Angostura bitters. Replace bourbon with almond liqueur if you prefer an Amaretto Sour.

Ingredients: bourbon, lemon juice, simple syrup, egg white, angostura bitters

Lemon Drop Martini

Add this refreshing summertime cocktail to your brunch menu and your guests will love you for it! Be sure to use your finest vodka and garnish with a slice of fresh lemon.

Ingredients: lemon, top shelf vodka such as Tito’s, ultra fine baker’s sugar, crushed ice

Singapore Sling

With ingredients French Benedictine and cherry liqueur from Denmark, this cocktail is more cosmopolitan than The Cosmopolitan. This pricey drink is all the rage in Singapore, yet surprisingly easy to make in your own home.

Ingredients: London dry gin, cherry heering, cointreau, benedictine, pineapple juice, lime juice, grenadine, bitters

Screwdriver

The simplicity of this cocktail makes it an obvious choice for last-minute get-togethers. Just a pinch of salt elevates the drink to a brunch-worthy concoction.

Ingredients: vodka, orange juice, salt

Old Fashioned

As the name suggests, this drink is one of the first cocktails ever invented. Serve this timeless cocktail in its namesake glass and garnish with a maraschino cherry and a slice of orange. 

Ingredients: rye whiskey, sugar cube, angostura bitters, water, ice cubes, maraschino cherry, orange

Mai Tai

The Mai Tai is ‘proof’ that you don’t need a vacation to feel those tropical vibes. Use premium Jamaican rum for an authentic island experience.

Ingredients: white rum, orange curaçao, lime juice, orgeat, dark rum, cherry or fresh mint

Sidecar

The Sidecar is over a century old and has definitely stood the test of time. Show off your bartending skills with this tantalizing mix of cognac and citrus.

Ingredients: cognac, orange liqueur, lemon juice, freshly squeezed, orange twist, sugar rim

Bellini

This peachy cocktail will be the star of your next brunch or cocktail party. You’ll be blending real peaches with bubbly Prosecco for a tasty alternative to the standard mimosa.

Ingredients: prosecco, frozen sliced peaches, peach juice or nectar, sliced peaches

Vieux Carré

Top shelf bourbon, Rémy Martin and Creole-style bitters make up the sophisticated Vieux Carré. Impress your friends by properly pronouncing this French Creole concoction.

Ingredients: straight rye whiskey, cognac, rosso/rogue, benedictine D.O.M liqueur, peychaud’s or other creole-style bitters, angostura aromatic bitters

Manhattan

If you were on the party scene back in the Roaring Twenties, this would be your cocktail of choice. One hundred years later, Manhattan is still considered the epitome of sophistication. Just remember that this one is stirred, not shaken.

Ingredients: rye whiskey, sweet vermouth, angostura bitters, brandied cherry

Negroni

This classic Negroni cocktail combines campari, gin, and sweet vermouth in equal measures, resulting in a delicious and delightful bittersweet drink. 

It’s garnished with a graceful twist of orange peel for a beautiful and timeless look. Made within a few minutes, this upscale drink will set the stage for a memorable evening.

Ingredients: Campari, gin, sweet vermouth, orange peel

Cosmopolitan

If you’re a Sex and the City fan, you’re familiar with this one! The Cosmo is the quintessential cocktail for a socialite, but you can easily recreate it at home, too.

Ingredients: Citron vodka, Cointreau, cranberry juice, lime juice, crushed ice, orange peel